“I want you to know. That I’m here for you.”
“I do know that. Even though I don’t—” Sean muttered a curse under his breath. “Look, man. I’m fine. I just need to blow off a little steam.”
“Okay. But if you change your mind—”
“Yeah. Got it.”
“Be safe, man. You have people who are gonna be pissed if you don’t make it back.”
“Thanks, mom. Do you want me to call every hour to check in? Or only on the even numbered ones?”
“Asshole.”
Sean laughed, and Ty cut the connection.
“Is he okay?” Annabelle asked.
“He’ll be fine. He might be an adrenaline junky, but he’s not stupid.” Usually.
“But you’re worried about him.”
“Yeah. No. I don’t know.” He pulled in a breath. “Something’s wrong and he’s not talking. Speaking of which, don’t think I didn’t notice what you were doing with the headphones.”
“Trying to give you privacy?”
“You want to pretend this thing between us is just physical.”
“It is just physical. We agreed—”
“Fuck the agreement!”
She jumped.
Ty lowered his voice. “I’m not asking you to give me your heart. I’m asking for the chance to earn it.”
“Why?”
“Because, when we’re together, it feels right.” He held her gaze, willing her to acknowledge at least that basic truth. “It’s always felt right.”
She tore her gaze from his. “Please. We both know that’s not true.”
“Speak for yourself, sweetheart.”
“We don’t even know each other. Not really.”
Her words slammed into him like a .45 to the chest—the kind of pain he couldn’t let himself think about or it would take him down. “I do know you. I know that you would rather read a book than watch television and you eat oatmeal with raisins for breakfast every day and your family is the most important thing in the world to you, exactly like mine is to me.”
“That doesn’t—”
“Let me introduce you to them.”
“What?”
“My family. Let me introduce you to them.” He was talking too fast.
He forced himself to stop. Take a breath. “Look at it this way. We only have three more lessons. Let’s see where things go. And then, if you decide we’re better as friends, I’ll respect that.”
“Only three more days?”
He gave her his best reassuring smile, which was hard, because he was swimming in adrenaline. “Three more days.”
“Okay. I can do that.”
He smiled. Annabelle might not know it yet, but they were going to be together for much longer than that. Even she couldn’t fight the power of the universe.
CHAPTER 9
TY TOOK A moment to savor Annabelle’s presence next to him. Then he hit number one on his speed dial.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Annabelle wanted to know.
“Calling my sister. You up for a visit?”
“I thought you meant tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is our third lesson. That gives me less than seventy-two hours, and I don’t want to waste any of them. Unless you’re too tired.” He held his breath. As much as he was afraid to give her an out, he wouldn’t force her.
“I… Okay.” Two halting words, but they were a bloody, hard-won victory.
Keri’s voice came over the speakers. “Hey, Bro. How was the big date?”
“The jury’s still out. We’re on our way over to your place.” He pulled out of the lot, onto the road.
“You mean I get to meet the mystery woman? Who is she?”
“You can see for yourself in fifteen minutes.”
Keri let out an ungodly screech “I’m so excited! Should I invite Sean? I know he’d want to meet her.”
“Don’t bother. He’s on his way to Reno.”
The ensuing pause gave him just enough time to realize he’d fucked up.
“Why would he go to Reno? He hates to gamble.”
“You know. There are other things to do.”
“What is it this time? Mountainboarding? Bungee jumping?”
Ty surrendered to the inevitable. “Cliff diving. But don’t worry. Sean can handle—”
“You let him go cliff diving?” Keri’s voice went so shrill that even Annabelle cringed.
“He didn’t exactly ask my permission.”
“When did he leave? Is he driving or flying? Did he sound upset?”
“Relax. Take a breath.”
“I’m breathing fine, thank you very much.” Something crashed in the background.
“What are you doing?”
“Actually,” her voice had gone back to its normal pitch, but it still sounded strained. “It’s funny you should ask. Because you happened to call while I was in the middle of packing.”
“Packing for what?”
“My trip. I’m going to Reno too. Actually, I think we’re going to have to reschedule your visit, because I have to get to the airport.”
“Damn it, Keri. You can’t follow Sean to Reno.”
“I’m not following anyone. I’m going to Candace’s bachelorette party.”
“The Candace who tried to sabotage your Anatomy grade by giving you a syllabus with the wrong test dates?”
“That was a misunderstanding.”
“I thought her squeaky voice was like nails on a chalkboard.”
“I’m trying not to fixate on superficial things. Besides, I’ve always wanted to go to Reno.”
“Since when?”
“And since I’ll be there at the same time as Sean, it would be rude not to say hello. Do you know where he’s staying?”
“I know he doesn’t need a babysitter.”
“I’m a concerned friend. Which is more than I can say for you.”
There was that noise again. Was she trying to dump her entire closet into a suitcase?
