I cringe when Timmy starts singing the word at the top of his lungs and some of the other little boys start joining the chorus.
“It’s what chickens do to give us eggs, Timmy. They lay eggs, hence the past tense phrase ‘laid.’ The chicken lays an egg, or the chickens laid enough eggs to fill their coops.”
I’m almost certain that if this doesn’t convince them, I’ll be facing some irate parents tomorrow and Principal Jones and her viper’s tongue.
Oh hell, and here my day started off with a good kissing session and some hot and heavy groping in the shower.
Now I’m dreading how it will end.
Chapter Ten
Clara
As expected, the moment I get into Miah’s SUV he starts bombarding me with a million questions and demanding answers about Nick and what he was doing here.
I’m surprised he knows before I even got the chance to tell him. It’s not like the man has lied about having me watched when he’s not there to keep an eye on me, and I’m strangely grateful about having Gonzalez or even Roman keeping an eye out when I’m at work and defenceless.
“What the hell, Clari? He came to your school?” he yells, hitting the wheel with the heel of his palm.
“Miah.”
“No, do not try to placate me and diffuse this shit, Clara,” he says, giving me a glare that’s been absent since the night he decided to woo me.
He’s been treating me like fragile glass all week, but it seems one mention of my ex is enough to make the possessive beast rear his ugly head again.
“I don’t appreciate you blaming this on me or yelling at me. I didn’t know he was here till I turned around and saw him in the hall, Miah, and believe me, I let him know how little I appreciate him just showing up, so can the tone,” I warn.
Anger is not something I’m familiar with since I prefer to take things easy and just walk away when people start getting unpleasant. I can’t walk away from this, though.
And we are going to argue. I can see it in the way he holds himself stiffly and grips the wheel so tightly. His jaw looks hard enough to crack his teeth and his eyes have gone that cobalt color that signals a brewing storm.
“Did he touch you?”
“No. He tried but I sidestepped him, so calm down.”
“What did he want, Clara?”
“Oh for the love of—stop calling me that, it bugs me!” I yell.
I’m already annoyed enough as it is without Miah having a go at me as if Nick showing up was my idea or something. How many times do I have to tell the man that I do not want my ex before he believes me?
“What did he want?” he grits out, keeping his eyes focused on the road since afternoon traffic seems to be heavier than usual for this time of day.
“He wanted to talk to me about coming home—no, do not start yelling. I know that is not my home and I told him so. I also told him that I’m in a relationship, though why I even bothered with the way you’re behaving is beyond me, because if this is how things are going to be, I do not see us working out.”
His face goes stony and I cringe at the threat I just made, wishing I could take it back the minute it left my stupid mouth.
“Don’t threaten me with that, Clara Elms, or you may not like what happens,” he snarls.
“Really? What are you going to do, hotshot? Huh?”
It’s ridiculous how good this feels and I can’t stop myself from digging the knife a little deeper now that I’ve begun. I’ve never let loose like this before, and while I don’t see myself doing it on the regular like Ellie seems to delight in, I can definitely see the cathartic benefit of a good blowout every now and then.
“Maybe I should take a leaf out of Wyatt’s book and tie you to the bed till you come to your senses,” he fires back, taking the turn into the driveway too fast for comfort.
“Oh yeah? Why? Are you finally going to go for some sex, or is this just your wimpy way of shutting the little woman up?”
“That fucking does it, Clari!”
Finally!
He comes around the hood of the car and throws me over his shoulder.
“Miah, clam down.”
“No. You want me to make love to you, Clari? Fine, I’ll make love to you, and see if you can handle the hard as well as the soft I wanted to give you. Now hush and say hello to Ma before she screams the house down.”
His mother is watching?
“Miah, put me down!” I hiss, slapping at his muscular butt.
“No. Ma, Clari and I will grab dinner much later.”
“Oh, well of course, dear. Hi, Clari!”
I can’t respond as he starts taking the stairs two at a time, stealing my breath with each step. I do manage a wave and smile at Ellie’s wink and Jude’s thumbs-up.