Tyler leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. “No, it was because Sarah was watching, and I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.”
“Too late for that.”
“What does that mean?”
“She already thinks I’m playing you three against each other. How are we going to tell them, Tyler? To explain?”
“When it’s time, we’ll talk about it, but Brady went to school with my dad. He should have some idea if he ever got to know my uncles.”
“Oh. I didn’t think about that.”
Tyler then looked thoughtful before asking, “I do have a question, though.”
“Hm?”
“If Sarah thinks we’re fighting over you, which one is she rooting for?”
“What!” I exclaimed as I playfully pushed against his chest, and he laughed.
“Just kidding. But no, seriously, which one?”
I shook my head, leaving his arms and heading over to the other two were sitting, waiting on Tyler's bumper.
Tyler followed, concerned. “Baby? Is it Lincoln?” I snorted. “Is it me?” he asked, liking that idea. “It’s me, isn’t it? Daniels? Faith?!”
I was chuckling in my head as I rounded the Jeep. I’d just let him stew on that for a while, I thought as I plucked my phone from Lincoln's fingers then leaned over to give him a kiss before dropping myself into his lap.
“Well, hello.”
I leaned in again as his arms encircled me and gave him a heated kiss as my hello. I could feel a bulge beneath my butt as he groaned when our tongues met.
“Hey, if you’re giving out kisses, my Queen, send some my way.”
I lifted my lips from Lincoln’s and glanced over to Kayden. Tyler stood with his arms folded, trying to figure out what I was doing.
“Queen?” Lincoln asked. His arms tightened when I went to move. I leaned in and gave him another peck before his arms loosened so I could stand.
“Jealous?” Kayden questioned Lincoln as I moved over to him.
“No. It’s fitting,” Lincoln mused watching Kayden tug me into his arms and dip me before delivering a sweet kiss. I gripped his arms, pulling away laughing as he brought me back up providing one last kiss before pushing me toward Tyler.
“Because she’ll be the one ruling our house,” Tyler joined as he caught me.
He looked annoyed, so I shoved my hands deep into his back pockets and pulled him in close “You got that right.”
He snorted, and I felt his hands as they wrapped around my hips to the rise of my butt then slid into my own pockets and gave my cheeks a squeeze.
My heart leaped in my chest when he did that, distracting me from my intentions. I leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “I guess now Sarah will have it figured out, huh?” I then gave his ear a playful nip before stating, “No picking. No favorites.”
He shuddered, and I was happy that I affected him that way. I drew back and gave him a quick peck before walking off toward Sarah, who looked very confused with what had just happened. I hid a blush that crept up on my cheeks. I didn't care that she had seen. In fact, I wanted her to. Maybe she would come up with her own conclusion, and I wouldn't have to explain. Either way, I felt loved and more in control with where I stood with my guys.
The guys behind me were laughing and teasing each other as brothers should, and I was glad that some things were resolved. I’d meet Roxie eventually, but right now I knew that she wasn’t the one dating any of them. I had staked my claim, and I let everyone in that parking lot know it.
When I reach Sarah, she gestured to the guys. “What was that all about?”
“They’re not fighting are they?”
“No, but—”
“Then I think that's progress.”
“I going to need to make that appointment sooner than I thought,” she muttered as we made our way to fill out the application, but I was so excited I was bouncing in my sandals. I was going to earn money, and Tyler and I kinda fixed things. Sorta.
Chapter 10
I filled out the application and was hired that afternoon and then quickly handed a schedule. I was going to be booked for Saturdays and Sundays with the antique store while Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings were reserved for SSK, but I didn’t start until the next week. I was already thinking about how busy I was going to be!
That afternoon I did end up going over to the McGuire's household and doing Raina’s laundry, then Tyler came for dinner afterward.
All throughout dinner, Brady and Tyler were pleasant with each other, and to me that was unnerving. Maybe the talk with Tyler about the idiot Tucker softened Brady’s attitude toward him, and they bonded over the desire to keep me safe. Whatever happened, I was just glad the two of them were happy with each other.
