Cord nodded.
Worry moved across his face. “What? What is it?” I asked.
“Steed talked to me tonight about the emotional abuse his ex put Chloe through. She was hateful towards Steed and basically ignored Chloe. He tried to shield Chloe from it as much as he could, but some of Kim’s screaming about how much she hated her life reached the poor little thing’s ears.”
My heart broke. “That poor child. There is a special place in hell for a woman like that.”
Cord agreed. “Yeah, I hope she never tries to set foot in Texas. I’m actually afraid of what Steed might do to her.”
Chewing on my lip, I stood. “I’d better leave. It’s getting late.”
Cord walked over to me. “I’m glad you came in, Paxton. It was nice seeing you. Please don’t stay away. The family misses you.”
His warm smile got one out of me in return. “Will you tell everyone I said hello and I miss them? I spoke with Amelia for a bit earlier at Back to School night. I can’t believe how beautiful and grown up she is. I remember her as a little girl in pigtails running around.”
Rolling his eyes, Cord groaned. “Yeah, I’ve gotten into a few fights because of that sister of mine.”
I hid a chuckle. Amelia must be taking after her older sister Waylynn in the rebel department. “Thank you for everything, Cord.”
He wrapped me in his arms. “You’re still a part of our family, Paxton. You’re always welcome here.”
The door to Cord’s office opened, and I knew he was there before I even had to see him.
Cord dropped his arms as I turned around. Steed’s eyes bounced between the two of us, confusion quickly turning to anger. Trevor clapped his hands and walked into the room.
“Paxton! My girl! Where in the hell have you been?”
He hugged me and spun me around. I laughed as he put me down. I guess with me being in Cord’s office and his arms wrapped around me, that was a sign for Trevor to do the same. “I’d say you sure have grown up, Trev.”
His grin widened. “What are you doing here with Cord?”
I glanced over at Steed. He was staring at Cord like he wanted to rip his head off. I knew how it looked when they walked in and saw us in an embrace. What he didn’t know was I hadn’t talked Cord in a few years. “I was walking by and thought I’d stop in. I hadn’t been in since Cord opened the bar.”
“We were catching up,” Cord added with a wink.
My body trembled as I felt the intensity of Steed’s eyes on me.
Trevor laughed. “Well hell, you still want to rip Steed’s balls off, Paxton?”
Our eyes met. The way he stared into my soul had me feeling unsteady. My heart was telling me to run to him, but my head was guarding my heart. I’d promised to never let another man destroy me like Steed did.
A small smirk formed. “It was his dick. And I was going to cut it off and shove it down his throat.”
Trevor lost it laughing and Cord chuckled. Steed’s eyes turned darker as he smiled. A warmth spread through my lower stomach, and I tried like hell to ignore it. When I finally couldn’t take the intensity of his gaze or the way his sexy smile made me feel, I turned back to Cord.
“Thank you for listening. I’ll see you around.”
He nodded. “Anytime, Paxton.”
Trevor hugged me again. “Dance with me before you leave.”
I laughed and pushed back at his broad chest. I’d forgotten how built these boys were. Trevor seemed to be following in his older brother’s footsteps. The Parker boys were not only drop dead gorgeous, but they had hot as hell bodies.
“Rain check?” I asked with a smile. Trevor nodded and took off his cowboy hat to give me a kiss on the check.
Taking a deep breath, I headed through the door where Steed still stood. He was in a cowboy hat and it took everything out of me not to lick my lips. I stopped in front of him. He opened his mouth to say something, then quickly snapped it shut.
He stepped to the side to let me pass, but when I walked by, he took my hand. My heart jumped and I sucked in a breath as the familiar energy ripped across my skin. “Pax, can we please talk?”
Everything inside was screaming to run. Everything but my heart. Steed was the only person who called me Pax and he usually said it in a whispered voice while making love to me.
My eyes darted back to Cord. He grinned.
Focusing on Steed, I sunk my teeth into my lip and forced a breath. “I can’t tonight, Steed.”
His eyes looked hopeful, and he squeezed my hand lightly. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I could hardly think. “When?”
I rubbed my lips together. My head was spinning and I was so confused. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hate him. Everything in me wanted to walk away and tell him I never wanted to talk to him again. But I couldn’t. Not with the way he was staring. Not with the way my heart was aching for him. “I’m not sure when I’ll be ready.”