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  “It’s been interesting, that’s for sure. Not in a bad way, though. He’s just different than I was expecting. The man is big, and he’s really intimidating, but he’s also kind to all his employees.”

  “Big?” Her eyes sparkled as her eyebrow lifted. “In what way?”

  I wished I had a fry in front of me so I could toss it at her, but I laughed anyway. “I definitely didn’t mean it in the way you’re alluding to, but you already knew that. I just meant that he’s over six feet tall and built like a fucking house.”

  “Had you never seen a picture of him before you started working there? I have. I know he’s big.”

  I shook my head. “It’s not the same in real life than what I expected from his pictures. In person, he’s really something.”

  “As in, he’s hot?”

  “Hotter than hot.” I smiled and took a sip of my own cocktail. “But don’t go getting any ideas. He’s my boss, so neither of us are going after him.”

  Alisha snapped her fingers. “Darn. I was hoping you would introduce me.”

  “Nope, sorry.” I knew she was joking, but my stomach did this strange twisting thing that felt a whole lot like jealousy anyway. Odd.

  “What’s he like as a boss?” she continued her questioning, mercifully unaware of the strange emotion I was trying to process. “I bet he’s a real dick.”

  “I think he can be.” I’d heard whispers around the office, but I hadn’t experienced him in that way myself yet. “So far, he’s been really straightforward with me but not dickish.”

  “Well, that’s a good start.”

  “Yeah.” I sighed. “He does this half laugh, half chuckle thing when I amuse him that I wouldn’t have expected from a guy like him.”

  “Amuse him?” She frowned. “I mean, I think you’re pretty amusing but what have you done to amuse him?”

  “Generally, it’s about money,” I admitted.

  Alisha’s eyes widened before she started laughing. “What’s amusing about money?”

  “How much he’s paying me.” I lifted my purse from the seat beside me and pulled out the check stub, handing it over.

  Alisha’s laughter stopped abruptly when she looked down at it, eyes bugging out. “You see what I mean? I thought he was joking, but apparently, the joke is on me.”

  Chapter 7

  Joseph

  Saturday mornings were reserved for working out. Weekends were the only time I could hit the gym in my building and spend as much time as I wanted before I had to head out.

  Shortly after getting the prosthetic, I had learned that staying in good shape made a world of difference. Exercising daily was something I was used to after my days in the military anyway, and keeping up with the routine wasn’t difficult—even it had been a little hard to get into it again after I’d gotten the all-clear from my doctor.

  The building’s gym was fitted with everything I wanted and needed, complete with an Olympic sized pool, a yoga studio, cardio circuits, and weights. It was one of the things that had made me choose the condo I had bought over the others I had looked at.

  It was still early, the sun barely peeking out over the horizon when I got to the gym. There were a few other people around, but no one paid me any attention. I liked it that way, enjoyed being able to use the facility without being forced to make small talk or engage with anyone.

  Popping in my earbuds, I blasted my favorite playlist and unrolled the mat I carried under my arm. My routine for today took about an hour to complete and by the time I was done, I was drenched in sweat and in need of a long shower.

  While I made sure to stay within the bounds of what my therapist had recommended, I tended to push myself over the weekends. During the week, I couldn’t always complete my entire workout and tried to make up for it on weekends.

  When I got back to the condo, I headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the shower. The water was so hot when I stepped in that it scalded my skin, but it felt damn good.

  My thoughts wandered as I stood under pulsating streams, and I wasn’t surprised to find them drifting to Lilac. It was happening more and more often that I found her invading my mind when I didn’t mean to think about her.

  I liked her. She worked hard, learned fast and was shaping up faster than I had expected anyone entering that position to. She only had one more week left of this pace before I put her to work on the harder stuff, though.

  Somehow, I thought she would welcome the challenge. Enjoy it, even.

  The girl was a breath of fresh air in the office. I had noticed it, and I knew other people had too. I could feel her energy in the air there, see the changes that simply having her around was bringing about.

  Although we hadn’t started on the harder stuff yet, people had already begun to respect her. The open-door policy she had instituted was going down well, the members of her team were communicating with her and while Titus had believed in a more iron-fisted approach, I could see the way people were responding to her was more effective.

  Hell, even I was responding to her. Maybe not me, but definitely my libido. Not that I could blame it, despite how annoying it was to find a woman I couldn’t touch attractive. I had wondered more than once if the fact that I’d moved her to my mental “can’t fuck” list was perhaps even making her more attractive to me.

  It was either that or the fact that all her clothes seemed to hug her curves just perfectly. Nothing she wore was revealing or inappropriate for work, but you just couldn’t hide those kinds of curves.

  The swell of her hips and the way they tapered up to her waist was visible in any of her usual pencil skirt and blouse combinations. I had never so much as caught a glimpse of anything but the very top of her cleavage, but I knew the shape of her tits was round. They looked like they were the perfect size, too: just about a handful.

  I’d never gotten off on model-skinny women. Many of them were beautiful, sure, but I preferred women who didn’t feel like ironing boards when I got them underneath me.

