Ruthless Bastard (Dangerous Love 3)

“The next time I want your opinion of what you think I should do,” she shot back at him, “how about you go fuck yourself first.”

Dammit. Pissing her off hadn’t been what he wanted. When she reached for the door handle, he raced up the steps and grabbed her arm. “Listen, I’m not good at this shit.”

“Ya think?” she growled, ripping her arm away. She turned to her door, opened it, then whirled back around. “By the way, Mr. Big Shot, I’m not this teenage girl chasing after you with stars in her eyes.”

As she was yelling at him, Rhett caught movement in her bay window. He saw more than one shadow, and a sudden realization had him lurching forward to place a hand over Kinsley’s mouth to keep the conversation private.

He instantly realized his mistake.

Her eyes were wild with a fury he suddenly feared, and before he had the chance to tell her they were not alone, she bit his hand and sacked him in the nuts with her knee. Light flashed before his eyes as he bent over, wheezing against the pain.

“I wanted to do this another way,” she yelled at him. “Any other way but how you’re making me do it.” He forced his eyes open and brought his gaze up to hers. The world suddenly stopped moving at the emotion paired with the seriousness in her expression. “I’m pregnant. The baby is yours. That’s why I’ve been calling, you stupid ass!”

Gasps of shock came from inside the house, and he nearly emptied his guts on her snow-covered porch. He dropped to one knee and placed his hands in the icy snow, easing the cold sweat washing over him that had nothing to do with his testicles being lodged up into his throat.

A few seconds passed before Kinsley’s eyes slowly widened with awareness. She stepped into her house, flicked on the light.

A long awkward pause followed.

Until the bubbly Remy yelled, “Surprise!” And then blew her party horn.

Still hunched over, now sucking in gulps of air for another reason, Rhett took in the streamers, the HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign strung up in Kinsley’s living room, and the birthday cake on the coffee table. He’d known they were throwing her a surprise party tonight. He’d been told the party was at Boone’s. Plans must have changed. He glanced at Asher, finding his friend’s mouth wide open. Peyton’s hazel eyes flickered between him and Kinsley. And then Rhett felt the weight of two gazes on him burning with anger that suddenly made his skin flush hot. Boone and Hank, Kinsley’s father, glared at Rhett like they were coming up with all the ways to kill him. But that was the least of his worries.

Kinsley was pregnant. A baby…his baby.

Chapter 3

Kinsley could sum up the last two weeks in two words: shit show.

The day the doctor confirmed she was pregnant, she had resorted to calling Rhett, since he’d gone into hiding ever since Boone’s wedding. He’d dodged her calls, so she’d even gone into the police station to talk to him, but he’d avoided her every time. Never, not once, in her life had she ever chased after a guy, especially one that had landed himself at the top of the epic douche bag list. A minute ago, she thought her life couldn’t get any worse. But this, seeing the shock on her brother and her father’s faces, was worse. Her stomach somersaulted, nearly emptying itself all over the floor. Rhett was still on his knees outside, but instead of groaning, he was silent and motionless to the truth she’d hit him with.

She swallowed the emotion crawling up her throat. This was not how she’d wanted the news to come out. Tension made the air heavy, and the passing silence grew more formidable as the seconds went on. With no way out, she faced her daunting reality, noting the controlled rage simmering beneath the surface on Boone’s and her father’s expressions. They all shared the same quick to smile demeanor, but of course, those smiles were nowhere in sight now. Dad was a bit shorter than Boone, but the air of command he carried always made him seem taller, more authoritative somehow. Especially when he wasn’t happy. Like now. To break through the silence, she forced a smile and asked no one in particular, “You planned a surprise party for me?”

Peyton finally nodded and broke the ice. “We thought you could use a good surprise.”

And now, everyone knew why—she was pregnant with Rhett’s baby. Both Remy and Peyton had known about her pregnancy from day one. They had been there when Kinsley had taken the test. “You’re right, I did need a good surprise.” She quickly entered her house, leaving the door open for when Rhett finally picked himself up off the porch. “I actually thought you all forgot today was my birthday.”

“Neve

r in a million years,” said Remy, glancing between Kinsley and Rhett.

“I’m so lucky to have you all. Thank you,” Kinsley exclaimed, throwing her arms around Peyton, spying the horribly decorated cake on the coffee table in her living room that resembled nothing in particular. A mouse? A cat? A purse? Who knew? “Did you make the cake?”

Peyton gave a proud nod. “I think it’s my best one yet.”

“I bet it’s scrumptious.” Peyton’s cakes always tasted great. They just looked terrible. No one ever had the heart to tell Peyton that, though. “You know I’m going to eat half of that all by myself, right?” Not a lie. She couldn’t stop eating lately.

“As you should.” Peyton smiled.

Kinsley turned back to Remy. “And let me guess, you provided all the good juju?” The hints of gingerbread incense were enough to know that Remy was pulling out all her magical guns for this party. She probably had some orange peel tea around somewhere for luck for the year ahead.

Remy smiled, bright and tight, obviously trying to salvage the party she’d planned. “Girl, your house is now stuffed full of so much positive energy.”

Kinsley almost snorted. Right now, the energy in the room lingered between shock and confusion, with a strong undercurrent of anger. But Remy was a ball of sunshine—who was Kinsley to say that she was wrong and dampen all that warmth. Now, armed and ready to face the music, she glanced at the men in her living room, and immediately gave a dry laugh. “By the looks of all of you, I think we need the biggest dose of positivity we can get right now.”

No response. Not any movement.

Kinsley lifted her brows. “Anyone got anything to say?”