Thrown Down (Made in Jersey #2)(21)

The phone rang in the kitchen, and River stood to go answer. “Hello?”

“Riv.”

Her father’s curt voice never failed to make her stand up straighter, but love shot an arrow to her heart at the same time. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“Not too much. Your mother and I just came back from our walk.” His heaved breath echoed down the line. “Retirement is boring as shit.”

Laughing, River leaned back against the kitchen wall. “Only if you let it be. Maybe you should finally give in and go to salsa dancing lessons with Mom.”

“Why? Is it snowing in hell?”

Their mutual laughter faded into a silent stretch that made River frown. “Is everything else okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah…” Familiar footsteps paced in the background. “Heard from a buddy yesterday who said De Matteo was back in Hook.”

A wrench fell down her windpipe. “Wow. I guess distance doesn’t get you free of the gossip mill.” She lifted a hand to circle her throat. “Yes, Vaughn is back.”

Another stretch of unnerving quiet. “I assume he knows Marcy is his?” Her father scoffed. “I hope he doesn’t expect some tearful reunion. Not after what he did.”

Not for the first time in her life, River was polarized by the unfair hostility her father exhibited toward Vaughn. Sure, he’d been a troubled young man, but until their final evening together, he’d never done anything to harm her. Quite the opposite. A majority of the time, he’d been sweet and protective, making sure she didn’t skip school, bringing her home before her curfew, no matter how much she protested. Whatever animosity had existed between Vaughn’s father and her own, it had no bearing on the here and now. She refused to give it credence by asking for the details and creating a forum for her dad to tear down Vaughn. For better or worse, he was the father of her child. “I…don’t know what he expects.” Okay, not entirely true. His exact intentions weren’t clear yet, although he’d been adamant about remaining in Jersey. “But it’ll be up to me if he gets what he came for. Okay?”

Since childhood, whenever she showed any kind of backbone to her father, he shut down and didn’t revisit the issue until he’d worked out an entirely new tactic, a memory that had River narrowing her eyes.

“I have to go, Dad. Maybe call me over the weekend?”

He cleared his throat. “Sure, Riv. Talk soon.”

When she hung up the phone, she stared at the receiver for a full minute, trying to decipher the odd note of…apprehension in her father’s voice.

“Mommy!”

River’s sigh slipped into a smile. No time to think about it now. She had a play date with her daughter to attend.





Chapter Nine


Vaughn had almost reached the factory door when his cell phone went off in his back pocket. The display showed a number with a Hook area code, so it had to be either River or Duke calling him, both of whom he’d given his number the night before. And damn, the way his blood started pumping told him exactly who he needed it to be. River. No damn contest.

Jesus Christ, he’d been a walking hard-on since last night. Not since those two years of abstaining until River reached womanhood had he been this hot to f*ck. River. Always, only River. He’d woken up in agony, jerking his hips up and back against a scratchy motel pillow, like an animal during mating season. His hand hadn’t even been required to relieve the worst of his arousal. Oh no, he’d simply gripped the hollow wooden headboard and accelerated his lewd thrusts, picturing River with her legs spread…and he’d popped right off, shouting down at the mattress. Yeah, considering the state in which he’d left the bed sheets, he probably wouldn’t be making friends with the motel maids any time soon.

He’d spent his drive to the factory reminding himself—around ninety-eight times—that anything physical between him and River would be on her terms. No climbing in through her bedroom window when he needed to feel her beneath him naked, to take her down like a starved predator. No. Remaining focused on his goal was more important now than ever. Helping River. Making up for leaving her a single mother. If she allowed him into her life as a co-parent, it would be more than he deserved.

It took several calming breaths before he trusted himself to answer the phone, but the simple hope she’d be on the other end made him sound like a goddamn sexual deviant. “Riv?”

He heard a slow breath that he swore feathered his ear. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Warm syrup coated his insides, sliding down nice and easy. “Hiya, doll,” he murmured. “Been a while since you called me.”

“Been a while since I had a reason.”

Ouch. Apparently going down on River hadn’t been the remedy to all of their problems. Fair enough. Just meant he needed to work harder, which was what put him at Hook’s main source of employment so early in the morning. Vaughn gave a low whistle. “De Matteo takes one on the chin.”

He thought he heard a muffled laugh on the opposite end of the line, followed by a slow breath. “I’m calling to invite you to dinner tonight.”

Vaughn slapped the phone to his chest and mouthed a hallelujah up toward the gray New Jersey sky. When he finally returned the phone to his mouth, River was issuing a warning about putting too many Cheerios in his mouth at once. “Wha—”