Chapter 22
22
“ H e is not the boss of me,” Jordan grumbled. She dropped the towel on the floor and reached for the clean clothes she had laid out on the bed. She had worked up a sweat playing out in the yard with Honor. It had felt good to stretch her legs and run. She grinned thinking how much fun Honor had with the game.
After she had been sent away into the house she had quickly checked in on Nova who was in great spirits. The young girl had confided in Jordan about the last-minute trip her friend had invited her on. Nova had been worried her father would say no. If Rhys had, Jordan had already decided she was going to talk him into changing his mind. But it looked as if Nova had succeeded on her own. The girl was flying around her bedroom trying to decide what she would take with her.
Jordan was happy this had come up. This would allow her to relax knowing that Nova was going to be far away from them. Bravon and his family may have a long reach here in the continental US, but she doubt it extended to the open waters of the Mediterranean. Now all she had to worry about was Rhys and keeping him safe from harm. But if he heard her saying this out loud, he’d be pissed.
Jordan took in the rumpled blankets on their bed. She hadn’t thought she was tired, but her body must be trying to tell her something. She had come in here with the intention of taking a shower and had made the mistake of lying across the bed. A few hours later, she woke up confused.
Yeah, she wasn’t going to admit to Rhys he had been right about her needing rest. She had jumped up and run into the shower once she had realized her mistake.
Jordan inhaled sharply as she raised her arms and slid the soft cotton shirt over her head. If Rhys wanted her to relax, then that was what she would do. Running around with Honor had been a workout for her. It had certainly got her heart rate up and had her breathing hard. She was a little concerned with how out of breath she was, considering she could usually run five to ten miles.
She pulled on her matching shorts. She eyed the pill bottle that sat on the nightstand. She blew out a deep breath and reached for them. She took one out and popped it in her mouth. Rhys was right again, but she wasn’t going to admit it. It had been pain she’d been experiencing. She knocked it back with some water from the bottle she’d kept on her side.
She quickly cleaned up the mess she’d made in the shower and hung her towel on the hook on the back of the bathroom door. She had brushed her hair back up into a high ponytail. She looked half decent, even if she did say so herself. Jordan studied herself in the mirror. Her lips were still swollen from that damn kiss Rhys had laid on her.
She had been two seconds from dragging him into the barn. There was an empty stall they could have had some fun in. She laughed and immediately regretted it. Her ribs were still sore. Her hand came to rest on her left side where it really hurt the most.
The last two days had been eye-opening. She would admit it had been nice to wake up not having to rush out of the house. Instead, she drank coffee, made breakfast, and relaxed on the patio. The weather had been beautiful and the air fresh.
But what Jordan really missed was the action of running after a bad guy.
Or kicking one of her SWAT brother’s asses in training. There was nothing better than sending a six feet three man sailing through the air to land on his ass. Jordan grinned. She remembered the first time she had bested Iker. The guys had thought they would need to take it easy on her when they practiced maneuvers. They must have only glanced over certain parts of her résumé where it listed that she was a black belt in a few forms of martial arts.
Jordan flipped off the light in the bathroom and paused. She stared at herself before turning to the side. The image of her sister came to the forefront. Omara had looked gorgeous at the hospital. Jordan rested a hand on her flat belly and tried to push it out. She tilted her head to the side to try to imagine herself pregnant with Rhys’s baby.
She knew without a doubt that he would be a doting father just as Zain was with her sister and Jason.
Jordan blew out a deep breath and exited the bathroom. She left their private suite and headed downstairs. She didn’t know how long Rhys planned to work out in the barn. He was a very focused man. With his police work, raising his daughter, then taking care of a farm, she didn’t even know how he even made time for her. She was thankful that he did. He was a good man and he deserved all the happiness in the world. She just hoped she was the one he would be happy with.
Forever.
Jordan went into the kitchen and beelined it to the fridge. Maybe she would cook them dinner.
Something easy that wouldn’t get her in trouble with Rhys.
She opened the fridge and didn’t see anything appealing. They could always order out. She did have a taste for Chinese. There were a few of her favorite restaurants within a twenty-minute drive they could pick up food from.
