“I promise.”
I knew she was only saying the words to appease me but, for the moment, they did. That fucking family of hers consumed all of my thoughts so there wasn’t room for me to dwell on her dodging me, yet again.
“You head home. I’ll bring dinner by later.”
“Fine.” She straightened herself and stepped out of my arms.
It was likely that she was annoyed that I ordered instead of asked, but I needed her to leave before I said something that would push her away completely. As soon as the door closed behind her I picked up my phone to call Dean.
“Miller.”
“I need a favor.”
He laughed. “What’s new? This have anything to do with that sexy goddess you’re fucking?”
“You’re lucky you’re my friend because right now I want to reach through the phone and rip out your vocal cords.”
“What the fuck has you all fired up?”
“Tess is mine.”
“No shit, tell me something I don’t already know. You’re being a dick so something must have set you off. What is it?”
I explained everything I’d learned about Tess and her parents. Dean was as disgusted as I was and agreed to help find them. I asked him to let me know when he located them, knowing that whatever I needed to do was something that would require a certain amount of planning.
Setting the ball into motion helped me to calm down as much as I could in that circumstance. The rest of it would take time. We hung up and the next call I made was to Ashton. I had some groveling to do.
“Hello?”
“I fucked up.”
“How badly?” You could hear the mix of amusement and annoyance in his voice.
“Nothing I can’t fix. But I need help.”
“Not until you tell me what you did. Then I can decide if you deserve help.”
I slumped into the seat behind my desk and explained the whole story again, including that I already had Dean looking for her parents.
“Fair enough. Give me an hour.”
“Thank you.”
I caught up on work while I waited for Ashton to finish. It also gave Tess some time to study. Once I got there we would be far too busy for books.
Exactly an hour later, I left the bar to head over to Ashton’s to pick up dinner, then back to Tess’s apartment. If I’d have thought about it, I would have sent her back to my place. More room. Then again, with the mood she was in, she probably wouldn’t have gone there anyway.
By the time I reached La Tratoria, Ashton was already out front waiting for me, a box in his hand.
“Could you learn to get your head out of your ass at some point? I’m not going to help you keep digging yourself out. Remember she’s not a client.”
“I know she’s not a client, which is exactly why I want to help her.”
“Yeah, but you’re only thinking about what you want—not what she wants. Keep that in mind and you’ll be much better off than you are right now.”
“I’m working on it.” I sighed.
Ashton laughed. “You’re actually doing a better job of keeping your temper than I thought you would. You’ll figure it out. Now go, before it gets cold and good luck.”
“Thanks, I might need it.”
I pulled out of the lot and went straight to Tess’s place. When I reached the door I could hear music. I knocked once, then twice. When she didn’t answer the third time, I decided to let myself in.
She sat on the couch, barefoot, nose immersed in a book larger than some of the accounting ledgers at the dealership. I didn’t want to startle her so I called out, “Hey, gorgeous, still mad?”
She glanced up and the corners of her mouth twitched. “A little. But I think I can get over it for your brother’s cooking. That smells delicious. What is it?”
“So I’m only forgiven for bringing something Ashton made for dinner?” I teased, enjoying the return of the lighthearted banter.
“Maybe.” She shrugged but there was laughter in her eyes.
“Well, we better get you fed then.”
Tess cleared away the books while I unpacked everything Ashton had put into the box. Not only had he made dinner, but dessert as well, even throwing in a bottle of Tess’s favorite wine. Man, I owed my brother big time.
I brought the food out to the living room and set it on the table. There were things that needed to be said before we ate. She sat down next to me and reached for the plates.
“Tess?” I took her hand and brought her attention to me.
She looked up, her eyes soft and tired.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I had no idea why you were so adamant about doing it on your own, but I can respect your reasoning. What your parents did is inexcusable and to be honest, they’ll be lucky if they never meet me.” A shiver ran through her body and for one moment, I worried I went too far, but her soft smile was enough to alleviate my concerns. “Please believe me when I tell you, you deserve so much more than what you’ve been given. And if you’ll let me, I’ll give you anything you want.”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to lose my temper. I—”
I covered her lips with my finger. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m here to make it up to you.” I nodded toward the food on the table. “It’s time to feed you and find a way to help you relax.”
“I like the sound of that.”
We ate our meal talking about anything besides money and her parents. I was quite happy to avoid the conversation, for now.
Tess took the empty plates to the kitchen and came back to lie across the couch, her feet propped on my lap. She looked tired, weary. This was the Tess I was trying to help; the one who pushed herself too far. If she wasn’t careful, I’d move her shit into my house while she was a work and completely ignore Ashton’s advice.
I wrapped my hands around one of her feet, pressing deep into her arch with my thumbs.
“Yes, right there.”
