Return of the Bad Boy (Second Chance #4)(6)

This was the part she couldn’t be selfish about. He wanted to do right by his child, and that meant something to her—like way down deep. Glo knew too well how easy it was for some parents to discard a child, and here was Ash, fighting for time with his son. Every part of her admired that about him, and at a time she was trying not to admire him physically, knowledge that he was so much more wasn’t easy to swallow.

“I’m an adult,” he continued. “Hawk is my kid. I don’t need supervision. I need time. Living in LA, I haven’t spent a lot of time here. When I am here, she should let me see him.” His brows arched in anger.

She nodded her understanding. For years, the biggest issue they’d had was arguing about whether or not he’d cheated on her. He’d been as adamant about his innocence as she had been about his guilt. Though, now her adamancy resembled petulance, because his story had never changed. Which meant he was telling the truth about sleeping with Jordan only once. Which also meant Gloria had blamed him unfairly for years.

She’d found out a few months ago, right around the same time Asher found out, that he’d fathered a child with that girl—Hawk was conceived prior to the nightie nightmare—and their biggest issue was suddenly dwarfed. Asher had a son. No matter how proud of him she was that he’d stepped up, that still hurt.

Gloria didn’t do hurt. She was strong and tough and completely sure of herself.

Most of the time.

“You’ll work it out,” she said, but the sentiment sounded forced. She focused on her coffee mug, aware of him coming closer. So close she could smell his freshly showered, soapy scent. So close, she could almost recall what it was like when there had been no barriers between them. When, even before they’d slept together, he’d loop an arm around her neck and tug her close, and she’d lay her head on his shoulder. The way, after they’d slept together, his fingers would coast over her leg while they were sitting side by side and she’d smile at him and see all that dark, delicious intent blooming in his brown eyes.

Her thighs tingled. Don’t go there, Shields.

“Wait’ll you meet him,” he said.

She snapped her eyes up to meet his. Asher having just settled in meant she hadn’t had a chance to be around him. Not being around him meant she’d yet to meet Hawk.

“Hawk’s great.” Asher’s face split into a grin. “I’ve hung out with him enough to know little dude rocks. Like his dad. You just wait.”

There was evident pride in his voice and on his face, but her reaction was the opposite. Her shoulders curled in, her hands tightened around her mug. Meet Asher’s son? Ho boy. Last thing in the world she was qualified to do. It wasn’t that Gloria didn’t like children; it was more that there wasn’t a lot of proof she was good for them. Her history was comprised of two of the worst parental examples in the world and a handful of foster parents who hadn’t won any awards either.

She may be willing to mentally pick up and move on while battling leftover-from-years-ago attraction to Asher, and she may admire down to her very bone marrow that he cared so much about his son…but Gloria getting to know a child that was half him and half Jordan? She wasn’t sure that was a hurdle she was willing—or capable—to leap right now. Maybe after some time passed.

Like when Hawk was in college.

“Depends when he’s here, I guess,” she hedged. She put her mug on the counter and backed away from Asher, raising a shaky hand to push her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been busy getting book deals.”

The excuse was a throwaway and they both knew it. Ash tipped his chin in acknowledgment, his smile more patient than anything.

She couldn’t avoid Hawk forever. Hell, she’d probably have a run-in with Jordan herself at some point. Gloria had been really, really lucky she hadn’t yet. But procrastination was her friend. She could put off that reunion forever.

Asher had proven as good at avoidance as Gloria. She’d been in his bed not seven months ago, and they’d managed to talk on the phone several times, neither of them breathing a word about it.

“I have to run—conference call in a few and I left my notes at home.” All lies. She waved. “See you later.”

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t challenge her. Instead, he followed her backward steps to the front door and saw her out.

“Later, Sarge,” he said, holding the door open for her.

Without looking back, Gloria paced to her car in her new cork-heeled wedge sandals as fast as her feet would carry her.

*



And she’s off.

Asher watched Gloria’s gorgeous hips sway all the way to the car.

Not like he could help it. The woman absolutely rocked him. She rocked him whenever she looked in his direction, whenever he heard her voice, and she’d rocked the hell out of him at the mansion in his borrowed bedroom last year.

Whenever he’d seen her since, it’d been almost the only thing he could think about. And, not gonna lie, when he’d signed the contract for the house he stood in right now, he’d thought about getting her naked and on her back again. Or on top of him.

Hell, both.

Neither of them mentioned last year, and at this point, he’d come to terms that the night at the mansion had been some sort of weird “time-out” before they’d both retreated to neutral corners. The narrow window when they could have moved closer to each other closed mere minutes after they’d orgasmed.