Jordan pulled out a bottle of iced tea and decided she would do exactly as Rhys had ordered. She would go lay out on one of the chaises and watch him work. And if he was out in the field with the horses, she’d find a tree to lean against to observe him. There would be nothing better than to see her man out in the sun without his shirt on, doing hard manual labor.
Satisfied with her plan, she slammed the door shut and spun on her heel, happy with her decision.
See, I can follow orders.
The doorbell sounded, and she paused.
“Who the hell is that?” Jordan muttered. She opened the bottle and took a small swig of the sweet tea. She replaced the top and set it on the island.
Honor barked from outside in the yard. But it was the front doorbell that had gone off. Jordan walked through the house and made it to the door. She stiffened when she took in the figure that waited on the other side of the glass.
It was the ex-wife, Sara Beth.
What the fuck was she doing there?
Jordan wanted to hightail it back in the kitchen and act as if she hadn’t heard the doorbell. Sara Beth chose that moment to turn back around, allowing their eyes to meet. Jordan sighed heavily and continued. She arrived at the door and opened it. She didn’t touch the screen.
“I wasn’t expecting you to answer the door,” Sara Beth said.
She didn’t look any happier to see Jordan than Jordan was to see her. The woman was thin as a rake, long blonde hair, with dull brown eyes. Her nose was sharp and held an odd arch to it. She was dressed in a spaghetti-strap dress that stopped above her bony knees. Jordan’s gaze landed on the woman’s second toe that was fighting for its life by hanging over the edge of Sara Beth’s sandal.
“What do you want?” Jordan folded her arms in front of her. She wasn’t in the mood for this woman’s childish games. Anything she needed to discuss with Nova could have been by telephone. Nothing required her to stop by the farm. Jordan narrowed her eyes on her. She had heard Sara Beth had been asking about her and Rhys’s relationship. It was none of her business. There was no point in her trying to get a feel of Rhys again. That ship had sailed a long time ago, and her fatal mistake was Jordan’s reward.
“Can I come in?” Sara Beth clipped.
“No.”
The blonde sputtered, obviously in shock that Jordan wasn’t opening the door for her. There was no reason for her to be walking through the house and trying to snoop. Rhys didn’t owe Sara Beth anything. If it wasn’t for their daughter, he wouldn’t communicate with her at all.
“My daughter lives here?—”
“So do I,” Jordan announced smugly.
Sara Beth’s eyes widened even more at Jordan’s statement.
I bet she wasn’t expecting that either .
“I am Nova’s mother,” Sara Beth huffed. She took a deep breath, but Jordan cut her off.
“I don’t give a shit. If you wanted to speak with her, you are more than welcome to call her on her phone,” Jordan snapped. Everything about this woman rubbed her the wrong way. She was one of those people who felt entitled to have what she wanted, when she wanted. Well, she was going to learn that Jordan didn’t roll that way. One needed to earn respect from her, and she held little to no respect for Sara Beth.
“Where is Rhys?” Sara Beth practically screamed.
Jordan rolled her eyes and almost said the first thing that came to her mind, but she bit back a smirk.
Hysteria was certainly not going to get her anywhere with Jordan. It may have worked in the past with Rhys, but not her. She was two seconds from closing the door in Sara Beth’s face. It would serve her right for the way she had treated Rhys in the past. He was a good man, had a big heart, and definitely knew what he was doing behind closed doors.
He was too good for the woman before her.
Hell, he was too good for Jordan.
“Probably in the barn.” She shrugged.
Sara Beth spun around and headed down the stairs of the porch. Jordan sighed and slid her feet into her flip-flops that were by the door. She pushed open the screen door and stepped outside. She followed Sara Beth around the house. This was not how she’d imagined spending her afternoon.
Jordan strolled behind Sara Beth at a safe distance. Once they were in the backyard, Sara Beth shot straight toward the barn. Music blared from the speakers Rhys had installed. There was a small corral off the side where he let the horses stretch their legs while he cleaned out their stalls. For the past month, he had taken in a few boarders so he had extra horses to take care of.
Jordan didn’t see Honor. She must be inside with Rhys. Sara Beth arrived at the opening of the barn and stopped. She glanced over her shoulder at Jordan. She tilted her chin up in defiance before turning back around. She hesitated for a moment, then took few steps in. She called out Rhys’s name, but he wouldn’t hear her over the blaring music. Jordan smirked. From what Nova had shared about her mother, she hated farm life and getting a little dirty.
