Cowboy (A Bad Boy Romance 4)

by Harley Wylde

  “I love you,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes.

  “I love you too, honey.”

  I kissed her, then rolled to my side so I wouldn’t crush her. I pulled her with me so our bodies could stay connected just a little while longer. Venom and Ridley wouldn’t keep the kids all day, but maybe they’d hang onto them long enough that I could just enjoy holding Jacey in my arms. She cuddled against me, her leg thrown across my hip.

  “It’s never been like that before,” she said.

  “Same for me.”

  She looked at me and I could see the disbelief in her eyes.

  “I’m not saying I’ve never enjoyed being with a woman, but it’s never been that intense or fulfilling. You’re not like the others, Jacey. They were one-night stands and short flings, but nothing more. You’re the woman I want to hold onto, the one I don’t want to let go.”

  “Ty, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You might change your mind. When you see the other side of me…” I pressed my lips together. “I’m not a saint, Jacey, not the gentleman you think I am.”

  “Stop trying to make yourself out to be some horrible guy. I won’t ever believe you. Have you killed someone innocent? Raped or beaten a woman?” she asked.

  I hesitated a second, not sure where she was going with this. “No. But I have killed someone before.”

  “Were they a bad person? Had they hurt others?” she asked.

  “Yes.” My brow furrowed. “There was a drug deal that went bad. I’d found out the guy was using some bad shit to cut the cocaine he was selling. It was fucking up adults and killing kids. So I took him out in the middle of a drop.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “His crew put a price on my head. My club handled it, but I decided it was time for a life change. Back then, no one was married and the only kid was Ridley, but she didn’t live here. Things were different.”

  “Would you want to stay here now?”

  “No, I don’t think so. They’re still my family, and this house is really damn nice and safe, but I’m used to wide open spaces now. I like running the ranch and letting people board their horses at the stable, but at the same time, I don’t know that it would ever be safe for you and the kids to go back there, and I don’t want to live without you. Unless you decide we can’t have a future together. I would never force you to remain with me.”

  “There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” she said, then pressed her lips to mine. “Wherever you decide to live, the kids and I will be with you, for however long you want us.”

  My cock started to get hard again and I rolled her under me. I didn’t take her as slowly this time, but I still made sure she gasped my name and trembled beneath me. And as I filled her with my cum again, I claimed her lips in a kiss that I hoped left little doubt about where she stood in my life. Without Jacey, my life meant nothing.

  Chapter Five

  Jacey

  Over a week had passed since we’d arrived at the compound, nine wonderful days filled with family time spent with the kids, and deliciously naughty nights with Ty. I’d been sore and achy, in the best of ways, since our first day here. My kids were happy and carefree, playing with the other children, and I’d finally felt like I could breathe. But this morning was different. There was a heaviness in the air that told me today would not be like the others. No one had said a word to me, but I could tell something was going to happen, possibly already had.

  Ty had gotten a text when we’d first woken that had made him grind his teeth and his eyes flash with annoyance, but he’d given me a kiss and a smile, then acted as if nothing was amiss. I wasn’t fooled, though. Whatever that message had said, I figured it was something bad. We’d found the kids in the living room, watching cartoons, and Ty had started breakfast. He’d seemed distracted, though, and I was getting more and more curious about what was going on.

  Venom and Ridley had picked up the kids after breakfast, and Venom had shared a look with Ty, one that I hadn’t missed. After the breakfast dishes were washed and put away, I cornered him, refusing to wait another moment to find out what was going on. If it had to do with Beck, if I was in danger or my kids were, then I needed to know.

  “Are you going to keep me in the dark all day?” I asked.

  He smiled faintly. “Too smart for your own good, aren’t you?”

  “Apparently not or we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  Ty placed his hand at my waist and pulled me against his taller frame. I turned into a puddle of goo whenever he held me close like this, and he damn well knew it. When his lips brushed mine, I knew for sure he was trying to distract me, and it was working a little too well. My body started to warm and I tingled in all the right places.

  “Ty, please. If there’s trouble, I want to know.”

  He sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Beck’s here. In town, not here at the compound. He’s claiming that I kidnapped you and the kids, trying to rile up the local police.”

  “So I can call and tell them I’m here of my own free will,” I said. “Does he know that we aren’t married anymore? You said Wire hacked into the county and state websites to ensure I was divorced from Beck. He did it, right?”

  “Yes, honey. Wire made sure you aren’t legally married to Beck anymore. And he went a step farther, but I didn’t want to tell you about it.”

  My body tensed and I braced myself for whatever was about to happen. “What did he do, Ty?”

  “Wire made sure Beck’s department, as well as the Tennessee Highway Patrol were both notified of Beck raping you, filming it, then selling it. He made sure they had all the information they needed to arrest Beck and throw away the key, which is probably why he’s here trying to cause trouble. If his department is as crooked as him, someone would have notified him.”

  “But we were married, so it wasn’t really --”

  Ty placed his finger over my lips to silence me. “Yes, baby, that’s what it was. You told him no and he didn’t stop. It doesn’t matter if you’re married or not. If you tell a man to stop, then he’d better damn stop.”

