We spend the rest of the night working and by the time we’re done, we wave goodbye and she calls out that she hopes she never sees me again with a little wave. I know she’s full of shit. She has my phone number now and has already promised to text me. Plus, I don’t know why she’s decided that I’m going to quit my job, but I’m not, at least not tomorrow.
Unlocking my car door, I sink down and lock it quickly behind me. Something catches the corner of my eye in my passenger seat. It’s a folded piece of paper.
Looking behind me, I check the back seat, my heart racing with the idea of someone lying in wait for me, but thankfully nobody is there. Glancing at the passenger door, I make sure that it’s locked, and it is.
Frowning, I don’t know how someone got into the car and my entire body starts to tremble at the thought. Reaching for the note, I take it and watch it shake from being in my quivering finger’s grasp.
Inhaling a deep breath, I slowly open the folded paper and then attempt to focus on the words that have been written.
Seeing you. Watching you. I know that you will never be good enough for him. Only I can give you what you need. Soon we will be together and I will show you exactly how perfectly we fit together.
Soon you will only dance for me, Tulip.
My entire body breaks out in a sweat. Dropping the note, I watch as it flutters to the floorboard of my car. I want to burn it. I want to rip it into a million pieces. My stomach turns. My brain is screaming at me to call the police. I know what I should do, I’m not stupid.
But part of me knows that the police can’t do anything. I remember when Channing was having problems with her ex, they couldn’t do shit, even though he’d been actually harassing her. This is just some stupid note. It’s probably from some lonely customer who has some fantasy about me.
Pushing the stupid note from my mind, I head toward Louis’ house. Tonight marks my first night of living with him. Though, I know none of my things have been packed and I haven’t officially given my landlord notice, it just feels like everything is official.
I can’t stop myself from letting out a squeal of excitement as I pull down his driveway. This is going to be my new home. Home. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a real one of those before and I can’t freaking wait.
LOUIS
I tried to stay awake for Tulip last night, but I passed out at ten. My alarm sounds, alerting me to the first grueling day back to full-force training. It’s four and I know that my trainer and sparring partner will be ready to go in an hour. If I’m not down there, they’ll be knocking down my door.
Opening my eyes, I glance over to Tulip who is laying on her stomach, her arms tucked up between her body and the mattress. She’s wearing a tank top and her bare shoulder is too hard to resist. I may have to do something that I’ve never done while training for a fight, give up my abstinence.
Rolling over toward her, I lift my knee and place my thigh against the backs of hers while my mouth touches her shoulder. She moans, and I watch as her eyes flutter open.
I should feel like an ass that she’s only had a couple hours of sleep and here I am waking her up, but she’s so fucking tempting.
“Morning,” she breathes sweetly as she turns her head so that she’s facing me.
Smiling, I look into her blue eyes and say, “Mornin’, baby.”
Touching my mouth to hers, I can’t hold back the moan at her taste. Fuck, one night without her and I can’t even describe how much I missed this girl. She whimpers as she rolls on to her back and I follow, climbing on top of her, fitting my hips between her spread thighs.
“We can’t,” she sighs once I break the kiss.
“Fuck it,” I grunt as my mouth travels her neck.
I feel her fingers wrap around my shoulders and she gives me a small shake. Lifting my head from her collarbone, I look up at her in confusion.
“You told me you were going to be celibate,” she says.
I lower my head and touch my mouth to hers again. “How about I’m only celibate the week of the fight. I won’t be here, it’ll be a hell of a lot easier.”
I feel her body shake as she giggles beneath me. “You didn’t even last twenty-four hours, Louie.”
Smirking, I shrug my shoulder. “Yeah, well who can be celibate with a sexy as fuck woman like you next to him in bed. Can’t help it, baby, gotta have you.”
Shaking her head, she places her hands on my shoulders and gently pushes me off of her. I let her, because she’s in control, even if she doesn’t realize it, she always has all of the control when it comes to me.
“Tullie?” I ask when she doesn’t say anything right away.
She turns to face me, lying on her side, those big blue eyes focused on me and nowhere else. “You have a routine and I’m not here to disturb that. I can’t, not when I know that you need to focus and concentrate on training for this fight. This is important to you and you need to be in the right headspace.”
Frowning, I know that she’s right, even if I don’t want her to be. Lifting my hand, I extend my fingers and run them down the side of her face, then over to her lips and trace the soft skin there.
“Being beside you puts me in the best headspace I’ve been in for years, maybe ever. Don’t take yourself away from me just because I had some stupid idea about how to prepare for a fight.”
“Is it stupid though?” she asks.
Lifting my lips into a small smile, I touch the tip of her nose with my finger. “If you’re sleeping beside me then yeah, it’s stupid as fuck.”
My fingers dance down the center of her throat, her chest, and then they make their way over to her breast and I grip her there, massaging her soft tit as my eyes stay connected to hers. I pinch her nipple, tugging on the bud and grinning when her lips part and she lets out a whimper.
“Louis,” she breathes.
“Hmm?”
“You shouldn’t.”
