Page 26 of Governor

The guy apparently needs a moment to process our presence. Finally, he says, “I want to talk to Susa.Alone.”

Asif.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you, Kendall,” Carter says, already starting to shut the door. “Good-bye.”

“Wait!” The guy actually puts his hand out to prevent Carter from closing the door, and even I know that’s a mistake.

Carter’s voice drops into a threatening growl. “Back.Off. She broke up with you. She’sdone.”

“Susa, please! At leasttalkto me!”

“What part of ‘she broke up with you’ aren’t you grokking, kid?”

“But I love you!” He’s still trying to talk over Carter’s shoulder and to her.

At that declaration, it takes everything inside me not to climb over Carter and go after the guy myself. I’m reasonably sure I can take him, through sheer body mass and indignant, jealous outrage, if nothing else.

“You’re in love with Daddy’s money, Kendall,” she shoots back with a stinging venom in her tone that makes my heart sing. “If you show up here again, you’re going to get hauled off by deputies. Go away. We’redone.”

“That’s it, kid,” Carter says, closing the door.

The kid sticks his arm inside, and Carter heaves the door shut, trapping the guy’s arm and making Kendall yelp in pain.

Carter throws his weight against the door, pinning him there. “Want me to break it, Kendall? All I need to do is yank your hand back. Think I can’t do it? I will. Leave,now, and you won’t need an ER trip.” He yanks the door open just long and far enough the guy can jerk his arm free. Then Carter slams it shut so hard I hear the sliders in the living room rattle from the change in air pressure.

Carter flips the deadbolt and presses his eye to the viewfinder. “You have fifteen seconds to get in your car and leave,” Carter yells. “You try to fuck with our cars, you’re leaving in an ambulance.”

He watches, then starts to softly chuckle.

“What?” Susa and I both ask.

“He just tripped running for his car. Nearly knocked himself out against the fender.” He remains there, watching for another moment. Then he straightens, nodding, before he turns. “He’s gone.”

Susa throws herself past me at Carter, giving him a long hug that I’m struggling not to feel jealous over.

“Thank you!” she says.

I really didn’t do anything but stand there. OfcourseCarter’s earned her gratitude—and her hug.

His gaze catches mine before he returns her hug. “You’re welcome. Anytime. My pleasure.”

Then she turns and hugs me, too.

I hope she can’t feel the way my cock hardened in my jeans. And her hug lasts a too-brief forever, leaving me smelling a sweet floral scent that I realize is her shampoo or something.

She’s wearing a broad grin. “I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t come back.”

“Can he call your phone?” Carter asks.

“I blocked him on my cell, and I don’t have a landline. I never answer numbers that aren’t in my contacts.”

“Good girl,” Carter says, and I note the way she blushes even as she gives him another smile.

And that her glance lingers a hair too long on him.

“Dinner smells great,” I say more to break my own growing tension than to interrupt their silent exchange.

She awards me with a smile. “And now we can sit down and actually enjoy it.”