Strike me dead this very moment. Can this possibly get any worse? “Hey, Fin,” I managed with a shaky smile. I would have waved, but my hands were currently pinned between my body and her father’s, not like I was telling her that.

Jackson barely disguised his confusion. “An audition, huh? Well, I’m just happy to have you home. You know, Cousteau could probably use some breakfast.”

“Right! I’m on it! One fishy breakfast coming up!” She turned and ran smack into Claire. “Sorry, Mom!”

Yep, it’s worse.

Claire stared at us with an open mouth, a mixture of hurt and shock twisting her features for a heartbeat. Then her eyes raked over us and narrowed in a rage so palpable the hairs on my arm stood up. “What the hell are you doing, Jax?”

He tilted his head. “What does it look like I’m doing, Claire? Better question, what are you doing in my bedroom?”

“It looks like you’re confusing the shit out of our daughter, who definitely didn’t need to see this. How could you?” she snapped, ignoring his question.

Jackson didn’t even huff. “Funny, I could have sworn I locked the front door last night.”

She snorted. “I used my mother’s key. Trust me, honey, if I’d known you’d be up here getting your dick wet with the next-door neighbor, I would have called first.”

I cringed.

Jackson tensed. “And now you’ve pissed me off, so you can get the fuck out, Claire.”

“Why would you talk to me like that?” She pressed her hand to her heart.

“You’re lucky Fin is down the hall or I would have said far worse, far louder. Now get out of my bedroom.”

She blinked, as if just realizing she’d overstepped her bounds. “I need to talk to you about our daughter.”

“Great, and we can do that downstairs. You’re not welcome on the second floor. Now. Get. Out.” His voice dropped to a dangerous chill that I never wanted to hear used in my direction. Ever.

She glanced between us and sighed. “Fine. I’ll meet you downstairs. And just so you know, there’s a line of people at the bottom of the stairs waiting to see you.”

A line? My friends. Were they still my friends? Crap, there went my buzz.

“Out!” Jackson snapped.

She fled.

His eyes were nothing but gentle when he turned them on me. “You okay?”

“You know that nightmare where you’re naked in the hallway of your high school and you’ve forgotten your homework?”

“That bad?”

“Worse. But I’m fine. You go handle your baby mama drama, and I’ll find some clothes.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’m wild about you. You know that, right?”

“I know.” I stroked my fingers down his back. “Clothes, Jackson.”

He sighed in sexual frustration. “I really hate her right now.”