Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Snap Decision
Jack
Iclicked the gate closed, axe in my hand, and I was ready to go next door. No. I wasn’t truly prepared to encounter the neighbor I couldn’t stand. I dreaded going to her place and wanted to head straight back inside the safety of my home, but my cell phone rang in the frosty still air.
“What now?” I grumbled out loud and pulled the device out of my pocket.
Gabriel Evergreen lit up the screen.
Great. My best friend. I loved the guy, but my heart skipped a beat at the idea of answering the damn phone. Why? Because I had gotten far closer to his daughter than I cared to admit, and Gabriel would snap my fucking neck if he found out.
I sighed, slapped a hand on my cheek, and ran it over my mouth. This was a call I couldn’t ignore. I slid my finger over the screen to answer.
“Hey, man!” I sounded way too enthusiastic when I’d normally be losing my motherfucking shit. “What’s good?”
“Uh-oh... What’s wrong?” Gabriel asked. “Is Noelle okay?”
I had to give Gabriel credit. He was a great dad and looked out for his daughter as if she were his one and only princess. Elle was his pampered everything.
“Elle? Yeah. She’s fine.” I waved a hand in the air and hid my frustration by kicking a lump of fluffy snow. “She’s decorating the house and being her bright, cheerful self.”
Far too cheery and annoying for me. Goddamn it. I needed to move. Little Elle would fucking love that, wouldn’t she? She’d have a damn party to celebrate the occasion as soon as my ass was gone.
“Good.” A few seconds of silence. “How did babysitting duty go? I hope Faith wasn’t too much trouble?”
No, but your daughter has been a pain in my ass.
Elle’s skin was far too smooth, and her delightful cinnamon eyes shimmered brightly under her colorful Christmas lights. Her lips were too fucking tempting. I wanted to kiss them. No.
What the hell was I thinking?
Elle was insufferable. She behaved like a damn child in need of a spanking. One I’d love to deliver.
Fuck!
“No, Faith is great.” I chuckled. “Fun as hell. She’s a champ at staring contests.”
“Seriously? That’s my granddaughter. Sharp as a whip.” Gabriel laughed, and the deep rumble echoed through the phone.
“Gabe? Still there?” I questioned through the static.
“Yeah,” Gabriel grumbled. “Goddamn long distance. I’ll have to call you later when we are back at the resort. Joy wanted to go exploring.”
More crackling through the speaker while Gabriel stated the reception was shit. His choppy voice cut in and out.
“Okay. I have an errand to run anyway,” I lied.
No way would I let Gabriel know I was about to go out with his daughter alone. Fuck that shit. Gabriel would be on the next flight home.
“Right. An errand.” I could picture his air quotes on the last word.
I chuckled.
Play cool. Gabe doesn’t suspect shit.
Christ. I was a lousy friend.
“Give Joy a hug for me, Gabe,” I said.
“Oh, I’ll give her more than that.”
I laughed out loud. “I bet.”
Dirty old fucker, enjoying retired married life.
Was I envious? Maybe. I could use a vacation in the Bahamas with a beautiful woman to fuck when I wanted to be far away from my neighbor, but I was on my way to her house instead.
“I’ve got another favor to ask,” Gabriel added.
“Yeah? What’s that?” I asked.
“Take care of my little girl for me, would you, Jack?”
Christ, anything but her.
I rolled my eyes up toward the sky to a God who clearly didn’t exist and held back my frustration. “You betcha.”
I hung up the phone and heaved out a loud groan.
I’d take care of your daughter, alright. I’d proceed straight toward her doorstep and to my certain execution at your hands, friend.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Are you out of your damn mind, Timber?
Why the fuck would you offer to take little Elle out into the middle of the woods to chop down a goddamn tree?
Alone?
Something had been screwed up in my mind ever since I held Elle in my arms and experienced her body up against mine.
Not only the front of her chest, with her perfect tits pressed up against my bare skin to the point I could feel her nipples peak, but the backside of her.
Man, oh, man, what a fine ass little Elle had, but I wouldn’t dare tell her damn dad I thought that. I’d be a dead man walking.
