Page 117

A gesture of support. Possessiveness.
Back off, she says with her pose.He’s mine.
I shouldn’t like it, but I do.
That’s when I know my mind is fully gone.
“Sorry,” Winnie says, her voice saccharine. “I didn’t mean to step on any toes. I didn’t know you guys needed to discuss it first? Does Archer need your permission to date?”
The fact that she’s just casually taken on the role of my girlfriend bowls me the fuck over.
I’m speechless.
My girlfriend.
Mygirlfriend.
I haven’t had a girlfriend since my divorce. This is new, and I have no idea what she’s doing.
None of this should be happening right now in any sane universe, but I’m not denying it. I don’twantto deny it, which is even more ludicrous.
“Oh.” Rina blinks, and fuck, why does it feel so good to see the woman who made me so miserable lost for words? “Well. It’s not… It’s not that you guys can’t be together. Around Colt, I mean.” She pulls herself up. “But you probably want some alone time, right? I’ll go say hi to Colt.”
It’s a good save, honestly.
I might have respected her for it if she wasn’t Rina.If I didn’t hate her guts.
Winnie tilts her head as she looks at me, waiting for me to make the next move. Although she’s stepped up with this little act, this is ultimately my son. My choice.
That alone is enough to make me want to kiss her until she forgets her own name.
“Rina, wait,” I say, because the wretched woman’s right about one thing—I desperately want some alone time with Winnie. Twice last night wasn’t enough. I’m painfully obsessed, and my whole cock burns just thinking about it. “You can go—as long as Colt checks in and you bring them back before it’s too late. I’ll text you the number for Evans’ mother.”
Rina smiles, pleased at having won this round.
It unsettles me, but there’s no point fighting this when I have so much to gain, too.
“Okay, cool. I’ll get them out of your hair soon.”
I have to bite my tongue.
I hate her smarmy-ass insinuation that Colt is a burden in any way, but I need to pick my battles.
She’s Colt’s mom.
No matter what else she is, I can’t escape that fact.
“I’ll call them over,” I say, even if leaving Winnie alone with Rina screams bad idea. A spitting match with Colt in the house is the last thing I need. Even so, I head over to the great room. The two boys look up from their streaming. “Hey guys. Your mom’s here, Colt.”
“Sweet.” His face clears. “You’re cool with letting us go to the park?”
“As long as you check in. Every few hours at least, okay? If you don’t, I’ll come and find you.”
It’s not that I don’t trust Rina.
But Idon’ttrust Rina.
“Sure!” Damn. The kid’s too eager to appease me so he can go with her.