What Makes Us Stronger (A Well Paired Novel Book 3)

by Marianne Rice

  Once he was back inside, Ty took a quick shower to clean off the restaurant smell and went over to say goodbye to Meatball. “You be good.” His dog rolled over, and Ty rubbed his belly. “I’ll be home late. No wild parties, and don’t let any strangers in our house.”

  Fifteen minutes later he parked outside Lily’s spa. She was out the front door before he had time to turn off the ignition, and helped herself into the front seat before he could do the gentlemanly thing and open the door for her.

  “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”

  “No. Not at all. It didn’t take me long to change.”

  Ty glanced at her legs. Thankfully they were covered in denim. Sitting in close quarters with long, bare-naked legs would test his self-control more than he wanted.

  “I’m sure there’ll be a Subway or store where we can get sandwiches along the way, if that’s okay with you?”

  “Sounds perfect. I would have packed something but my fridge is a little bare.”

  If he’d thought of it he would have tossed a few beverages in a cooler. Instead, his mind had one track. Lily. She trumped food any day of the week.

  He headed south out of Crystal Cove. They found a deli still open and bought some snacks and drinks as well. There was a line of cars at least a quarter mile long outside the drive-in.

  “Think they’ll have room for us? I wasn’t expecting it to be so busy.” Lily scooted to the edge of her seat and peered out the window. Ty got a glimpse of her back and saw the markings of a tattoo above the waistline of her jeans.

  He clamped his eyes shut and looked away before his hands got away from him and did something stupid like reach out and trace the tattoo with his fingers.

  “The line’s moving.” Lily’s excitement was contagious. He didn’t want to think about a Plan B if they couldn’t get in.

  It didn’t take long until they reached the front, paid the ten dollars to get in, and drove to the back of the lot to the area designated for trucks and big SUVs.

  “This okay?”

  “Absolutely. I’ve never been to a drive-in before.”

  “Actually, neither have I.”

  “I didn’t even think about looking up to see what movies they were featuring tonight.”

  The sign outside listed the new Bruce Willis action flick and some other movie he’d never heard of.

  “We don’t have to stay for both if you don’t want to. By the time the first one starts it’s going to be close to nine.” The days were still long this early in the summer, which Ty appreciated. Even more so tonight meaning he’d have more time with Lily.

  “Actually, the second one is supposed to be pretty good. A romantic horror.”

  “Sounds like an oxymoron.” Or the truth for some.

  “Which is what makes it all the hype.”

  “Hungry?” Ty rolled down the windows and turned the radio station to the one that would play the movie.

  “Starved.” Lily dove into the bag and handed him his roast beef sub and opened her turkey sub on her lap.

  They listened to the commercials while they ate, and not long after they finished, the movie started.

  “That’s so inaccurate,” Ty mumbled under his breath as he sat back to watch the movie. He hated how every movie depicted Afghanistan as blazing hot sun and dry sandstorms. He’d spent too many Christmases there cold and shivering in his barracks.

  “Hmm?” Lily reached for her water bottle and leaned toward him while still facing the movie.

  “They cut from Thanksgiving in the States to a hot sandstorm in Kabul. The average temperature is forty in December.”

  “You spent a lot of time there?”

  “Eight years.”

  “Thank you.” Ty tilted his head toward her. “For your service. Thank you for giving eight years of your life to our country.”

  The way she spoke, the sincerity in her voice and in her eyes had him all turned up in knots. It wasn’t a polite thank you but one that sounded genuine. Hell, everything Lily said sounded genuine.

  But so had Kristi’s words. He’d believed her every time she said I love you. What a crock that was.

  Erasing her from his mind, he focused on the big screen again. “Don’t pull a Rambo mission, guys. Make it real.”

  “Do war movies bother you?”

