There With You by Samantha Young
Regan
Except for Thane’s birthday that following Tuesday, our affair fell into a strict routine. That doesn’t sound like it could be hot, but it was so freaking hot, he’d become my obsession.
We went about our lives as we had before, except friendlier and nicer to each other than we had been the past few weeks. This seemed to appease Lewis, and he stopped being so watchful of us all the time.
But at night, when the children were asleep and secure in the house, Thane slipped into my annex for an hour. Sometimes he made love to me like he actually loved me. Those were the dangerous nights. Strangely, for the sake of my heart, I preferred the nights he was bossy, when he moved me about the bed the way he wanted and fucked me until I saw stars. On my knees, riding him, on his knees, on our sides, upside down, twisted like a pretzel, hands tied together above my head. The man knew how to screw every which way. I’d never have guessed he was so wild. It was the best surprise.
And all I kept thinking was what a moron Fran had been. How the hell could she cheat on Thane Adair?
The only exception to our routine was the morning of his birthday. I’d snuck upstairs with breakfast before he could wake. But he didn’t want the scrambled eggs on toast I’d brought him. He wanted me. It was the first time we’d had sex in the house, and having to stay super quiet was strangely erotic for us both.
Afterward, Thane looked guilty as hell, and I knew he worried about Eilidh and Lewis discovering our secret. He was cooler toward me because of it, and once more my feelings were wounded. I ignored the somewhat used sensation crawling across my shoulders as I vowed not to enter his bedroom without invitation again.
I was his dirty little secret.
It never seemed like that when we were together, but sometimes, like when I was standing at the school gates, I felt it. The thirsty moms didn’t pay me attention anymore. They’d long moved on. But I still remembered their gossip. I knew what they’d think of me.
I could tell myself I was a grown woman who could do whatever the hell she wanted with whomever she wanted, but it was hard to remember that on days like this morning. For a moment, I’d totally forgotten where we were. The kids were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, and Thane was behind the island, his ass facing into the kitchen. As I passed him to put my mug in the sink, I’d reached out without thinking and caressed said ass. It wasn’t until he turned sharply to glare at me I even realized what I’d done.
I flicked a guilty look at the kids, relieved they weren’t even paying attention, but Thane glowered at me like I’d just murdered the family pet.
Dirty. Little. Secret.
Whatever he saw flash across my expression softened his with confusion. Heart pounding, I skirted around him, keeping my distance. “I’m just going to put a load of laundry on before the littles get ready.”
I had been in there only a few seconds when I felt him.
Glancing over my shoulder, our eyes locked as Thane leaned against the doorjamb. He looked down the hall before turning and whispering quietly, “I’m sorry. I just …”
“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I get it.” He crossed the room to still my hands as I sorted the laundry. “I have moments where I’m itching to touch you … but we can’t. Yeah?”
Dirty. Little. Secret.
I blinked hard out of the memory, glaring at the school as I waited to collect Eilidh and Lewis. Will was a few yards away, talking animatedly with another parent, so I didn’t have him to distract me from my dark thoughts.
Two weeks.
It had only been two weeks since Thane and I started our affair.
And I was wondering how long I could hack the emotional roller coaster I was on.
Jared called last week to ask me out, and I made up some excuse about how I wasn’t looking to date while I was in Scotland. He didn’t seem to care. I mean, it took him long enough to call. Instead, he told me to call him if I changed my mind.
Robyn … my sister knew something was up. She kept asking if I was okay and giving me these long, searching looks. Usually, I would just tell her about Thane. But I’d promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I didn’t want to break my promise, even though I’d kill for my sister’s sensible and loving advice.
Rather, I had to rely on what I thought she might tell me.
And she’d tell me that if the affair only made me feel good when we were having sex, if it made me feel horrible about myself when we weren’t having sex, then I needed to end it. I needed to be honest with Thane that I was not cut out for zero commitment. Not with him. I thought I could. I thought something was better than nothing.