I cursed out loud as I trudged through the snow toward Elle’s perfectly shoveled walkway with salt deicer on it.
The salt crunched as I made my way up to her front porch and banged my boots together to remove the packed snow.
The sudden urge to turn around and go home hit me.
I wanted to head straight to my truck, turn on the engine, blast my radio with the windows down, and burn rubber down the street.
I wanted her to hear me flee and know I wanted nothing to do with her.
I didn’t give a shit if Elle thought I was rude for bailing on her and leaving her damn kid stranded without a fucking Christmas tree.
That wasn’t up to me, and I didn’t need the goddamn headache.
I wasn’t Faith’s daddy because she already had an old man.
I’d be nothing to the kid except an old grumpy guy next door she had decided to call. ..
The door flew open.
“Mr. Timber!” Faith cried out as she threw tiny arms around my leg and hugged me tight. “You came!”
“I did, kid.” I sighed.
You are fucking lucky.
I was about to haul ass down the street and not turn back, speed away as fast as I could, as quickly as my heart beat for an innocent girl who needed my help.
Well, shit. I wasn’t about to go anywhere except out into the forest. Solo. With your mommy, kiddo. I’d try with everything in me to keep my damn hands to myself too.
I didn’t want Gabriel to strangle me for Christmas.
All I wanted was a nice, relaxing holiday, by myself with no one to bother me, but I had signed myself up for fucking babysitting duty.
The good deed had landed me on little Elle’s doorstep with an axe in hand and gloves in my pocket for dragging a damn evergreen through the woods.
Faith peered up at me with her twinkling eyes. “Can you get me the biggest tree ever?”
“How big were you thinking, kid?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Hmm.” Faith let go of me and tapped her chin. “Is it a tree with a bunch of pine needles on it?”
“Yep.” I popped the P with a curt nod of my head.
“I’d want the tree to be...” Faith stretched her arms out as far as they’d go. “This big.”
Considering Faith was an eight-year-old, and over four feet, she wasn’t too big. The damn tree would be a puny piece of shit, but to her tiny size it would bring a sparkle of wonder to those beautiful eyes. She deserved the grandest evergreen there ever was, and I’d do my best to get her one.
“That’s a pretty dang pun—” Footsteps caught my attention.
“It’s the perfect size.” Noelle intruded and whacked me on the shoulder. “Right, Jack?”
“Right,” I mumbled.
Way to lie to the poor kid, Elle. I bet she’d keep the secret about Santa going until Faith was fucking sixteen, for God’s sake. Embarrass the damn girl in front of all her teenage friends when she found out the big fat man wasn’t real. She’d cry her heart out alone in a bathroom stall at school.
“I wish I could come too,” Faith pouted and placed her arms at her sides.
“I want that too, sweetheart, but Daddy is coming.” Noelle glanced down at her cell phone. “He’s running late.”
“Again.” Faith sighed.
Goddamn asshole. The inconsiderate prick didn’t deserve a daughter as precious as Faith. She already had a disconnect with her father at an impressionable age.
“Daddy will take you to do something fun.” Noelle plastered on a smile I knew was 100 percent fake as fuck. “I know it.”
Faith beamed. “Then I can come home to see the tree?”
“Of course.” Noelle assured her daughter and tucked strands of hair behind her ears. “Maybe we can decorate the tree too. What do you think?”
“Yeah! Yeah!” Faith bounced up and down but stopped to peer up at me. “Will you help us?”
Fuck. Faith was talking to me. Shit, kid. Put me on the spot, why don’t ya?
“Uh...” I fumbled for the right words, but heard a car pull into the driveway behind me.
Saved by the damn bell.
I turned around to hear a vehicle tooting the horn twice. He stopped in front of the garage as if he lived there. Dickhead only wished he woke up next to Elle every day. He blew his chance when he got into bed with someone else.
Logan Lancaster rolled down his window and ran a hand through dirty blond hair that was cut way too short. He’d probably call the hairstyle fresh while I viewed it as ugly. He eyed me with confusion, but the arrogant dick cracked a pearly white smile and waved at me.
