I raised a brow at her, not letting her little jab show that it actually hurt a little.
“As opposed to what?” I asked. “A stranger willing to bribe his son just to get a taste of him? One that threatens little kids behind his back?”
Once again, her face flamed as a crow now started to form. This was something I was pretty used to back home because of Waylen. But those were all people I grew up with, that I knew.
These are all strangers.
“You stupid bi.tch,” the woman spat at me. “This kid really must be yours. I’ve heard about girls like you. Ones that trap guys like him. Couldn’t get him on your own, so you had to trap him with a baby.”
“You tried to trap him with hot chocolate?” Waylen chimed in, getting laughs from a few of the people in the crowd, and me.
“Shut the hell up you little gremlin!” She snapped at him.
I pushed Waylen behind me as I glared at the lady. I looked at her name tag before looking into her eyes again. I gave her my iciest look. The same one I gave Psych and anyone else who ever talks badly about Waylen.
“Listen, Tiffany, I’m going to give you one last chance to walk the fu.ck away before you pi.ss me off,” I said, my voice calm and dangerous.
“Or what?” she replied, stepping forward and narrowing her eyes at me.
“Or I’m going to kick your a.ss in front of my son and all these people, and then I’m going to get you fired,” I said. “And all because you wanted my baby daddy’s di.ck and couldn’t get it. Pathetic. Seriously. There’s more to life than men, Tiff. You should focus on yourself sweetie. There’s a lot that needs fixin’.”
Tiffany’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She scoffed, narrowing her eyes again. She raised her hand in the air, and I was going to let her hit me. I really was. It would have been self-defense that way. And I was ready to throw down with this girl.
However, Tiffany’s eyes widened again, and the scowl dropped from her face. She lowered her hand, cleared her throat, and plastered a huge smile on her face. I was fu.cking confused. Until a strong, warm arm wrapped around my waist. My own eyes went wide as I looked to see who the hell pulled me tight to their warm, hard body.
Of fu.cking course, it was Jinx.
I should have been able to tell by his scent. Whatever cologne he uses, he’s used since we were in high school. I’d never admit it, but it always smelled like safety to me. Anytime I’d get a whiff of it. I blamed it on the night he found me in the green house at school. It was burned into my memory after that.
Jinx was looking down at me. He had a huge smile on his face, but those blue-green eyes were full of questions. I’m not sure where he’s been or how much of this altercation he heard, but he came just in time. Just in time to watch me whoop this girl’s a.ss.
“Hey babe, what’s going on here? Everything okay?” he asked me. Me. Jinx is talking to me. Like that. Sweetly. He called me babe.
“Uh… uhm-“
“No, it’s not Dad!” Waylen shouted from behind my legs, pointing a finger at Tiffany. “That lady was being mean to me! I was waiting for you like you told me to, and she tried to give me hot chocolate! But I know better than to take things from strangers, Dad, so I told her no! She wouldn’t stop, and I swatted her away and the hot chocolate got all over her! Then she started yelling at me! Mom came out of nowhere though and saved me! Just like she always does.”
I blushed profusely at that. Jinx looked at me with a raised brow. I gave him an awkward smile. He chuckled as he pulled me even tighter against him. And I had no idea what the fu.ck to do. Do I play along still? Do I push him away? Do I soak in how fu.cking amazing he smells, and how warm he feels?
“You yelled at my boy?” Jinx asked Tiffany, his voice hard.
“I-I-I didn’t mean to,” she stuttered. “It was all her fault!” She suddenly shouted, pointing at me. “She yelled first! Came out of nowhere! Told the boy that he should lie for her to help win your favor or something. I heard her tell him that she caught you checking me out.”
Waylen’s jaw dropped over the girl’s blatant lie. Tiffany looked pleased with herself, giving me a triumphant look. All I could manage to do was laugh. Snort actually. I had to cover my mouth, but it didn’t hide sh.it as I laughed my a.ss off in the middle of this awkward situation. I couldn’t help it.
This girl has no idea. Jinx knows I’d never do something like that. We aren’t even together. Nor have I ever shown interest in Jinx. I’m one of the very few women in the world that knows my place. And by that I mean that I know Jinx is way out of my league.
“First off, my boy don’t lie to me,” Jinx said, his voice hard, dismissive, se.xy as hell. “You ain’t the first bit.ch to pull sh.it like this either. Which is exactly why I usually keep my ol’ lady close.” Then he pulled me even tighter and leaned down to kiss my cheek. My face flamed and my eyes bulged. “I never checked you out either. Why would I when I got a hotter piece of a.ss right here?” He continued, making a show of me like I wasn’t turning into a tomato right then and there.
