Protect Me

by Alexis Winter

  He smiles wide—a breathtaking smile that completely takes over his face and makes his eyes nearly glow—and he leans forward, capturing my mouth with his. This kiss is deep and slow, and it touches every nerve ending in my body. It speaks volumes.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. He breaks the kiss and pushes the tray of food between us to the side, taking my wine glass and setting it on the grass with his. Then he rolls on top of me, maneuvering between my parted knees as his lips find mine once again.

  I can feel him growing hard and pressing right where I need him to. I let out a whimper against his lips, and when I do, his hand squeezes my hip, pulling me closer. I reach for the hem of his shirt, and he allows me to pull it from his body.

  “Will anyone be able to see us here?” I whisper, afraid that Dillon or even Liam may stumble upon us.

  He shakes his head quickly as he lowers his chest back to mine. “Nobody comes out here.” As soon as the last word leaves his lips, his mouth conquers mine once again.

  Before I know it, both of us are completely naked, lying on a blanket in the middle of the woods. The sky around us begins to darken, and the crickets start to chirp.

  His teeth scrape my neck as he slides deep inside me, making me call out. His hands massage my breasts then move down to my hips, where he holds firmly, pulling me into his movements. He rocks his hips against mine, teasing that little spot inside of me that makes me see stars. But he won’t push me over the edge. Every time I get close, he pulls back, changing his movements.

  “Tyler, please,” I beg softly, needing my release.

  “Please what, Amy?” he says between his clenched teeth.

  “I need to come.” My thighs squeeze his hips, trying to force him to give me what I need.

  He lets out a chuckle. “If you want something from me, Amy, you’re going to have to take it.”

  My eyes pop open and lock on his, taking his words as a challenge. I push against his chest, forcing him to roll over. Once his back is flat on the ground, I climb up his body, taking my place on top of him, lowering myself over his long, hard cock.

  The second I slide down his length, he lets out a loud moan that nearly pushes me over the edge just from hearing it. It doesn’t take long with me on top until we’re both panting and moaning and shattering together.

  Chapter 16

  It’s going on nine p.m. when we pull back up at the cabin. I lean over and press a kiss to his lips. “I really should get going so I can have that talk with my mom.”

  He takes my hand and presses a kiss to the top. “What do you say we all go out for breakfast in the morning? I’d really like to meet her.”

  I smile. “I’d love that, but how about you just come to my place and I’ll cook? Seems more intimate.”

  “I love that idea, too,” he says with a smile.

  “I’ll see you in the morning then?”

  “Absolutely.”

  I climb out of the passenger side and he gets out, following me to my truck. I climb behind the wheel and he steps up to the open door, pulling me in for one last kiss.

  “I love you, Amy,” he whispers against my lips.

  “I love you too, Tyler,” I say before going back in for a little more.

  When he pulls away, he shuts the door and takes a few steps back.

  I start the truck and begin backing up, but when my lights illuminate his face, I can see the big smile he’s still wearing. It makes me smile myself. It’s unbelievable how much I’ve fallen for him these last few months. I knew when we were just hooking up that I could love him, and I wanted to love him. But I had no idea it’d be like this—feeling this weakening in the knees, being left breathless, and experiencing the tightening in my stomach every single time he touches me. It’s all so unbelievable.

  When I pull back up to my apartment, the happiness I was feeling begins to wear off, and nervousness slips in. What if I walk in there only to find my reaction had caused her to start drinking again?

  No, Ethan would never let that happen. But I guess she has every right to be mad at me after the way I acted. A little piece of me decides that if she can’t forgive me for my actions earlier, then I shouldn’t forgive her for the last twenty-something years. But then I push all that negative thinking away and focus on repairing the relationship with my mom.

  I’m standing outside my door when I take a deep breath and push myself forward. She and Ethan are still sitting around the table, but there aren’t serious faces, tears, or a liquor bottle anywhere. Instead, the table in front of them is covered in old photo albums that I took from Mom’s place when she was evicted.

  A smile covers my face even though I don’t want it to.

  “Come over here, Amy. Look at this,” Mom says, waving me over.

  I step inside and close the door behind me before stepping up behind her to see the picture she’s looking at. It’s an old picture of me. I was a baby and was taking a bubble bath. Based on my overly happy, excited expression, it must have been my first, and I loved it.

  I laugh so hard I snort. “Look how wide my eyes are!” I laugh out.

  “You think that’s bad?” He flips a few pages back and shows me a picture of me with a chocolate ice cream cone. The ice cream is smeared all over my face, hands, belly, and legs. I was so occupied by the ice cream that I wasn't even looking at the camera.

  We all three laugh.

  “It seems like a lifetime ago,” Mom says, flipping to the next page.

  I take a seat with them at the kitchen table and look over the pictures as she flips pages. My eyes go from the album, to Ethan, and then to Mom, watching their expressions change with every page flip. Ethan smiles as he remembers things from the pictures, but Mom’s eyes begin tearing up.

  “What’s wrong, Mom?” I ask, placing my hand on her shoulder.

  She tears her eyes away from the pages and wipes the tears now streaming down her face. She shakes her head and clears her throat, as her voice grows thick with emotion. “I just missed so much.”

