Page 18 of Broken Warrior
“All morning! We did lotsa stuff and had breakfast. Mommy had some important grown up stuff to do so I got to hang out with them and it was awesome!”
“Important grown up stuff, huh?” He glances at me again, a quick scan head to toe, the ice in his gaze so cold I get goosebumps. “That sounds boring.”
James shrugs and traces the Secretary patch on the front of his vest. “Prolly. But Mommy gots a phone now so that’s kind of fun. She said she’d put games on it for me.”
If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.
“That’s cool.” Spider sets him down and turns to me, facing me fully for the first time in over a month. “What the hell— “
“Why don’t you go empty your backpack and wash up for lunch?” I walk past the beautiful brooding jerk toward my son and hand him his bag. “If you want to color for a little bit you can. I’ll call you when your food is ready.”
“Ok!” James takes off toward the stairs. “I made pictures for you and Spider. I’ll find them and bring ‘em down with me!”
As soon as I hear our bedroom door close, I ignore the glare being sent my way and head into the kitchen.
Spider follows, of course, his boots clomping on the hard wood as he marches into battle. He remains silent while I look through the cupboards and pull things out of the fridge. Not a peep from the barbarian as I take out four plates, or as I continue making sure he and his mother eat despite the way I obviously anger him with my presence. I can feel him staring holes into the back of my head, the tension so thick it’s palpable.
I can’t take it, not now.
I don’t know what I did to deserve the way he’s been treating me lately but I’m over it. I’m done letting other people’s reactions dictate my own and that’s why I slam the Miracle Whip jar down on the counter and ball my hands into fists.
“What?” I snap without facing him.
“Where the fuck have you been?” His voice is low but no less menacing, a mixture of concern and anger lacing his words.
“Why do you care all of the sudden?”
Spider growls. “You’ve been gone for fucking hours. Imagine my surprise when I got home at eleven to find no trace of you or your son and Summer sitting on my fucking couch watching TV.”
“So? Everything was fine, right?”
“That’s not the goddamn point.”
I spin on my heel, the stilettos killing my feet. “Then what is the goddamn point, Spider? You weren’t here and I had shit to do. Last time I checked I don’t have to ask for permission to leave, just like I don’t have to answer to you.”
“Where. The fuck. Have you been?”
“That’s none of your goddamn business.” I nearly growl through clenched teeth.
Spider stalks toward me, his ice blue eyes narrowed. “Youare my goddamn business, and I want to know where the fuck you’ve been for the last two and a half hours.”
“You’re such an ass.” I chuckle without an ounce of humor. “You haven’t uttered hardly a word to me in weeks, it’s clear you don’t fucking want me here, so why does it matter where I was or what I was doing?”
“It fucking matters.”
“Why? Because I’m some poor broken woman you feel obligated to look out for? A helpless little girl that has to depend on damn near everyone because she’s running scared?” I cross my arms defensively against my chest as Spider stops maybe a foot in front of me. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore, ok? I free you of the burden I’ve obviously become. I’ll even make sure my sister knows this was my choice, that I was the one who ended the need for your services since having me here is only because of your loyalty to her.”
“Tate— “
“No!” My fingers dig into my sides as I refuse to break eye contact. “I’m done with this hot and cold then ice storm bullshit you’re doing. I wanted to be friends, wanted to repay your kindness by doing things for you. I thought maybe we were on track toward that then you went radio silent— “
“Tate— “
“It’s been fucking torture to walk around and have you pretend like I don’t exist but I was dealing with it. You don’t want to be friends? Don’t even want to acknowledge the fact that I’m living in your house? Fine, but that means I don’t have to tell you one goddamn thing about my life, the one I’m trying to piece back together on my own. I don’t— “
I don’t get to finish.
No, I don’t get to say anything else at all because suddenly Spider’s hands are in my hair and his lips are on mine.