“I know you’re worried, but you have to let him live his own life. I’ll be there in a few minutes, and we can talk about—”
“I won’t be home. I have to get to the airport or I’ll miss my flight.”
“You can’t—”
“Gotta go. Call me in a few days and we’ll plan a rendezvous with your mystery woman.”
“Ker Bear—”
She hung up.
“What the hell happened?” He wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or Annabelle.
“Wasn’t it obvious?” Even out of the corner of his eye, in the dim light cast by the streetlamp, he could tell Annabelle was giving him one of those I-can’t-believe-you’re-so-clueless looks.
“Educate me.”
“She’s going after him.”
“I got that part. And, yeah, Sean’s like a brother to her. But she doesn’t go after me every time I get a dumb-ass idea into my head.”
“Maybe she doesn’t think of Sean as a brother.”
“You think my sister wants to bust a move with Sean?” The laugh burst out of his chest before he had a chance to cut it off. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you, sweetheart. I swear. But the idea of Keri and Sean…” He couldn’t even say the words without chuckling. “He’s known her since birth. You don’t know the situation.”
“You’re right.” She said the words lightly, but Ty took them with a massive helping of guilt. Annabelle didn’t know the situation because he hadn’t ever introduced her to Keri or Sean. She was one of the most important people in his life, but he’d given her nothing of himself aside from a once-a-week email or letter, and somehow expected that she’d be there waiting when he decided he had the time for more. Well, that shit stopped now.
He made a u-turn. “Sean and Keri might be MIA, but I know a couple of people who’ll be happy to meet you right now.”
“Shouldn’t you call? It’s getting late.”
“They won’t mind.” He turned onto a narrow road that headed uphi
ll.
“Ty?”
“Hmm.”
“You’re going the wrong way.”
He grinned. “Nobody likes a backseat driver.”
She managed to stay silent for a good thirty seconds. Then, “It’s just…that sign said Not a Through Street. And there’s nothing here but trees.”
“So impatient.” The car topped the final rise, and he pulled over next to a field overlooking the bay. The full moon bathed the stone placards set into the manicured grass in a soft, cool light.
He took a deep breath, but tonight his ribcage wasn’t trying to strangle his lungs. Tonight Annabelle was sitting next to him, quiet but unmistakably there, and that made all the difference. “Here we are.”
Annabelle stared out the window, taking it in. “Is this where your parents are buried?”
“Yeah.” He swallowed the lump that was crab-walking up his throat. “I’d take you inside, but they close after dusk. Anyway, I like it better up here. My parents used to bring me and Keri when we were little. It’s a great place to watch fireworks on the fourth if you don’t want to deal with the crowds at the beach.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“When my parents died….” There was that lump again, retracing the same path, hoping to catch him unaware, the sneaky bastard. “Your letters were the only thing that got me through. I never told you…” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t know how to write down how much your support meant to me. Saying thank you didn’t seem like enough.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Her fingers threaded through his. “I wanted to…. Of course I….”
He squeezed her hand. She might not be able to put it into words, but he knew what she meant. She’d done it because they were friends. No—more than friends. Even then, when they hadn’t seen each other in years, there had still been something powerful between them.
“I brought you here because I want you to know what you mean to me. For seven years, I’ve told you every important thought. Everything that scared me or made me laugh or made my heart beat faster. Even after I got back to the states, when I’d wake up with nightmares that I was back in that ditch in Iraq, I’d email you. You were the only one I could talk to about it, because you didn’t judge me. You didn’t expect me to be over it because I was back home. You didn’t think it meant I was a lost cause.”
“Do you still have nightmares?”
“Not since I came back to San Diego.” Not since I came back to you. “I won’t pretend I’m that same cocky guy who joined up seven years ago. That shit changed me. But when I’m here with you, I feel like it didn’t completely fuck up my life. Because you helped me find a way to use it for good. To grow from it. I know we were still thousands of miles away when you helped me work through it, but in my head you were right next to me. I wouldn’t have made it otherwise. But that was so obvious to me that I never told you how important you are. So I’m telling you now. I don’t want to think about what my life would be like without you in it.”
Her hand trembled in his.
He squeezed tighter. He wouldn’t let her go. He couldn’t. “I need you.”
“Okay.” She swallowed, and her hand relaxed into his. “Okay.”
They talked about his time in the Navy and her research and whether french fries should be cut thick or thin. The subject didn’t matter. The important thing was the way she’d turned to face him, arms open, leaning toward him as she spoke.
Before he knew it, it was past midnight.
Annabelle followed his glance toward the dashboard clock and yelped. “Why didn’t you tell me how late it was?”
“Guess I should get you home.” He started the engine.
He had no problem with that. Not when he knew he’d be seeing her tomorrow. And the next day. And all the days that came after that, if he had anything to say about it.
He held her hand all the way to her front door, and that simple touch was better than any sex he’d ever had.
