Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
The video doorbell her landlord installed a few days ago worked like a charm when it alerted her to someone approaching the front door.
She glanced at the app to see who set it off, then hurried to talk through it. “I don’t remember inviting you over tonight.”
Why was he here?
On the black and white video, she could see Zeke take a deep breath before planting his hands on his hips and staring directly into the camera. “Wanna see my son.”
She sighed. He was not in a position to make demands.
She needed to stay in control of this whole situation and she shouldn’t be surprised that Zeke was trying to be in charge. He was a stubborn biker after all.
“Go away. He’s sleeping right now. I’ll let you know when it’s a better time.”
“Fuck that.”
She dismissed him with, “Have a good night.”
If he responded, she didn’t hear what he said since she had closed the app. She smiled. It was almost as good as hanging up on someone.
When the doorbell remained quiet after a few moments, she picked up her tablet and continued to read her ebook, starting once again from the top of the page.
Once she finished the chapter, she checked the app to make sure he had left. She closed her eyes in relief when her small porch appeared empty.
At least Zeke had listened.
For once.
She wanted Zeke’s relationship with Ledger to develop slowly so she could determine if he could handle being a father before jumping in with both feet. Or both biker boots.
A few pages later, she heard a strange noise coming from the back of her first floor apartment in the two-story home. It most likely came from her neighbors upstairs. The young guys could be noisy when they drank too much.
The furnished two-bedroom rental might not be large, or the quietest, but it had to work until she could save more money to either buy or rent a house with a fenced backyard.
She tilted her head and listened carefully, but the only thing she heard next was a growl and some frantic barking. And what sounded like a loud curse.
With a pounding heart, she shot to her feet, tossed her tablet aside, and rushed toward the back of the house.
Thunder slept in Ledger’s bed with him and something had set her off.
Before she could reach Ledger’s room, she heard another crash and even louder growl, then a high-pitched, “For fuck’s sake!”
Since the door wasn’t completely closed, she shoved it open further to see Zeke backed into a corner with his hands up in surrender.
Like Thunder understood that. Instead, the German Shepherd was standing guard between father and son with her teeth bared.
Good girl, Thunder.
She switched on the light. “Thunder, it’s…” She was about to say “okay” but it wasn’t. Zeke just broke into Ledger’s room. Idiot! “Settle, girl.”
Thunder looked back and forth between Zeke, still frozen in place, and Kyra. Amazingly enough, she could read the dog’s face, which said, “You sure?”
No, she wasn’t sure.
She’d been gone for four years. She had no idea if Zeke was any better or worse than when she had left.
She’d grown up a lot in the past four years. Becoming a mother helped her see the truth: hooking up with bad boys might be exciting for a hot minute, but in the end, it was a bad decision.
“Mommy!” Ledger was sitting up in bed with his blanket pulled up to his chin and his blue eyes wide.
She rushed over to him. “It’s fine, buddy.” She brushed the hair off his forehead and kissed it before shooting a glare toward the unwanted intruder, at the same time asking her son, “Remember Zeke?”
Ledger nodded. “Yeah.”
“He really liked spending time with you the other day at the diner so he wanted to spend more time with you.”
Yikes. That made Zeke sound like some sort of deviant when it came to her son.
Their son.
But the truth was, he was more of a bonehead than a deviant for breaking into Ledger’s room and scaring him.
She glanced at the open window. Did she forget to lock it? She went over and slammed the window shut and latched it before turning to Zeke, who still hadn’t moved a muscle.
Most likely due to Thunder’s murderous stare.
“Thunder,” she called out and patted Ledger’s bed. The dog immediately jumped on it and curled up next to her son.
Their son. Grr!
But she sure didn’t take her eyes off Zeke.
Good girl.
“Go back to sleep, buddy. Zeke will have to visit with you another time.”
After tonight, she was tempted not to let that happen at all. She’d be fuming for a while over him having the balls to break into her home. And wake up her kid after she told him Ledger was asleep.
She jerked her head toward the door.
Keeping his eyes glued on Thunder, Zeke side-stepped out, keeping his palms out and up at chest level, and slipped through the door.
“All right, you and Thunder go back to sleep. I’ll make you waffles with blueberries tomorrow, if you want.”
“Yay! Waaffffles!” He settled further under the covers. “Will Zeke be havin’ waffles, too, Mommy?”
