by Kait Nolan
Corinne leaned forward to kiss him, tongue thrusting against his as she shifted to take him inside her.
“Wait.”
She froze.
“Condom,” he managed.
“Birth control.”
“Are you s—”
She put an end to the discussion by sinking down onto him. Her scorching heat closed around him like a fist, and Tucker cursed with reverence. Corinne brought his hands back to her breasts, using them to knead their fullness as she began to move. And, oh yeah, he could handle that demand. Her eyes stayed on his as she rode him. There was no patience here, only pure unadulterated need. Her hips began to piston faster, sinking down hard to take him deeper with every stroke. The glorious, erotic friction drove him out of his mind.
Her skin flushed, and she whipped forward. “So close. So close, Tucker.”
The sound of his name on her lips tasted like heaven as he clamped his arms around her and thrust deeper, burying himself to the root in all her wet heat and swiveling to rub the base of his cock against her most sensitive flesh. Corinne whimpered, a wordless plea, so he did it again and again. Tension coiled in his shoulders, shooting down his spine and into his balls. She cried out, her body clamping around him and pulling him over the edge. He came hard and fast, shouting her name as he spilled into her.
Corinne collapsed across his chest, her hair sticking to his sweat slicked skin. Tucker held her to him, until their hearts began to slow. She pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw, where her head was nestled. He could probably stay like this for the rest of his life, cozied up, still inside her. Smug and happy, he felt so goddamned lucky not to be that guy again.
He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until she asked, “What guy?”
Well shit. He hadn’t meant to get into this.
She stirred, shifting just enough to look into his face, concern lighting up those sky blue eyes as she waited for an explanation.
Tucker exhaled and stroked a hand down her back. She’d bared her scars to him. “The guy who gets left.”
Realization dawned. “Laura?”
He nodded.
“We don’t have to talk about this. I don’t know why I was so angry, except that everybody knew and I was sensitive right then. We don’t have to—”
“No, listen. I want to tell you this. I haven’t even thought about my marriage in a long time, but being with you has made me look at things in a new light.” Because it pleased him, he rubbed circles at her nape. She stretched against him, arching into his touch like a big cat.
“We were supposed to be the perfect couple. And less than a year after we took our vows, she left me for her high school sweetheart. You, at least, had the decency to say something when you walked away. She just had me served with divorce papers. Never said a word about being unhappy. We never fought.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Blindsided me, for sure.”
“The others don’t know, do they? Piper’s too bloodthirsty and protective of you to speak so casually of her otherwise.”
“They didn’t know, no. It came out this weekend when I lost my shit.”
“That’s so hard to imagine. You’re always so calm and together.”
“There was a lot of alcohol and self-pity involved. And generally wondering what it was about me that made me so easy to walk away from.”
Her kiss tasted of apology. “Walking away from you wasn’t easy. It tore me in two. I never wanted to leave you, Tucker. I just thought I had to.”
“I know. And I get that now. You needed to do it for yourself or we’d have ended up circling back around to this same issue at some other point.”
“If you always felt like the guy who gets left, I always felt like the girl who wasn’t good enough. Not for my parents. Not for my ex. But for you, I’m not just good enough. I’m just good. You make me a better person. I can’t promise I won’t still have rough patches. But I’m finally making peace with my past and moving on from it. And I want to move on with you. I like who I am with you. I like who we are together.”
“Me too.” He levered up to kiss her, rolling her beneath him because he already wanted her again. “It’s worth noting, I didn’t lose my shit when Laura left me. I was upset. Embarrassed. But not devastated. In the end, she did me a favor.”
Corinne dragged her hands down his back and arched into him. “Yeah?”
“I wasn’t in love with her. Not the way I should’ve been. But I am in love with you and with Kurt. And I look forward to every messy and challenging second with you both.”
She framed his face. “You’re a good man, Tucker McGee, and I’m so proud to call you mine.”
He sank into her and spent the rest of the night proving he was up for the job.
~*~
Corinne stepped out the automatic doors of Wilton Memorial Hospital with a spring in her step. Credit for that went largely to Tucker. Amazing what stupendous makeup sex would do for a girl’s confidence, despite the almost total lack of sleep. Regardless of what happened in the end, she’d done her absolute best in the panel interview with the hospital board. If the various members who had direct or indirect history with her couldn’t look past that history to see she was the best candidate for the job, well, that was on them. She’d find something else.
Her phone rang as she crossed the parking lot. Fishing it out of her purse, she checked the display, but didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“Corinne? It’s Whitney.” Her voice sounded hesitant and put Corinne on immediate alert.
“Are you okay? Is Garrett giving you trouble? Did he find you?”
“I’m fine. Well, as fine as I can be. I’m still out at the shelter.”
Corinne let out a sigh as she unlocked her car. “Have the police tracked him down yet?”
“No, but Tucker called. He said the restraining order is filed. And there’s been an officer posted at the house all night. That’s why I’m calling, actually. I was wondering if you’d go over there with me. Help me pack up some stuff?”
