Torn (The McKerricks Book 1) (11 page)

“
What are you grinnin’ ear to ear about?”

“
Nothing,” I reply trying to draw my face into a frown.

“
Mmm Hmm. Just like I thought.”

“
The hell does that mean?” I ask as we climb into the car.

“
It means exactly what it means,” he replies before starting down the driveway, and back toward the city. It only takes about an hour with traffic, but that gives me a whole hour to get worked up about Henley. An hour to wonder if she will call me back. An hour to wonder if she will brush me off. An hour to work myself up. And after several meetings and three phone calls from my mother asking if I’m all right, damn Aiden and his big mouth, I still haven’t heard from her.

This meeting is dragging, this day is dragging, and it
’s only noon. The potential investment in front of me talking away should have my blood excited, but I’m just nervous, and I haven’t been able to pay attention to a single thing thats been said. Thank God I pay for the best, so my team is asking the questions I should be asking, and paying attention to the things I’m missing. And my assistant is writing everything down. He probably knows I’m not paying attention. I’ll have to give him a bonus. My fingers are tapping on the table as I pretend to listen almost as fast as my foot is tapping.

When I feel the phone go off in my pocket my whole body freezes. This is it. It has to be. She
has
to be awake by now. When I look at the screen it’s a number I don’t know, and my heart ratchets up in my chest. When I open the text my whole body relaxes in relief. Nobody but Henley would send me a picture of lace panties.

‘
What do you think Angus?’

I keep the phone under the lip of my desk, and study both pairs intently. The pair on the left is more intricate, but the pair on the right is black lace and sheer. And anything sheer enough for me to get a glimpse of that perfect ass through it looks good to me.

‘The pair on the right. What’s the occasion?’

‘
Lunch date.’ A smile pulls at the corners of my lips, she wants to have a lunch date… that is until the second text comes in. ‘Gotta go or I’ll be late.’

My hand tightens around my phone to the point that I can feel it creaking under my grip. Less than twenty-four hours ago she was screaming my name, and now she is going on a date with someone that isn
’t me? That coiling poisonous feeling returns, but this time I recognize it for what it is. Something I’ve never felt until Henley. Something I never want to feel again. Jealousy.

Chapter 11

The day went by in a blur, but the blur wasn
’t fast enough. By the time I got off work and drove to Henley’s house, my anger had steadily built into an inferno. We could have been great together while it lasted. We could have been amazing. I could have pampered her. Nobody would have been able to give her the things I could have. She knew she had a date today, but she let me fuck her anyways.

When I finally pull my Maserati into her driveway I
’m fuming. I’m beyond fuming. So I stomp my way up to the door, and bang on it. Hard. When it opens, I’m prepared to let out a verbal tirade, but the words stick in my throat when I’m confronted with a doe eyed little girl. Henley’s a mother… she’s a mom. She’s probably married. Shes…

I sink to my knees with a weak smile.
“Hi there, is your mommy home?”

“
Why would my mommy be here?” She asks her face screwing up.

“
Ah, well…”

“
Emily! I thought I told you not to answer the door?” Henley sounds exhausted as she jogs to the front door, her eyes land on my kneeling on the ground and there is an almost smile hidden in their  green depths. “Hello Angus.”

“
Well he doesn’t look like a serial killer,” the little girl Emily replies softly.

“
But he could be,” Henley says sternly.

A little boy hops up from behind the two of them,
“He looks like he could be, Mommy says-”

Henley
’s hand clamps down on the little boys mouth and she gives him a warning look. “If anything your mother said comes out of that mouth it’s getting washed with soap. Got it?”

Both kids nod solemnly, and the little girl leans in like shes going to tell me a secret.
“Mommy has a potty mouth,” she says her eyes very serious.

I should be so angry at Henley for keeping this a secret. I should be angry at Henley for a lot of things at this point. But all I can do is smile at the adorable little girl. She reminds me of Gwen.

“So aunt Henley… do we let the maybe serial killer man in or not?”

My whole body sags in relief. Aunt Henley. She
’s not married. And at this point it
should
come as a relief that she doesn’t have kids… that these aren’t her kids. But I find that it doesn’t matter to me one way or another, as long as she doesn’t belong to another man, she’ll still belong to me.

“
Let him in,” Henley says with a shake of her head, shooing the kids away from the door. “Come on Angus.”

I follow her into the house, and she leads me back to her bedroom and closes the door. I just watch her. Everything I have to say fights to get out. I don
’t want to verbally attack her. No matter how angry she makes me when I see her like this, I just don’t want to hurt her.

“
Where’s your date?” the words come out as an accusatory whisper. And they hurt me just thinking about Henley with another man.

Her eyebrows arch up toward her hairline as she frowns.
“Is that what this visit is about Angus?” I stay silent and she continues. “My date just answered the door, and now is probably in the living room playing ‘Just Dance twenty billion’ or singing along to Justin Bieber.”

“
But you sent…”

“
I was just teasing you Angus, I wore my spidies today,” she replies with a soft laugh pulling the band of her pants away from her body. And instead of sexy lace, there is a pair of blue and red spiderman panties. I feel like an idiot. “Why Angus… you look and sound quite jealous.”

“
Oh little author.” I say with a sigh pressing my lips against hers.

She puts her hands on the sides of my face holding me to her as she begins to kiss me deeper. I groan and pull her body flush against mine. All the want and need from the morning returns to me in a flash, before she pulls away.

“You’re contract says I can’t be with other men while I’m with you,” she says with a smile, “I’m a stickler for the rules.”