  Lilac wouldn’t feel anything like an ironing board, I was sure. I was also sure I had to stop thinking about what her body would feel like under mine, since my dick was starting to take notice of the pictures my brain was conjuring up.

  Reaching out, I turned the water to ice cold and stood there until it felt like I was about to develop frostbite before I finally turned the shower off. At least my cock had gotten the message and was no longer trying to do its best impression of concrete.

  After my shower, I got dressed and headed to the office. I preferred to work in the quiet offered by weekends, and I had to spend some time catching up on some that had fallen to the side while I’d been shadowing Lilac.

  I knew that once this week was over and we started with the harder stuff, that would be the real test of whether she was going to make it here. I worked my employees hard and she would be no exception. In return, I compensated them well—but I expected good work for my money.

  After a few hours at the office, I was almost all caught up. I would have to spend a couple more hours here tomorrow, but right now I needed to go find an early dinner.

  I glanced down at my watch, noticing that I only had about ninety more minutes before I had to meet Grant and a few of the VA guys for our monthly poker game.

  Those guys always brought out crap to eat and while I could eat it, I tended to eat a little cleaner than they did. My dietitian had recommended a nutritional, healthy eating lifestyle once I could go home after the amputation. She’d said that good nutrition and regular exercise promoted a healthy skeletal system, which went a long way toward bone density, strength and mass that would only become more important the older I got.

  Once I had gotten used to eating that way, it had become second nature to grab dinner by myself before I headed out to meet Grant and the guys. There was a small bistro about a block from my condo that served delicious food where I grabbed a bite, then I went home to change and took off again almost immediately.

  Whe
n I walked into the VA, everyone else was already there. They were seated around a large round table, the chips already being handed out. It was an after-hours game and no money would exchange hands, but it was still fun.

  It was good to spend time with these guys. I didn’t do the meetings anymore, but I still enjoyed chatting with other military folks when the opportunity presented itself.

  Grant grinned when I walked in. “Glad you decided to grace us with your presence. I was just starting to wonder if you’d gotten a better offer.”

  “Better than you?” I frowned at him, bringing my hand to my heart. “But sweetheart, there’s no one better for me than you.”

  Grant roared with laughter, the other guys joining in. Alistair, John, and Thomas hadn’t served with me and Grant, but we’d all gotten out around the same time and had spent a lot of time together in the early days after our respective retirement.

  Nowadays, it was a stretch that everyone made it to poker night every month, but everyone tried their best to be there. Alistair mock pouted, a lock of bright red hair falling across his forehead. “I thought I was better for you than him. You promised me, Joe. You did. You said you were going to leave him for me.”

  “No one would ever leave me for you,” Grant shot back, pulling out the seat next to him for me.

  I sat down, carrying on the banter for a few more minutes before Thomas decided it was time to get down to business. “Gentlemen, you can fuck around on your time. We got a game to play, or have you forgotten?”

  “Once a spoilsport, always a spoilsport,” John muttered, winking at Thomas when he caught the glare he sent his way. “You know I love you, Major Tom.”

  Thomas flipped him off and started dealing the cards. He was a major and his name was Thomas, but he detested being called Major Tom. Naturally, that meant everyone called him that all the time.

  After spending a few hours playing poker for chips, I raked in a good amount before I decided to call it a night. “Okay, boys. That’s it for me. I’ve got to get home.”

  There were some boos and name-calling, but I didn’t pay any attention to it. I had it down to a science how much time I had at any of these gatherings before Grant would start talking about me dating, and I always tried to leave before then.

  The last thing I wanted to do on a Saturday night was to discuss my romantic involvement, or more accurately my lack of romantic involvement, with anyone. Grant meant well, but I just wasn’t interested—not in getting involved or even in talking about it. I was fucking happy on my own, and I planned on staying that way for a good long time.

  Chapter 8

  Lilac

  Lincoln and I spent the morning being lazy at home, but it was time to head for the park. Sundays were for French toast and swings and had been for the past year. Both of us loved our tradition and I knew that I, for one, always looked forward to it.

  “Are you ready to go, Linc?” I called from the kitchen, packing bottled water and some snacks into my satchel.

  Lincoln ran down the short hallway, his little footsteps muted by our ratty carpet. “I’m ready! Park. Park. Park.”

  Smiling as I closed the satchel and went to meet him at the door, I reached out to ruffle his soft hair. “Have you got your inhaler?”

  I had a spare on me, but I knew that once we arrived at the park Lincoln would take off like a shot. For safety’s sake, I always made sure he had his own. He nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling it out to show me. “Can we go now?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.” We left the apartment and walked to the park. It was a few blocks away, but we enjoyed the walk and sometimes even took the long way to get there.

  As I had expected, Lincoln ran off as soon as we got to the park. He didn’t give so much as a second thought to me, letting go of my hand when our feet hit the grass and running to the monkey bars.

  I patted my pocket just to make sure I had the spare inhaler and went to my usual bench close to the play area to watch him. I had a paperback in my satchel, but I hardly ever took it out. There was a particular joy in watching my little boy play and laugh with the other kids, and I tried to soak in every minute.