  “What are you talking about? You’re in all these pictures,” I point out.

  “These, yes. But the rest of your lives, nothing. There’s not even a picture of you in middle school, Amy.” She pushes away from the table, starting to pace. “I can’t believe I screwed everything up this badly. I can’t believe how selfish I’ve been. I robbed you both of childhoods. That’s something you only get once, and I took it.” Tears flow hot and heavy down her flushed cheeks.

  I look at Ethan and he looks at me. I’m not sure what to do. I know I need to do something—pull her away from the slippery edge she’s standing on—because one little slip can cause her to fall over and back into a bottle. But on the other hand, I can’t exactly say that’s it’s okay either. She did steal our childhoods.

  I stand and walk up to her, pulling her in for a hug. “Mom, I don’t know how to do this. I don’t want you to feel bad about the past. There’s nothing we can do to change it now. We can only work together to make a better future.”

  She pulls back enough to study my face. “You mean, you forgive me?”

  I take a deep breath. “I’m trying. Is that good enough for now?”

  She offers a weak smile. “It’s a start.” She pulls me back against her one last time.

  “See how well this is going, Mom?” Ethan says, walking up to us. “All you have to do is talk to us, and we’ll work it out. We have to. We’re all each other has.” He hugs us both in one big group hug.

  I smile and nod. “That’s right, Mom. If you ever feel the tug of your past again, please come to us; don’t slide back down to where you were. We love you in spite of your mistakes.”

  She cries and nods her head. “My therapist warned me about this—that I’d finally feel all the pain I’d been causing all these years. I’m prepared for it. Don’t worry, I’m not reaching for the bottle. I promise you both: that woman you’ve been taking care of all these years is gone.” She smiles proudly.
“It’s just me now. I hope that’s okay?”

  “It absolutely is,” Ethan says.

  A little while later, Ethan grabs his coat to head down to his apartment. “Mom, do you want to stay here or come back to my place?”

  She darts glances at both of us. “It’s up to you two. I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “Tyler is going to come over in the morning, so we can all have breakfast together. He’s really looking forward to meeting you, Mom.”

  She smiles. “That’s wonderful. Why haven’t I heard anything about him? Have you two been together long?”

  I nod. “A few months, actually.” I stand and place my coffee cup in the sink. “But tomorrow evening, I’ll be heading over to the ranch to house-sit for the next month. So you’ll have this place all to yourself. I thought it might help you feel like you’ve gotten a little bit of your independence back.”

  “Amy, when does your coffee shop open?” Mom asks.

  I smile wide, nearly bouncing with excitement. “This Saturday! I’m so excited and nervous, I can’t even sleep.”

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  “We both are,” Ethan speaks up.

  “Oh…Mom!” I shout after her as she heads toward the living room.

  She turns around.

  “I was thinking that if you wanted to, I could hire you part time at the coffee shop. It’d give you a little money, but it would also give you time to go to your AA meetings. What do you think?”

  A wide smile stretches across her face. It lights up her green eyes and makes her skin glow. “That would be amazing, Amy. Thank you so much.” She rushes across the room, pulling me against her.

  I wake early in the morning and set to work on preparing breakfast. Two pots of coffee, a pound of bacon, and an entire box of pancake mix later, everything is done. I use the few minutes I have left to throw on some clothes and get presentable.

  Just as I’m walking back into the kitchen, Ethan walks in.

  “Smells amazing, Sis.” He makes his way toward one of the pots of freshly brewed coffee. “Where’s Mom?”

  “Still in bed, I think. I’ll go wake her.” I place the bowl of scrambled eggs onto the table and head down the hallway.

  I tap softly on the door then open it to find her moving about the room. “Good morning. Breakfast smells amazing.” She kisses my cheek and steps past me.

  I feel relief wash over me. I don’t know why, but I had a sickening feeling that I would open this door and find her passed out next to a vodka bottle. I guess this is the feeling I will have any time I open a door—always worrying about her relapsing.

  I follow her down the hallway, through the living room, and back into the kitchen. When we walk in, Tyler is leaning against the counter next to Ethan. They’re both talking and laughing while sipping a cup of coffee.

  I smile and walk up to him, giving him a quick kiss. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he whispers against my lips.

  I turn to face my mom. “Mom, this is Tyler.” I look up at him. “Tyler, this is my mom, Cheryl.”

  Mom smiles and holds out her hand while stepping closer. “It’s nice to meet you, Tyler.”

  He nods with his smile in place. “You too, ma’am. I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”

  Mom nudges me with her elbow. “What a gentleman,” she whispers with her cheeks turning red. “And he’s not bad to look at either,” she adds on.

  We all bust out laughing.

  “Come on. Let’s eat before everything gets cold.”

  We all take our seats. While everyone starts filling their plates with food, I can’t help but look around me and see how lucky I am. My mom is sober and doing well, my brother is home and has an amazing job as a police officer, and Tyler loves me and makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.

  My life has changed so much in a few short months. I never thought I’d have this, but I’m so glad everything is finally starting to work itself out. And I owe it all to Tyler. He did this. He made me realize my self-worth. He loved me and showed me that relationships—whether it’s family, friends, or romantic—are worth the fight.

