They’d been living together for a week. Despite their insistence they were only roommates—with benefits—Chance discovered Cordy needed a lot of care, even if she didn’t think so.
First, she had to have three square meals a day and some healthy snacks. He left her breakfast every morning, came home at lunch to make sure she’d eaten and was all right, and made dinner every night.
Each bite she took made a possessive satisfaction burn in him. It was dangerous, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
Second, every night he gave her as many orgasms as she needed, making her scream and cry and moan until she was limp and wrung out. She hadn’t been lying when she’d said pregnancy hormones revved her up—the woman had the kind of stamina a man dreamed about.
Chance never let her touch him, though. He figured that was only fair, a suitable punishment for what a piece of shit he was.He’d be her stud and nothing more. She could move on from him with a clean conscience.
Third, she wasn’t driving herself to and from work anymore. The day after they’d hooked up, Cordy had left for her shift with a smile and a wave. Chance figured he’d be asleep when she got back. He had to be up at dawn, after all.
He’d ended up sitting on the couch, unable to sleep, waiting for her until three in the morning, imagining all the horrible things that could happen on her drive home.
When she’d finally come in, he’d been the strangest mix of pissed off and relieved.
“I’m driving you to work tomorrowandpicking you up,” he’d told her.
When she’d protested, he’d scooped her up and taken her straight to her bedroom, giving her two orgasms without even letting her catch her breath.
There had been no more protests from her. Chance might not be getting enough rest, but one more week and then she’d be done with the Swing Inn. She was sad, but Chance was glad she’d be safe at home. And he could catch up on his sleep, at least until the baby came.
Cordy nodded to him from behind the bar.Fifteen minutes,she mouthed.
Justin was next to her, looking lost, even though it was his father’s bar. Chance resisted the urge to shake his head. Justin was damn near forty and still looked like he was a teenager with no plans after high school and fuck all for future ambitions.
The man had two kids and was taking Cordy’s job. He could at least look like less of an idiot about it.
Something at the edge of his vision caught his attention. A teenager was walking across the dance floor, coming right for Chance. It took him a moment to place the kid: Pierce Bautista.He was a senior at the high school and a wrestler—the only wrestler since the school was too small for a whole team.
The kid was coming at him like an ornery steer. What the hell was going on?
“Hello, Pierce.” Chance lifted his water glass in greeting.
“Sir.” Pierce’s nostrils flared as he fisted his hands. “I have to talk to you about Cordy.”
Cordy?Chance shook his head. “Son, what are you even doing here?”
His family was odd, even for Bucklands, but Chance couldn’t see his parents deciding that hanging out at a bar in the middle of the night was a good idea.
“I work here.”
“Aren’t there child labor laws or something? It’s two in the morning.” Chance felt a million years old as he said it. “Don’t you need your sleep for school?”
“Pete called in sick, so I had to come in.” Pierce shrugged. “It’s not my regular shift. And it’s not like Glenn is that concerned with labor laws.”
No, Chance supposed he wasn’t. “What’s going on with Cordy?”
“She’s a nice lady,” Pierce growled. “Really nice. Like the best lady I know.”
“I agree.” What was this kid getting at?
“We all want the best for her.” Pierce sucked in a breath. “But she’s living with you, and that means… well, you know. Because you’re, well… Everyone knows what you’re like. She needs some stability.”
Chance inwardly groaned as he realized what the teenager was implying. “Son,” he drawled, “are you asking myintentionstoward Cordelia Johnson?”
To his credit, the kid didn’t flinch. “Yeah, I am. We all love Cordy, and we want to make sure she’s safe.” He propped hiselbow on the table and flexed his bicep. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”
Was Chance seriously being threatened by this kid who thought doing arm curls made him a badass? Yep, he definitely was.
