I knew when I first saw her that she would be someone worth the trouble, and trouble she is. Fuck. My pants are getting tight just thinking about all that feisty attitude she throws around. The last thing I need when dealing with Mandy and her crazy is a goddamn hard on. She would take that shit as encouragement.

Leaving the house and knowing that Melissa is currently naked and very sated in my bed is hard. I should be worried about the connection being so intense between us but this is what I have been looking for, what I want.

The only problem with that is the potential ‘fuck me’ she dropped last night. When she told me about her sister, my heart stopped. Right there in my chest, the bastard just skidded to a big fucking halt. Could I be sure? No. Am I pretty fucking positive that her sister was Sofia Wagner? Yeah. First chance I get I am going to rain a fire storm on Derrick. A son? Not once did he mention she had a kid who survived that shit. Fuck me, he didn’t tell me there was a kid at all! Sure, I could blame myself for not checking more into it, but that’s what I pay Derrick to do. Simon would know within a second if I were watching him again. Slimy motherfucker.

I have been so consumed with finding some sort of vengeance for Grace that I let it blind me. Axel told me from day one to let one of the other guys take over and be the eyes for me, but it is just too important to me. And in the end, I have nothing to show for it. Grace is gone, Melissa’s sister is gone, and that motherfucker got the easy out.

Now, I have to figure out if I can tell Melissa that the man who took her sister, her nephew’s mother, is someone I have tried and have been unsuccessful in stopping.

I slam my fist into the steering wheel and start the truck. It doesn’t take me long to reach the front gate and see a worried looking Stan.

“Hey man, where is she?”

“Oh hey, Mr. Cage.” He is pacing back and forth in his small little house office, clearly shaken by the crazy bitch that has become my shadow. Give a girl some good dick and all of a sudden, they think you have the answers to world peace. “She—she is over there, Mr. Cage. I am so sorry to call so many times, but she wouldn’t leave and when she started to try and climb the gate, I didn’t know what to do.”

“You did the right thing, Stan. Don’t worry about her. I’ll straighten her out right now, okay?” Poor old guy, thinking he has an easy job to keep him busy between his golf games.

Walking over to the gate entrance, I see her standing by her car with her arms crossed and attitude flying high. What. The. Fuck?

“Amanda.” She doesn’t even flinch at my biting tone. Not a brow lift, lip curl, nothing. Not a single reaction to the fact I do not want to see her here. “What are you doing here?”

She moves now, pushing herself off her immaculate BMW that I’m sure her daddy bought her, and strutting like the practiced whore she is. “Greg, baby… I knew you would be happy to see me! I wanted to surprise you and bring you breakfast in bed, but that man wouldn’t let me in. I told him you wouldn’t mind, baby.”

I look around to see if I can find the hidden cameras that have to be around here somewhere. There is no fucking way this bitch is for real. “What the hell are you talking about, Mandy? Never. I would never give you access to my house like that. You only know where the hell to find me because I was hard up enough for some ass that I brought you here; that was my mistake. You need to go home, Mandy. Go home and forget that you know me.” Turning around and walking away from the gate should have been easy, but when I hear a banshee cry, I can’t help but turn back around.

To say I was shocked to see her attempting to climb the gate is an understatement. But there she is, all long legs, short skirt, and blonde hair trying to scale the fucking gate. Twilight Zone, that is the only explanation I can even begin to think.

Shaking my head at the absurdity that is Amanda White, I turn and attempt to make my way back to Stan, but before I can even take one step, she is screaming. Not just normal crazy girl screaming, but this shit sounds like it is straight out of the exorcist. I check with Stan before moving back to deal with the nutjob doing her best impression of a monkey on fucking crack. Poor guy looks terrified.

“Mr. Cage? Do-do you need me to call someone?” He steps back into the safety of his little office but holds the phone out the door. “Just let me know, Mr. Cage.” And with that, he shuts the door.

Fucking figures. All I want to do is get back to Melissa, but this shit has got to stop.

When she sees me starting back in her direction, she immediately quiets and starts back down. Her shirt is half-unbuttoned, she’s missing a shoe, and I’m pretty sure all of her sanity.

“What in the fucking shit do you think you’re playing at right now, Mandy?” I growl. My voice sounds about as lethal as I have heard it before, and this is the first time I have ever directed this tone towards a woman. “This isn’t what we have and you know it.”

“But… baby,” she whines, “I saw you last night. During the ceremony, you kept looking right at me. Like you couldn’t wait for that to be us. I know you are just playing hard to get right now. It’s okay, baby. I know what you really want.”

How in the hell is it possible for me to misjudge someone this badly. On a scale of one to ten, this chick is a fifty, and that’s being generous, in the off her rocker, needs a white jacket and daily pills fucking crazy.