Leaning forward, I pinch her nipple again, my mouth pressing against hers. “I really fucking should, Tullie. You taste too damn good. You’re too fucking sweet. I need you to breathe, baby.”
She lets out a sigh and then she relaxes beneath my touch and her legs slowly part for me. That’s when I know that she is allowing me to take her. I do so with fucking glee. This is where I was always meant to be, inside of my woman.
Chapter Seventeen
TULIP
Guilt consumes me as I drive to work. I shouldn’t have allowed Louis to break his vow. He made it clear to me just days ago that he didn’t indulge in physical pleasure while he was training and day one, he’s already broken it, and I welcomed every moment.
Biting the corner of my lip, I let out a sigh as I continue to make my way toward the grocery store. I’m exhausted from working all night, sleeping two hours, then being woken up and satisfied to sweet exhaustion all over again.
Pulling into the parking lot, I find my regular spot and shift my car into park. Gripping the steering wheel, a sensation of fear fills my belly. Glancing down at my floorboard, I see the note from yesterday and pinch my eyes closed.
It could have been Mark or Joey, possibly even some random sicko. I wish that I knew, that I could pinpoint exactly who it could have been, but I can’t.
The only thing that I can do is stay vigilant, alert and try not to be alone if possible. One thing I know for damn sure, I won’t be dancing for this weirdo, not ever.
Walking into the store, I glance around, looking for Mark. I’m not surprised to find him standing behind the customer service counter, his eyes focused directly on me. Watching him for a moment, I try to read him. I try to figure out if he left the note, but he gives nothing away.
“You okay?” Brenda asks as she pops her gum.
My entire body jerks and I turn my head to look over at her. She’s standing at her cash register, her gaze flicking from me to Mark, then back to me. She knows something is going on and she’s trying to figure it out.
I like her and everything, b
ut I have no desire to tell her why Mark creeps me out. She doesn’t need to know I’m dancing, if found out, then the whole town would know by lunch. Inhaling a deep breath, I give her a fake smile.
“Yeah, I just have a lot going on.” At least I’m not completely lying to her. I do have a lot going on, a hell of a lot.
She grins, her gaze staying on mine. “Anything to do with that handsome man that’s been picking you up lately?”
Nodding, I walk over to my register and log in for the day, busying myself so that I don’t blurt out every single detail of my personal life out in the open. “It does,” I agree before I turn my cash register light on.
“Good. You deserve a good one after Joey,” she announces.
Cringing, I hope that nobody in here heard her. Joey seems to finally be getting his stuff together and I don’t want it to get back to him that I was talking badly or anything.
I honestly wish him nothing but the best. I hope that he continues to succeed, as long as he leaves me alone and stops threatening me.
Thankfully, Brenda drops the topic and we spend the rest of the day busily checking out customers. I’m not surprised to see Hutton come through my line with a huge smile on her face as she empties her buggy onto the belt.
“Heard you were moving,” she sings under her breath.
Unable to stop the smile from appearing on my lips, I nod my head. “Y’all don’t have to come and help me.”
She shakes her head as she finishes putting her items on the belt. She pushes her buggy through to the end of the aisle so that I can put her bagged groceries inside. I scan and bag as we talk, an art that I perfected years ago.
“Laurie and I will be there. She needs to get out of her house and her head anyway. It will give her a chance to breathe.”
“Is she okay?” I ask with a frown, knowing that she’s newly pregnant.
My heart jumps with the thought that somehow something has happened to her baby.
Hutton shrugs a shoulder. “She will be once she lets that man in. He’s been trying so hard and she just keep shutting him out.”
I open my mouth to ask if it’s Ford, since I heard the rumors that they had been seen leaving a bar together a few months ago, but then I snap my lips closed, deciding that small town gossip is what causes huge problems. I know that, I’ve seen it destroy families and lives in the past.
That’s how my parents were destroyed.
An image of my mother and father flash in my mind and it makes my heart ache just as much as it did a decade ago when everything fell apart.
“Jesse just needs to swoop in, throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to a secluded cabin for about a month and show her exactly what she needs.”
Blinking, I must look as confused as I feel. Hutton tilts her head to the side. “Oh, Jesse is the father, if you didn’t know.”
Without even thinking, I open my mouth and am unable to control the words that fall from my lips. “It’s not Ford?”
Hutton’s mouth turns up into a wry smile. “Life would probably be a little easier if it was, only because Ford lives here and isn’t traveling as often as Jesse does. But no, it’s Jesse and even if she doesn’t want to admit it, I know that she really, really, likes him.”
“I hope they work out then. Everyone who falls for someone should find their happiness with them,” I murmur.
Hutton gets this dreamy look in her eye and I know that she’s gone somewhere else, somewhere with Beaumont in her mind. She shivers and then her gaze turns to mine as I give her the grocery total.
“So, tomorrow evening?” she asks.
I don’t have a night off for two more days so I tell her that I can do it then and she nods. “The three of us will knock it out in one evening, that way you can be done driving back and forth,” she offers.
“You really don’t have to—”
Hutton holds up her palm. “Yes, we do and we will. We’re family now, Tulip.”
