THREE

Pale morning light came through the window Dix had left open the night before. Kate stretched and snuggled back against him. He'd put a shirt and his boxers on, which she knew annoyed him when she was in his bed. But his kids were in the house and, with Pickles around, one never knew when he'd have to do something any normal simian could handle.

He stirred against her and she smiled as one of his hands tiptoed up her thigh. She'd put on a pair of his boxers too, with her T-shirt, but it wasn't a barrier he had any trouble getting past. Her cunt bloomed for him as he pressed his wakening cock against her ass.

He pressed closer, kissing the back of her neck, groaning when she reached around and into his boxers to grasp him. Her thumb spread the bead of pre-come around the head of his cock.

The bedroom door swung open. 'Charles, what do want for breakfast? Oh! Oops!' Pickles stood in the doorway and Kate nearly lost her mind.

Damn it, Eve! Don't you knock?' Dix roared as he sat up.

Kate narrowed her eyes at the other woman and asked quietly, 'Where are the girls?'

Eve, not as dumb as she led people to believe, looked caught, like a deer in the headlights. This cheered Kate immensely. The part of her that relished the courtroom, relished devouring an opponent until they were nothing but a stain on the carpet, clicked into place.

They're already gone. Out with friends.' Good.

Kate sat up, not bothering to cover herself. She'd rarely been as angry as she was right then. This little foray into their bedroom was a direct assault and this passive-aggressive bitch needed to be taken down.

A giggle escaped Eve. A fucking giggle. 'I'm sorry! I just forgot. I'm so used to coming and going in my house.' Her perfectly manicured fingers flailed around as she attempted to look frail and upset, which only pissed Kate off more.

Dix started to speak but Kate held her hand out. 'You're a piece of work, you know that? I've been nice. I've been understanding. But I'm not a doormat and you're not going to keep doing this. You knew we were in here. You slept alone, clue number one. A closed door, clue number two. You've been divorced for nine years, clue number three. You're not as stupid as you pretend to be so don't tiy to play me. He might feel guilty but I don't.'

'I'm sorry if you feel that way.' The smirk ruined that little gambit.

Kate shook her head. Amateur. 'Oh the non-apology apology. The domain of the passive-aggressive gigglers like you. Let's get this straight, you're not sorry. You meant to barge in here this way because you still aren't done trying to mark territoiy that hasn't been yours in a very, very long time. Truthfully, though, I don't care one way or the other. You don't matter enough to me.'

Dix rustled around behind her and she knew he was pulling clothes on. To his credit, he'd let her say her piece without interrupting. Moments later he stood behind her, wrapping a flannel shirt around her shoulders, pulling her back against his body. Probably to keep her from knocking Eve out as much as to comfort her.

Pickles flattened her mouth into a thin line before responding. 'I had no idea you disliked me so intensely. I assure you, there's nothing going on between myself and Charles. We share our memories and our daughters. You've made it clear you're sleeping with him.'

Kate couldn't help herself, she actually guffawed. Wiping her eyes, she cleared her throat. 'Oh, Eve, I know there's nothing between you and Dix. I just want you to knock when you come into a room where I'm sleeping. Now, I'm going into town for groceries which means I need to change clothes so you need to get out.' Satisfied, she turned her back, extricating herself from Dix and began to grab clothes to change into.

'We need to talk. Don't go anywhere. I'll be down in a few minutes.' Dix gently pushed Pickles back and closed the door in her face.

'I'm sorry,' he said, coming back to where she stood, dressing.

'Yep. Heard it. Been there, done that. The T-shirt is worn veiy thin.' Her anger made her brittle, her movements sharp. Her inner shrew was just about to make an appearance and she resented the situation. This was supposed to be her holiday with him. Supposed to be time when she got to know his daughters better. And now, because of Eve, it had turned into something uncomfortable and annoying. If she wanted that, she could have gone to her parents' house.

He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing. 'Darling Kate, your anger makes you magnificently hot. I'm dealing with it right now. Clearly this has gone on far too long. You're right to be angry.'

Unreasonable, yes, but his niceness just pissed her off more. She extricated herself from his embrace and slapped at his grabbing hands until he got the message and backed off. 'Of course I'm right to be angry! Like I need your permission? I can open my own jars and get mad when I want to. That fucking stupid thundertwat you married is lucky I didn't pop her one right in the eye for that comment about how she forgot. Like you two divorced yesterday. She. Is. Poison. Cancer. She's gonorrhoea! A pustule on the anus of a syphilitic maggot! I hate your ex-wife. Because she is useless. Utterly. What an offence to femininity she is.'

He tried not to laugh, she could see it. She clamped her teeth together and left the room.