Again, what the hell had Rhys seen in this woman?
Sara Beth had assumed that once she and Rhys were married, they would live inside the city limits. Rhys, on the other hand, had dreams of owning his own small plot of land, a few animals, and remaining in the country. It had been how he’d been raised by his parents with his brother. Rhys was a country boy at heart, and even though he worked in the city, he would never want to live there. Jordan respected it.
She sighed and went into the barn behind Sara Beth. She strolled along and saw the stalls were empty. Two wind tunnel fans blew from each end of the barn to try and keep the structure cool enough for the animals, adding to the noise.
“Rhys!” Sara Beth shouted. She moved from stall to stall until she ended up at the rear entrance of the structure. She glanced back over her shoulder again as if Jordan had disappeared.
“This broad,” Jordan muttered. Her curiosity was piqued with the way Sara Beth sped up. Jordan stepped out of the barn and took in a few of the horses grazing off in the distance. Her gaze landed on the lone figure holding a hose and filling up the horse’s water trough.
Jordan’s mouth went dry at the picture he made.
Rhys had thrown on one of his dusty old baseball caps to keep his hair and sun out of his eyes. He stood shirtless with his t-shirt hanging out of the back pocket of his jeans.
The Lord certainly knew what he was doing when He made Rhys Newman. His skin was tanned from spending so much time out in the sun. His muscles rippled as he casually sprayed Honor who had been drinking from the trough.
Honor jerked away, giving a bark. Rhys laughed at the way the dog began running her zoomies in circles in the pasture.
Sara Beth stumbled slightly in her walk as she made her way to Rhys.
“Rhys,” Sara Beth shouted.
Rhys’s head snapped their way. The smile on his lips disappeared the moment his attention landed on Sara Beth. He flicked his gaze to Jordan who took her time ambling over to him. She was so damn curious as to what Sara Beth wanted with him.
Didn’t she just ask to go inside to speak with Nova?
But now she needed Rhys.
Hmm…
Jordon eyed the back of Sara Beth suspiciously. Not that Jordan didn’t trust Rhys. She did. It was the woman in front of her that she didn’t. She was up to something.
“Sara Beth,” Rhys drawled.
Jordan stopped a few feet away from them and folded her arms. She eyed Rhys. Tendrils of hair that escaped his cap were soaked. He had probably got overheated working in that hot-ass barn, hence why his shirt was off.
That green monster inside her didn’t want Sara Beth ogling her man without his shirt. He was still hot enough to ogle with his clothes on, but seeing him like this should be a treat only for Jordan.
“Um, Rhys.” Sara Beth paused and glanced over at Jordan. The look of disdain was evident. She pointed at Jordan. “Does she have to be here? I just came out here to talk.”
“There’s nothing we need to talk about,” Rhys said. He glanced over at Jordan and tossed her a wink. That man was downright sexy and he knew it.
Jordan made a mental note in the back of her mind to remind him that she thought it, too.
“But anything you’ve got to say to me, you can say in front of my woman.”
Oh, he was definitely going to be rewarded for that little tidbit he’d just tossed in.
Rhys rolled his eyes at the way Sara Beth kept looking over at Jordan. She seemed nervous, but hell, she should be. He already knew why she was here. Nova had told her that he was allowing her to go on the cruise. His cellphone had about ten text messages from Sara Beth and about eight voicemails. He had ignored every single one of them. Nothing she would say was going to make him change his mind.
But for her to just show up at the farm, he’d half expected it.
“What do you want, Sara Beth?” he asked. He dropped the water hose in the trough to let it finish filling up. He had planned to leave the horses out for a little while longer and allow them to graze and walk around. The water would be a bonus to let them drink as much as they wanted.
“You haven’t answered any of my calls or text messages,” Sara Beth huffed.
She stomped her foot on the ground slightly. Her small scowl was one that Rhys used to hate seeing. It meant she was mad and there was some groveling he would have to do to even figure out how and when he had pissed her off. Hell, she used to get mad at him for snoring in his sleep.
