Daddy Dearest

Chapter Forty-Two

ALEX

I can’t describe the fury that surged through me when I saw Charlie Davenport man-handling Melody. Fuckin little prick. It didn’t last, though, because I know he’s not a threat.

He and Melody have known each other since they were kids and had plenty of opportunity to get together and date. They didn’t. That tells me Davenport has some weak-ass game or he never had the guts to tell Melody how he felt.

You snooze, you lose, tosser.

What made want to start a riot was Davenport the Elder asking Melody to dance. I saw his face when he spotted her in my arms as I was about to dip and kiss her. I was going to kiss her anyway, but I gave her a good one that took her breath away and had her rubbing herself against me and promising to do naughty things to my person later. When I looked up, the old man was standing right before her.

“Leave room for the Holy Ghost, Mr. Chambers,” he said grimly.

I clenched my jaw and loosened my hold on Melody, who patted my arm. “It’s okay,” she mouthed to me. “I love you.”

At least I think that’s what she said.

“May I cut in?” Davenport skeezed like a skeezball.

People say I tend to “hulk out” when I get mad, so those who know me joke around and say something like, “All right, Banner, chill.” When the asshole asked my girlfriend to dance, the green guy very nearly came out.

“If Melody says it’s okay,” I answered through gritted teeth.

Melody’s eyes widened momentarily. “It’s okay. It’s just for a couple of minutes.”

I told her, “I’ll be watching,” before I pulled her close once again. She whispered, “All right, Banner, chill,” and I got a little annoyed, so I kissed her long and hard in front of Davenport. With tongue.

After I let her go, she was a little woozy and giggly and patting my chest. I kissed her forehead and walked away. I figured if I watched them, I was liable to kill a man, so I went to the punch table to get something to drink. I looked around and saw a camera directly above the refreshment table, so I wasn’t able to spike the punch as I had planned.

I sighed and headed for the bleachers where the nerds, wallflowers, and other social misfits hung out. They didn’t dance or socialize with other kids, but it was their senior year, so you know, FOMO. I took a seat and reached into the inside pocket of my tuxedo jacket for the flask of scotch I had confiscated from my girlfriend.

I really have to watch the little lady these days because she has been behaving extremely out of character. I’ve been observing Melody for years. She’s smart, funny, kind, and loyal. She’s quiet, modest, and personable. Everyone at school likes her because she’s nice to everybody and always has a smile for people.

But for the past few months, she’d been temperamental, sarcastic, and snappy. Hell, maybe that’s just the way she is with me. She’s been dealing with a lot stuff.

We really have to catch this stalker, especially before I have to leave for England over the Thanksgiving break. I can’t imagine Melody dealing with that crazy bastard all on her own. She has Noriko, and Melody herself is trained in self-defense and knows how to handle guns. Nancy told me she started taking her out to the shooting range when she was fourteen. Melody is a certified marksman. Still, it’s not like she can bring a gun to school or anything. I have their home security system reverse-engineered and memorized, so I know it like the back of my hand. With me around, Melody is safe.

I can’t imagine who’d want to harm her. She’s a very sweet girl who is kind to everyone. She’s also beautiful, intelligent, and rich, so I suppose that would make her a good target for jealous people. But this goes over simple jealousy. Whoever is stalking Melody right now wants her grievously harmed… or dead.