Her words bring a smile to my face, and all my anger is gone. She is mine. Still mine. I lean in to kiss her. To kiss her full lips. Her flushed cheeks. But before our lips connect there is a wild banging against the door, causing us both to jump apart.

“Aunt Henley!!! Stop wrestling and feed us! We’re starvin’!”

“
Wrestling?” I mouth toward Henley and she just shakes her head before heading to the door with an exasperated sigh.

She wrenches it open, effectively cutting off the knocking, and glares down at the pair of children giving her their most pathetic faces.

“Are you done wrestling now?” The little boy asks with a grin, “Cause I’m starvin’.”

“
Hunter,” the little girl says insistently. “Aunt Henley doesn’t wrestle, remember mommy said-”

Henley clears her throat loudly cutting Emily off. They both turn to her, and their eyes are wide, the kind of wide kids eyes get when they know they
’ve said something they shouldn’t have.

“
You’re not starving you ate like two hours ago, but what do you want for dinner?” Henley’s body is stiff, and I know it’s because I’m hearing things that are personal to her, things that are far to personal for someone she is attempting to keep at arms length.

“
Pizza!” The two kids shout in unison.

Henley lets out an exaggerated sound, rolling her shoulders as she looks down at them.
“Of course you want pizza, do you eat anything besides pizza?”

“
Nope,” they chirp out in unison.

“
Fine, fine,” Henley replies with an exhausted sigh. “Pizza it is. Let me get the number.”

“
I’ll get it,” I offer with a smile as I pull out my phone. “I’ve got it on speed dial.”

The phone rings twice, before Micky picks it up with a
“Yes boss.”

“
I need pizza.”

“…
What kind?”

“
What kind of pizza do you eat?” I ask turning toward Emily and Hunter.

“
Pepperoni!” It’s a unanimous decision.

“
One pepperoni and…” I look at Henley, and she is watching me with a strange expression on her face. An expression I don’t want to look too far into. I give her a pointed look, and she just shakes her head with a smile and mouths ‘Hawaiian’ before turning back and shooing the kids, and her ugly dog out the back door. Hawaiian. A sweet pizza. I should have been able to guess.

“
And? Did you forget I was here or something. My feelings are hurt.”

“
One pepperoni, one Hawaiian, and uh… something with meat on it. And dessert. Something sweet.”

“
You know there is an up charge for this service don’t you?”

“
I guess it’s a good thing my brother is the one that pays you then isn’t it? Take it up with him.” I reply with a laugh before ending the call.

I step out into the back yard, the kids are running around, and the dog, the ugly dog, is actually behaving like a dog and chasing them. I walk down, and with a sigh sit back next to Henley on the porch swing. I put my arm around her shoulders, and scoot her closer to me, until she is tucked tightly next to me. Right where she belongs.

“You’re… you’re a good man Connor McKerrick,” she says with a soft sigh.

“
Was that ever in question?” I ask with a laugh. I know I’m a good guy… sometimes.

“
Yes it was,” she replies with a soft laugh.

The incredulous snort comes out before I can stop it.
“When? When was I anything but a great guy? I’ve always been a perfect gentleman.”

“
When you accosted me in the women’s restroom. Twice.”

I can feel my lips pulling into a smile that I try to fight, but it
’s no use. “Well… I just know what I want that’s all.”

“
You’re hard to understand Angus.”

“
That’s not a bad thing though right? It means I’m mysterious. Spontaneous. You’re a… porn author,” I reply unable to hold back my laugh. “Women eat that shit up don’t they?”

Luckily for me Henley seems really hard to offend, as she starts laughing right along with me.
“Porn? I’ve never heard it put quite like that. Maybe you’re right, but I’m not most women Connor McKerrick, I cannot claim to know what goes through anyone else's head.”

“
I don’t know anything truer than that. You are not most women. You’re not even like
some
women. You’re unique Henley. I’ve never met anyone like you. Maybe that’s why I can’t seem to leave you alone.”

“
I don’t know why you can’t leave me alone,” she replies with a soft smile, her eyes sparkling like emeralds. “I don’t even know why I can’t leave you alone. Maybe it’s because you’re tall, dark, and
mysterious
.”

Henley gives me one last smile before she hops off the swing and runs after Emily and Hunter. It was only a short time where Henley let her guard down, but in that moment there was such a depth to her I don
’t know if I will be the same if I let her go. But now that her shields are back up whoever Henley really is, is securely hidden behind that insurmountable smile.

It didn
’t take long for Micky to show up, which tells me he was probably nearby the whole time. Keeping a watchful eye out for my over protective little brother. When the Bentley pulls into the yard, Henley freezes, watching the car roll up the drive before dragging her eyes to me in question. I get up off the swing, which was my perfect Henley watching vantage point while she played with the kids, and make my way toward the car.

When Micky gets out, the kids huddle up behind Henley, and even Henley looks a little nervous. I have always thought of myself as the master of my little world, with nothing to be afraid of, but seeing Henley tense up makes me take a second look at Micky. I can see why people would be afraid of him. I
’m six-three… Micky is taller. I’m  muscular, but where I’m a thinner muscle, Micky looks like he could wrestle a bear… and win. It doesn’t help that his bald head, in fact most of his body is covered in tattoos. And his too tight shirt prominently displays his muscles, and his gun.

“
Do you know how hard it is to narrow down ‘something with meat’?” He calls out as he leans into the back of the Bentley. When he comes back out his bear sized arms are full of pizza, soda, and ice cream. “So… I just got all the meat.”