Chapter Thirteen – Laina #2
He slammed his driver door when he got in, starting the car all without saying a word. I turned my head to watch as Jason stepped outside of the house. The tattooed man leaned against the door frame of the house, his arms still crossed, that smirk still on his face, as he looked on.
“What’s his deal?” Kieran huffed as we drove away, and it was only when the other man was out of sight that I leaned my head in the other direction and stared at his angry profile instead.
“Can I say something that’s probably going to freak you out and make you insanely jealous?”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and he was slow in tossing his black eyes my way, but only for a moment. Jaw grinding, he muttered, “I have the feeling I’m going to regret this, but yeah, hit me with it.”
There were a dozen different ways I could’ve said it, but the one that came from me was the shortest and the simplest: “Your dad is hot.”
Kieran cut the wheel and abruptly pulled us off the side of the road, parking in front of another house.
He put the car in park and slowly, deliberately, met my stare.
“Now I know how you guys felt when I made all those stupid jokes.” I didn’t say anything to that, which caused him to beg me, “Tell me you’re kidding. ”
All I did was shrug.
He ran a hand through his hair. “You—you can’t be serious.
Tell me you’re joking. Please. I’m willing to get on my hands and knees if it’ll help.
I can live with you banging that silver-fanged freak and Mike, but come on.
There are limits, you know. Dads are off-limits.
They’re beyond the limits. They’re so far out there it should go without saying—”
He’d started to ramble, the key sign that he was at a loss for words. I know, I know. Being at a loss for words and rambling were antonyms, but that was something he did.
“I’m not saying your dad is going to steal me,” I told him. “You changed my life. Even though the past few months have been… a little weird between us, I love you. I always will.”
“See, you’re saying all that, but it sounds like there’s a big but coming.”
“There’s no but. I love you, and I think Daddy Miller is attractive as hell. Both things can be true.”
“Daddy Miller.” As he repeated the phrase, he started to gag. “Please don’t ever call him that again, at least in front of me. I can handle a lot of things, but not that. That is where I draw the line.” He pulled us back onto the road after that, marginally calmer.
I fiddled with my hands on my lap. “What does Fang always say? Love is infinite—”
“Not that infinite. He’s… he’s like double your age.”
“You’re way older than me, too. So are Fang and Mike.”
“He’s my dad. It’s strange enough we share you, but the idea of my dad…
see? I can’t even finish the sentence, that’s how weird it is.
” Under his breath, he added, “I’m never going to be able to see or talk to him again without thinking about how you apparently go weak in the knees for him. Thanks for that.”
A chuckle escaped me. “I never said I went weak at the knees. All I said was he’s hot. For a man of his age, he’s… he takes good care of himself. And those tattoos? I can’t imagine how long they took.”
Kieran gagged again. “Stop it. Just stop it. I know you’re imagining things.”
“You’re being so ridiculous.”
“Am I? Am I the one being ridiculous, or is it you? Sheesh, I never knew I had to prepare myself for the fact that my dad might come to town and steal my girl away from me.”
Now, I couldn’t help but laugh. “I literally just told you he wasn’t going to steal me.”
“You did, which makes me worry he just might. You wouldn’t have said it if the option wasn’t there.”
I reached over the center console and set my hand on his arm. “Kieran, you’re the one who kept me safe. You opened my eyes. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Nothing and no one will take me away from you.” I rubbed his arm a bit, then sighed.
Kieran sighed too, but his sigh was mostly a groan. “I have the feeling this isn’t going to be the end of it, is it?”
Pulling my hand off his arm, I sounded way too innocent when I asked, “Whatever do you mean?”
The look he sent me after that told me it all. He knew this thing between his dad and me wasn’t finished—it wouldn’t be finished until this whole thing was over and Jason had nothing left keeping him here. Then he’d leave and never look back.
It was a long, quiet drive to my house. We pulled up the driveway, and Kieran shut off his vehicle, angling his body toward mine. “Listen, I know I fucked up by not telling you right away who he was to me.”
“It’s all right. You were probably just in shock or something—”
“Yeah, but… there are no secrets between us anymore,” he said, emphasizing that last bit.
“I should’ve told you. I should’ve been as open about who he was as much as you were about finding him attractive.
” He made a face, but plowed on regardless.
“Let me make it up to you Friday night. Just you and me. I found a nice, deserted place where we could… have a little chase, if you wanted.”
As he said it, I couldn’t believe it. I knew he mentioned being out of town the other night looking for said places, but he didn’t say he actually had found one. The possibility of a hunt, of a chase, of him donning his devil mask again, filled me with a level of excitement nothing else could.
“I would love that,” I said, my full heart behind it. Maybe someday all my guys could give chase, not just Kieran—but I wouldn’t mention that idea to him just yet. Telling him I thought his dad was hot was probably enough emotional trauma to inflict upon the poor guy for the day.
“Great. Then I’ll pick you up at seven. Make sure to wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.” He gave me a lazy wink and then leaned over the car to get to me, his mouth finding mine.
I brought my hands to his face, holding onto him, making the embrace last. I kissed him hard, let his tongue push past my lips and meet mine, igniting a fire deep within me.
We both had something to prove: me that I still loved him even though I found Jason sexy as hell, and he wanted to remind me I didn’t need another dick in my life.