“Goodnight.” Annabelle tilted her face toward him, putting those sweet, full lips inches from his.
Desire flared, hot and sudden.
He kissed her. Soft. Chaste. One little goodnight kiss.
She sighed into his mouth, going soft and pliant.
Need slammed into him. He sealed his lips against hers but his groan broke through.
Her arms tightened around his neck. She was trying to pull him inside of her, and, damn, he wanted her to. He wanted to bury himself so deep he’d never find his way out.
But he wanted something else more—Annabelle in his life. He couldn’t risk taking her to bed until he’d proven he wanted more than sex.
It took everything he had, but he pulled back.
She stared at him, lips soft and red, eyes unfocused, and he felt invincible. He’d done that. He’d made Annabelle feel so good, she’d lost her inhibitions. And he wanted to do it all again.
Instead, he forced his muscles to do the impossible—take a step backward.
“Goodnight.” The word barely made it past his clenched jaw. His body was one giant ache.
“You’re leaving?”
He wanted to kiss the confusion off Annabelle’s face. Except, that’s not all he wanted to do. He wanted to kick the door in, carry her to her bedroom, and keep her there for days.
“You have an early morning.” His words sounded almost like English. “So I’ll let you get some sleep.”
“Do you want to come in? For a drink or something?”
The tiny amount of blood still in his head rushed down. He braced himself against the doorjamb to combat the dizziness. “I want to. Believe me. But not tonight. It’s late and we’re both tired.” He traced the line of her jaw with his knuckle—all the contact he could safely allow himself.
She was still staring at him, her expression equal parts confused and aroused, and if he didn’t get away quick, he wasn’t gonna leave.
He took the key from her and opened the door. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The second she crossed the threshold, he pulled the door closed.
His entire body groaned in protest, but his mind was clear. Finally, everything made sense. His connection with Annabelle. The reason he’d been unable to let her go even after all these years.
Annabelle was the woman he loved. The woman he was going to marry.
*
Annabelle woke from the deepest sleep she’d had in years to the ringing of the doorbell.
Who on earth had come to visit at six AM?
She sat up, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and wondering why her room was so bright. She was sure she’d closed the blinds. She always closed the blinds.
Yep. Still closed.
The sunlight leaking through the slats was stronger than it should be. Or maybe not, because unless someone had snuck inside her apartment and set her clock forward, it was nine AM, not six. She’d overslept her alarm by three freaking hours.
The doorbell rang again.
She’d overslept her alarm and stood Calli up for their weekly Friday breakfast!
She raced to the door. Calli was standing on the other side with a concerned look and a bakery bag.
“I’m so sorry,” Annabelle said. “I don’t know what happened. I was asleep, and...”
“It’s okay.” Calli handed her the bag as she walked inside. “You’re probably coming down with that cold that’s going around. Edward’s bodyguards were so sick they couldn’t leave the hotel last night. Do you have a fever?”
“No. I was out late last night. I must’ve been more tired than I thought.”
“Out late?” Calli’s gaze went from concerned to speculative. “You forgot our breakfast because you were out late with Ty?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to be one of those friends who ditches you for a guy. This won’t happen again.”
“I know, honey. I’m not upset. Actually, I’m thrilled. I didn’t think you’d let yourself fall for him so fast.”
“If you say so. But you are showing all the classic symptoms.”
“It’s not a disease.”
Calli held up one finger. “Total preoccupation with the other person, to the point of forgetting everything else around you.”
“I overslept. One time.”
“I’m not only talking about this morning. You’ve been…distracted.”
“I’m under a lot of stress. I have to start writing my thesis.” In a month. “And looking for jobs.” Eventually.
Another finger. “And you can’t get enough of him. Be honest—when was the last time you were so into another person that you stayed up past your bedtime?”
“It’s… That’s not…”
Calli snatched her phone off the kitchen counter.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
Calli ignored her, scrolling through who knows what.
Annabelle didn’t have any incriminating texts on there, did she? No, of course not. There hadn’t been any incriminating texts. She was feeling guilty for no reason.
“Ha!” Calli turned the screen, showing Annabelle…her settings?
“What?”
“You gave Ty a custom ringtone.”
“I like to know who’s calling me.”
“Did you give Christian a custom ringtone? Did you smile every time you thought about him?”
“I don’t smile every time I think about Ty. Actually, most of the time I glare.”
In a classic case of confirmation bias, Calli shrugged that off. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that note from Ty you’re saving.”
Annabelle grabbed Ty’s lesson plan before Calli got a good look at what it said. “I’m not saving it.” She dumped it in the recycling bin under the sink. “I haven’t had a chance to straighten up, that’s all.”
Calli surveyed the spotless room with a raised brow.
“What? Some of us are naturally tidy.”
“Which only proves my point. Falling in love isn’t a bad thing. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Love and Learn (Voretti Family Book 2) Page 10