  I whimpered a little as I thought of all those officials seeing me like that, of people knowing who was in those videos and it no longer being some random woman in their eyes. Bile rose in my throat, and I ran for the bathroom and promptly threw up. I heaved until nothing was left in my stomach, then I just cried on the bathroom floor. Ty sank down next to me, rubbing my back, and gave me a moment to collect myself.

  “Do you want to know why Wire did that?” Ty asked softly.

  I nodded and blew my nose, then dried my tears.

  “Because he knew if the police weren’t looking for Beck, that when he showed up here, I’d kill him. He didn’t want you to see me differently than you do right now.”

  “Then I’m glad he told someone,” I said, my throat feeling raw. “I would have never looked at you differently, but I don’t want you to go to jail for murder either. Beck isn’t worth it.”

  “No, but you are. Giving you the peace of mind that you were safe, that he would never bother you again, is worth any price to me.”

  “What do we do now? If the state police were looking for him, why isn’t he locked up already?” I asked.

  “Because he’s a slick motherfucker and is already working his charm on the locals. Officer Daniels isn’t buying it because he already knew about Beck and what to expect, but the others are falling under Beck’s spell and believing the shit he’s spewing. The problem is that I can’t act and have Beck vanish while everyone has a close eye on him, and the fucker knows it.”

  “Ty, I can’t face him. I can’t look at him, or take a chance that they’ll make me go back with him. I’d never survive it again, not after the last week and a half with you.”

  He pulled me into his lap and just held me. I could tell he was deep in thought from the shift in his breathing, but I was scared what he might be planning. It wasn’t that I cared what happened to Beck,
but I did very much care what happened to Ty. He’d very quickly become one of the most important people in my world.

  “Ty, you said you trusted Officer Daniels. What if we asked him to come here? I could give him a statement, even let him record it, to show that I’m here because I want to be and not because you kidnapped me. And maybe…” I bit my lip. “Maybe I could talk about the abuse, everything Beck put me through, and explain that it’s not safe for me to leave the compound until he’s behind bars.”

  His arms tightened around me. “I’d have to ask Torch for permission for Officer Daniels to be inside the gates, but he might be all right with it. Are you sure you want to do that? You didn’t handle it well when I told you what Wire had done. Will you be able to talk about it?”

  “I kind of have to, don’t I?” I asked softly. “If not for me, then for the kids. I can’t let Beck fool everyone into thinking he’s this amazing guy, not when there’s a monster hidden behind all that charm.”

  “Officer Daniels might want to speak with the kids too. Are they ready for something like that?” Ty asked.

  “Danica might be, but I don’t know about Jackson. He’s still so small, would anyone really listen to him anyway?”

  “You’d be surprised,” Ty said. “Men like Beck are put away all the time when a kid has been abused, especially if that child comes forward about what happened to them.”

  “I’ve shielded the kids as best I can,” I said. “But it’s obvious they heard far more than they should have. What if I lose them? What if someone decides I should have left sooner, that I endangered them by staying?”

  “Babe, you were scared. I’m sure Beck threatened you if you ever tried to leave. If I hadn’t shown up with my brothers at my back, you never would have walked out of there. I think any judge would understand, especially after you tell them what he’s done to you.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “You may need to show him some of your scars, let him take pictures. They’re obviously too old for me to have done them since you’ve been here.”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to if it puts him in jail.”

  “Your stomach okay now? Do you want to go lie down while I talk to Torch?” he asked.

  “I don’t want you to leave me. Can I stay with you while you talk to him?” I asked.

  “Of course you can. Do you want a shower first?” Ty smoothed my hair back and toyed with the ends. “Your stomach feeling okay now?”

  I realized I hadn’t answered him before.

  “Kind of.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “I was a little queasy before you gave me that news, but I think I’m all right. Probably just nerves over the Beck situation.”

  “Go find an outfit that will make you feel confident yet comfortable when you talk to the police, and I’ll start the shower.” He kissed the side of my neck. “And if you want me to join you, then I will be happy to do so. Or if you need some space, I’m all right with that too.”

  “Stay with me,” I said.

  He nodded and patted my hip. I stood up and went to the room we’d been sharing and rummaged through the bag I hadn’t completely unpacked. The pills I’d been taking to battle depression had been placed on the dresser, but most of my other things were still in the bag. When I saw the small box of tampons crushed in the bottom, I froze. I tried to do a quick mental calculation, and in a panic, I realized that I should have started my period three days ago. I’d never skipped, not even when I was stressed to the max. The only time I’d ever not had a period was when… oh, God.

  I felt like I was hyperventilating when Ty walked in. He took one look at me and rushed to my side.

  “Jacey, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

  “I… I…” My throat constricted. How did I tell him that I was late? I frantically tried to figure out how it had happened, and then my stomach bottomed out. I hadn’t packed my pills. I’d told him I was on birth control, and I had been back home, but they’d never made it into my bag. I’d left them in the hidden compartment in my purse, which was still back in Mayfair.

  “Honey, talk to me. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

  “I think…”

  “You think what?” he asked.

  “I may be pregnant,” I said in a near whisper.

  His hands tightened on my arms. “You said you were on birth control.”