He followed her into the en suite bath. She ran a brush through her hair and he watched as she did it, like a cat watching a bird. He crowded in as she brushed her teeth, touching her, sliding his hands over the curve of her ass and kissing her neck. 'Get off.'

I'm trying, darling Kate. But the women in this house keep trying to stop me.'

She spit into the sink and rinsed her toothbrush, barely holding back a snarl. 'If I were you right now, I wouldn't call attention to Pickles who is now officially also too stupid to knock on a closed door. Even that cat who lives next door to you, the one who walks into walls and stuff? Yeah, that one can figure out how to knock on a door, but, somehow, Eve can't. Thank God the girls got your intelligence.'

He snorted a laugh and continued to eye her as she dotted lip gloss over her lips. With a sigh, she moved past him to pull on socks. He'd given her a beautiful ring for Christmas - one he assured her was just an / lone you ring until she was ready to admit it was an engagement ring — and she smiled briefly as the stones caught the light just right.

'I knew you liked that ring.'

She turned and kissed him quickly, dancing back out of his reach. 'Doesn't mean I still don't want to hit you and your dumbass ex. But of course I love it. Who wouldn't love a ring this gorgeous?'

He nodded, seeming partially satisfied, but he still eyed her and she considered how she'd get out the door without him springing on her and fucking her senseless. He liked to defuse her anger with sex, which she normally didn't find problematic, but, in this case, she didn't want it. She needed that anger right now.

'What do you need lip gloss for? You look very pretty. All fresh faced but also with an air of I'll cut you if you mess with me, which you know how hot I always find.'

I'm going into town. I'm not a hundred and fifty, so I like to look halfway decent when I leave the house. At least I don't have to apply my cosmetics with a trowel to attempt the aging-gracefullymoneyed-divorcee-who-hasn't-been-fucked-in-a-year look. I used to think she had her act together, that she'd mellow out when you truly moved on. How wrong I was.'

'Meow. Careful, Kate, you know how much it makes my cock ache when you're bitchy.'

Your marriage must have been a veritable fuckfest then.' She went to the door, but he pressed her against it, his body hard against hers. His eyes sparkled as he looked down into her face.

'Our marriage will be.' He slid his hand between her belly and her jeans, down into them until he found her pussy, wet and ready. 'Wet.'

She writhed, jutting her hips forwards, stroking herself against his knuckle. Oh all right, just this one little orgasm and then she'd go off in a huff.

He laughed softly, his lips cruising down her neck as she rocked into his hand, totally in control of the pace. 'Take it from me, Kate. As long as you understand I'm giving it, I want you to take it. God damn you're so hot. Your cunt is so juicy I can hear you fucking your clit into my knuckle.'

She groaned at his words, at the flood of pleasure rolling through her body. A quick rotation of his wrist and it was the pad of his thumb on her clit as he slid two fingers into her, sending waves of pleasure up her spine as she arched.

'Good thing you aren't wearing tight jeans,' he murmured before biting her shoulder.

Almost. Almost. Just a bit more . . . until she nearly lost her knees with the rush of climax. If he hadn't been holding her against the door, she probably would have slid to the floor in a boneless puddle.

'Now, we both feel better. You can go into town satisfied and I can remember this as I talk to Eve.'

She sighed, pulling his hand out of her jeans. 'That was a mood killer.' She stomped out of the bedroom and down the stairs, pausing near the front door to put her coat and boots on.

'I'm taking your car,' she called out but of course he was right behind her, holding out the keys. 'I love you, Katherine. Please drive safe. Looks like we had more snow last night.'

I love you too. I'll be back in a while. I have my phone if you think of something you want me to pick up in town.' Just come back to me.'

He looked so vulnerable for just a brief moment, her anger melted. He did love her, she knew that. He had spoken to Eve multiple times. He wanted Kate to be happy.

'That's never in doubt. Even with your needy ex-wife. I'll be back.'

Once Kate had pulled away from the house, Dix turned, anger burning low in his gut. 'Eve? Where are you?'

I'm right here, Charles. I see she's left and now I'm to expect some sort of warning from you?' Eve swept into the room looking perfectly coiffed. He'd ceased to wonder about what he'd ever seen in her. She was still beautiful albeit went a little hard with the cosmetics since Kate had become a regular part of his life. But she lacked the fire Kate had. Kate took things head on, much like he did. But Eve had always been passive-aggressive and he'd always let it go.

Don't start. You're wrong and you know it. First you showed up here totally uninvited.'

This is my house too. I'll show up when I please and your little girlfriend has no say in that. God, Charles, are you so desperate to have sex with her that you've forgotten about your family?'

