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Judah groaned in irritation. “It’s Saturday, kid. Go do whatever teenagers do. You’ve got the whole damned house at your disposal. I’m trying to get laid.”
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Slapping him on the thigh, I settled deeper in the warm, comfortable bed. “Is something wrong, El?”
“Uh... yeah. There’s someone at the front door. She’s demanding to see Judah. I went for a run, and when I came back, she was there. She wanted me to give her the code for the door lock, but I wouldn’t. She’s mad as hell, guys.” Ellis’s uncertain tone immediately had my spine tensing.
I threw off the blankets and slid out of bed, already aware of the one person it had to be.
Judah wasn’t far behind me, and we both quickly grabbed the nearest clothes, slipping into them. The first thing I found was jeans and a shirt, while Judah went for chinos without a top. I got to the door first and as soon as I opened it, Ellis blinked up at me with wide eyes.
“She’s mean,” he whispered, peeking toward the stairs. “She demanded I come and get you, like I work for her.”
Sighing, I pulled Ellis into a hug, and he huddled against me.
Judah growled and stalked past us and out the door, and I chased after him, not quite sure what to expect. My stomach clenched and a tremor of fear curled there, not because of Elizabeth being here, but for whatever was about to happen next.
13
JUDAH
Tav was hot on my heels as I raced down the stairs, but I turned and put my hands on his chest to stop him when my feet hit the floor.
He sighed and stared down into my face, which made me think of some much nicer activities we could be doing where he might tower over me. “Really, you’re coppin’ a feel right now?” His lips twitched toward a smile.
I lightly smacked his chest, then tweaked his left nipple through his shirt.
“Damn it!” He slapped my fingers.
“Just stay inside. Keep Ellis in here, too.” I swallowed hard. I wasn’t afraid of my mother, but hell, she had really thrown me for a loop. I had no idea what she was capable of doing right now, and the less ammunition she had to use in this battle of wills, the better, which meant I didn’t really want her to know anything about Tav or Ellis.
“All right, but I’m not going far. If she gets nasty, no promises.” He leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on my lips. Every time he touched me, I couldn’t get enough. Despite the nuclear explosion I was sure I was about to ignite with Mom, I kissed Tav, enjoying the soft heat of his mouth.
“Okay, wish me luck,” I said with a shaky sigh.
“Why did you rile her up?” he whispered, knocking his forehead against mine.
“Because I’ll be mother fucked if I’m going to let her ruin this.” I pecked a kiss on his stubble-covered cheek, enjoying the sharp scrape against my lips.
“Not the best choice of words,” he said, but gestured toward the front door. Mom wasn’t déclassé enough to knock after she thought she’d been announced, so I didn’t expect it from her, but she would only wait so long before she started blowing up my phone.
Ellis came down the stairs behind Tav. He was cute in his yellow running shorts and T-shirt, even if he was covered in sweat. How she could’ve been rude to him was beyond me.
“You know, you don’t have to go out there.” Ellis bit his lip and inched around Tav. “If she’s mean, you should just stay in here.” He grabbed my wrist, and Tav wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“It’s okay. Judah’s an adult. His mum can make his life frustrating, but she can’t hurt him.”
My stomach twisted. I wasn’t so sure about that. She was a woman of far-reaching means, but I didn’t want to say that to Tav.
I patted Ellis’s hand. “It’ll be fine. Stay in here and don’t come out, okay? You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Ellis nodded, but I had to tug myself from his grip with a surprising amount of strength. “You don’t have to do it,” he said again.
“I promise, I’m all right.” I rubbed his shoulder, and Tav flicked a hand toward the door as if he was all of a sudden impatient to see me get this over with.
We shared a long look.
“Nothing she can say will change the things I’ve been telling you,” I murmured to Tav, then pressed a kiss to one of the hickeys on his neck. Sucking in a deep breath, I spun. My anger fired back to life as I walked toward the door and dragged it open. Mom went to step forward, but I didn’t move out of the way, just kept going, forcing her back. I slammed the door closed behind myself.
“You’re not inviting me in?” she asked, tone cutting. Mom looked exactly like a woman who had been on vacation. She was slightly sunburned, probably from Dad dragging her to the beach. Her steel-streaked chestnut brown hair was longer than she usually kept it, brushing her shoulders. And, as a finishing touch, she was wearing a tropical shirt flung over a beige tank top and skirt that would’ve been fine for Florida, but left her exposed to the autumn air. She shivered and glanced pointedly toward the door, but I had my fury to keep me warm and shook my head.