  “I was.” My gaze locked with his. “But I left my purse in Mayfair and they were in my purse. I never even thought about it. It was the furthest thing from my mind until I saw my unused box of tampons in the bottom of the bag.”

  “You’re positive you were taking them up until we came here?” he asked slowly.

  I nodded, my heart pounding and the room spinning a little. Would he think I’d done it on purpose? Would Ty hate me? I didn’t know what I’d do if he walked away, or made me leave. The thought of losing him after I finally had him nearly made me throw up again. I bit back a sob and looked everywhere but at Ty. I didn’t think I could handle it if he hated me now. I wouldn’t blame him. I hadn’t lied to him exactly. I really had been on the pill. Shouldn’t it take a lot longer to get pregnant after being on birth control for so long? What had gone wrong? Well, aside from not taking the pills for nine days, but surely that wasn’t enough time for whatever chemicals prevented pregnancy to have left my body. Was it? I was wishing I’d paid closer attention when the doctor had spoken to me about them.

  “Babe, look at me,” he said, his tone demanding obedience.

  I looked up and then couldn’t hold back my tears. It wasn’t hate or disgust in his eyes. His gaze was soft and I had no doubt that he loved me. He didn’t blame me, and it was possible I wasn’t pregnant, right?

  “What do we do now, Ty?” I asked.

  “I’m going to start that shower and you’re going to calm down. I’ll call one of the old ladies and see if they’ll go pick up some pregnancy tests for you. Three should give us a good idea if you’re really pregnant. No way all three would be wrong. I don’t think.” His brow furrowed. “As soon as I have that sorted, I’ll come join you if that’s what you want.”

  “I do.”

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then released me and went into the bathroom. I heard the shower start and I finished gathering my clothes. My hands shook a little. When I got into the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and I stripped off my clothes, then got under the spray. Ty gave me one last tender look before closing the shower door and pulling his phone from his pocket. He stepped into the bedroom, but I heard him talking to someone about the pregnancy tests.

  I heard him leave the bedroom a few minutes later and I wondered if he was going to come join me like he’d said. I hated feeling so insecure, and knew that Beck had done this to me. I remembered a time I was more confident and outgoing. Those had been my pre-Beck days. Now I was just one big mess, and I knew a pregnancy would just make it worse. My hormones were always way out of control when I was pregnant. Danica and Jackson were the two babies I carried full-term, but I’d lost another when Beck had attacked me. I hadn’t known that time I was pregnant until I’d started bleeding and wouldn’t stop. The doctor at the hospital said I’d only been two weeks pregnant. The mood swings I’d had during that time should have been a hint.

  When Ty came back, he had a few boxes in his hands.

  “They already went and got some?” I asked, thinking that was entirely too fast.

  “Uh, no. It seems Mara, Darian, and Laken are all trying to get pregnant, so they stockpiled pregnancy tests. They each gave me one from their stashes so you have three different types to take.”

  Ty set the boxes on the counter and started removing his clothes. When he opened the shower door and stepped inside, I couldn’t help but admire the hard lines of his body. Was it any wonder I was knocked-up? I could hardly keep my hands off the man, and we’d had sex more than once a day ever since that first time. If the other guys here had sperm half as potent as Ty seemed to have, then I was sure that the ladies would be p
regnant in no time.

  He pulled me in closer and placed his hand over my belly, a look of wonder on his face. I let out a little gasp as he sank to his knees and pressed a kiss where his hand had just been, then murmured something to our baby. Assuming there was one.

  “Ty, I may not be pregnant. It could be a coincidence.”

  He smiled up at me. “Well, just in case, I figured the kid should know that they will be loved a great deal.”

  “You’re not mad?” I asked.

  Ty stood and pulled me into his arms. “No, baby. I’m not mad, not even a little. The timing could be better, but then I’ve heard these things usually don’t happen at the optimum time. I never thought I’d have kids, not when the only woman I’d ever wanted to keep was so unattainable.”

  “What happens now?” I asked. “You said you didn’t want to stay here, but if we can’t go back to Mayfair, then where do we go?”

  He glanced at my belly again. “You know, this kid is going to need a lot of aunts and uncles, other kids to play with who will grow up alongside them. I’m not ready to be a full-fledged Dixie Reaper again. I wasn’t kidding when I said I needed wide-open spaces. But maybe we could find some land nearby and start a new ranch, build it up together and make our home here. Close enough they could call on me if need be, and vice versa.”

  “Will they let you do that? Live with one foot in the door? I kind of thought it was an all-in type situation.”

  “Things have changed since I left, and I think Torch might be agreeable to my proposition. We can still come for any family events, the kids can see their new friends, and if my brothers need an extra pair of hands, then I’ll be nearby. But no, I don’t want to live this life full-time again. No drug or gun runs, or whatever else they’re into these days. I won’t let any of that shit touch you and our kids. They seem to have it handled and are keeping it away from their families, but I’m not willing to take that chance. Not after what happened before.”

  I nodded and cuddled closer to him. I let my hands trail over the hard contours of his body, and I felt his cock harden and press against me. I smiled as I slowly sank to my knees. Ty gripped my hair and tipped my face back.