  “No. Just when they Hollywoodize the war. There’s a lot of sitting around waiting for action. And action is never good in war. Sure, it gets the adrenaline pumping, but it also means danger. You never know if you’re coming back alive. If your team will be whole when it’s over. Mostly it’s trainings, studying, being on alert twenty-four seven.”

  “Were you scared? Sorry. I don’t mean to pry. I’ve never known anyone who’d been in the military. It’s an honorable thing to do.”

  Again, she’d made his chest swell with pride. He zeroed in on the smooth skin of her neck and swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple working overtime to keep his lust at bay.

  “What made you want to enlist?” Lily moved her body sideways so she faced him instead of the movie. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “It’s fine.” He didn’t mind at all. Her interest in him helped curb some of the inadequacies he felt when he heard her say she didn’t want to have sex with him. Well, she said she hadn’t had sex with him, but his deflated ego twisted it around a bit. “I was decent at sports, okay at school, and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I knew working with my dad was an option, but I needed to branch out on my own for a bit. The idea, the thrill of joining the military, appealed to me. Nothing was holding me back, so I enlisted.”

  “Which branch?”

  “Army. Eventually Special Ops.” And when his heart had been crushed he sought out the more dangerous opportunities.

  “Wow. Do you mind talking about any of your... missions? Is that what you call them?”

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m not one to tell stories, though.” This was more talking than he’d done in years. It was her infectious smile, or her sincere interest in him that had the previously dormant words flowing.

  A barrage of gunfire rang through the speakers of his truck, bringing him back to Afghanistan for a moment. The ever-changing temperature, dry heat, dry cold. Sand. Boredom. Fear. Card games. Women.

  Woman. Only one. The one who had promised to spend the rest of her life with him and then... Ty lowered the volume and focused on the screen again.

  Lily didn’t ask any more questions as they watched the rest of the movie in near silence.

  There was a quick intermission between movies. “You sure you’re up for the second one? It’ll be after midnight by the time it’s over.”

  “The spa is closed tomorrow, so I can sleep in. Unless you need to get back home? Will Meatball be okay?”

  “I think he likes it better when I’m gone all day. When I’m home he gives me this attitude like I’m interfering with his personal space and bothering him with my demands to go outside and get some fresh air.”

  “Aw, he’s a cutie.” Lily tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and Ty followed her movements, his gaze lowering to her neck and scoping downward to the rise and fall of her breasts. Her hands moved through the air while she rattled on about Meatball and how she’d love to try to get him to play on the beach. “Does he like the water?”

  “He doesn’t like much of anything. In case you didn’t notice, he’s a bit of a grump. Like his owner, as you pointed out so sweetly.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  IF HE WASN’T SO ADORABLE, Lily would have bopped Ty in the head five dozen times already. He couldn’t go five minutes without talking through the movie. Not talking to her, but to himself. Mumbling, but loud enough for her to hear.

  Whether it be the acting, the poor interpretation of the war, or his impressiveness with the special effects, Ty had a comment for everything.

  Ev-er-y-thing.

  And she didn’t even think he was aware of what he was doing, or rather, saying. She nearly laughed o
ut loud toward the end of the first movie when he predicted almost verbatim what one of the characters would say after his narrowing escape from a grenade.

  Ty had to have asked over fifty rhetorical questions during the second movie. After attempting to respond to the first dozen and receiving a confused glance from him each time, she kept her comments to herself. If she’d been more interested in the movie than Ty, she would’ve been irritated with the interruption.

  But hearing him talk, witnessing his intensity—no matter how crazy—to the acting, special effects, and other curiosities, kind of turned her on.

  It wasn’t because she’d gone so long without a man’s touch, and even longer without a man’s love. It was Ty. There were layers. Not onions, cake. Each one delectable. The outside décor was something to swoon over, and the frosting underneath the decorations was smooth and sweet as well.

