A New Enemy (Enemies 1)

I set down my drink to scrub a hand over my face.

There was an exception to the chemistry thing. If the chemistry was too good, I set up boundaries.

I was doing that with Blake—though, using him as an example wasn’t entirely fair. We knew going in that this was a vacation hookup. Surely it wasn’t bad to protect yourself when you knew there was an expiration date.

“So why do I do that?” I muttered. “It’s not like I’m coldhearted. I develop feelings like everybody else.”

“You’re definitely not coldhearted, honey. You just don’t let it go very far. With friends and family, you’re so loving and generous. But I don’t know…I can’t remember you being in a romantic relationship where you went all in.”

It was ironic to hear her use those words, because emotionally, I did go all in. But like she’d also mentioned, I didn’t allow things to go far. Most of the time, anyway. I had a niggling suspicion that Blake had the ability to get too close. He was already under my skin.

At that point, I became two men. One who was itching to dive straight in and see how far we could go, and one who pumped the brakes and looked for the nearest exit.

Thinking back, I’d had those instincts with Blake too—both of them—with one big difference. I hadn’t looked for the nearest exit. I’d held back so that he wouldn’t look for the nearest exit.

I was afraid of getting hurt.

“If this turns out to be some clichéd Mommy and Daddy issues, I’m gonna drink myself into oblivion,” I said.

Marlene laughed softly. “I was just thinking about possible reasons… It did cross my mind.”

Lily started sliding off my shoulder, so I caught her and nuzzled her soft fur. A sleepy Lily was a snuggly Lily.

“It doesn’t have to be very dramatic, Sebastian,” she said pensively. “We love Mom and Dad, we know they love us—at the same time as we grew up with their limitations. And you know, those were always there. They shaped us to an extent. We became protective of what we have, and we’re more prepared than most for people to forget, neglect, and wander off.”

That part certainly made sense, and I hummed against Lily’s purring form. She was too precious. She had a thing for putting a paw on my nose. As long as the claws didn’t come out, I was good.

“I guess I could make an effort to trust easier,” I murmured.

For that to happen, to even attempt it, would require me to get back in the dating game.

And Jesus Christ, fuck that.

Where are you?

Calm yourself, woman. It was the third time she’d texted. I’d told her I’d stop by at noon. I was only ten minutes late.

I didn’t respond since I was literally walking into their building now.

I made it up to the third floor with bagels and my phone in one hand, my helmet in the other, and the hope of seeing Blake feeling better rattling around in my head.

As I stepped over someone’s trash, I was even more thankful than usual that I didn’t live here anymore.

Soph opened the door before I could knock, and she looked…special. Messy and radiant. So, so messy. Motherhood suited her. That old pink bathrobe did not.

“Hey there, beautiful momma.” I dipped down and kissed her cheek before squeezing by. “Where’s the fire? You seemed very impatient for me to get here.”

I’d half expected to hear Isabella’s delightfully ear-deafening screams, but it was all silent. I couldn’t even hear Teddy, Dylan—Blake, for that matter—or the TV.

They lived cramped, but Soph managed to make it look tidy anyway. The kitchen connected to the living room, and a hallway led to two bedrooms and a tiny bathroom. And Soph had this thing where she bought cheap dressers and bookshelves at yard sales that she repainted and filled with neatly organized boxes. She knew where everything was.

“Where is everyone?” I set the helmet on the hallway table before I trailed into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. “Have a seat. I’ll get you some coffee.” Her mug on the table was empty.

“I—thank you. Dylan went to pick up Teddy at his parents’. Isabella is asleep—finally. She was up all night.”

“And Blake?”

Soph sat down at the table with a wince and a sigh. “He went back to Georgia.”

I did a double take at her, nearly dropping her mug, and felt my stomach roll. “What, why? Did something happen?”

She swallowed hard, and I noticed she was fidgeting with an envelope on the table. “Can you sit down, please? I was supposed to have a few more days before I had to tell you, but that rat bastard has forced my hand. So all I ask is, please go easy on me. I gave birth yesterday.”

Her words didn’t make a lick of sense, but I sat down across from her and told myself to just listen.