“No. I’m not crying.” Of course, a stupid tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m fine. Tell Allison I’ll stop by tomorrow.”
He didn’t move. Instead, he hugged her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m an asshole.”
She had to turn her head to breathe, which meant her cheek was against his chest. “I’m broken, Tobias. It’s me who’s got a problem. I’ve never been able to make a relationship work. I can’t seem to commit to anything other than this place.”
Patting her back awkwardly, he then lifted her chin so she could look up at him. “You’re not broken, Tori. Just particular.”
A chuckle escaped. If anyone looked through the window, they’d be shocked to see the two people who constantly fought in an embrace.
Tori looked away. “I’m ready to close up. If you release me, I can step back and finish up.”
It took her breath when he pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “So who was that guy?”
“Oh my God!” Tori pushed away. “You can only be human for short spurts.”
“I don’t see why it’s so hard to answer,” he replied, following close behind her. “Just tell me who the guy was.”
“Augh?” Once again Tori’s voice hitched. “It was George Weston. You know George from high school.”
“Oh, yeah, George.” Tobias cocked his head to the side and stared at her. “How long have you two been dating?”
She rounded him and went toward the door and held it open. “You have to walk outside so I can lock up.”
“Is your boyfriend still in town? Does he know you’ll dump him when the going gets tough?”
Tori charged him and punched him in the nose. It felt as if every bone in her hand broke. Stars appeared behind her eyes, and she hopped in a circle. “Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.”
When she looked over at him, she let out a scream. Tobias held both hands up to his nose, which didn’t stop the blood from seeping through his fingers.
“Why are you bleeding?” she yelled. “I think I broke my hand.”
“Get me damned towel.” Tobias grabbed the closest tablecloth sending a vase and salt and pepper shakers flying. He slammed the cloth to his nose and let his head fall back.
“What is going on?” Allison stood at the door with Mimi behind him.
Tori groaned. “He ran into my fist while saying something stupid.”
“Sweetheart?” Mimi screeched, running to Tobias and attempting to pull his head lower. “What did she do to you?”
Tobias grunted and stalked around the three of them, dragging the tablecloth behind.
“He may need some ice. I need ice for my hand,” Tori said and went back inside. Just when she took a step, Mimi jumped in the way to block her.
By the snarl, narrowed eyes and flare of her nostrils, the woman was about to explode. “I am so sick and tired that every time I turn around you’re throwing yourself at my fiancé. Why don’t you get it in your thick head? Tobias is over you.”
A good friend to the end, Allison attempted to intercede. “Mimi, you’re mistaken. Tori does her best to stay away from Tobias. Besides, they always fight.”
“They fight because she’s always up in his face,” Mimi insisted, not taking her eyes from Tori.
Tori wasn’t about to take the woman’s crap. If the furious woman tried to hit her, she was going to lose it. “Get out of my restaurant. I don’t throw myself at Tobias. You need to talk to him, not me, about boundaries.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Mimi leaned forward and pointed a finger in Tori’s face.
Tori slapped her hand away, immediately regretting it when pain reminded her of why she needed ice. “You need to leave now,” Tori gritted the words out past clenched teeth.
“And if I don’t.”
“Oh my God. This is ridiculous. I am not about to fight over some idiot.”
There was shuffling behind her. Taylor walked in and looked to Mimi and then to Tori who was cradling her hand against her chest. “Mimi, you need to go see about Tobias. His nose might be broken.”
Tori’s eyes rounded, but she didn’t say anything.
Thankfully, Mimi left after giving her one last glare.
“Maybe I should take you to the clinic,” Allison said. “Your hand is swelling.”
“Why is this happening?” Tori sank into a chair. “We’re in our forties. Why is some guy’s girlfriend in my face? We left high school twenty years ago.”
“Try over twenty,” Taylor quipped.
“Let’s go.” Allison patted Tori’s shoulder. “We better get that looked at.”
Tori nodded and looked at Taylor. “Is Tobias going to press charges?”
“Nope, said he deserved it.”
Her hand wasn’t broken, but it was badly bruised. After wrapping it in an Ace bandage and recommending over the counter pain medication, she was sent home. In the waiting room, she was annoyed to find Mimi sitting with Allison. The blonde pretended not to notice Tori, which suited her just fine.
“I’ll take Tori home. See you later,” Allison said to a morose Mimi. “Call if you guys need anything.”
Once outside, Allison let out a long breath. “She is such a bitch. Taylor said she yelled at Tobias the entire way to the clinic. Now, she’s demanding they move to Billings immediately.”
“He’s the one that wants to marry her. Should have taken time to know her first.” Tori couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to the Hamilton land and the effect on the family if he left. Tobias was an idiot for all of this. If he loved Mimi, he had a strange way of showing it.
Allison waited until they were on their way back to the center of town before she began to talk. It was only a ten-minute drive to the clinic, so Tori couldn’t allow herself the luxury of pretending to sleep.
“Tori, you need to step back and look at the obvious. Tobias is coming to you because he wants you to talk him out of getting married.”