“Hey, Mr. Timber!” Logan called out and honked the horn. “Come on, Faith! Time’s wasting!”
Son of a—
“In a minute, Daddy!” Faith answered.
I ignored Logan and didn’t return a gracious gesture.
Instead, I gave him an unimpressed grumble, but only little Elle heard me because she whacked my shoulder gently with the back of her hand.
My eyes never wavered from the motherfucker who was late to pick up his daughter and expected her to be at his beck and call.
“Behave,” Noelle warned as she pointed her index finger at me and turned to her daughter. “Daddy’s waiting, sweetie. Say goodbye to Mr. Timber.”
“Only if he promises to stay later.” Faith crossed her arms over her chest and eyed me up. “The least you can do is have supper with us.”
Jesus. This kid was good. Not only was she a sweet talker, but she also had sass like her mother.
She drove a hard bargain too, with those cute little rosy cheeks pinched up into dimples and her hazelnut gaze sparkling at me.
If I didn’t agree to her terms, Faith wasn’t budging, and Noelle shot daggers into me.
Fuck. My fucking cock jerked. The thickness grew rigid, straining against the restriction of my zipper, and I was goddamn uncomfortable. I needed relief. I’d do anything to get little Elle to quit staring at me.
“Fine. I’ll stay.” I sighed and tapped Faith on the head. “Jesus, kiddo. Do you need to be so intense?”
Faith uncrossed her arms. I held my breath while I waited for her answer, and my hard-on went limp. Thank you, Jesus.
“Yes.” Faith nodded and shrugged her shoulders. “Do you always have to be stubborn?”
I chuckled. “Get out of here, kid.”
I ruffled Faith’s hair.
Faith ran away giggling.
Smart ass. Women. They get their way no matter the age.
“Bye, sweetheart!” Noelle called after her daughter and blew her a kiss. “I love you!”
“Love you too, Mommy!” Faith shouted back and slammed the car door shut.
“Have her back for supper, Logan,” Noelle insisted as she walked toward the car and Logan pulled out of the driveway. “Don’t have her—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know...” Logan waved his hand out the window. “Don’t have her out past five because it’s suppertime.”
Noelle put her hands on her hips. “I mean it, Logan.”
Logan ignored Noelle, blasted music, rolled up his window and sped off down the street. I watched Elle slump her shoulders in defeat as the car disappeared, and I had a powerful urge to comfort her. To take her into my arms and tell her that everything would be alright.
Logan had shit for brains and no respect for Elle.
Sure, she was over the top and wanted things done her way, but at least she was constantly trying to do the best for her daughter.
She was being a mom, and a damn good one.
Logan, on the other hand, was an entitled jerk who walked all over Noelle when he had the chance.
One punch. I’d show Logan who to mess with, and it wouldn’t be my fiery little Elle. Logan would deal with me.
I clenched my hands into fists at my sides and cracked the knuckles to release the tension building up inside of me.
The beast I kept at bay wanted to come out.
I wanted to race down the street and tear Logan’s driver-side door off, haul him screaming like a goddamn girl out into the street, and beat his ass until he promised to respect the mother of his child.
The only woman who probably ever gave a shit and still has to because he was the father of her damn kid.
Noelle turned around.
Slowly, I walked toward Elle, placed my axe against my shoulder and got ready to hug her. I couldn’t help the pull as I closed the distance, but Elle kept her face tilted down toward the ground, completely embarrassed by her scumbag ex-fiancé.
“I’m sorry about Logan. He—” I stopped Noelle with a tilt of her chin and placed my index finger on her lips.
“I don’t want to hear you ever apologize for that asshole. Understand?”
Elle blinked at me with surprise and murmured against my finger, “Got it.”
Elle raised her hands in surrender, while I’d love to see her kneel on her knees.
“Good.” I swallowed the hard lump in my throat and retracted my hand.
“I’ll go get dressed appropriately, and we can head out,” Noelle said as she brushed past me and went inside.
I couldn’t ignore the damn shiver quivering up my cold, hard bones from how her lips had moved against my skin. Fuck. I had a boner. Again. This wouldn’t be a fucking easy walk in the woods.