When dinner was finished, Brady let the two of us talk on the porch, until I’m sure he deemed it too late.
We both planted ourselves on the first step that led up to the house and Tyler drew me in close, with an arm around my shoulders. I tucked my head into his chest for comfort, sighing as he kissed the top of my head. Life right now was good.
“You ready for tomorrow?”
I listened to the steady rhythm of his heart as I answered. “Nervous, but ready.”
“What is it that you’ll be doing again?”
“Helping out at SSK. I’ll be another person around to keep things in line as I observe social and emotional cues of the kiddos there.”
“Huh.”
“I heard you took down Old Man Brent’s tree with Kane.”
Tyler chuckled. “Yeah, well,” he shrugged, “it was crazy. That old tree wouldn’t budge, but the younger one,” he tightened his arm around me, “The younger one went down with one hard blow. That younger tree uprooted way too quickly.”
“One hard hit?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t a baby tree either. It had some good years on it,” he said into my hair. “I don’t want to be like that tree, Faith. I don’t want Tucker to stay standing while bringing down what we have. I’m worried about that.”
I pulled back, a little upset by his analogy. “You’re saying that I’m a new and weak tree?”
“No. What I’m saying is that we’re still new to each other even with our past histories. Sometimes if the roots aren't seeded right, they’re easily pulled, no matter how long it’s been growing. I want us to be alright. I want you to be able to come to me with anything. I want our roots to grow deep and not just rest on the surface.”
I was quiet for a long time, taking in what he said. His softly spoken confession struck a chord in me. Tyler was a deep person, not just the klutz everyone made him out to be. He wanted to start this relationship off right. I understood that. So that meant I needed to cough up my questions that I desperately wanted to be answered and hope that it was not what I had been thinking. He was giving me an opening, and I was going to take it. But before I ask about Roxie, I wanted to know about him and Tucker and what had happened so long ago. Why they were the way they were?
“Tell me about Tucker,” I whispered.
“Why?” he asked softly. “It’s in the past.”
“But it’s not, and it’s affecting me.”
Tyler's arms loosened and his body tensed as if in defensive mode. He was getting ready for an argument.
“I’ll deal with him.” I pulled away and turned his head to mine so I could look into his eyes.
“We, Tyler. Together, your brothers, me and you will deal with Tucker. But I can’t help, I can’t keep myself safe if I’m kept in the dark. We need to plant our roots right the first time,” I said, taking his wise words and turning them on him.
Tyler stayed silent, and I went on.
“He’s determined, Tyler. Please? Why is he so angry with you, and why are you fighting him?”
He sighed. “Okay.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Walk with me?”
I took it, and we started to walk down the sidewalk. The cold crisp breeze bit into my skin as we walked
but nothing could stop me from listening as Tyler talked.
“In high school, Tucker and I only ever saw each other in passing. He had his group, and I had mine. He wasn’t... he never was a problem for me. We shared a whole year together and even a few classes, but it was our senior year that something changed. He wasn’t around much and started wearing a black leather jacket with blue flames on the shoulders. I didn’t really care what he did. We weren't friends.
“My brothers and I wanted to make some money outside of the realty business my parents built up. We wanted to prove to ourselves that there was a different way, a better way.
“That's when I started noticing Tucker more. He seemed to have money. More money than before. He showed up one day with a new car. A racing car. Tucker was making money, and I wanted to find out how.
“With our past and Raina, I didn’t dare say anything. Tucker took me to the street races. I was a natural. I started to take my brothers with me. As it turned out, Kayden had a knack for it as well.” I already knew he was a thrill seeker, because of the bull riding incident and a few others that his uncle had mentioned when he was clearing us up after the fight at the amusement park. “He always liked thrill seeking excitement and his was no different,” Tyler went on.