The request took her by surprise. Surely there was someone else she’d rather have with her. Then again, if Garrett held true to the typical pattern, he’d cut Whitney off from all her friends and family, isolating her in order to keep her in line. Because of the interview, Corinne had taken off work, but she had about seventeen other things she should be doing. “Of course. I’ll come get you.”
Whitney rose from the porch steps as Corinne pulled up. Her bruises stood out in all their multi-colored glory behind the over-sized sunglasses, but her movements weren’t stiff as she climbed into the front seat.
She took one long look at Corinne. “You fixed things with Tucker.”
“Am I wearing a sign?”
“Might as well be. Everything about you says ‘well-loved woman’.” Whitney paused. “I’m glad.”
Corinne glanced her way. “Are you?”
“Well, it’s nice to have a different reason to call you a bitch.”
Corinne just lifted a brow.
Whitney blew out a breath. “Sorry. Old habits. I didn’t call you so I could abuse you to your face.”
“Why did you call me?”
“Because as olive branches go, saving me from my abusive husband with a fireplace poker is a pretty damned big one. High school Corinne wouldn’t have done that. And I thought maybe if you could turn over a new leaf, so could I.”
A knot she’d been carrying around for years finally loosened. “I’d like that.”
“As for Tucker, I am glad. A tad jealous, maybe. He’s the genuine article—a truly good guy. And he adores you. It’s what we all want. It’s a little easier knowing you have that now, when you went through the same hell I did. Gives me faith that there’s life on the other side of all this.”
Reaching out, Corinne squeezed Whitney’s hand. “There is. It’s not easy, and it’s not fast. But I promise life will be better on the other side.”
“I sure as h
ell hope so.”
As they turned onto Whitney’s street, Corinne asked, “How are you feeling?”
One blonde brow arched above the glasses.
“I didn’t just mean physically,” Corinne clarified. “You did a huge thing yesterday. You’re doing another big one today. It’s natural if you’re scared.”
“Were you?” Whitney asked.
“Every single time. It took a while before Lance was willing to waive custody. I vomited on almost every trip to drop Kurt off or pick him up for visitation.”
“Did he ever hurt Kurt?”
“No. Thank God. If I’d stayed, I think he might have eventually. Especially once Kurt hit that point of wanting independence and defying all rules to try and get it. It was a blessing when he gave up all parental rights.”
“I can’t even imagine how much more terrifying this would have been if we’d had a child.”
That, at least, wasn’t something Corinne had to worry about anymore.
As she pulled into the drive, the driver’s side door of the police cruiser parked across the street opened and a tall black man slid out.
“Oh good. Looks like Darius is on duty.”
“I don’t think I know Darius.”
“Darius Greeley. Not a local. Moved in a few years ago with Wishful PD. His people are from Baltimore. He married Mama Pearl’s almost youngest this summer. Tucker’s law partner, Vivian.”
“One of the twins, right?”
“Yep.”
They climbed out of the car.
“Corinne! I hear tell I’m gonna be losing my favorite waitress,” Darius called.
“From your mouth to God’s ear. My interview at the hospital was this morning.”
“Yeah? How’d it go?”
Corinne shrugged. “As well as it was gonna. Panel interviews are a thing of the devil. How’s Viv?”
“Good. She said she’s taking over some of Tucker’s cases this week to give y’all some extra rehearsal time.”
“Blame it all on your mama-in-law. She’s got a competitive streak ten miles wide.” And she knew they were behind on practicing their freestyle routine. “Has it been all quiet?”
“Nary a peep other than nosy neighbors. Can’t complain too much. Mrs. Carsen brought out fresh cookies.”
“She bakes amazing cookies,” Whitney put in.
“That she does,” Darius agreed. “Y’all go on in, do what you need to do. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
Whitney’s hand trembled as she tried to insert the key into the lock, so Corinne took it from her, doing the honors herself and pushing open the door into the kitchen. They stepped inside. The bloody kitchen towel she’d used to staunch the bleeding the night before still lay crumpled on the counter.
“I don’t know why I expected it to look different,” Whitney said.
“Because today you’re different.” Corinne wrapped an arm around her, pleased when her friend did the same.
“I don’t know where to start.”
“Let’s start with a couple of weeks’ worth of clothes and anything that’s really important to you. Pictures, heirlooms. Anything Garrett might destroy out of spite. We’ll load up your car with whatever will fit, then go from there.”
“Okay.”
They climbed the stairs together.
“I didn’t know you were interviewing out at Wilton Memorial.”
“It won’t be the only place I’ll apply, but it’s the most obvious. I did my clinical hours there, and I really like the staff, the work. I feel like it’d be a good fit.”
“They’d be lucky to have you.”
Because Whitney’s voice sounded a little choked, Corinne tried to lighten the mood. “Hey now, I know we’re doing this whole turning over a new leaf thing, but let’s not go crazy with the compliments.”
Whitney gave a watery laugh. “I know. Someone should check to see if hell froze over. But I mean it. They’d be lucky to have you. I feel lucky to have you. And I didn’t say it last night because there was just so much going on and I was so overwhelmed, but…thank you. For helping me. For deciding to be my friend again.”
Feeling a little watery herself, Corinne wrapped the smaller woman in a hug. “Thank you for letting me.”