  Well, maybe not smooth. Ty wasn’t a smooth talker. Thank God. If he was she wouldn’t be sitting in the cab of his truck, breathing in his woodsy scent and wishing he’d slide closer so she could touch—or taste—his layers of delicious cake. It was his bumbling honesty and trace of insecurity that lured her in. Maybe insecurity was the wrong word to use. Ty was a confident man, but not cocky or bullheaded.

  Different. A change from her past, which was exactly what she wanted for the rest of her life. Not that she was thinking about wedding bells and forever with Ty. Locked lips and tangled limbs would work just fine. For now.

  The credits rolled, and Ty turned on the truck. She’d completely missed the ending, staring off into space and working up some erotic fantasies that involved Ty. Naked.

  Car lights turned on all around them as vehicles started pulling out of their spaces, inching into line to exit the drive-in parking lot. They were stuck in a stand-still for a while before traffic moved.

  “Kind of a lame ending.” Ty turned on his blinker and turned onto the road.

  “You get pretty worked up over movies, huh?”

  She caught Ty’s shrug out of the corner of her eye. “Not really.”

  Lily snorted. “That’s not what I’d say.” He looked at her quickly before returning his attention to the road. “You talk more during the movies than in all the times I’ve been around you.”

  “No I don’t.”

  She laughed again. “Really? You can’t hear yourself?” She deepened her voice mimicking Ty’s rolling narrative. “Eminem? He’s more of a Lynard Skynard kind of guy.”

  “You have to agree. The main character was sixty-five and completely old school. He wouldn’t be listening to rap music in his car.”

  “Stereotypical damsel in distress move,” she mimicked again.

  “It was.”

  “I know. I’m not saying I disagree with most of your comments, but you say what most people would only think.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be so annoying.”

  Ty pulled in front of the spa and shoved the gearshift into park before jumping out of the truck. She couldn’t help but giggle at the scowl he wore when he opened the door for her, helping her to her feet.

  “What? Now you’re laughing at me?”

  “You’re cute.”

  “I’m not cute.”

  “Yes, you are.” Lily leaned into his wide chest and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

  Strong hands gripped on to her waist, holding her against him.

  “Lily.” The moon illuminated the dark, empty street just enough to see his eyes turn from a milky soft chocolate to an intense and dark smoldering brown.

  He wanted her. She wanted him. They were two consenting adults. “Walk me to my apartment,” she whispered across his lips. She slipped from his grasp and prayed her shaking legs would hold her upright. She had two flights of stairs to go up and wished upon a star he’d follow.

  She rifled through her purse for her keys and unlocked the front door. The heat radiating off Ty warmed her back, and she all but leaned back into his strength. When they were both inside the spa he spun her around, Lily’s butt pressed against the front door, closing it with a slam.

  Ty’s mouth came down hard on hers. Gentle he was not. His hands cupped the sides of her face, almost roughly, but without force, and his fingers threaded through her hair. Lily opened her mouth to him, welcoming his kiss.

  Fearing she’d tumble, she clutched at his back, drawing him in deeper, the window of the front door cold against her back. Ty pressed into her mouth, stroking her with his tongue, playing with her lips. His body was tight and tense with passion.

  “Upstairs,” she said when she could breathe again.

  “Are you sure?” he asked between laborious breaths.

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Before he could question her again, she grabbed his hand in hers and pulled him to the back toward the stairs.

  At the top, he pinned her against a wall again and kissed her neck, leaving a trail from one side to the other with his lips. He slid her against the wall to the closest room, lifting his head for a second to peek in.

  “That’s not going to hold us.”

  No. A massage table would not do for what she wanted to happen between them.

  “My apartment.” Lily gripped the front of his jeans and tugged him toward her private stairway.

  Once again Ty pinned her to the door. She stood on the top step and he on the one below her making them almost eye level. He reached for the doorknob and swore.

  “It’s locked.”

  “My keys are—” so caught up in passion she’d completely forgotten to take them out of the front door. “Still in the outside door.”

  “Shit.” Ty nipped at her lip and ran down the stairs.