Her heart skipped all over itself and Tori held out her left hand. “Oh, no. Don’t go down that road. Everyone’s tried to talk sense into him. Luke, Taylor, Eric, and even Ernest. If Luke can’t talk him out of getting married, what makes you think I can do it?”
“You’re our last hope.” Allison sniffed. “They’ve asked me to talk to you for weeks, but I agreed with you. It’s his stupid choice…and well…”
“Well what?” Tori kept an eye on the road. Allison was an emotional person and she wasn’t in the mood to get into a car wreck. No more injuries for her.
Once again, Allison sniffed. “I see now what Taylor tried to tell me. You and Tobias. You have a lot of anger and resentment to get through. The reason neither of you have been able to form a good, stable relationship is because you’re ruined. You ruined each other.”
Ruined.
She repeated it and the word stuck in her throat and she fought to keep from gasping for breath. So she kept silent, unbending even when Allison asked her to say something.
Finally, when arriving at her house, she practically jumped from the car.
“Thank you for the ride, Allison. I’ll talk to you tomorrow…or the day after. I’ll probably stay in bed tomorrow.” She walked into her house, locked the door and went directly to bed.
The sooner she fell asleep, the faster she could pretend none of this had ever happened.
Chapter Six
Not one to be waylaid by a broken nose, Tobias broke through the finish line tape the following day to help his team win first place in the Founder’s Week relay. Although his nose made it a bit uncomfortable, the adrenaline of running made him forget about it for a few minutes.
After lingering for a couple hours and enjoying some of the festivities, he got home to begin preparations for the week ahead. Thankfully, the labs, Duke and Scamp, were exhausted after a day in town, so they immediately sought out their dog beds and were asleep within minutes.
He had to admit the quiet of the house was welcoming and he wondered how different it would be
once he and Mimi married. After the entire debacle with Tori, now she was even more demanding about moving to Billings.
The first thing he had to take care of the following week was to speak to Luke and Taylor. All three owned the ranch and had to make a decision together about what to do.
After pouring a tall glass of ice water, he went to his favorite chair and fell back into it. It had been a long day and now it was time for painkillers, water and some mindless television watching.
The doorbell rang and Tobias groaned. “Who the hell can it be now?” He glanced toward the dogs. They didn’t bother to wake up.
“Fine. I’ll open the door and get murdered. You two just rest,” he muttered as he trudged to the door.
He was probably asleep and dreaming. That was the only explanation as to why a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing summer dress that didn’t require a bra was standing just outside.
“Tori?” He squinted at her. “What are you doing here?”
Her chest lifted when she took a deep breath. “I came to talk to you. We have some things to clear up.”
True statement. But so much left unsaid never made them actually have a discussion before. He took a step back and motioned with his hand for her to walk inside. When she walked into the house, her perfume, a light, sweet scent, tickled his nose. Damn she smelled as good as she looked.
Her short hair was tussled and there was some sort of sheer color on her lips. Tori had always been the kind of woman that was naturally beautiful and rarely wore a lot of makeup. She didn’t have to.
Her gaze met his and she frowned. “You’ve got a black eye. I did that, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you pack a heck of a right hook.” He went to where he’d been sitting. “Sit down. This talk sounds like something serious.”
When he sat, she squeezed into the wide recliner right next to him. The sides of their legs touched which, of course, sent all kinds of awareness through his body. Tori, on the other hand, seemed too distraught to notice.
“Tobias, I owe you a huge apology.” Tori covered his hand with both of hers. “There is never any excuse for striking someone. I couldn’t sleep a wink last night and, all day, I’ve been on edge. I had to come and apologize to you.” Her eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over.
He lost the ability to speak and just stared at her.
Tori took another fortifying breath. “I can’t believe I hit you. You’ve been an asshole and super annoying, but you’ve never put your hands on me in a way that would cause any harm. I don’t know what came over me that I did that. Please forgive me.”
It wasn’t anything to take lightly. If he was to be honest, her striking him had hurt his feelings. Although there’d always been animosity between them, they’d never pushed each other to the point of actual rage.
“I pushed it. I kept goading you until I got a reaction. I accept your apology and, believe me, I know this is not in your nature.” He smiled at her. “I owe you an apology for my part.”
She shook her head. “We don’t like each other. We fight. It’s our thing.” Her lips curved, making a piece of his heart melt. However, he wouldn’t be so stupid to ever allow her into any part of his heart again.
“We’ve got a thing?” He lifted an eyebrow, his gaze moving to her lips. “I didn’t know.”
Although she shifted, Tori didn’t move away. “I’m serious. I wanted to talk about the way we get along and how crazy it is to always be arguing. But Allison told me you’re moving after you and…” she looked away.
Tobias cleared his throat. “Yeah, she wants to live in Billings. Especially after what happened yesterday.”
She met his gaze for a prolonged period. Seeming to search for an answer of some sort and not finding it.
Why in the hell had she let Allison talk her into this? She’d finally agreed to speak to Tobias about his decision to marry. Words got jumbled in her brain, every sentence rewriting itself before she could utter it. “About that. Why are you getting married?”