“We got good. Linc studied people's flaws on the track, giving us the edge we needed to go to the top and eventually we left Tucker behind and became The Fast Track McGuires. Within a year, we were at the top, then things got rough. People were greedy. Mean. We wanted out. My dad’s a cop. People threatened us with that.
“Our last race was against Tucker. It wasn’t without a calculated loss. It wasn't without a bet. It was a close race, but in the end, Tucker lost. We won.”
I sucked in a breath as I asked my burning question, “What did you win?”
I was so lost in his story I hadn’t realized we had looped around and were now back where we started, but on the other side of the street. Right in front of the McGuire’s house.
Tyler let go of me, and I watched him walk up the driveway, past his Jeep toward the garage door. I followed as he lifted the garage door, and the dome light came on inside.
The inside was just as it had been when I had seen Mrs. McGuire through the open door a few weeks ago. It was mostly filled with a few boxes and a tan sheet covering something large.
Tyler went over to the sheet and tugged the covering off so it slid away, revealing a beautiful, sleek, black vehicle underneath. An old sports car.
“Her,” he murmured softly, answering my question. “I won her that night. A 1969 Chevelle Supersport. She’s rare.”
Then it all clicked. I stepped forward touching her hood, looking her over before my eyes caught Tyler's once again. It all made sense.
“This is Roxie,” I stated. It wasn’t a question. I knew. Just like I realized that Tucker had set me up. Made me believe that Roxie was a person. “She’s a racing car.”
I felt ten times lighter knowing who she was. My heart raced with excitement. Tyler was out with a car. Not with another girl.
Tyler turned to me, staring at my relieved face, and stepped closer. “Yes. She’s what he lost that night.” Then he asked the million dollar question. “Who told you about Roxie in the first place, Faith?”
“Tucker,” I said, not holding back anything. The idiot deserved Tyler's wrath for making me believe that Roxie was a person and that the McGuire brothers shared her. “He had me thinking that Roxie was someone you used to date.”
I watched as Tyler’s face went from curious to rage after I was done explaining. “He did what?”
Tyler tugged the brown sheet back over Roxie and then ran both of his hands through his hair before folding me into a hug. “I understand now,” he murmured into my hair as a hand rubbed my back. “Why you were angry. Why it matters.” He pulled away and brushed my hair back. “I’m so sorry, Baby. You can always trust me to tell you the truth, okay?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry, Tyler. For not trusting you and listening to him.”
He kissed my forehead then my lips. “It’s okay, Baby.”
I loved having him surrounding me, and it was such a relief to finally know what was going on. We just stood there hugging until I heard a squeak from across the street that let us both know my front door had been opened.
“Faith?” Sarah called out.
“Yeah?” I answered back, nestled in Tyler's arms.
“Five more minutes.” Then the door shut.
“I don’t want to move,” I grumbled.
“Give me until midnight, and I’ll come over. They should be asleep then, right?”
“Most likely,” I agreed.
“Then I’ll see you at midnight,” he mused, giving me one last lingering kiss, then shooing me back home.
Midnight couldn’t come fast enough.
Chapter 11
Tyler texted me a few minutes before he showed up at my back door, where I met him and let him in. We had to be soundless. I wasn’t sure how Brady or Sarah would react to there being a guy in my bed. HotShot, who followed me everywhere, was right there by my side. He was excited to see Tyler as his tail wagged. Thankfully, though, he didn’t bark.
Tyler came in carrying a small grocery bag and HotShot was all over it. I pointed to the bag and gave Tyler a questioning glance. He grinned as he pulled a massive bone out of it.
Hotshot, whined and grumbled when he realized what Tyler held, but then lay down on the ground and gave Tyler an expectant look. Tyler chuckled softly as he walked over to HotShot’s food bowl to set the bone inside.
“Get it,” I told the mutt, and he wasted no time hauling himself to doggy heaven.
“Let's go,” I whispered to Tyler as I grabbed his hand to head upstairs.