He took a deep breath, seeking calm. No. You won't. Because in the divorce decree, we share this house and we have a schedule for that. This week is mine. We decided on that last December. You do not have any right to come here when it's not your week. I let you stay last night because you put our daughters in the middle and it is unconscionable to me that you will again. You do not use them to get at me, or at Katherine. Or for that matter, at anyone. Only one of us has forgotten about her family, and it's not me. You're leaving. Today.'

Then you can explain to Adrienne and Kendall just why you're making me leave when we have plans to go shopping tomorrow and the three of us have lunch plans the following day.' She crossed her arms and he realised Eve had totally played him. He was in a place where it would be impossible to get rid of her without involving his daughters.

'You bitch. You manipulative, needy, psycho bitch. How dare you use those girls like that?' It was over. His semi-friendly relationship with his ex-wife had just burnt to ash. In that stroke, adding in all the things she'd done over the last months, he'd lost every last bit of respect he'd ever had for her.

'I'll thank you to keep your language civil.'

'Here is how it's going to go from today on. Listen up and don't interrupt me, I'm on my very last nerve with you right now. First, you will not intrude in my activities with the girls. You will not invite yourself along, period. From now on, we will keep things totally separate. Do not include me in your plans with them either. If this is how you act, I do not want any part in it. Your destructive selfishness when it comes to our children has stunned me. I'm ashamed I ever loved you. You've killed any positive feelings I've ever had.' He held up a hand and shook his head.

'Don't do it. Additionally, you will not step one foot on the third floor where Kate and I are sleeping. You won't needle her or use the girls against her. Katherine is my girlfriend and if I have my way she'll be my wife. That means she'll be part of your daughters' lives and I'm asking you to be a fucking parent and not harm them due to your own failings. She is very good to our girls and she completely respects my role as a father and wants me to put them first. I wish you felt the same. I'm going to be moving to Lancaster but keeping the other house. I'm telling you this because we'll have to work on the scheduling more closely. I'll be in town when the girls are with me for school. That's all really.'

Her mouth dropped open and he fought the urge to laugh.

'You actually expect me to help you expose our children to that woman? That foul-mouthed nasty lawyer you're sleeping with?'

'I don't need your help, thanks. I'm just warning you not to attempt to use them to harm her. Because that would harm our daughters and Katherine. I won't allow it. Don't test me on this thing. Above all, the girls are my top priority, I won't let you use them like they mean nothing. You're welcome to not like Kate, the feeling is quite mutual. But I'm warning you, don't use our children. I will take you to court on this. I will take them from you if you abuse them in such a fashion. Don't be ugly. Just be their mother and back the fuck off my life. We're not married any more. We're not even friends thanks to your behaviour.' He turned and left her there, not wanting to say anything else to her.

Kate took her time in town. She stopped in at the diner for a huge breakfast and three cups of coffee while she read a novel. She shopped along the main street, choosing a pretty scarf pin for Kendall, a pair of earrings for Adrienne and a very handsome tie forDix. She then bought a ridiculously huge coffee mug with a moose on it for Leah. She'd give it to her friend, pretend she loved it and wait to see how much effort it took Leah to respond as if it were a fabulous gift.

A few hours later, she finally made her way to the tiny grocery store, stocked up on the basics, grabbed some freshly made lemon curd to go with the French bread she'd make for Dix the following morning when Pickles had cleared off. By the time she headed back to the house, her anger had fled.

She noticed though that Eve's Volvo was still in the drive. It would be dark soon, which did not bode well for her leaving because Kate was quite sure the queen of all misery couldn't bear to drive in the dark with her precious wee special self.

Dix met her on the porch, another thing that didn't bode well. His smile was tight and the tension wafted from him as he kissed her and popped the back of the SUV open to get to the grocery bags.

You were gone a while.' He hugged her tight and she breathed him in. He kissed her, his mouth owning her just the way she liked most. He tasted like oranges and coffee.

'Mmm, you taste sexy. I worked off all my mad. It took time and some retail therapy.

You're going to get it all back, I'm afraid.'

He leant against the car and told her about how Eve had set up dates with the girls to prevent her exile. She absolutely understood why he couldn't make her leave then. Kate respected the fact that he didn't want to harm his girls and the devastation she saw in him was real. She knew it had to have really hurt him to see Eve unmasked that way.

'I'm sorry. Sorry that you had to see her that way.'

He looked surprised. You're not mad?'

'Not at you. There aren't words for her. But not at you. You're in a hard place. I understand that. But I'm really not happy at the prospect of another three days with her until they leave before New Year's Eve.' Her phone rang just then, 'Salt Shaker'. Leah. 'Take her call. Tell her I said hello. I'll bring the bags in.'