#Chapter 05 Get out of the way, don't touch my woman

 

My eyes widened, but I forced myself to stay calm. It had been so long since I had last seen Barnett. His blonde waves were even more breath-taking than I had remembered, his toned muscles more captivating than I had dreamed.

I swallowed several times before speaking.

“Nice to meet you, Barnett—”

“Cogsworth. Barnett Cogsworth.”

His deep voice sent shockwaves down to my groin, but I remained composed. There was no use in losing myself to my hormones like some love-struck teenager. What I felt back then didn’t matter now.

“That’s right, Barnett Cogsworth. Nice to meet you,” I said, as though meeting him for the first time. I hoped that my voice did not betray the fire burning in my stomach and below.

Barnett turned to Lily, who shrugged helplessly. I could tell that this had not been the reaction that Lily had been hoping for, but hopefully she wasn’t about to push it. Barnett returned his attention to me and took off his sunglasses.

I struggled to repress my reaction to seeing his full face. With those deep brown eyes and pouty lips, it was no wonder that his face adorned so many magazines. Or any wonder that he had a sexy international model for a wife.

I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a picture of Julia. Her ads even blessed the big screens of such cities as New York City and Los Angeles. Devilishly wide hips, large breasts, and a thick ass with a sinfully skinny waste, Julia made Barnett envied by every man alive.

Well, her and his wealth. Heir to the Cogsworth family fortune, he was the third richest person in the world, with control over an immeasurable fortune. They had their hands in just about everything possible.

Not that I thought about him much anymore.

I glanced at the lion’s head cufflinks and shook my head.

No, I thought. No, Barnett couldn’t be the guy from that night. It’s impossible.

His hand in my face brought me out of my thoughts.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Anna—”

“Hayes. Well, I suppose it’s Anna Leonard now.” I supposed that I would have to get accustomed to using my maiden name again.

I took his hand and shook it. So firm, so confident. If only I could be so confident.

“What do you mean, it’s Leonard now?”

“I mean that my husband and I are getting divorced.”

Barnett nodded in acknowledgement but did not comment on it.

Yeah, he can’t be the same man as the other night, I told myself. He’s acting too distant, even more distant than when he was Coach Barnett.

“I say that she’s better off for it. Her husband is a lowlife, and his family is even worse,” Lily spat.

“Yes, well, every couple has their problems,” I countered.

“Yes, they do,” Barnett agreed.

Lily rolled her eyes.

“Anyway,” she said, addressing me, “I’m staying at Uncle Barnett’s house for a few days, so I thought I’d bring him as backup.”

“Backup?” I asked.

“You know, just in case.”

It disturbed me that Lily had thought that she would need the backup around Bob and his family. How long had she been under this impression without saying anything to me? Then again, hadn’t I thought the same thing when I asked Lily to be my backup?

“In case of what?” I asked warily.

“Oh, I don’t know, your brother-in-law trying to hit you in the face.”

I rolled her eyes. “You seemed to handle that quite well by yourself. You and your followers, that is.”

Lily grinned. “I did, didn’t I? And who says social media is a waste of time?”

I just shook her head. “Come on, we need to get my bags. You made me drop them back there.”

Lily and I went back up the walkway and each took some of my bags to take to the Lamborghini. We were almost to the car when we heard a voice calling Anna’s name.

“Anna! Anna!”

I turned my head and immediately groaned.

“What?” Lily asked.

“Bob.”

“Good God, what does he want?”

“I have no idea.”

“Anna, wait, please!”

Bob came running to a halt in front of us, panting. We let him catch his breath before motioning for him to speak.

“Anna, I’m so sorry. I don’t even know why I brought up the divorce,” he pleaded, his eyes wide in an attempt to appear sincere.

“Uh, maybe because you were fucking around behind her back?” Lily said.

Bob ignored her. “Please, Anna, I’m sorry. I regret asking for a divorce, I genuinely do.”

“No, what you regret is the fact that you’re going to have to split your property with her.” Lily shook her head and threw my bags in her car. “Let’s go.”

I didn’t know how much more of this I could take. “Bob, just leave.”

“Anna—” Bob grabbed my hand with both of his— “please, please forgive me. I was stupid, I wasn’t thinking—”

“No, you never do. And you aren’t now.” Tears welled up in my eyes.

Damn it, I thought I was done crying for him, I mentally cursed myself.

“Things can just go back to the way they were—”

I ripped my hand out of his grasp. “What? With you cheating on me?”

Bob tried to grab my hand again, but I pulled it away. “I know that neither of us really want this.”

“Really? Because the more we stand here talking about it, the more that I want it.”

I wasn’t entirely sure if that was true, but it was truer than me wanting to go back to him.

“You have no idea what you’re getting into going back into the world. Alone and single, you’ll be eaten alive—”

“It sure as hell will be better than staying with you.”

Bob grabbed my forearm and pulled me close.

“I’m asking you nicely. Please…come…back…home. Now.”

I tried to pull my arm away, but Bob’s grip only tightened. For once, I was actually frightened of my soon-to-be ex-husband. The anger in his eyes contained a fire that I had never seen from the normally cowardly man before.

What might he do in his desperation?

“Get out of my way and don’t touch my woman,” Barnett’s sexy voice rang out as he tore Bob’s hand off my arm.

I watched Barnett in surprise. What did he mean, my woman? Not that I minded the sound of that at all.

Barnett looked at me from the side of his eye. He then effortlessly wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. I could smell that familiar scent of sweat, pine, and, after all this time, hockey jerseys and helmets.

The same smell that had made me swoon that fateful night.

No, I chided myself, he is not the same man.

I resisted the urge to rest my head against Barnett’s shoulder, no matter how tempting it was—or how strong the urge to piss Bob off was.

I could not remember ever feeling so safe or so welcomed in Bob’s embrace.

Bob’s mouth moved up and down like a trout gasping in open air.

“You…you’re…are you Barnett Cogsworth? Billionaire Barnett?”