To which, logically, I’d say he was right. Three boyfriends was already a lot. But then, when you thought about it like that, would four really be so different?
I didn’t know how long we kissed. It probably bordered on a make-out session.
We were both out of breath by the time he pulled his mouth off mine, and I expected him to make a witty comment or something, but he went and said something totally off-brand for him: “Shit.” His dark eyes widened somewhat, and it took me a few moments to realize he was staring at something behind me.
Or, rather, someone standing just outside the car.
I turned away from Kieran to see who it was.
My dad. Shit was right.
“I guess it’s time to break the news to the poor man,” he deadpanned. “Or you get out of the car and play it off like nothing happened and he didn’t see a thing. I don’t think it’ll work, but weirder things have happened today.”
I tossed him a look as I unbuckled. I hoped that look said it all.
As I got out of the car, I forced out a smile as I met my dad’s frowning face.
He stood a few feet away from the car, wearing a tan suit with a light blue tie.
The look he was currently giving me said it all, and my “Hey, Dad” came out super flat and guilty.
“Laina,” he started, only breaking eye contact with me when Kieran got out of his car. “And Kieran. Is there anything you two want to tell me? Anything that might’ve slipped your mind before?”
“Vance,” Kieran greeted him as he walked around the car and stood at my side. “Good to see you again. How’s things? Hear my sister’s back. That sucks—”
“Cut it,” he hissed out. “Let’s take this inside. You two have a lot of explaining to do, and I suddenly need a drink.” Without another word, my dad turned around and led us to the front door, which hung open.
I discreetly checked the time as Kieran and I trailed after him.
It was early enough that he should still be at work, so I had to assume he’d gotten off a bit early to check in on me, make sure I was settling in well enough—to which I’d say, I hadn’t been gone that long.
The house was the exact same, minus all of Tessa’s crap.
Man, my luck was just awful lately, huh?
Kieran and I joined my dad in the lounge, where he poured himself a glass of something strong. He did not offer anything to Kieran, not that I thought he would. He drank that short glass in two sips and then poured himself another, as if he had to numb himself before we told him what was going on.
He wasn’t stupid. He saw us kissing. He already knew. That liquor was just a bandage that ultimately wouldn’t make him feel better.
“So,” my dad started, moving to collapse in the nearest lounge chair. “How long has this been going on? Tell me it wasn’t happening when you were living under this roof.” That was thrown at Kieran.
Thankfully, my man had a somewhat decent head on his shoulders, so he knew what to tell my dad without me having to coach him, “No.” A bit of a white lie, but a necessary one where my dad was concerned.
His next question was, “Who went after who?”
This one I took to answering: “It was mutual, but I pushed. Dad, don’t be upset with Kieran. If you have to be mad at someone, be mad at me.” As I said it, I watched his shoulders slump to new lows, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Are there any other boyfriends I need to know about? Are you dating half the city?”
“Dad,” I said, though beside me, Kieran coughed—probably thinking about his dad and how I found him attractive.
“I’m not dating half the city. Just Mike, Fang, and Kieran.
They all know about each other. I didn’t want to tell you about Kieran because…
” I slowly sank onto a couch across from the one my dad was in, and Kieran sat beside me.
“There’s a lot of history there, for both of us. ”
The sigh that left my dad was earth-shattering, the kind you felt in your bones. He took another sip from his glass, wincing before he said, “You’re old enough to make your own decisions. I know that. Just… please be smart about things, okay?”
He would have an aneurysm if he knew I went out with Lola and watched her kill someone.
He’d just about die if he knew I had my own set of knives made into a gauntlet that I’d used to torture someone with.
My dad was a decent guy, but he had no traces of darkness in him, so he would never understand my cravings or why I was with Kieran, Mike, and Fang.
“Sir,” Kieran started, “if you’re worried about me, don’t be. I’d gladly give my life for this girl. Tessa is as good as dead to me. My loyalty lies with Laina, and therefore you.”
Dad gave him a tight smile. “I know. She’s just… been through so much. The world forced her to grow up faster than she should’ve.”
“Dad, I’m right here. And I’m fine,” I told him. “Kieran makes me happy. Can you accept that?”
Raising his mostly-empty glass in the air, he gave me a tight smile. “What’s one more age-inappropriate boyfriend?” He finished the glass. “Just… try not to be handsy in public. The last thing I need is a scandal involving my daughter and her choice of boyfriend. Boyfriends.”
I got up and wandered over to him, giving him a hug. “Thanks. I love you.”
He gave me half a hug in return, only because he still held onto the empty glass with his other hand. “Love you too, kiddo.” When the hug ended and I pulled away, he said, “Man, the parenting books didn’t talk about this at all.”
I grinned at him. “No chapters about what to do when you find out your daughter is dating multiple men?” The tired look he gave me told me it was a little too soon to make such obvious jokes.
Honestly? He took it better than I thought. He did go back for a third drink, but with everything else going on, all of that couldn’t be simply because of me. Tessa and the pregnancy had to be a part of it, too.
I held out my hand to Kieran and walked him out.
Well, at least the conversation was over. That was one I’d been holding off on having for a long time, mostly because I didn’t know how he would take it. Glad it was done. We had too many other things to worry about right now, like Tessa and the upcoming paternity test.