Page 24 of Lore
“You’re doing a good job,” Rider pipes up, and Lore’s violet eyes soften on him.
“Thanks, son,” he whispers, then holds his other hand out to Dove. “Come on, Princess. Let’s get you warmed up.” He takes a few steps with them, then pauses. “Butterfly, go up ahead of me. I don’t trust any of those ass…” He winces. “Buttholes to walk behind you.”
I roll my eyes and lead the way.
Apparently, he doesn’t like other men looking at my ass. I ignore the fact that I’m secretly thrilled about that fact.
You stupid girl, Atiana.
Don’t fall for his charm again.
One broken heart from him was more than enough.
“You know, for someone who never wanted kids, you’re really good with them,” I say quietly so only Lore can hear.
Hurt flickers in his eyes before he can mask it. “That was a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, clearing my throat. “But you are… good with them.”
“A compliment. I can work with that.” He smiles sadly.
One of my walls crumbles, seeing him trying with the kids.
He acts like he wants to be here with them, not because he’s obligated.
He acts like he wants to be a dad.
“You make it hard,” I whisper.
“I think that’s my line,” he teases, and I laugh lightly.
“What do I make hard?” He lowers his tone. “Please say your nipples.”
I roll my eyes. “To stay angry. To keep you at a distance.”
“That’s the last thing I want you to do. I want you to be able to trust me again, Butterfly. Let go of all the hate you have for me.”
“I think I let go of that a long time ago.”
We run into Rose and Brandy on the way, and the way their eyes eat him up so intimately makes me feel sick to my stomach.
But it’s another reminder.
Lore might be the father of my son, but to me?
He’s just my baby daddy.
And I need to remember that.
Maybe if I keep saying it, I might believe it.
LORE
“This is him?” I ask, staring at the picture of Atiana’s soon-to-be ex-husband. It’s been two weeks since I went and picked her up, and we still haven’t found him. We sent two of our prospects, Romeo and Patch, to watch their house, but it looks like he returned, realized she was gone, and never came back.
“Yeah, and she was right, he’s been working for some shady people. He’s been helping them move money into offshore accounts. He’s incredibly smart. If he weren’t such a piece of shit, I’d have him working for the club.” Blade smirks, sliding the information across the table. “On paper, he’s an accountant. He makes good money. He met Atiana when he moved into the same building as her. Didn’t take long to knock her up and then marry her. I have no doubt that he’d be trying to track her down. She was smart to leave her phone behind.”
“He’s been working for the mafia,” Angel adds, leaning back in his chair and studying me. “He’s been crossing the wrong people, stealing money from them. I don’t know who is going to take him out first, them or us.”