I softly closed my bedroom door and flipped the lock, hoping no one would try to come in. I turned around to see Tyler shedding his gray sweater, revealing a white shirt underneath. I looked down further and realized he was in a pair of jeans. Those wouldn’t be comfortable to sleep in. Then my eyes widened when I realized they were sliding down to reveal green striped boxers. I kinda went into panic mode. Sure I had slept with him naked before, but that was with the whole group. This- this was just us.
As drums beat in my ears, I tried to push my worries and girly squeals aside; I made my way toward the other side of my bed to climb in.
“You okay?” Tyler asked as he got in behind me, curling up to my side.
“Yeah,” I murmured as my body tightened like a live wire. I knew how sex worked. I knew some stuff about foreplay, but most of my information had come from kids at school, and I wasn’t sure if some of those things were possible.
“You seem tense,” he said, while brushing away some of my hair to kiss my neck. My heart flipped. Was Tyler trying to make a move on me? While his body was close to mine, the bottom half of him was not.
“Yeah.” I let the confession roll off my tongue, then twisted around so I could look at him. “Not that I don’t want Tucker to suffer, but why won’t you sell Roxie back to him?” I asked softly, looking down at his white shirt.
“Because, in the racing world, you never sell back to those you won from. It’s a line you don’t cross. It’s considered bad luck to do so. If Tucker wants her back, he’d have to wait until I sold her and then try to buy her from the new owner.”
“So why keep her? Why not sell and give Tucker a chance to buy her back?”
His mouth tilted into a smile as he shrugged. “I’m not ready. She’s fun to drive.”
I glanced up at him with a raised brow. “Is that the only reason?”
His smile grew. “Maybe it is a little bit about power.”
I frowned. “Did you ever stop to think about why Tucker wants her back?”
“Sure. It’s because he can’t stand losing. She’s a reminder of that.”
“Oh.” I glanced back down to his shirt.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” he whispered as he leaned in for
a kiss. “Let's just do this for a while.” He kissed me again. “I’ve missed you.”
***
Our lips softly slid across each other’s mouths, making my lips tingle and my body ache. All my worries were cast aside as he moved the two of us until he was on top, and I was caged in by his arms on the bottom. I tangled my hands in his hair as my knees drew up around his hips and he pressed into my center. I moaned when he ground his body into mine, and new sensations pulsed through me. Our bodies heated up as we shifted together, and I felt his desire grow.
His mouth lifted from mine to utter a breathless murmur, “Faith, Faith,” before touching my lips once again. I threaded my fingers through his hair, feeling the softness of it, keeping him with me.
His mouth left mine and traveled down to my neck. “Tyler,” I gasped when he bit down on the column of my neck.
“Hmm?” He covered my body completely, leaving his hands free to roam as they made their way up and under my tank top before pausing and lifting his head. My heart dipped as I saw his intense desire. His midnight blue eyes were like dark obsidian stones as they kept my gaze. How was I so lucky? My emotions were running high.
“Is this okay?” His voice was so low and husky that it made my already racing heart start working overtime. He brushed a stray hair away, his eyes growing concerned.
He bent down to give me a brief kiss, before coming back up and whispering. “It’s okay, Baby. We don’t have to do anything besides this if you don’t want to.”
My insides quivered with nerves, but I wanted the chance to explore him, just like he was with me. Was I sure? “Please, Tyler.” Everything was tingling and felt like I was on fire.
“Please what, Baby?”
“Please. I want more,” I repeated again, not sure how to voice what I needed in that moment. I just wanted him. All of him. I would do anything to have more of those feelings; to experience what all those girls at school had talked about; how good it felt.
He groaned, sinking his head down to my neck, dropping tender kisses there. “You’re so sweet, Faith. I didn’t come here to do this, but we don’t have to go all the way. I can still make you feel good without sinking into your sweet body. It can be good for the two of us.”
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