Page 35 of The CEO Alpha’s Substitute Mate

“What are you doing?” I hiss it at the underside of his jaw.

“I’m here to pick you up so we can go get our son.”

Our son. His tone is sharp, and he is clearly in a snit.

“I’m so sorry.” Mr. Ledger is already reversing. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

He’s out the door, and I stare at the space where he was, trying not to lose my temper.

This jerk! This absolute fucking jerk! I lift my elbow and dig it into Callum’s ribs, stepping out from under his arm. He doesn’t so much as wince.

“What on earth was that? He was just asking me out!” I demand.

Callum meets my gaze, and for the first time, he seems ruffled. “Were you going to say yes?”

I open my mouth and then let out a short, frustrated sound. “I don’t know, maybe, but you could have given me a minute to decide. What was this whole act? You never said I couldn’t have a love life outside of—”

“A love life?”

His voice lowers, and now he just sounds pissed. “Are you looking for a boyfriend?”

“No, but I’m not, it isn’t—” Every sentence I start seems to die out. “That’s not what I said.”

“You’re not busy enough with your classes and raising Luca?”

I push past him for my bag on the bench. “I’m twenty-four. It’s not natural for me to be single. I’m not going to wait till Luca is eighteen to find somebody for myself.” The zipper catches, and I yank at it. “Do you know how few men approach me? I barely have time to be approached, and when somebody finally does, you drive him off.”

He gives me a sharp look. “I’m not going to allow you to bring a man around Luca. With all the changes already taking place in his life, one like this will confuse him more.”

He’s right, which is the problem, because being right isn’t the same as being fair. I stand there with the zipper half done and my back teeth pressed together.

“I’m not going to bring somebody around Luca on a first date. Not till I trust the person. But the man was interested in me, and I have a right to go out with—”

“The only thing that man is interested in is bedding you.”

“How would you know that?” I whirl around, my eyes flashing.

“If you hadn’t noticed, he’s wearing a wedding ring.”

“Plenty of widowers wear their wedding rings.”

Callum gives me a cool look. “He smells like perfume. A woman’s perfume.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. The faint smell had registered, but I hadn’t paid attention.

“Fine. Whatever. Let’s just go.”

I grab my things. He takes them out of my hands.

“I can carry my own stuff.”

“I’m aware.”

As I stomp outside, I demand, “I thought you were going to give me a driver. Why are you coming to pick me up every day? Even when you’re busy, you keep picking me up and dropping me off. That’s not your job.”

He doesn’t look at me. “I haven’t had the time to be able to arrange for a driver.”

That stops me on the landing. “There are ten cars in your garage.” I hold up a hand. “You employ, at a conservative estimate, an entire village. What do you mean you can’t find a driver? Let me drive, then.”