She does, and it’s slow as molasses. Holy fuck, she’s going to undo me—and I’m going to love it.
“You feel incredible,” she pants out. “I want to do this with you forever.”
With a fist in her hair, I urge her down until our faces are inches apart. “That’s the plan, baby.”
Chapter Ten
We stayed in bed the entire afternoon, indulging in a third round of lovemaking, before finally forcing ourselves apart with a last, lingering kiss. We showered until the water ran cold, then hustled into our clothes and out the door before heading back to Harlow and Noah’s place.
When we arrive, Oliver and Ranger are playing happily with a mountain of toys while Nolan sleeps on a blanket nearby. Noah’s mother regards the boys with an indulgent smile. It’s obvious she loves being around the kids and is happy to play grandma.
After a tasty dinner with a lot of laughter, Nia and Sebastian drift into an office area downstairs and continue debating how to fix Sebastian’s “mistake.”
Harlow pulls Mandy aside, and they head out by the pool, each with their sons, for a chat. Noah’s mother decides to give Ranger a bath upstairs.
That leaves me with Noah, who suggests a beer and a baseball game on the big screen.
Once we’re seated and watching a replay of the Blue Jays beating the Orioles, we pop open our beers. Noah doesn’t waste any time getting to the point. “When can you start training my security staff?”
“As soon as I put a stop to Amanda’s would-be stalker.” The mob will eventually go away. “I just wish I knew who the hell it was.”
“You have nothing to go on?”
I shake my head. “She can’t think of anyone in her life who would go this far to hurt her, and she’s convinced it’s somehow related to Barclay Reed.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Did you ever meet him?”
“Once.” From Noah’s expression, I know it wasn’t pleasant.
I’m compelled to know as much as I can about the asshole who broke Mandy’s heart. But there’s also a chance he’ll know something about Reed that will set me down the right path. “And?”
“I only needed thirty seconds to know that my wife was better off without him. That was my wedding gift to her, you know? I gave her parents three million dollars to get out of her life forever.”
Holy shit. “Seriously?”
“One hundred percent.”
“And they took it?”
“Linda jumped on it. She wanted to divorce the bastard and needed the money. Barclay was more reluctant, so I threatened to expose his affairs and illegitimate children—at least the ones I knew about—which I discovered during a deep dive into his life. Mind you, I discovered all this before it became public knowledge, but once I confronted him with the truth he fell in line.”
I lean in since I don’t want Mandy or anyone else to hear. “Was the information you gathered really bad?”
“Stomach-turning. We think he paid his former assistants’ paternity claims under the table, which is why we can’t locate the rest of those offspring now. But apparently, he shuffled in a new assistant about every two years, upgrading to a younger model…and repeated the cycle. It was an open secret at Reed Financial.”
“Jesus.”
“I don’t know how many more illegitimate Reeds there are.”
“Any chance one of them might be after Mandy?”
Noah shrugs. “It’s possible someone might resent Amanda.”
In theory, yes. But my gut keeps saying no.
“Look…” Noah says. “I know Reed did a number on Amanda—”
“You have no idea.”
“Did she tell you?”
“Yeah. Stomach-turning, just like you said.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry.” He sighs. “I hope she’ll tell Harlow someday, just like I hope my wife will tell Amanda what Reed did to her.”
“Did he molest her?” I’m horrified by the possibility.
“No, but it was almost equally despicable. Now that I have a child of my own, I can’t imagine using him as a pawn in some scheme simply to make myself richer.”
“I don’t know if Mandy would want to tell Harlow what her father did.”
“I think it could bring them both closer together and help heal them someday.”
Maybe he’s right. I don’t know.
“I’ll get you the list of Reed’s known assistants, along with my private investigator’s notes about how many have children old enough to cause Mandy problems.”
If any of them have the Reed eyes, their paternity would be a dead giveaway. “That would be great.”
“I’ll get it to you in the morning.”
“Thanks.”
“My pleasure. Let me know when you’re free to start with my security staff. If you could work with them for a couple of months, would fifty thousand be fair?”
Beyond fair, and he must know it. “That’s more than generous. I don’t need that much money to do the job.”
“Would you do it right?”
“Absolutely. I’ll shoot for perfection, but at the very least they’ll be well above competent.”
“Then that’s the offer, take it or leave it.” He shrugs and sips his beer.
“Why are you helping me?”
“Two reasons. You seem like a good guy, and the fact you just tried to take less money for a job proves it. But even more important, my wife wants her friend back. Since you’ve come onto the scene, she says Amanda seems more like herself than she has been since she was a kid. I have to think that’s your doing.”
I fucking hope so. “Thanks. I won’t let you down.”
“I know. What’s next for you and Amanda?”
“Catching whoever the hell is after her. Then…hopefully convincing her we have a future.”
“Good luck. By the way, I think Harlow is offering her a job now.”
As if those were the magic words, the back door opens, and the women enter, each carrying a squirming baby boy. I don’t know Harlow’s expressions well, but I can tell Mandy has been crying. Since she’s smiling too, I’m hoping they’re happy tears.
“Baby?” I stand.
She approaches me, smile widening. “I’m going to start working for Harlow next week. I have a lot of skills that she could use, and it’s for a great cause.”
“That’s fantastic.” I curl my