“Open it up, Stan,” I yell over my shoulder. When the gate is open enough for me to slip through, I make my way closer to her. There is no fucking way my face is inviting contact but that doesn’t stop her, hell no it doesn’t. Apparently, stepping through those gates is my first mistake. Thinking she might have any sanity left is my second. She squeals, like a goddamn seal and launches herself at me.

“Oh, baby! I knew it!” I can feel her ridiculously long nails biting into my neck as she peppers her mouth all over my face. Trying my best to fight the urge to shove her off, and failing rapidly, only fuels my fury.

“Get off me right now.” She has her legs wrapped around my hips and doesn’t even loosen the grip she has on my head.

“Why, baby? Don’t you want to take me back to your place now? We can celebrate!”

“Off. Me. Now.”

“Okay, silly! I get it; you don’t want anyone to watch. I know how you must want my body for your eyes only.”

What the fuck! “Woman, you have lost your fucking mind. Let me clue you in real quick because I have better things to do right now. Going to be clear as I can fucking be so there is no goddamn room for your head to twist this shit into something it isn’t. Something it sure as shit will never be. First, I damn sure wasn’t looking at you yesterday. Who I was looking at isn’t your fucking business, but I can assure you she knows that it was her my eyes couldn’t leave. Second, this is not hard to get. This right here, this is me trying to get the hell away. And last, I do not want you anywhere near my bed. What I want is back at my house keeping the sheets warm until I get back. What I want is so far from what this bullshit is. Hear this, Mandy; you were convenient. I needed something that you offered and never made promises to you for anything else. Don’t. Fuck. With. Me.”

A wise man would anticipate the claws to the face, but I am too busy thinking about getting her gone and getting back to my house that her slap is the last thing I see coming. Her fake as fuck act slips, and I swear the devil is looking back at me. I bring my hand up and wipe off the blood I can feel trailing down my cheek. This will be fun to explain to Melissa.

“What we had was real, and you felt it! I won’t let anyone stand in the way of what I want. How about you hear that, Greg!”

“Are we even on the same fucking planet right now? I don’t fucking want you, Mandy! Never made the promise of more, and you fucking know it.” She doesn’t even flinch when I get in her space. She has no fear, or maybe she has a death wish. “If you even think about going near my girl I will make your life a nightmare.” And with that, I turn and walk back through the gate. Should have been watching my back though because taking a stiletto in the shoulder blade is no a fucking picnic.

“You’ll regret this, Greg!”

I wait for the gate to close up before walking over to Stan. “Sorry about that. You call me if you see her again, yeah?”

“Yes, oh… yes, Mr. Cage.” He nods his old weathered head so quickly I am slightly worried he might hurt himself.

“Enjoy the day, Stan. Sorry about that little interruption.”

I take the long way back, taking a few extra roads to try and calm down. I had really hoped to enjoy the day with Melissa, get to know her better, without the real word fucking with us. Unfortunately, I get to go back and explain why I have claw marks on my face, and I smell like a two-cent whore.

Fucking lovely.

I hear the door chime but don’t move a muscle from the warm bath. It’s been years since I have enjoyed this luxury. I am so used to my rusty, water stained one stall shower that I might never leave this room.

“Beauty?”

“In here!” I answer with a small smile curving my lips. Who would have thought that nickname would be growing on me.

“Goddamn…” He rumbles behind my shoulder. I plaster on the most seductive smile I have in my bag of tricks and turn my head. The smile and invitation to join dies on my lips.

“What the fuck happened to you?” He not only looks like he just fought a bear and lost, but you can tell the lighthearted mood we both woke up with is long gone. “Are you okay?”

“I am now,” he replies softly. I watch in stunned silence as he begins pulling off his clothes. When he walks over and stands next to the tub, I lick my lips.

“I can see that. Why don’t we talk about why your face looks like that and you have red lipstick all over your face?” I should be pissed but curiosity seems to be winning this emotional round.

“Son of a bitch!” he hisses. “Babe, let me in so I can feel you against me.”

Okay, I can’t argue with that, but I want answers first. “I don’t think so, stud. Talk.”

“Fucking hell, you can bust my balls any day, but let me feel you against me, babe. I need that to help calm me the hell down.” He climbs over the edge and settles himself before pulling my back to his front, and rubbing his hands across every inch of my skin he can reach.

“I hate to point out the obvious, big boy, but it doesn’t seem to be working,” I tell him when I feel his hard length against my back.

“Mmm, no it doesn’t.” He agrees with a few kisses to my neck. “I would rather not have this conversation, but since it literally knocked on the gate this morning, we have no choice. Understand I won’t keep shit from you and this is no different, but I didn’t want to start this with something nasty.”

“And what exactly are we starting?” I ask.

“Don’t play games right now, Melissa. Babe, you know just as good as I do that me and you are happening. This isn’t some cheap thrill. You feel it, but if you need me to remind you, just let me know.”