Restrictions (Sterling Family #2)

31. Vivienne

31

VIVIENNE

“ W ow, he’s really lucky, I like him.” Asher stares into the mirror in the foyer, dressed from head to toe in silver with what looks like a funnel on his head and silver face paint. Even as the Tin Man, he’s hot as hell.

He let me paint his pouty lips bright red and he looks movie-ready as Baz runs up behind us, roaring loudly in his little lion costume.

“Roar!” Baz wraps around the tin colored pants Asher is wearing that make a swishing sound with contact.

“Hey.” Asher leans down. “Mr. Lion, have you seen my nephew? He’s pretty cute, brown hair, little nose.”

Baz places one hand on his little hip. “I do not have a little nose!”

Asher places a hand over his chest, feigning shock and making my heart flutter. “Baz? Is that you? Wow! You had me totally fooled!”

Now my son lights up and starts to giggle. “You silly.”

Asher laughs and stands up. When the doorbell rings, Asher goes to get it as I look in the mirror at my ridiculous costume. A blue dress that goes above the knees, matching blue socks with red slippers and my hair in braided pigtails. I feel silly, but Baz is happy, and that makes me happy.

“Swearer!” Baz jolts over to the door, jumping into Sawyer’s arms as he laughs happily. “I mean, Scarecrow! ”

Sawyer gives him a hug and closes the door as he stands up, still holding the little lion in his arms.

That’s right, my son has an uncanny ability to charm his way into getting whatever he wants, and he needed a scarecrow.

“Yeah, that’s me.” I can’t help but laugh when I see the insanely handsome Sawyer dressed in a green puffy shirt, brown pants, and boots with a goofy hat and what looks like real straw peeking out from the hat and his pockets. Sawyer looks over at me, his eyes scanning my entire costume. “Please tell me there’s booze at this party.”

I laugh and shake my head. “It’s for ages three to six.”

“That sucks.” He looks at Baz. “You’re lucky you’re cute. No chick wants to get with a scarecrow.” He looks over at Asher. “Could be worse though.”

Baz drops down to the ground and runs to grab his bucket to collect candy as the Tin Man raises his middle finger in the direction of the Scarecrow. “Please, you know the Tin Man got way more as...” Baz runs back over to us and Asher stops his foul statement, causing Sawyer to laugh.

“You both look fine.” I turn to Baz. “Right?”

Baz looks them over, scrutinizing every detail. “They’ll do.”

I laugh, knowing he had to get that from either Asher or Sawyer. Who knows? They are both arrogant assholes.

“You make a fine Dorothy, Viv.” I look over at Sawyer, his mouth pulled up in a smirk as his gaze slides over my costume once again.

“Let’s go.” Asher shoves his shoulder, pushing him toward the door playfully, but Asher seems slightly on edge as Baz and I follow them out the front door.

“What did I do?” I hear the laughter in Sawyer’s voice as I lock the house, and Asher doesn’t entertain the question.

“Let’s get to the party so we have enough time to hit the best houses afterward.”

“Fuck yeah!” Asher and I both look at Sawyer, shaking our head as Baz giggles.

“Swearer said a bad word.”

Thank God he knows that’s a bad word. I smooth my hand over his little mane. “Yes, he did. You don’t ever repeat anything Swearer says, okay? ”

Sawyer laughs easily, not sweating it for a second. He doesn’t seem to let anything get to him. Of course, people who don’t know Asher well say the same thing about him.

I let myself wonder if Sawyer has deep secrets buried beneath the surface as we walk down the block to the home of one of Sebastian’s daycare playmates. His mother has an infant, Baz’s friend Roman, and a six-year-old and still found time to throw a massive party to celebrate Halloween.

“So, this Roman kid,... his mom hot?” Sawyer asks Baz and I roll my eyes.

Baz looks confused, again thank God.

“Sawyer, she’s married.”

He shrugs, and Asher nudges his shoulder. “Be good.”

“Hey, I dressed up in the least sexy costume...” He looks over at Ash and laughs. “Well, second least sexy.” He can’t resist the dig at Asher. “I deserve a MILF of my own.”

Asher looks slightly homicidal, and I can feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment when I hear Baz ask what a MILF is.

“I will kill you,” I warn Sawyer, who just laughs as we reach the party.

“I’ll tell you someday, kid.” It’s the least offensive answer I’m sure he could come up with, and I take Baz’s hand, moving in front of Asher and Sawyer and leading them to the front door of the Shaw’s home. Roman’s mom has ten years on me but is kind as she welcomes us into her home. The grown men with me look like they belong on a hottest men calendar despite their costumes. Her eyes scan both of them as she introduces us to other couples and children already at the party.