“And you just showed up. Didn’t take the hint, did you?” Jordan quipped.
Rhys bit back a smirk at Sara Beth’s mouth dropping open slightly. She was never used to anyone confronting her or being condescending to her.
“Excuse me? I needed to talk to my ex-husband about our daughter. That gives me a right to be here,” Sara Beth snarled.
Jordan’s eyes narrowed on her, and Rhys felt the shift in Jordan. She had been in control, but now she was two seconds from snapping. Rhys held up his hand. Jordan tossed her frosty gaze to him, and he knew what it meant without her saying one word.
“Nova is grown, Sara Beth. If she wants to go do something as fantastic as go to Europe, I’m all for it. You and I certainly didn’t do anything like that at her age.” It was the truth. He and Sara Beth had been each other’s shadow when they were younger. He certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford something like that. His parents made ends meet, and sailing in Europe would not have been in the budget.
“I know.” Sara Beth’s eyes softened. She gave Rhys a small smile. She reached up and tucked her thick blonde hair behind her ear and tried an attempt to look innocent. “But aren’t you worried about security? Will she be safe? How much money will she need? Why would they invite her?”
“Those are all questions you would have had answered had you spoken with your daughter,” Jordan interjected.
“Why is she talking to me?” Sara Beth sniped. She faced Jordan and rested her hands on her waist. Her face flushed from anger. “No one is talking to you. This is between me and Rhys.”
“Who the hell do you think you are talking to?” Jordan growled. Her voice dropped down a few decibels.
Rhys needed to put an end to this.
“Jordan is right,” Rhys said. He took a step forward to put himself between the women. Sara Beth was crazy to think she could face Jordan. Rhys had been witness to Jordan taking down grown men, and Sara Beth would not stand a chance. She wasn’t even a fighter. Why was she trying to be confrontational with Jordan? “I know you spoke with Nova. Why didn’t you ask her those questions yourself?”
“Well, because…” Sara Beth sputtered. Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red. Disbelief filled her face as she stared at Rhys.
He sighed and didn’t want to argue with the woman. Nova was an adult, and it was time they treated her like one. He knew it was hard to understand that, but that was also one of the reasons he didn’t care that she went. She needed life experiences like this one.
“Have you even met these people who she is going with?”
“Yes, I have and I have their phone numbers. Nova texted them to me, and I plan to call tonight after dinner,” Rhys replied. Now he was starting to get a little pissed. How dare she come over here and try to act like he hadn’t been the one raising their daughter. Didn’t she know he was used to making decisions for Nova?
“Well, I just think this decision should have been discussed with me,” Sara Beth huffed.
“Nova is twenty damn years old. Nothing needs to be discussed with you,” Jordan said from behind Rhys.
The warmth of her body greeted his. He could almost feel the steam pouring off her. He reached behind him and connected with her side.
Good. He needed to know how close she was just in case she lost her cool.
“Again, no one is talking to you,” Sara Beth shouted. She leaned around Rhys to get a look at Jordan. She was still a few feet away from Rhys.
“Again, Jordan’s right, Sara Beth. Nova is grown and doesn’t need our permission, but she still did ask to make sure it would be okay. I have this handled.” He took off his baseball cap and tunneled his fingers though his hair. All he wanted to do right now was head into the house, take a long, hot shower, and relax with Jordan on the back patio and just enjoy the weather.
Not have his ex-wife breathing down his neck about their adult daughter.
“Are you sure?” Sara Beth said.
“This bitch,” Jordan muttered.
Rhys was just thankful that Sara Beth hadn’t heard her.
“I’ve been a father a long time, Sara Beth. I don’t need you coming over here and checking on what I’m doing,” Rhys said firmly. He replaced the hat on his head and tugged it down. He had a few more things to do before he could head in. He didn’t have time for this shit.
“Fine. I’ll see if she needs anything. I guess I can take her shopping. Maybe she needs a new bathing suit.” Sara Beth sniffed.
“That would be fine. I’m sure there is something she will need,” Rhys said. He blew out a deep breath. Maybe she would take the hint that it was time for her to leave.
Sara Beth took a few steps back. “I’ll just run in and say hi to her.”
“How about I just call her down to speak with you,” Jordan said from behind Rhys.
