Broken Pasts(25)

“I'm going to file a report against you for assault and battery,” Glen said and I swear to God, I came this close to decking him right between the eyes. “And you,” he said with a bitter laugh as he looked me up and down like I was some harlot from hell. This man, this person, who was f*cking Winnie while I still had stitches in my belly, who was screwing another woman while we were still married, had no right to look at me that way. “You're screwing your private detective?”

“Private detective?” I said as Nathaniel stepped forward and Glen stepped back.

“I know everything, Theresa,” Glen said as he pointed at me in a way that I'd always hated. It had always made me feel so small. Not anymore.

“And tell me, Glen,” I said as I put my hand on my hip. “What do you know, hmm? Do you know how much you hurt me when you left? How alone I felt? How betrayed? Do you even know what that's like or do you have feelings at all?” Glen chose to ignore me, but Nathaniel didn't. He looked right at me and through me, into my heart, my soul. I felt larger than life in his eyes, like I could do anything.

“I know that you've been stalking Gary, that he's filed a restraining order against you. I know that you've hired a private detective to follow him around, accosted him while he was touring houses, sat outside his home at night. I always knew you were strange, Theresa, but this is too much. I can't have Rhea exposed to your eccentricities anymore. Do you know what she drew in art class today? A phallus, Theresa. If he's touched her … ” Glen began, eyes on Nathaniel. I watched my bodyguard go from calm to deadly.

“Excuse me?” Nathaniel began as he stepped into Glen's space, but didn't touch him. He did what he'd done to Gary before, asserted his dominance, showed his power, without lifting a single finger. “You'd better reconsider what you were about to say, and you'd better get your facts straight. You haven't the slightest idea what's going on here.”

“I do,” Glen said, but he didn't sound so sure of himself anymore. “I just spoke with Gary on the phone. He told me everything.”

“He fed you lies,” I said as I looked at Glen and thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't his wife anymore. He really was a spineless piece of shit. “Gary has been stalking me, and Nathaniel isn't a private detective, he's a bodyguard.” Glen looked from Nathaniel to me and back again.

“I – ”

“And I would never, never do anything to put Rhea in harm's way, not physically, not emotionally.” I paused and watched sweat bead on Glen's forehead. “You will do nothing to take her away from me. If you try for custody, I will take her from you and you will never see her again.” I took a deep breathe. “And the next time you decide to tell our daughter a life changing secret, say for example, that she's adopted, you will come to me first or I'll kill you myself.” I smiled and moved forward, nodded at Nathaniel who opened the door, and held out my hand. “Nathaniel will see you out.”





CHAPTER 17

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I whispered as I paced the bathroom floor with my fingernails in my mouth and my phone to my ear. I was waiting desperately for Jamie to answer, so I could dump all of my emotional baggage on her shoulders. The weight of it had lifted briefly in Nathaniel's arms and now it was all crashing back down on my head and threatening to drown me. I had to tell someone or I was going to burst. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't going to be my best friend. She didn't answer. I ended the call and sighed, leaning over the counter while my heart pumped and my thoughts whirled. Now what? Did I invite Nathaniel to stay the night? What about Cedric? Did they have to switch out now? Could Nathaniel just … I don't know, spend the night with me? Was I moving too fast?

“Theresa?” he asked from outside the door. “Is everything okay in there?” I looked up, caught my expression in the mirror and realized that I was now terrified of the man. He'd given me my first orgasm and now I was choking on my own fear at the thought of even looking at him.

“Yeah, I … just a minute,” I said as I thought about someone to call. There was nobody but Jamie to tell this to. I was on my own. With another sigh, I approached the door and opened it slowly. Nathaniel was waiting in the doorway between the hallway and kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest and a soft, tentative smile on his face. “I'm sorry about Glen,” I told him and he shook his head.

“Don't be. It's actually fairly common for a stalker to try and turn the situation around and blame the victim. Happens all the time.” I nodded, but that didn't make me feel any less sick. Gary might not have been sitting outside my window, but he was still there, searching for a way back into my life, however that opportunity may arise. At least I had some idea what to do with the gun now, and a basic knowledge was all I needed because if I took it out, it was going to be a life or death situation and I refused to go down without a fight.

“Should we, uh, maybe put Glen down as a witness?” Nathaniel shook his head again and stepped forward, running his hand across my cheek and through my hair. I shivered at the casual touch and tried to puzzle out exactly what was going on here. If I didn't determine the boundaries soon, things were bound to get awkward between us.

“I think he'd do more harm than good to your case,” he said with a smile. “And don't worry about the restraining order, there's no way Gary could get one, especially not since we already filed a police report on him. He's bluffing.”

“He's going to try and kill me, isn't he?” I asked, my mouth set in a thin line. It was a horrible thought, imagining Gary out there plotting to take me down, but it was the truth. I couldn't run from it anymore.

“He can try,” Nathaniel said. “But I won't let him. I'll protect you, Theresa.”

“Until Wednesday,” I said as I stepped back and rested my body against the bathroom door. “And then – ” Nathaniel put his hand out by my head and leaned forward, making my body hum with excitement.

“I'm not leaving you,” he told me, but I was already shaking my head.

“Yes, you are. Nathaniel, I can't really afford – ”

“Really, Theresa?” he asked, but his voice wasn't angry, just confused. “Do you really think I'd charge you after what just happened between us? Of course I'll refund your money.”

“No,” I said firmly as I looked up into his face and touched his cheeks with my hands. “That's not fair to Cedric. Besides, what are you going to do? Move in with me? Protect me round the clock without sleep, without pay?”

“If that's what it takes.”

“Nathaniel … ” I began, and when I realized I was using my 'mom' voice, I cringed. “Let's just get through the next few days and see what happens. We still have a date on Friday if I remember correctly?” Nathaniel nodded and pulled his arm back, wrapping his fingers around mine and pulling them away from his face.

“It's not a weakness to ask for help when you need it,” he told me.

“I know,” I told him, and didn't know what else to say to that. My bodyguard has just thrown me over a desk and given me the best oral sex I have ever had and now he's trying to go all white knight on me, and I'm freaking out. Is there a f*cking problem here because there shouldn't be, Theresa. Stop being a bitch. “Want something to drink?” I asked and then paused. “Something nonalcoholic. I think I'm going to stay away from the booze for a couple of days.” Nathaniel smiled softly and dropped my hands.

“Tea?” he asked as he stepped aside and let me slide past. It was the same sort of thing we'd done a dozen times in the past few days except on this occasion, he didn't stand back all professional like. In fact, he pressed his body against mine and ran his fingers across my belly as I sidled past and started rummaging around in the cabinets.

“I hope you're not a tea connoisseur or anything,” I said and nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt his warm breath on my neck and his hands on my hips.

“Nope,” Nathaniel said. “Anything you have is more than fine with me.” I spun around in his arms and nearly groaned as he used his hips to push me against the counter.

“Even six month old generic brand black tea?”

“Perfect,” he said as we locked gazes and I found myself struggling to catch my breath. Apparently the little tryst between us had only whet Nathaniel's appetite for me. “Weren't we in the middle of something?” he asked as he grabbed the box of tea from my hand and tossed it onto the counter behind me. I moaned and nearly collapsed in his arms when his mouth found the hollow of my throat and began to nibble down towards the edge of my dress …

And then his f*cking phone rang.

“Shit,” Nathaniel said as he gave me an apologetic look and pulled it out of his pocket. “With what happened yesterday, I – ”