Beneath the Scars (Masters of the Shadowlands #13)(121)

Spotting Carson, Brandon half rose, his face filled with hatred. “You fucking pussy. I did it for you. To get back at your father and teach him a lesson. What was your fucking problem?”

“You didn’t do it for me,” Carson said slowly. “You did it because you wanted to set something on fire. And because you couldn’t get to your own dad.”

Brandon scowled. “Yours called you a bastard.”

Everett had. And having his father be a total dick kinda hurt, but it didn’t really matter. Carson shook his head. “I told you I didn’t want you to do anything. Not for me.”

“He’s your father.”

“Nah, he’s just a”—what had Yukio said?—“a sperm donor.”

At Holt’s low laugh, Carson almost smiled. Because he had something Brandon didn’t—something important. And hey, here was a way to make that clear to Holt and Mom without getting all mushy and stuff.

“Like anyone believes that,” Brandon sneered.

“You’re a moron. I don’t need that asshole Everett.” Carson lifted his chin, not daring to look up at the two adults beside him. “I’m getting a better dad.”

This time it was his mother who made a sound—a big ol’ gasp.

Grinning, Carson led his mom and father-to-be out of the room.





Chapter Twenty-Nine





Her baby had a talent for soccer, Josie thought, as she sipped her Diet Coke and watched the middle school boys practicing for the upcoming tryouts.

It felt good to get back to doing normal activities after the horrible events of last Thursday. However, normal wouldn’t last long. The principal had talked with the school board yesterday—Monday—and the administration wanted to play hard-ass.

Josie’s mouth compressed. To protect her boy, she’d be a hard-ass right back. She might not be the only one, since Holt was as protective of Carson as she was. She felt a funny quiver in her belly. Every time a law enforcement person had shown up to talk with her son, Holt had been there. Guarding Carson.

He loved her, and he loved Carson. She’d begun to believe in romance and love the way she had when she was young. He was openly spending the nights with her. Last night, when he was working his 24 hours at the firehouse, the evening had felt wrong and flat without him there, discussing the day’s events at supper, reading or watching TV, playing a game with Carson. During the night, she’d reached for him and ended up curled around his pillow. Yes, she missed him.

And loved him. Truly, nothing had been the same since he came into her life.

Wasn’t it funny that, in the middle of winter, she felt as if spring had arrived?

She took another sip of Diet Coke and smiled as Carson took the ball down the field, feinted and dodged around a bigger boy, then shot the ball to Yukio. Her boy was amazing. “Woohoo!”

Recognizing her voice, Carson got a tiny smile, which he couldn’t show, of course, because…hey, it was his mother.

Josie grinned, then frowned as someone crowded her on the bleachers. Without looking away from the field, she scooted over a few inches.

“I’ve heard that being ignored by a beautiful woman can destroy a man’s tender psyche. You wouldn’t want to inflict permanent damage, would you, pet?” A sexy, smooth murmur broke her focus on the game.

Her head snapped up, and she turned. “Holt? What are you doing here?” Every cell in her body began to dance and warble happy songs.

“I was checking Stella’s blood pressure, and she said Carson had preseason practice. I wanted to see him when he has enough room to really run.”

“Oh.” The new net in the backyard had been getting a lot of use, but he was right. There wasn’t much space.

“Besides, I missed you.” The dark desire in his voice made her body hum.

“I missed you, too. I think you’ve ruined me for sleeping alone.” Her voice came out grumpier than she wanted.

“I know the feeling. You…” His voice trailed off as his brows drew together. With his hand on the side of her face, he turned her toward him. “You have dark circles under your eyes. You really didn’t sleep well.”

No need to tell him about the nightmares. But the concern in his face said he’d probably already guessed.

She offered a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, you will.” His kiss was warm and possessive. “I’ll be in your bed tonight. If nothing else, I can make sure you’re fucked into exhaustion.”

“Now that’s romantic.”

“No romance tonight, baby.” He bent down and whispered against her lips. “Tonight, we’ll go for raw and dirty.”

A heated flush engulfed her. “Mmm. Okay.” Her voice came out husky.

Smiling slightly, Holt settled closer, putting an arm behind her back as he studied the field. The young players had divided into two teams, some in dark T-shirts, and some in white to tell them apart. After watching a minute, he said, “Our boy’s damn good.”

Josie grinned at the pride in Holt’s expression. “I worry a bit about that. He’s a one-sport kid—he’s not interested in playing anything else.”

“But he loves books, video games, and motorcycles.”

“You males and your bikes.” Carson’d been even more enamored with motorcycles after Holt took him on the Harley.