  Chapter 17

  “Are you sure we can’t sneak into your bedroom?” Tyler asks as he has me pushed against the wall in the hallway outside my apartment.

  I laugh. “No. I’m going to go in there and pack, then I’ll be at the ranch this afternoon. Whatever that dirty mind of yours is cooking up can wait until then, okay?”

  He rolls his eyes and sighs. “I guess, but you should know, I’m going to spend the rest of the day making you scream my name,” he whispers into my ear.

  “Deal.” I press a long kiss to his lips, then push him away. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

  “You better,” he says, turning for the elevator.

  I make my way back inside and start cleaning up after breakfast while my mom and Ethan sit in the living room, watching TV and drinking coffee.

  It suddenly occurs to me where my coffee addiction comes from when I notice they’ve brewed another pot. I laugh and shake my head as I go about loading the dishwasher and starting it.

  “Is there anything you guys need before I head over to the ranch?” I ask, stepping into the living room.

  “No, I think I’m fine, Amy,” Mom says, turning away from the TV to face me.

  “Come by the shop on Saturday, Mom, and we can start the paperwork for your employment.”

  “I can’t wait. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived a normal life.” She smiles sweetly.

  “Ethan, can I talk to you a minute?” I ask, moving down the hallway and into my room, where he joins me a few seconds later.

  “What’s up?”

  “Are you sure you’re going to be able to keep an eye on Mom with her being here alone?”

  He nods as he slides his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, not a problem. I’ll check on her every morning before work. You’ll have to take the day shift though. I don’t plan on doing much of anything in the evenings, so I’ll probably have dinner with her every night.”

  I take a deep breath. “Okay, this should work out, right?”

  “Fingers crossed.” His eyes grow in size as he steps out of the room, leaving me alone.

  It’s going on four p.m. when I finally make it over to the ranch. I take all my things inside, then head out to the barn to let Tyler know I’ve arrived. The sun is high in the sky, not a cloud in sight. A slight breeze blows my dark hair around me, giving me a little relief from the heat of the day.

  “Tyler?” I yell, walking into the barn.

  Dillon pops his head up from a horse stall. “He’s not here.”

  “Oh.” I pause, not bothering to walk in any deeper. “Do you know where he went? He knew I was coming.”

  He shakes his head. “Not sure. He wasn’t particularly chatty when I ran into him. Sorry I can’t help.”

  I wave. “Thanks anyway.” I head back outside and climb behind the wheel of my truck to drive further onto the property to go to his cabin.

  When I pull up front, his truck is gone. “Weird. Maybe he ran some errands or something,” I tell myself, making a big U-turn to go back to the house.

  I fling myself down on the couch and call his cell phone, but he doesn’t answer. It goes straight to voicemail. With a loud sigh, I call Vesper.

  “Hey, Amy. What’s up?” she answers.

  “Not much. I just got to the ranch. How’s the traveling?”

  I hear her let out a loud breath. “Rough. Our flight was delayed. We’re just hanging out at the airport.”

  I laugh. “I’m surprised Mr. Big Shot doesn’t have his own private plane,” I joke.

  “God, don’t even say that. That’s all he’s talked about since we’ve been here. I’m sorry we can’t make the grand opening. I wish I could be there.”

  I wave my hand through the air. “Don’t worry about it. Seriously, you’ve done enough.”

 
“I know, but you were there for me when I opened the clinic. I wanted to return the favor.” She sounds guilty.

  “Vesper, it’s okay. I promise. I have so much stuff going on that I probably won’t notice your absence. I mean, I just offered my mom a job.”

  “You did?”

  “Yep.” My fingers start twisting together out of nervousness.

  “Do you think that’ll work?”

  I shrug. “I hope so. I mean, I’m thinking that it will help more than hurt. It will keep her busy. Idle hands and all.” I roll my eyes. “Plus, it’s just part time, so she’ll still have time to make all her AA meetings.”

  “I really hope it all works out. You deserve a break. You’ve worked so hard to get your life on track these last few months.”

  I smile, feeling a little proud of myself.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you, Amy. Next month when I get back, I have an appointment in the city to have your dress for the wedding fitted.”

  “Okay. I should probably start working on Tyler to go get fitted for his tux. I mean, it’s less than a year away and it will take three months just to talk him into wearing one,” I joke.

  “Ah, we’ll have Liam make him. He will be the best man and all.”

  I hear something come over the loudspeaker.

  “Amy, I’ve got to go. Finally time for us to board. Call me later?”

  “Okay. Safe travels.” I hang up the phone and go for a glass of wine.

  I don’t know where Tyler is, but I decide to plan on spending the evening alone. I fix a salad and grill some chicken to put on top and pour a second glass of wine. I sit alone in the kitchen while eating and listening to the music I put on the house’s stereo system. As I’m washing the few dishes I used, the back door opens and Tyler walks in.

  “Hey, I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”

  He moves toward the fridge and grabs a beer. Popping the top, he leans against the island and takes a drink while pointing toward the back of the property. “By the creek. I just needed a quiet minute alone.”