It had taken less than fourteen days to realize how naive I’d been.
Loving the man who only wanted to screw you … it was like taking five knives in the chest every day.
I had to end it.
The thought made me want to scream in rebellion, but for the sake of my sanity, I knew I had to end it.
The bell rang, snapping me back to the moment.
Focus. When Eilidh and Lewis were around, I didn’t have time to worry about the state of my relationship with Thane. I thanked God every day for them—the best little distractions a girl could hope for. If I was obsessed with their father, I was a goner for them. But that was the kind of love a girl could live with.
Grinning at the sight of Eilidh hurrying down the front steps into the yard, my eyes wandered past her to find Lewis.
So focused on finding her brother in the crowds, I didn’t notice the man approach.
By the time I did, it was too late.
As my attention returned to Eilidh, she’d just stepped through the gates when the stranger swung her into his arms, making her shriek.
What the hell?!
“Hey!” I yelled, panicked, launching myself toward them.
The man’s eyes flew to me, wild and mad behind his round glasses as Eilidh beat his head and screamed, but I swore adrenaline made me fly into super speed. I shrieked at him to let her go, and he backhanded me so hard, I stumbled onto my ass.
“Oi, you!” I heard Will shout, and I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the throbbing in my cheek. Will grabbed at the man’s hair, distracting him enough so I could tug Eilidh by the waist out of his arms. He slammed an elbow into Will’s nose just as I got Eilidh free, and he lunged at her again. I pushed her away in instinct and put myself between them, trying to focus beyond the discombobulation of a complete stranger attempting to steal my child in front of hundreds of witnesses.
“Back off!” I yelled, shoving him away.
He grabbed my arm, trying to twist it, but Robyn’s lessons kicked in. I slammed the base of my palm in an upward strike into his nose. I wasn’t strong enough to break it, but it stunned him long enough to loosen his hold. Spinning toward Eilidh, now in Lewis’s protective little arms, I found my shoulder jolted back in a painful jarring yank.
“Give her to me!” he roared like an animal as he clawed at my throat from behind. The smell of whisky was overwhelming. “Give me my daughter!”
McClintock?
Oh my God.
Throwing my entire weight behind it, I sank my elbow into his face and stumbled toward the kids as he grunted and released me. I was aware of bodies rushing at us, at him. We were being protected by the other parents, so I pulled Eilidh and Lewis into my belly, covering them as much as I could with my body. Like a cocoon. A fist slammed into my temple, momentarily dazing me as I heard McClintock scream Eilidh’s name again.
Eilidh and Lewis sobbed as they burrowed into me, as my back and head were punched and kicked as he tried to beat his way around me to get her. I ignored the pain, refusing to budge. The cacophony of those around us blurred into white noise.
And then the hitting stopped as abruptly as it had started.
“Regan, you’re okay.” Michelle bent her face into mine.
I glanced up and behind her, shocked to see McClintock flat on the ground, held down by Will and all the thirsty moms.
Kids were crying around us, scared out of their minds.
“Eilidh. Lewis.” I dropped to my knees as they threw their arms around me. My face and body throbbed with pain, but it didn’t matter. They were safe. Relief and adrenaline made me tremble as much as they did. I tried not to cry with rage that McClintock had scared the hell out of them.
“The police are on their way.” Michelle rubbed my shoulder soothingly. “Do you know who he is?”
“Eilidh!” McClintock wailed, glaring at us from the ground where Will and the ladies had him pinned. “My daughter!” He sounded like a wounded animal.
I blanched, feeling everyone stare at us as I lied, “No, I don’t know who he is.”
* * *
THANE
It took everything within him not to drive like a maniac all the way from Inverness to Caelmore. Killing himself to get home to the children and Regan wouldn’t do anyone any good. But the adrenaline coursing through him made it very hard to control his foot on the accelerator.
The only thing that reassured him was that Lachlan and Robyn were with them.
Sean McClintock had tried to kidnap Eilidh at the school gates.