“Jinx,” I scolded him under my breath.
“You two are really together?” Tiffany asked with narrowed eyes.
“We are,” Jinx replied with a nod.
“Even if we weren’t, it gives you no right to treat a kid the way you just did,” I snapped at her. “What kind of pathetic a.ss adult picks on a kid like that? Were you just mad that a seven-year-old called you out on your sh.it?”
Jinx snorted at that and Tiffany glared at me.
“You two are lying,” she called us out. “I saw you walk in here without her.”
“We were waiting for her to catch up,” Jinx replied with a shrug.
“Yeah right,” she said, glaring at me. “I don’t see a ring, a vest thingy, or any kind of claim. I thought bikers did that sh.it? And look at how red she is. She acts like you’ve never even been this close before. How embarrassing-“
“Oh my god, what do you want us to do, kiss?” I blurted.
For fu.ck’s sake. If I could smack myself in the face right now, I would. What the fu.ck is wrong with me? Why would I suggest that? What is this, a Hallmark movie?
“Please, look how uncomfortable you look with his arm around you,” Tiffany laughed. “Just take the kid and let him spend the night with a real wom.an.”
I blinked at her for a moment as my heart started to race.
“She don’t gotta prove sh.it,” Jinx spat at her. “And I don’t want you anyway. I can make my own fu.cking decisions, thank you very much.”
I turned my body slightly to look at him. His arm was still around my waist, his hold still tight. Because of that, my front was practically plastered to the side of his body. Waylen was still behind us, clutching the back of my coat while he peeked around me at Tiffany. Jinx was still looking at her, still yelling, but I stopped listening.
Finally, after a moment, he looked down at me. He was still frowning, but his face softened for me. Something in me shifted at that moment. A sort of confidence sprouted.
“Ignore her,” he said to me. “She’s just a jealou bit-“
Before Jinx could finish, I grabbed his face and smashed our lips together. His lips were plump and warm. I was afraid to move though, afraid I had made a big mistake. But all I needed was a kiss. To prove to myself that I wasn’t pathetic and weak and lame. To prove that I could take risks. That was all I needed.
So, I pulled back. Jinx was looking at me in a way that I couldn’t describe. A moment passed between us, but I needed to break it before I drowned in it.
“See-” I said, attempting to turn back to Tiffany.
The word had barely left my lips when Jinx had grabbed my face with both hands and brought our lips together again. This time there was no hesitation. Jinx led the kiss and I followed. His lips moved against mine and suddenly everything else faded into the background. All that mattered were his lips against mine.
And fu.ck, they felt so good.
Jinx’s P.O.V.
Holy fu.ck, is this really happening? Am I really watching Deidra pretend to be my kid’s mom? Did she just call me her baby daddy?
What a fu.cking thrill.
I wasn’t even in the bathroom for five minutes. I told Waylen to wait right outside the door for me. Of course, he didn’t. Not that he went far, but still. I thought it would be okay since Adam and the boys were with us. But they’re on the other side of the store, past this wall. Not sure why Waylen even came over here instead of running towards the boys.
Did he see Deidra and stage this whole thing?
The longer I took in the scene, the more I knew that wasn’t true. Waylen was thoroughly pi.ssed. I doubt he stirred trouble on purpose when he could just talk to Deidra if he saw her. The anger he has on his little face is real. And when that bit.ch raised her hand like she was going to hit Thorn, I saw red. She’s fu.cking lucky we ain’t in our town. Not that we hit women, but I could make this bi.tch pay in some way.
Everything that happened after I walked into the situation was purely improvised. I went along with the narrative that Deidra and Waylen had already set. Apparently, we were together, and I won’t even think about how happy it made me. Or how good Thorn felt pressed against my side. That normal honey and vanilla scent that’s all Deidra, engulfed me. This was the closest we’d ever been. Except for the night her parents died, but that wasn’t under good circumstances.
I thought we’d just make a show of being a united front and walk away, but apparently this bit.ch had things to say. Not sure why my relationship matters to her so much. It pi.ssed me off. I was ready to cuss her a.ss out and storm out of there. We didn’t owe her sh.it. We didn’t have anything to prove. Fu.ck her.
But then Deidra did it. She kissed me. She was the one that grabbed me first. It’s all her fault for pressing those juicy lips against mine. All her fault. I’m even blaming her for me pulling her back in.
I just couldn’t help myself. Deidra felt so good. Way too good. I wanted more. I didn’t care about anything else in that moment aside from feeling her lips against mine.
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