She leaned her head against the back of the couch while I massaged first one foot, then the other. Tess’s eyes fluttered shut. She looked relaxed and at peace, and sexy as fuck. The woman drove me crazy at times, but after months of being with her, I couldn’t imagine going back to a different woman every night. With Tess, I’d become everything my family swore I would.
Suddenly her legs went heavy in my arms and I looked up to see the steady rise and fall of her chest. As peaceful as she looked, I couldn’t let her sleep here. She was running herself into the ground.
“Come on, babe, time to get up and shower before bed.”
She jolted awake and nodded, but still seemed half asleep. I knew I would have to climb in with her to keep her from falling over. The question was: could I keep my hands to myself? Better yet, did I want to?
I flicked the shower on and as the water warmed up, I left Tess to get undressed, watching her closely as I followed suit, climbing into the tub first and offering my hand out to help her in. The sight of her had my dick hardening at an alarming rate. It knew who she belonged to. This was going to be the longest shower of my life.
Tess might have been asleep a few minutes ago but that was no longer the case. Her eyes drifted down to my now fully erect cock.
“Is that for me?”
Her hands reached out to lightly trace the muscles on my chest, my dick twitching with the soft caress. It was asking too much of my body to maintain any kind of distance and so I covered her mouth with mine.
The minute she slipped her tongue out to run it along my lips, I lost control and slammed her up against the shower wall, hearing the deep moan leave her at the rough play. Reaching down, she ran her hand along the length of my dick. A sense of urgency sucked the oxygen from the room, which worked because there was no time to come up for air as I bent down and helped her wrap her legs around my waist.
Breathing heavy, I gazed down at her. Eyes that just a few short minutes ago had been sleepy were now br
ight with lust and desire, and I wasted no time thrusting up into her, my body forcing hers against the shower wall. This time was going to be hard and fast. My need for her was too great.
My cock plunged deeper and deeper with every thrust, my mouth never losing its connection with hers. It wasn't long before my balls were pulling tight to my body, a tingle racing down my spine.
“Miller, please,” she begged.
The muscles in her legs began to quiver. I slipped a hand between us and pinched her clit between my thumb and forefinger and she went up in a ball of flame, screaming out her release. I used the wall to help hold her in my arms, my body drained.
Sex had never brought me such a release. A quick fuck and a “see you later” had satisfied me for so long. All of the new emotions Tess pulled from me were scary and exciting at the same time. I knew from watching my parents that around Tess I’d always be a different person, but that didn’t mean I needed to lose who I was outside of my relationship with her.
For the first time since taking Tess home, I was starting to see the possibility of this becoming more than I’d ever had before.
CHAPTER 20
Theresa
Cloud Nine.
Those were the only words to describe my feelings. There was a spring in my step, a lightness in my chest. For the first time in my life, someone knew the truth about why I left home. The reason I left my parents behind all those years ago.
I’d learned long ago that after my mom married Rex, I was never more than a pawn. The man didn’t love me as a daughter. What I hadn’t expected was for my mother to put me on the back burner for a heartless bastard like him. Even though I’d come to terms with my mother’s deceit, there would be a small part of me that would always wonder whether everyone who was supposed to love me would eventually decide I wasn’t worth the trouble. After all, my dad left when he found out my mom was pregnant, then all the shit with my mom.
I’d given up on other people caring. It was part of the reason I never gave Ray my whole heart, and what made it so easy to walk away when the callous bastard thought nothing of using me as a bet.
Then Miller began pushing those fears aside, when it would have been easier to walk away. He fought; first with me, then for me. The way his expressive eyes hooded last night after my revelations told me all I needed to know about the sort of man he was. I knew Miller was angry, but not at me. He was angry about what had happened to me. He was on my side.
So no one could blame me for feeling like the sky seemed a little bit bluer; the grass a bit greener. To top the whole day off, I’d aced my test. Things were really starting to look up.
I crossed into the parking lot and began weaving through cars when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I’d heard footsteps behind me on the campus sidewalk but given that a lot of classes let out at the same time of mine, that was to be expected. What I didn’t expect was to hear them echo every move I made through the lot. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a shadow about ten feet behind me.
Asshole Ray had finally figured out my new class schedule.
Fight or flight?
I whirled around to confront whoever had been following me, but there was no one there. I scanned the lot. Other than a group of guys over by a beat up truck, there was no one, and they certainly weren’t close enough for it to have been them. They weren’t even looking in my direction.
Had it been a figment of my imagination?
My blood ran cold and a shiver ran up my back. I wrapped my jacket tighter around me, pulling my purse closer, and waited. But the only sound was faint laughter and the sound of my heartbeat in my ears.
I shook my head to clear it. The little shit was probably hiding between the cars, waiting to follow me back to the new apartment. It didn’t surprise me that he wasn’t man enough to confront me in public.
Not wanting to take any chances, I slipped my keys between my fingers and kept walking. If Ray thought he was going to put a single finger on me, he was in for a very rude awakening.