Lachlan had called him. His brother had rushed to the school when Jock informed him via Will that McClintock was being held in a citizen’s arrest while they waited for the police. His brother was there to see the bastard arrested, but Thane was waiting for contact from the police. He would see the piece of shit put away for this.
According to Lachlan, if it hadn’t been for Regan’s quick actions and help from the other parents, Sean might have gotten away with Eilidh. The very thought sent a cold shudder down his spine. Thane didn’t know the details yet. He did know he owed Regan more than he could ever pay back.
He skidded to a stop outside his house, his thoughts solely focused on its occupants. Bursting through the door, Thane rushed into the main living space, dizzy with relief as his children jumped from the couch beside Regan and Robyn and rushed him.
He dropped to his knees, taking in every inch of them before they slammed into him. Physically, they were fine, but as they clung to Thane, they cried, the sound unbearable. Tears filled his eyes as he pulled them tighter to him, vowing he would never again take for granted the singular feeling of his children embracing him. Thane pressed quick, desperate kisses to their heads as his tears threatened to fall.
A hand on his shoulder brought his head up, and he looked into Lachlan’s concerned face. “They’ll be all right. They’ve just had a fright,” his brother assured him.
Eilidh and Lewis pulled away from his embrace, Lew wiping at his cheeks while Eilidh’s face turned purple with anger through her tears. “That bad man hit Ree-Ree, Daddy!”
Thane’s heart leapt into his throat. “What?” He stood, glancing from Lachlan’s stormy expression to across the room where Robyn had her arm around Regan on the sofa.
She had an elbow to her knee and a bag of frozen peas pressed to her eye.
“Regan.” He moved toward her, and the children ran across the room before he could get to her. Eilidh scampered onto the couch to press against her while Lewis took the seat next to his sister, his serious focus on Regan.
Thane approached, aware of Robyn at her other side, but unable to take his eyes off Regan. She watched him warily and lifted her head from the frozen peas. Her right cheekbone was swollen. It would bruise.
Renewed rage flooded him. They’d all just returned from the minor injuries unit in nearby Golspie, but Thane had assumed it was routine after something like this to have everyone checked over. Lachlan hadn’t mentioned that McClintock had attacked Regan.
The reminder that Thane couldn’t sweep her into his arms and bury his face in her throat so he could feel and hear her pulse rushing, alive and healthy, was a gut punch. Instead, all he could do was lower to his haunches before her and place a comforting hand on her knee.
“Are you all right?”
She gave him a wry smile. “Eilidh is all right, so I’m all right.”
At the disagreeable sound Robyn made in the back of her throat, and the way her eyes blazed, he could see she didn’t think so. He turned back to Regan as she shot her sister a quelling look, and he noted the bruise at her temple.
“What the—” He cut off his curse just in time as he stretched to push her hair back. Barely able to hear over the blood rushing in his ears, he demanded, “What exactly happened?”
Regan brushed his hand away and gestured subtly with her head toward the children. Her eyes said “later.”
“Ree-Ree’s going to be okay, right, Daddy?” Eilidh stared up at him soulfully. Lewis wore the same expression.
“I’m fine.” She turned, switching the frozen peas to her other hand so she could pull the children into a one-armed hug. They both tried to plaster themselves to her side, and his gut tightened at how shaken up they all were.
He stood abruptly, leashed fury burning his nerve endings.
McClintock was going to fucking die for this.
“Robyn, why don’t you call out for some food?” Lachlan was suddenly at his side, his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I’m going to take Thane outside for a minute.”
“I’m not leaving them,” Thane growled.
“You need a minute. And I need to fill you in on what happened.”
He looked down at his family. Regan lifted her chin, her expression sympathetic. “Go. We’ll be okay for another few minutes.”
“I’ve got them,” Robyn assured him.
As he reluctantly followed Lachlan out onto the deck, he snapped, “This better be quick.”
His brother didn’t answer him. He led Thane down the deck and across the yard into his garden.