  She heard him storm down the next set, the bell above the front door ringing. Did he just leave? Leaning against the wall for support, she waited for him to come back.

  And waited some more.

  He left. Smack dab in the middle of their hot and heavy make-out session and Ty Parker bugged out. Just as tears threatened to pool in her eyes, the bell chimed again. There was a wrestle with the front door and the familiar sound from her noisy keychain, and then Ty’s loud pounding up the stairs again. When he rounded the corner and was in eyesight of her, he slowed.

  Their gazes locked, and her entire body froze. The intensity radiating off Ty was enough to burn the place down. She watched his chest rise and fall with heavy breathing until her legs began to shake.

  “My truck. I... moved it.”

  So lost in the heat of the moment she’d forgotten he’d parked haphazardly on the curb in front of the spa. Leave it to Ty to have enough control to tamp down the rush of desire and do the practical thing.

  “Are you going to stand there all day or—”

  As if in stealth mode Ty was on the top step with her before she had time to register he’d even moved. Just as stealthily, he unlocked the door and pulled them through. Lily grabbed on to the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head, tossing it to the couch behind her.

  “Wow.” Lily slid her hands across his chest, scraping her nails down his ribcage and circling her fingers around his waistband. She knew what he wore under his clothes would be magnificent. Ty’s body wasn’t one made of fancy treadmills and machines but built by hard, physical labor.

  She’d gawked over his arms many times, appreciating the muscle and definition, but tonight... his chest. His stomach. Wow. He didn’t have that obvious six-pack ridge. Not the one you see in models who dedicate their life to diet and exercise with their one goal to have zero body fat and all muscle.

  No, Ty had natural abs. Lily studied his stomach as he held his breath, the evidence of a man in shape coming through.

  His hands skimmed up her arms and stopped at her face, once again cupping her cheeks and bringing her mouth to his. He backed them toward the couch and she bumped into it, sitting on the arm. Ty spread her knees with his thighs and stood between her legs, bending down to kiss her deeper.

  She wrapped her ankles aro
und the back of his knees and hugged him closer. The temperature rose steadily in her core, and she was thankful when he finally stripped her of her top. In one quick move, he removed her bra as well.

  Needing him closer, Lily gripped behind his neck and drew him down until he tumbled on her, and they both fell backward on to the couch.

  It wasn’t a smooth move; they bumped heads, she accidentally kneed him in the crotch, and they fell to the floor with a thud. She’d have a bruise the size of the Atlantic on her hip in the morning, and she didn’t care one bit.

  “We need a bed.” Ty didn’t wait for her response and kissed his way down her torso, sucking her breast into his mouth. He tugged and played with her as she writhed against the wood floor, not caring about the hardness beneath her and thoroughly enjoying the hardness above her.

  She clutched at his back and arched into his kisses. “Ty,” she moaned, wanting—needing—him to take her right here. Right now.

  “Bed.” Swiftly, he released her breast and hopped to his feet. She looked up at him, towering over her, an appreciative and lustrous grin tugging at his lips. He held out his hand, and she gripped it tightly as he pulled her to her feet.

  “This way.” She led them to her room and wasn’t surprised when he had her on her back in the middle of her bed the moment she opened her door.

  His jeans looked mighty fine on him, but off and on the floor they’d look even better. Lily unbuttoned and unzipped, tugging them down his hips. He moved his hands from her breasts and inched off the bed, shucking his jeans the rest of the way. He stood in glorious naked beauty, his desire more than evident.

  “We need to slow down or this will be over before it starts.”

  “I can take it slow. The question is”—Lily rolled her shoulders back, taunting him with her breasts. They were small, but the way he’d kissed and fondled them earlier told her he didn’t have any problem with that—“can you?”

  Ty stiffened and ran his tongue across his teeth, the struggle to contain his composure evident across his tightened jaw.

  “I can do whatever you want, sweetheart.”