Sara Beth spun around and took a few steps back to Rhys. Her brown eyes were narrowed on him. Rhys swore under his breath. He turned around and sent a glare to Jordan who was sending a text on her phone.
What the fuck was going on? Something was irking Jordan about Sara Beth.
Beside the obvious, that is.
“Rhys, honey. I’m just curious. What do you see in this colored girl? I mean, there are tons of women—” Her words ended in a scream.
Rhys hadn’t even seen Jordan move. He was slow to react and had barely got his arm around Jordan’s waist as she reached for Sara Beth. Jordan’s quick hands snatched Sara Beth’s long blonde hair.
“Ahhh! Get her off me,” Sara Beth screamed. She flailed and stumbled from the force of Jordan’s hold.
“What the fuck did you call me?” Jordan hollered.
Rhys tugged on Jordan and tried to pull her away from Sara Beth, but his woman had a death grip on his ex-wife’s hair. He needed to get them separated before someone got seriously hurt, and that someone would be his ex-wife.
“I got your colored girl right here,” Jordan growled.
“Jordan, let her go.” Rhys cursed.
Jordan may be injured, but dammit, was his woman strong. She was practically dragging Sara Beth across the grass. Honor’s barks echoed through the air as she came running toward them.
Just great.
“Honor. Heel.” The last thing he needed was Honor thinking Sara Beth was attacking Jordan. There was no telling how the dog would react. Jordan was Honor’s friend, and she would protect Jordan at all costs.
“Let me go, you crazy bitch,” Sara Beth screamed. Her arms swung; she tried to feebly hit Jordan.
“Jordan…” Rhys pulled her back flush to him while he tried to use one hand to get her to release his ex-wife’s hair. How the hell was she that damn fast?
“Did you hear what she said?” Jordan’s leg came up and landed a kick to Sara Beth’s stomach.
Sara Beth cried out as she struggled to break free from Jordan’s hold.
“You’re going to hurt her,” Rhys bit out.
“That’s the plan. I’m going to kick her ass!” Jordan shouted.
Rhys continued to pull and tussle with the two women until finally Sara Beth’s hair slid free. His ex-wife fell to the ground in the mud and dirt. Rhys picked Jordan up and walked her a few feet away to what he considered a safe distance. He was afraid to put her down, but he had no choice.
“Let me go!”
“Not until you calm down,” he growled.
“That’s who you are involved with? She’s crazy, Rhys!” Sara Beth shouted.
“Shut up, Sara Beth,” he yelled over his shoulder.
He set Jordan down on her feet and forced her to turn to him. She was panting, and sweat lined her brow. Her eyes were the darkest brown he had ever seen. She was beyond pissed. It didn’t take a damn rocket scientist to see that.
“Calm down, Jordan.”
“Calm down?” Jordan took a step toward him.
Fuck. Why had he said that? It was without a doubt one of the dumbest things he could say in a situation like this.
“Did you hear what that bitch called me?”
“I heard, but you didn’t need to stoop down to her level.” He rested his hands on her shoulders and prayed she let it go. Her truly kicking Sara Beth’s ass around his property was the last thing he needed.
“Oh, she doesn’t know how low I can go. I’ll drag that bitch to Hell where she belongs.”
Jordan made a move to go around him, but he stepped in front of her.
She growled and tried to shove him out of the way. “Racist bitch!”
“What is going on out here?” Nova’s voice sounded behind Rhys.
He groaned and spun around where he could put his arm back around Jordan’s waist to keep her from rushing toward Sara Beth again.
“Nova, get your mother out of here,” Rhys said.
Sara Beth pushed off the ground and spun toward Nova who was staring at the scene with wary eyes.
“Nova, honey. I’m here,” Sara Beth announced. She brushed off her knees and tried to make herself appear presentable. Her dress had smudges of dirt all over it. Her blonde hair was no longer sleek but standing up all over her head. “Oh, I see you still have that pink color in your hair I told you to get rid of.”
“I like it and I’m keeping it,” Nova said. She sniffed and glanced over at Jordan and Rhys. She studied Jordan before turning back to her mother. She waved for Sara Beth. “Come on, Mom.”