“Lachlan, where are we going?”
He glanced over his shoulder at Thane, his expression as cloudy as Thane’s. “Trust me.”
Despite the impatient fury boiling inside him, he followed Lachlan into his house and upstairs to the home gym that made Thane’s look pathetic in comparison. Lachlan led him over to the corner—to the boxing bag.
“Robyn’s.” Lachlan tapped it. “I put it in here for her. It’s where she leaves everything that frustrates her. It got used a lot in the first few days of Regan’s arrival. And it’ll be the first place she comes tonight.” His eyes darkened. “One parent, Michelle Kingsley, told us McClintock grabbed Eilidh at the gate, but Regan rushed him. He backhanded her, and that’s what drew Will’s attention. He moved in to help, and Regan got Eilidh free from McClintock. Will got hit and McClintock went for Eilidh again. Regan hit him, dazing him long enough to get her arms around Eils and Lew, protecting them with her body. That’s when the other parents descended on him, but the bastard got a few more kicks and punches in to Regan’s head and back before they subdued him.”
The imagery his brother created made Thane sick with fury; at the same time, his chest ached with gratitude.
“There was no way he would have gotten Eils,” Lachlan assured him, his eyes bright with pride. “Regan would have died before letting that happen.”
Thane found it hard to swallow, his throat so thick with emotion.
“I misjudged her,” Lachlan admitted softly. “I wanted to believe in her for Robyn’s sake, but there was always a part of me waiting for her to show us who she really was.”
He thought of Regan using her body as a shield to protect his children and felt like his heart might explode. “This is who she really is,” he replied hoarsely.
His brother nodded. “The question is why she needed to protect Eilidh. Who is McClintock, Thane?”
“The man Fran had an affair with,” he bit out, knowing the truth was unleashed now, no matter what.
Lachlan looked away for a second, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “She cheated on you?”
“Aye. He was a colleague at her school. I caught them a few months before we found out Fran was pregnant with Eilidh. It had been going on for months.”
“And you forgave her? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Hearing the disbelief in his brother’s voice, Thane bristled. “She was my wife and my son’s mother. I had to try. Especially when she told me she was pregnant again. And I didn’t want you to treat her differently. The only person who knows is Regan.”
Lachlan’s eyes widened slightly at that detail, but then something else seemed to occur to him. He exhaled slowly. “Is Eilidh McClintock’s?”
“No,” Thane growled.
“You did a paternity test?”
“No. I don’t need to.” Thane took a menacing step toward his brother. “She’s my daughter.”
“And if she’s not?” Lachlan pushed.
“Lachlan, brother, unless you want my fist in your face rather than that punching bag, don’t say another word.”
Realizing Thane couldn’t even entertain the thought of another man being Eilidh’s birth father, Lachlan let it drop. He pushed the boxing bag toward him. “Let it go here. You can’t go back into the house the way you are now. You’re seething. And the kids need you calm.”
Taking Lachlan’s advice, Thane shrugged out of his jacket, whipped off his jumper and the shirt beneath it, and brought his fists up to his face. Instead of the boxing bag, he saw McClintock. He saw McClintock terrifying his children. Punching Regan. Regan shielding them while she took blows to her head and back. His rage flooded out of him, and he roared as he threw a punch powered by its intensity.
By the time the worst of it drained out of him, sweat soaked his hair and skin.
Head bowed, hands on his hips, Thane whispered, trying to choke back the tears, shaking with the force of it. “What if she isn’t mine?”
Arms came around him, and he found himself pulled into his big brother’s embrace. “We’ll deal with it … and you won’t lose her. We’re not losing her. I won’t let that happen. Whatever it takes, Thane, I mean it. Whatever favors I need to owe, whatever palms need greased, laws fucking broken—I will do it. Nobody is taking our wee girl from you.”
Thane tightened his hold, needing to believe more than he ever had that Lachlan Adair could do anything he set his mind to.