  I knew that days like these with him were numbered. As it was, he was growing up way too fast for me. Someday soon, he wasn’t going to want to go to the park with his mother on the weekends. I shuddered when I thought about these special times of ours ending, but I knew it was a natural part of growing up.

  Sighing contently, I smiled as I watched him and soaked up a bit of sun. It was a beautiful day. The sky was robin’s egg blue and there was a light breeze that was just enough to keep it from being too hot.

  I sat back against the bench, thinking about what a wonderful morning we’d had and how gorgeous the day was when my phone started ringing. One look at the screen to see who the caller was, and it wasn’t such a beautiful day anymore.

  Fear wrapped around my heart and made my stomach clench. Kurt.

  I shook my head, but answered anyway. If there was one thing I could count on, it was that my ex wouldn’t stop until I took the damn call. “What do you want?”

  Unsurprisingly, our conversation quickly evolved into the same one we’d been having for months. “I want to see my son, Lilac. I’m the kid’s father. I have a right to see him. Tell me where you are and I’ll come meet you.”

  “No.” My voice was firm and unwavering, but bile was starting to rise in my throat and my extremities felt cold suddenly. “You don’t have any right to see him, Kurt. You never wanted to see him before. I have full custody. Go crawl back into whatever hole you disappeared into when I got pregnant and stay the fuck put.”

  “You can’t keep me away from him forever.” Kurt’s tone was harsh and hard. He wasn’t pleading with me, he was threatening me. Same shit, different day.

  I clenched my jaw, taking a deep breath and refusing to take the bait. “Yes, I can. Goodbye, Kurt. Don’t contact me again.”

  I knew telling him not to call was an exercise in futility, but I tried every time anyway. A low growl came from his end of the line. “This isn’t over, Lilac. He’s my son and I will find him.”

  “May the odds be ever in your favor.” I didn’t mean it, of course, and I made sure that he heard the sarcastic edge in my voice before I hung up the phone. “Goodbye, Kurt.”

  I jabbed my thumb down on the red circle on my screen, ending the call without listening to anything else he had to say. There was nothing he could tell me now that would make a damn bit of difference or change my mind about him.

  And to think, I really loved him once. A heavy sigh expanded my diaphragm before it fell from my lips. Really, really loved him.

  There was a time when I had thought that Kurt and I would be together forever. We had met and fell in what I thought at the time was love as seniors in high school. We went off to college together and planned our futures—also together.

  Kurt was the one who had talked me into not using protection anymore. I was young, naïve and in love. I wasn’t stupid and I knew what the possible consequences were, but I was so totally in love with him that I went along with whatever he wanted. The thought that he wanted to start a family with me had even crossed my mind. I would have done everything and anything for him, so when he asked and eventually begged, I’d given in. Needless to say, I was pregnant a month later.

  The second I told Kurt about the baby, he left. He transferred to a different school, changed his number and instructed his parents not to talk to me. I didn’t know what he’d told them, but nothing I had said to them back when I was still trying to find him had convinced them that he was the one in the wrong.

  Neither Kurt nor his parents had ever even laid eyes on Lincoln. They hadn’t contributed a cent to him and had never been interested in any kind of relationship with him at all.

  Regardless of the circumstances surrounding my getting pregnant, I loved the little mustard seed from the second I found out he was growing inside of me. When I gave birth, I used up
all my savings and put off my last year of college to pay a lawyer to get full custody of Lincoln.

  Kurt denounced his paternity and convinced all our mutual friends that I had cheated on him. None of them would tell me where to find him after all his lies either.

  Three years after Lincoln’s birth, and now suddenly he wanted to be involved. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t trust his motives. Kurt always had a reason for doing what he did, and the reason was always a selfish one that only benefited him.

  The timing was suspicious, considering that I’d finally finished my degree and started working. My last job was nothing fancy, and the pay hadn’t been great but it was a definite step up from the position I had been in before.

  But now… Working for Matthews Financial came with benefits that were well known. The fact that he was threatening me now made me think his sudden interest had to do with money. Kurt had always had a bit of a gambling problem, and he wasn’t above dragging me or Lincoln into his financial woes if that was what this was about.

  I kept telling him no, but I was starting to think I would have to get a lawyer involved again. At least now I could afford it.

  My lawyer had explained to me that since I was an unmarried mother who had not been living with the father at the time that the child was born, combined with the fact that when he had contacted Kurt he had been adamant that he wasn’t the father, that he had no legal rights to Lincoln. We’d done what we could at the time, and I had thought that the paternity-issues chapter of my story was over.

  At one of our last meetings, however, the lawyer had warned me that Kurt could file an action to establish a parent-child relationship with Lincoln until he was twenty years old. I’d listened to him when he’d explained everything, but I honestly hadn’t thought Kurt would ever do it.

  Happy to put him and everything he’d put me through behind me, I’d focused all my attention on Lincoln and tried to be the best I could be for him. When I’d gone back to school to finish my degree, I still hadn’t managed to save enough money for tuition.