Finally, I reached my car. I pressed the unlock button and climbed in quickly, locking it as soon as the door shut behind me. I let out a long breath as I stared at the steering wheel. Coming to the bar was one thing. Sneaking around the school campus took things to a whole different level.
I backed out of the space, wanting to be far away from it all. A little way down the road, I pulled my phone out and dialed Miller’s number, with every intention of telling him what had happened.
“Gorgeous, what can I do for you?”
He sounded so upbeat. I knew he’d been having a hard time keeping up with all of the different businesses, so to hear him happy at work was a change of pace and, not wanting to ruin his mood or his day, I decided to drop the whole thing. I’d tell him later.
“Nothing. I wanted to tell you I passed my test.”
“That’s wonderful. What are you doing now?”
I yawned and my eyes watered. It briefly crossed my mind that maybe exhaustion had caused me to see things. Keeping up with school and work and seeing Miller; it was a lot. A good night’s rest would do me the world of good. “Thinking about going home to take a nap. Someone kept me up all night.”
“Mmm . . . I like the sound of that. I’ll keep you up all night tonight, too.” There was a hint of promise and passion in his tone and thoughts of the weird afternoon fled, all from the sound of his raspy tenor. I had to get it together if I was going to make it home in one piece.
“What are you doing?”
He chuckled. “Quick change of subject. Are my words getting to you?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good. Remember that later.”
“I will, now help me clear my head before I crash the car.”
His rich laughter was soothing.
“Paperwork.”
“Paperwork?” I had no idea what he was talking about. My brain was in a sexual fog as the events of the night before came rushing back to me and suddenly, a nap didn’t seem like the best use of my time.
“Yes, paperwork. The only thing I ever seem to do.”
That was an understatement. I’d seen Miller clear his desk of papers, only to see the same amount there only a few hours later.
It was my turn to laugh. “Good luck with that.”
“Oh, want to be a smartass, do we? How about you meet me at my house at seven and I’ll show you who that ass belongs to.”
I groaned. “This ass will always belong to me, but I’d be happy to meet you there and prove that to you. You can have it for limited times.”
“Fuck, Tess. You’re going to be the death of me.” There was a shuffling of papers and a quick call out that he’d be right there. “I’ve got to go handle something. My house? Seven?”
“I’ll be there.”
Once I got home, I locked the dead bolt for good measure and lay down for a nap, knowing full well that Miller would keep his word about keeping me up all night.
I woke in time to take a shower and get ready to head over to Miller’s. I could finally get there without the GPS on my phone and Miller had given me the codes to the door.
I didn’t bother getting too dressed up. Every time we went to Miller’s, even with plans, we never managed to make it out of the house. That didn’t stop me from grabbing the cute jeans that hugged my ass and a red top that had a nice deep V at the front. A small bit of makeup later and I was ready to go.
My phone buzzed on the dresser. Expecting to see a text from Miller, I pulled up the message only to find one from a number I didn’t recognize, but with a text like, “Hey baby. I miss you. When are you going to stop ignoring me and realize you belong to me,” it was pretty obvious who the sender was.
When was the asshole going to give up? How many more numbers was I going to have to block. Frustrated, I grabbed my stuff and left for Miller’s, hoping he could take my mind off it all.
It was a little after seven when I pulled up in front of the garage. The house wa
s dark. Odd, considering that Miller usually beat me there. Not that it mattered too much because he’d given me the codes in case of an emergency.
I climbed from the car and sent a quick text to Miller.
Me: Where are you?
Not a second later and my phone rang. “Hey, Sexy.”
“Where are you?”
There was a grunt and a pained moan in the background.
“Dad and I had a few things we had to handle. I won’t be long. Grab a drink and I’ll bring dinner.”
“Okay.”
The sounds were a blatant reminder of exactly what Miller did. Standing next to my car, I had the opportunity to drive away at the reminder, or stay and ignore what he did.
Because I cared about him more than I thought I would, I stepped up to the house, punched the code in, and walked inside.
“I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
For the first half and hour, I wandered around the house. For a man who was willing to break bones for not paying their debts, his home was a sanctuary. Books lined the shelves, and there were picture frames dotted throughout.
When I got bored with snooping, I went into the great room to watch some TV—anything but sports. At least it would help pass the time.
After about an hour or so my phone rang again.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Sorry, babe. That took longer than I thought. I’m on my way home now.”
Home. The idea of home being with Miller made my pulse quicken. A part of me loved the sound, while the other part feared it.
“It’s okay. I gave myself a tour, checking out all your things.”
He laughed. He’d given me a tour the first morning we’d woken up in his bed together and since then I’d been there enough to know every room in the house as if it were my own. Adding to that, Miller had made it a mission to christen every room in both of our places. With only four rooms at my place, we’d already finished there.
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