There was a flicker in his gaze, but then he assumed the usual annoyed expression. “The reason everyone does. To settle down and start the second phase of a relationship.”
“That sounds rehearsed.” She removed her hand from over his and swept hair that didn’t need to be moved to behind her ear.
He took a loud breath as if finding It was surprising that he’d been holding it and looked at the television screen. “We are all either going to get married or remain single. I’ve decided I don’t want to be alone forever, so I’m getting married.”
“So you’re just going to marry her? Allison said you admit to not loving Mimi.”
Tori held her breath, expecting that any minute Tobias would explode. He would set her in her place and none-too-gently show her out the door.
When he stood, she forced her gaze to trail up his legs, past his flat stomach and broad chest to meet his darkened eyes. “Stand up.”
“I’m trying to have a civil conversation with you. Ensure you don’t make the biggest mistake of your life.”
His arm wrapped around her waist and the second under her legs. Tori yelped when he lifted her up into his arms. “Yeah, about that.”
Her mouth fell open, absolutely not one word forming when he stalked toward his bedroom.
If there was a way to close her eyes tighter, Tori would’ve done it. She didn’t want to dare hope that they were going to end up in his bedroom. In his bed.
The air sizzled, sparks igniting so bright and constant, she wondered if it was all just a cruel hoax of her imagination. Any moment now, Tobias would nudge her and make a crude comment.
But it didn’t happen. When she opened her eyes to meet his breathtaking hazel ones, their gazes clashed like angry ocean waves against jagged rocks.
It was inevitable that she pull him down for a kiss. The hunger would not be denied.
Their time, their way.
If she had been interrogated before this day, Tori would have admitted that the only way for them, for her and Tobias, to ever clear things up between them was that they would have to connect. It would take raw, uncensored sex and emotion to purge years of anger and frustration.
There were so many things to apologize for. So many lost occasions, events and memories that they’d pushed away and ignored.
The moment fell over them like lightning and their kiss became raw and hungry, this was not the time for pretense. She accepted his tongue fully and deeply into her mouth, allowing barely a second before tangling with her own in a desperate dance that sent her body into tremors of want.
How she needed him.
“Take your clothes off.” Tori tugged at his shirt, her nails clawing into the fabric. “I want you now.”
Other than a groan of agreement, he remained quiet. Immediately, Tori was transported back to when they were engaged. They were so young. She was only eighteen and he twenty-two. Even then, their lovemaking had always been raw and urgent. He’d rarely spoken during it, while she’d recited entire Shakespearean works.
Her dress was done away with, the flimsy thing lying on the floor in a graceful pool of white and flowers.
His sweatpants, shorts and briefs made a less elegant pile.
“Don’t say anything other than ‘Fuck yeah’,” Tobias said, his mouth next to her ear as he trailed light bites down the side of her neck.
Trembling with need, Tori could barely stand. Seeming to sense it, Tobias cupped her bottom and lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist. His thick erection prodded at just the right spot and she ground into him. The friction of their bodies gave more than took and before long, she was losing control.
“Damn it, you have to fuck me or I’m going to scream,” Tori said, taking his mouth once again with hers while she ran her hands down his back and up to rake her fingers through his hair.
They fell onto the bed and he didn’t waste a moment. Thrusting into her with force just the way she’d always liked it. It had to start o
ff hard and fast. She preferred getting off right off the bat before building to a second climax.
Suddenly everything went still. Both of them realizing what they were on the brink of doing. “Shit.” Tobias slid to the side of the bed and sat with his legs over the side. “Shit,” he repeated.
Tori was sat up, her body trembling at the realization they’d been on the brink of making love. “Damn it,” she said sliding to the opposite side. They sat without moving facing away, each in their own thoughts.
“I came here to talk. I’m not leaving until we do.” Tori was proud of herself. She wasn’t going to be the first one to acknowledge how they felt about each other. That conversation would be too painful.
She had never stopped loving him and by the way they’d just connected, neither had he. However, it was one thing to love someone and another to forgive them.
“God, Tori, there’s nothing to talk about. If my family thinks you can talk me out of something, they must have all done some sort of strange drug.”
She turned and studied his profile. Damn the man was gorgeous. He’d become more handsome over the years. “I think it was a combination of meth and cocaine.”
“Did you think you could actually change my mind?” He slid a look at her. “I suppose if anyone can, it’s you.”
Whatever it meant, it made her catch her breath. “All they want is for you to be happy. Between Taylor and Luke, there has been so much sadness and loss in their lives that they want to protect you from it.”
“I’m not a child. I can protect myself.” This time when he looked at her, there was a clear message.
Tori nodded. “You’re right. I have yet to be forgiven for what I did. And it’s been what, twenty years?”
“I would if I could, but I can’t.”
She reached over and touched his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his warm skin. “Be sure you’re doing this for the right reason and with the right person.”
After the awkward way they’d stopped, when she slipped from the bed, she felt exposed and hurried to dress, rushing from the room immediately.
Ruined: Tobias Page 5