Chapter 19
“—and as we stand here at the start of the final performance of Dancing With Wishful, I want to thank everyone involved in the project.”
From his position on the sidelines, Tucker watched Norah on the big screen they’d set up at the opposite end of the ballroom.
“The fundraiser has been a total success and our local women’s shelter will be able to break ground on a new addition later this fall!”
Applause and cheers broke out. Beside him, Cam gave a two-fingered whistle.
“Looks like your girl pulled it off again,” Tucker observed.
Cam slapped him on the back. “Brother, we all pulled this one off.”
“You ready to have your ass kicked?”
“Dream on, Tuck. Cam and I have this in the bag,” Tyler said.
Tucker just slid his arm around Corinne and smiled. “May the best pair win.” She leaned into him, and he decided all was right in his world.
Out front, Norah handed off the mic to the emcee, who rolled immediately into clips from the interviews they’d done throughout competition. With only two performances, they had to fill the extra time with something. Beside him, Corinne fairly vibrated.
“Are you nervous or excited?” he asked.
“Both. Hyped up about the competition. Excited by the possibility of winning. And also relieved it’s nearly over. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for so long at this point, and I need a serious break.”
He’d been thinking on that subject for a few weeks now. But before he could respond, he caught sight of Corinne’s mom and Kurt making their way through the crowd. “I had some ideas about that. Remind me to tell you about them later. Meanwhile, I think our cheering section has arrived.”
Corinne turned, smiling and waving when she saw her son. The grin dimmed a fraction as she realized her mother was with him. “I didn’t know she was coming.”
That put Tucker on red alert. She’d told him about their fight the previous weekend. The two hadn’t exactly been on speaking terms.
As soon as Kurt spotted them, he tugged free from Marianne and made a beeline in their direction. Tucker broke away and met him halfway, initiating the complicated fist bump/handshake routine they’d established, before scooping the giggling boy up for a hug. “How you doin’ kiddo?”
“Good! I earned three R2-D2 stickers on my chore chart this week!”
“That’s awesome.”
“Kurt Dawson, you know you’re not supposed to run from me.” Marianne sounded faintly winded.
Tucker set him down and pointed out Corinne in the long dark cloak hiding her costume. “Why don’t you go wish your mom luck?”
“Okay!”
Marianne started toward Corinne. “There’s something I need to tell her.”
As Kurt scampered off to his mother, Tucker offered his arm to Marianne with a courtly bow.
With some surprise she took it. “Such pretty manners.”
“Only to a point. If you say anything at all to upset Corinne, you’ll have me to deal with. I won’t have tonight ruined for her. Are we clear?”
Rather than offense or irritation, it was approval he saw in her eyes. “You’ll do, Tucker McGee.”
Kurt was chattering a mile a minute by the time they reached Corinne.
“And it was awesome! Can we bring Tucker to the water park before it closes for the summer?”
“It so happens, I love water parks,” Tucker informed him. “And the beach. Ever been to the beach, Kurt?”
“Just the beach at the lake. I’ve never seen a real beach before, except on TV.”
“We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
Corinne and her mother were in a staring conte
st.
“Thank you for coming, Mama. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to support you.” There was something more under her statement, an earnestness he hadn’t heard from Marianne before.
The emcee’s voice boomed. “And now, let’s put our hands together in a warm Wishful welcome for the first of your final competitors! Team Wishful Nursery and Garden Center—Tyler Edison and Cam Crawford performing their freestyle.”
“You should find your seats,” Corinne said.
“Good luck, Mommy!”
Her dimple flashed. “Thanks baby.”
“Good luck. Both of you.” With one last look, Marianne herded her grandson away.
Tucker laced his fingers through Corinne’s as they moved to watch Cam and Tucker’s performance. “Okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just ready to do this.”
The music poured out and their friends leapt into motion. The routine was fast and flashy—at least on Tyler’s part. Tucker and Corinne hadn’t had time to put together anything so complex, so Tucker made the choice to play their audience. The crowd had followed their love story from the beginning, so he’d designed a routine to showcase it and tug on the heartstrings of anyone watching. If they won tonight, it was more likely to be from an influx of popular votes rather than the judges decision. Either way, he figured he owed Norah one for giving him the opportunity to woo Corinne in the first place.
The number ended to cheers and wolf whistles. Tyler and Cam moved toward the dais, awaiting the judges’ decisions. After some discussion among themselves, they lifted their paddles. Ten. Nine. Ten.
“Tough scores to beat,” Corinne observed.
“It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings. Besides, it doesn’t matter if we win.”
Her brows arched up in surprise.
“The fundraiser was a success, and we got each other out of the deal. Those are both wins in my book.”
Corinne rose to her toes and brushed a kiss over his mouth. “That’s sweet and noble, but the difference is, I’m in the mood to kick a little ass.”
He was still laughing as they got the signal to take their positions. She shrugged out of the cloak to reveal her costume, a long, glittering gold confection that was Babette’s modernized take on Belle to his Beast. They walked out on the floor with the lights lowered. Before they snapped up, he pressed a kiss to her hand. “In case I haven’t mentioned it, you’re gorgeous.”