“Fuck, this party is boring.” Ten minutes in and Sawyer is already complaining, and thankfully, all the kids are at a safe distance away playing a bean bag tossing game as most of the adults stand around them in a large circle in the massive backyard.

I really wish I would have brought a jacket. It’s cold, and I wasn’t aware this was an outdoor party.

“Baz is having fun.” I fold my arms under my breasts, rubbing my arms.

“You want me to walk to the house and get you a jacket?” Asher watches me shiver in the cold air, and the gesture is kind. But it also causes Sawyer to smirk devilishly.

I know he’s already convinced Asher I’m trying to trick him into some sort of relationship. He thinks us sleeping together is a bad idea, and I plan to prove him wrong. I wave him off. “I’m fine.”

Asher shrugs, turning back to watch the kids play, and Sawyer wraps an arm around me. I’m surprised by the action and turn my head to look at his handsome profile. “What are you doing?”

Asher turns to look at us, his eyes darkening. “What are you doing?”

Sawyer isn’t bothered by the bite in Asher’s tone. “She’s fucking freezing. I’m warming her up like a good friend would do.”

Asher glares at Sawyer, and I can feel the battle going on between the men, words that aren’t being said out loud are being spewed, and I want no part of it. I escape from Sawyer’s heavy, firm arm, lifting it off me and taking a step back, getting out of the line of fire. “I’m fine.”

Sawyer’s brown eyes roll, but his grin is back. “You let me know if you want some of my heat.”

I feel the fire coming from Ash, and I step away, not wanting to get wrapped up in this testosterone challenge. Sawyer isn’t interested in me. He hit on me once at the party I went to that changed my life, but he was already pretty wasted, and I could have been anyone for him to do that. He’s messing with Asher. Why? I have no idea.

After the party, Sawyer, Baz, and Asher drag me all over our side of town, using Baz’s cuteness to collect more candy than I’ll ever allow him to eat. By the time we end up back at the house, Baz is completely and utterly exhausted.

After I tuck him in, I go downstairs to find Asher closing the front door. “Sawyer already left?”

Asher nods, having already taken off the tin hat but still in the rest of his costume. “Yeah, there’s a party near campus.”

“You didn’t want to go?”

He studies me, walking to where I’m standing and placing his hands on my hips. “I have a date with Dorothy.”

I smile, but his eyes darken, and he clears his throat as he releases me and steps back. “Should we go to my room?”

“Did the word ‘date’ freak you out? ”

He huffs, running his fingers through his thick hair. “Don’t give me shit tonight, Viv.”

“Isn’t that what we do?”

He cocks his head to the left, clearly not in the best mood, heading toward the stairs. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

“Are you kidding me?” I place my hand on my hip, not running after him but wanting him to stay, to turn around and look at me.

I’m relieved when he does, but then I see the brutal conflict on his face. “No. I’m not. We aren’t fucking dating.”

“Wow.”

“Wow? That’s it?”

I’m sick of the hot and cold. “You know what, Asher, I have a toddler, I don’t need another one.” I turn away from him and start toward the stairs, but that got his attention as he passes me to stand in front of me.

“I’m not a fucking toddler. I think you know by now I’m a man.”

I point down the stairs. “In your bed, yes. Everywhere else, no.” I push past him, and he grabs my wrist. I pull a frustrated breath through my lungs as I look him in the eyes. “What?”

“I never said I wasn’t a dick.”

“No. You didn’t.” I pull out of his loose grip and lean into him, reaching his ear, trying to ignore how good he smells and barely noticing the silver paint on his face and red on his lips. “If you want to be in my bed, you can’t treat me like shit whenever you want.” I nip his lobe with my teeth. “You want to be a broody, angry asshole and take out your frustration and pain on me, do it in the bedroom only.”

My eyes meet his as his hands grip my ass, pulling my body flush to his as he looks deep into my eyes, and I swear they want to tell me whatever it is he’s holding back. The pain and torture I see there threatens to break me.

I know he misses Colt. I know he felt forgotten when he died, and I think part of him feels responsible for his death, but he doesn’t say it.

Not outright.

“You don’t deserve to be punished.”

“We’re all sinners.”

“To me, you’re a saint. ”

I remove his right hand from my hip and take it, leading him toward the downstairs.

“You think I’m so pure,...” I toss a took over my shoulder, “corrupt me.”

I swear he actually gulps as I smile and lead him downstairs to his room.

Whatever he won’t say haunts him.

And something inside me is screaming that I have to soothe his restless spirit.