“I’m not sure what he’ll be eating.” Whatever it was, she hoped he choked on it after giving her and Ledger a scare. “Now, go to sleep.” She shut off the lights on her way out and made sure his nightlight was still on before completely closing the door behind her.
She normally left it slightly open so she could hear if he called out to her in the middle of the night.
Standing in the short hallway, she pulled in a fortifying breath and headed with determined strides toward the front door, where Zeke should be letting himself out.
“What you did was unaccepta—” She stopped short at the opening to her small kitchen when she saw Zeke wrapping paper towels around his forearm. Even more were piled in the sink with blood on them.
Thunder must have given him more than a warning.
Good girl.
He glanced up with a glare. “When the fuck you get a goddamn dog?”
Her mouth tightened. “Keep your voice down so he goes back to sleep. I got her after Ledger was born. I was a single mother with an infant, Zeke.” And no support system.
“Wouldn’ta been a single fuckin’ mother if you’d stayed in town. Woulda had plenty of protection. No fuckin’ dog needed.”
She went over to him and yanked his hand away from his forearm so she could inspect the damage Thunder caused.
He must have thrown his arm up to fend her off. Luckily the bite wasn’t deep or bleeding too badly, but it would bruise and he needed to take care of it so it didn’t get infected.
“I should call the damn police on you for breaking and entering my house.”
“Should call fuckin’ animal control. Got a dangerous animal ‘round my kid.”
She didn’t think she could roll her eyes any harder.
“Thunder loves Ledger and would defend him with her life. Ledger loves Thunder and would be devastated if you had his dog taken away. You want to upset your son like that?” She tossed the bloody paper towels into the trash and pulled out a first-aid kit from a kitchen cabinet.
She set it on top of the two-seater kitchen table and went over to the sink. “Come over here.”
His eyebrows stitched together. “For what?”
“So I can clean that up.” She turned on the faucet and tested the water to make sure it was warm enough before holding out her hand. “Give me your arm.”
“When the fuck you get so bossy?”
“Once I had a child. Right now it feels like I’m taking care of two.”
Funny how he couldn’t deny what she just said. In fact, he didn’t say a word and only watched her closely when she gently washed the bite with soap and water. Once it was thoroughly clean, she patted it dry.
She did her best to avoid his eyes as he stared at her while she worked. What she couldn’t avoid was his body heat, the warmth of his tattooed skin under her fingertips, and his familiar scent filling her nostrils.
The smell of warm leather, exhaust, and smoke caused a few unexpected reactions.
Some good, some not so good.
It also brought back quite a few memories. Again, some good, some not so much.
She shook those free and tipped her head toward the table as she dried her hands. “Now, go sit down at the table.”
“Why?”
His smooth-as-silk voice, no longer as harsh as previously, flooded through her. It took her back to the time when they’d be having sex and he’d murmur in her ear. That particular memory caused a shiver to shoot down her spine and goosebumps to cover every inch of her skin.
No! Bad girl!
She glanced at the patch with his road name to remind herself just who Zeke was.
Trouble. With a capital T.
“Because I don’t want you getting gangrene and your arm falling off.”
Just as she hoped, he quickly moved to the table, yanked out a chair, and sat. She turned away to hide her grin.
It also broke the spell he’d always had on her. She thought she was now immune. Apparently, she was wrong.
Once she had her hormones back under control, she settled in the seat across from him. “Give me your arm and sit still.”
With a grumble, he laid his forearm on the table as she rooted around in the kit for what she needed next.
While dressing his wound with antibiotic ointment and gauze before wrapping a bandage around it to keep it clean and the gauze in place, she asked, “Why are you here at this time of night, anyway? You could’ve texted me and we could’ve set a time for you to see Ledger. ”
“Don’t wanna wait, Ky. Also wanted to see…” His arm jerked slightly in her hold.
“See?” she repeated and raised her eyes to his before quickly dropping them back to his arm. Once she was sure the bandage was secure, she sat back and began to repack the first aid kit.
“See my son.”
“Nice save.” She got up and put the kit away, then leaned back against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest. She needed the distance to keep a clear head and it also helped hide her very alert nipples.
She studied the man who still remained at the table, watching her. The man she foolishly used to love. The father of her only child.
The one managing to pull old feelings up from where they’d been buried deep.
Not smart, Kyra.