“But I was here to discuss with your father?—”
“We are done, Sara Beth. Just go.” Rhys tightened his grip on Jordan. He didn’t trust his little fighter for nothing. The second he gave her room, she was going to take it. He knew her well enough.
“But—”
“Mom. You heard Dad. It’s time for you to leave. Unless you want him to let Jordan go.”
Nova eyed Jordan again, and it was then Rhys saw a twinkle in her eye.
Jordan was wearing off on Nova.
Sara Beth frowned and spun on her heels and began to walk away with Nova toward the house. Rhys waited until they were out of sight before he relaxed his hold on Jordan. He spun her around and gripped her chin in his hand.
“What the fuck, Jordan?” Rhys muttered.
“What are you yelling at me for? You heard with she called me,” she growled. She rested her hands on her waist. “That bitch deserved way more than what she got.”
“You could have seriously hurt her.”
“That was the point. She needs to learn respect, and believe me, I’ve got time to teach it,” Jordan said.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he would have loved to see Jordan whip Sara Beth into shape, but that wasn’t right. No, he had to remain neutral. What Sara Beth had said wasn’t right. Hell, he couldn’t even believe the words had come out of her mouth. Rhys would never have thought she was a racist, but one never knew.
“It’s over, Jordan. Okay?” He closed the gap between them.
Her chest was rising and falling fast. She was still pissed, and it was probably going to take a while to calm her down. His gaze fell to her lips. He ran his thumb along her chin. Even pissed off, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him.
And she was all his.
She looked good in her matching short outfit and her hair pulled up into a ponytail. He glanced down and noticed she was barefoot.
“Where are your shoes?” he asked.
“Somewhere over there.” Jordan shrugged.
She rested her hand on his pecs and ran her fingertips down the center. Her gaze landed on his chest, and he felt a stirring in his pants at the heat that appeared in her gaze.
“Can I admit something?”
“What is that?” he murmured. His other hand found its way to the small of her back to hold her in place. He pushed his hardened member against her to let her know what she was doing to him.
“I was jealous,” she said softly.
His brows furrowed into a frown. What the hell was she talking about?
“Jealous of what, Jordan?”
“Her being able to see you without your shirt on. All I can think about is that you’re mine and she shouldn’t be looking at you the way she was.” Jordan’s gaze lifted and met his.
“I’m confused. How the hell was she looking at me?” He smirked. He was truly confused. Everything had happened so fast that he didn’t have time to analyze how Sara Beth was looking at him.
“Like she wanted to gobble you up,” Jordan admitted.
Rhys burst out laughing. He spun his hat around to where the visor was backward so he could rest his forehead on hers. What was he going to do with Jordan? Sara Beth had not looked at him in any particular way. That ex-wife of his loved to get under his skin and cause shit.
“You have a vivid imagination.” He sighed.
She pushed him away and tried to take a step back from him. Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say at the moment.
“Do you not know what you look like?” she asked. Her gaze moved from the top of his head to his feet.
His lips curved up in the corner. Jordan was truly jealous. Little did his woman know, there was nothing that she needed to be jealous for. He had eyes only for her.
“Yes, I know what I look like. A forty-five-year-old guy trying to keep his much younger girlfriend from whooping his ex-wife’s ass, and I was not doing a good job of it.” He chuckled.
Jordan finally laughed and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Yeah, you were moving like an old man. You sure you’re not ready for retirement yet?” she joked.
Honor barked as if to remind them she was still sitting where he had ordered her to.
“Honor. Come.” Jordan tapped her leg.
Honor took off running to them. She came to a halt at their side and tried to jump up on Jordan. The dog was determined to land a few kisses on her.
“I’m okay. That crazy lady couldn’t hurt me if she tried.”
Jordan bent down and gave Honor head rubs that somehow ended in her kneeling and rubbing Honor’s belly. Rhys blew out a deep breath and spun his cap around.
That was a close one.
He was going to have to set more boundaries with Sara Beth. She just couldn’t show up at the farm any more unannounced.
“I was thinking we could go get Chinese tonight. What do you think?” Jordan said. She stood from where she knelt.
Honor jumped back up and remained by Jordan’s side.
“That sounds good. Let me finish up here then I’ll get in the shower.”