“Sister? What sister, do you mean Deidre? How can she be your sister when Tom divorced her ass?”
“She is and will always be because she’s the mother of my nieces. The nieces you robbed of their dad. Do you think he’s going to thank you when the truth is finally revealed?” And here I went in for frontal attack number three.
“Take three guesses as to what my Xmas gift to him this year is going to be. Deidre didn’t want to stoop to Tom’s level and give him the paternity test he asked for, but there’s no reason I couldn’t get one now, is there? That’s right, and I have the results. Would you like to see them?” Her face lost all color as she blanched, and then she did the one thing I was hoping she’d do all day. She pulled her hand back to smack me.
I started to smile, anticipating the sting of the slap before I offload two years of anger on her ass, but her hand never landed. Someone grabbed her arm from over my shoulder and pushed her away from me. I looked back over my shoulder to tear Tom a new one and got the shock of my life. “Jared?” This freaking nerd can never do as he’s told.
Samantha
“Samantha, go inside.” He spoke to me, but his eyes were staring daggers at Tessa.
“Uh, that’ll be a hard no for so many reasons it’s hard to know where to begin.” His eyes flickered like an owl's, and he looked at me as if coming out of a trance.
“What?”
“Well, for one, you used to date that, so there’s no way in heck I’m leaving you two alone with each other.” Bleh!
His jaw clenched, and he gave me his patented master of all I peruse look. “Don’t be insulting.”
“Okay, okay, I know you won’t touch her with a thirteen-inch pole, ha-ha, you get it? Never mind.” Sheesh, I’m trying to calm the situation because he looks sexily murderous, but apparently, he’s not having it.
“Look, I’m not letting you commit murder on my parents’ front porch two days before Xmas. Get your shit together.” Yep, I’m back to sounding like Michele again. Tessa started squalling something about how did we know each other? And what the hell was going on? Then the idiot had the nerve to say, “Did you hunt me down here, Jared?” With what sounded like hope in her voice.
He wasn’t expecting what came next, of course, but to answer her question, I pulled his head down and laid one on him. His hand came around to touch my ass, and now I had his full attention. “Hi, baby!” I melted at the way he said that and even more at the way he pulled me in and sucked my face off some more. My panties are done, but who cares? That’s why they make panty liners.
The bleating ninny behind me started squawking again; she’s so rude. I tried ending the kiss to answer her since she didn’t seem to be catching on fast enough, but Jared wasn’t done with me yet and drew me back in. Definitely have to turn in his geek badge; whew, have mercy. When he grinned against my lips, I knew I’d spoken those words aloud.
Once he was through staking his claim, he pushed me behind him and out of the way of the now sputtering mess that was about to explode from the sounds of it. I’d had this all planned out so differently, but this will work in a pinch. I know better than to argue with him now that he’s already here anyway; what would be the point?
* * *
JARED
* * *
“Why weren’t you answering your phone, Samantha?” I was speaking to her but didn’t take my eyes off of Tessa. Because the light wasn’t on out here when I first came up, it had taken her a minute to recognize me, but now she was eating me up with her eyes making my skin crawl.
“Jared? What’re you doing here? How do you two know each other?” I didn’t answer her but turned my attention to my woman. Now that I was sure no one was going to try hitting her again, I guess I can hold off on slapping the shit out of this idiot. Besides, Samantha’s right; it’s the holidays, it wouldn’t be right to shed blood on my in-laws’ doorstep the first time we meet.
My heart was still racing with anger, though, and although I knew my hellion was acting up to calm me down, it had only worked to a certain degree. “Were you just about to put your hands on her?” I gave her a look that I was sure she remembered well from the last time we were this close to each other. I’ve heard it described as the look of a wolf before he devours his prey; whatever.