Loving Jared - Nikita Slater Page 0,14

back, distancing himself. "I don't give a fuck who he is or how much time you’ve been spending with him. It's not my business. I'm leaving."

Amy said, "You can't!" at the same time as Jared said, "Watch your language around your sisters."

Amy sent him a glare, clearly not appreciating his input. He grinned at her. She was cute when she was annoyed.

"Go fuck yourselves," Teagan muttered giving the room his middle finger. He charged past Jared, giving Jared enough distance so that they wouldn't touch, and slammed out the front door.

Amy ran after him, pressing her hands against the door and calling his name. Jared caught her arm so she wouldn't follow him out onto the driveway. Jared noticed a car parked at the curb. Teagan got in and the car took off with a screech of wheels.

Amy looked up at Jared with a glare. "Why did you come over here? I can handle it."

Jared had some serious doubts about Amy's ability to handle her brother. Not because she didn't care and not because she didn't know what to say to him. She could say and do everything right and the kid would still fight her. He was a teenage boy, only a few years younger than Amy, probably traumatized by the death of his mother and the arrest of his father. He probably made Amy's life a nightmare. Jared didn't bring any of this up though. Amy didn't need to hear it, not yet.

Instead, Jared asked, "Do you know this Keith kid? Do you know where your brother’s going to be staying?"

She nodded. "He lives by Teagan's high school. I can go over there if I need to. I don't particularly like Keith's mother. She’s too permissive, lets the boys stay up all night and play games on school nights, but we’re civil to each other."

"Good." Jared gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Then relax and let him go. You know where he is, he's safe. Nothing’s going to happen to him tonight. Get some rest."

She chewed on her lip and Jared could tell that she was thinking about arguing with him. Part of him hoped that she would. He wanted to see this woman put up a fight, put him in his place. There was so much potential, his dick couldn't stand the suspense.

Instead, she nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. I'll try to find him and talk to him tomorrow."

Jared wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and squeezed slightly. He bent over and kissed her forehead. Her face glowed and she gave him a happy smile. Jared glanced sideways and caught the grinning faces of two little urchins peeking out at them.

"Now, I think it's time you properly introduced me to your sisters. I assume that they’re the ones that ate the other half of that delicious pie you brought me yesterday?"

Giggles burst from the hallway and the two faces disappeared as Amy turned to look. She laughed and called out to her sisters, encouraging them to come out. Jared was instantly charmed by the two little girls. He’d met them earlier when he came over searching for Amy. They’d been cute but guarded and he’d been distracted by their gorgeous older sister.

Now he gave them his full attention. Millie, the younger one, looked exactly like her sister and brother. Dark hair, small compact body and serious eyes with a hint of mischief. Her sister, Sarah, was taller, gangly, had light brown hair and a quick smile. Though she was the youngest, Millie was clearly the more outspoken leader of the two.

Jared spent the evening with his three next-door neighbours: a woman and two children. Not something he'd ever done before, but something he hoped was a pleasant glimpse into his future.

Eight

Jared was going to make an idiot out of himself over his neighbour, he just knew it. She was young, pretty and refined. Jared was older, rougher and uglier. She was definitely out of his league. She was also an innocent. Maybe not a virgin, but close. He shouldn't touch her. He didn't fool himself into believing otherwise just because she was a phone sex operator.

His budding fascination with Amy was the reason he found himself in his garage the next morning at 4:30 AM, a sleepy scowl on his face as he searched for the companion helmet to his bike.

The evening before, as he was preparing to leave the house after meeting Amy’s family, he'd offered her a ride to work