She turns from me without giving me a second to respond and I watch as she walks away, pushing her buggy in front of her. I don’t notice Mark sliding up to my register, I don’t feel his gaze on me, not until Hutton is out the door.
He doesn’t say anything. He watches me for a moment, then creepily turns and walks away without saying a single solitary word. A shiver rolls over my body, but it’s not because of a delicious thought like Hutton’s was, instead it’s a shiver of fear.
LOUIS
I can’t get Tulip off of my mind. Not while I’m doing cardio, not while I’m sparring, not while I’m eating. Nothing takes her out of the forefront of my headspace. I know that I shouldn’t be obsessing over her, but I can’t fucking help myself.
My phone rings and I groan at the name on the caller ID. Normally, I love hearing from my mother, but the past year her reasons for calling have shifted. She no longer calls just to see how I am. Now she calls to ask me for things, without actually outright asking.
I try to deposit money into her account on a regular basis to ward off her needing to ask me for any, but for some reason she’s needed more than I’ve given her, probably more like her man needs more.
“Mama?” I answer as I stab a piece of chicken breast with my fork.
It’s my midday snack and I glance at the clock knowing that Tulip is going to be rushing through the door soon to get ready for Headlights any minute.
I want to at least say a couple words to her before she leaves, so as much as I don’t want to, I know that I’m going to have to rush my mother off of the phone soon.
“He’s left me for good this time,” she sniffles.
Closing my eyes, I hate how sad she sounds and I hate the fact that although she’s sad, I’m goddamn elated.
“He was usin’ you, Mama. He just found someone else to use is all,” I explain, for the umpteenth time.
There’s a moment of pause and she clears her throat. “She’s twenty years younger than me,” she snaps.
Clearing my throat, I’m not sure how to broach this topic. My mother doesn’t usually talk about her personal life, typically because I hate every man she’s had since my father. She has not been a good judge of men, at all.
“Men do that sometimes. Doesn’t say much about you, says more about him,” I say.
She snorts. “How old’s the girl you’re seeing?” she asks.
I can hear it in her voice immediately. There’s a slur and I know she’s been drinking. I can’t remember my mother drinking a drop before my father died. Maybe I’m just blocking that part out, but afterward, she turned to the bottle, the same way that I did, when she was depressed. She’s never truly come out of it either, which I feel has a lot to do with her choices in men, as well.
“Doesn’t matter, Mama,” I murmur.
There’s a moment of silence and I think that maybe she’s hung up on me or passed out. Hearing her inhale a deep breath, she releases it with a sigh. “I just don’t want to be alone,” she breathes.
“I know.”
“Maybe if I call him, talk to him…”
“Please don’t,” I practically beg.
I hear her hiccup and I know that she’s crying. I hate that for her, but going back to that douche won’t do any goddamn good. He’s an older version of Joey, a user and a verbal abuser. Hell, he could be physical, I wouldn’t know because my mother typically hides everything from me.
I hear the front door open and I know that it’s Tulip walking through. I want to end the call with my mother, but my guilt won’t let me. She needs me right now. I hear Tulip’s footsteps through the house and then they get louder as she walks into the kitchen.
“I just love him. You wouldn’t understand. The only thing you’ve ever loved is boxing,” she snaps.
Anger.
It’s part of the grieving process and I know that she’s grieving for that relationship, even if it was a bad one. I did the same when mine ended after so many years with Meghan. I was angry at the world and boxing help me get rid of th
at, but I still held on to a piece of it for much longer than I should have.
Tulip makes her way toward me, and I smile as she slides up to my side. Dropping my fork, I lift my arm and wrap it around her waist, tugging her closer to my side. I feel her lips touch my temple as her arms slide around my shoulders.
“That’s just not true, Mama. I hope that you find what you need, but he just ain’t it.”
She’s quiet for a moment and then I hear her sigh heavily. “When will you be back in town?”
“About ten weeks from now.”
I wait for her to say something, anything, and eventually she does. What she says surprises me. Almost to the point of being at a loss for words.
“You want to move here?” I repeat.
She clears her throat. “I need a change and you seem to spend quite a bit of time out that way. Plus, that girl you’re seein’ lives there which means you’ll be spending even more time there. I got nothing keeping me here at all now.”
I can sense Tulip’s eyes on me, but I don’t look over at her. “I can move you after the fight,” I offer.
“Perfect,” she snaps.
I don’t know if she’ll mean this when she’s sober, if she’ll still want to move in the morning light, so I make a mental note to talk to her in a couple of days, once she’s sobered up and after she’s let the newness of her recently ended relationship truly sink in. We tell one another goodbye and I end the call, placing my phone on the counter, still in shock.
“Was that your mother?” Tulip asks.
Shifting my gaze to her, I nod once. “Yeah, she said she wanted to move out here,” I numbly explain.
Tulip nods, lifting her hand to cup my cheek. My eyes automatically close when her thumb runs along my bottom lip. I hear her breathing, feel that breath fan over my face and I can’t stop my cock from coming to life at the mere touch of her hand against my skin.
“That’s wonderful,” she rasps.
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