Silently, I grab an old T-shirt and march to the bathroom to wash my face and brush out my hair.
When I return in just my shirt and panties, my face clean and hair down, Ty is already in the bed, his torso bare, sheet and blanket gathered at his waist.
“Come here.”
I comply and climb in bed next to him. He pulls me into his arms, my head on his chest, and tucks us down into the bed.
He’s not going to attack me? I know he’s as attracted to me as I am to him. I can feel it against my hip right now, for the love of Christmas.
He laughs and pushes his fingers through my hair, slowly pulling until it falls onto my back, and repeats the motion. “Your gorgeous brain is working a mile a minute.”
My head comes up in surprise. “What do you think I’m thinking?”
“I think you’re wondering why we’re settling in to go to sleep rather than making love.” His finger slips down my jawline. “I’m desperate to have you, Lo, but we have time. For now I’m happy to hold you.”
He turns us both onto our sides so he can see my face, but continues to touch me. “I would love it if you’d tell me about the gorgeous ink on your back.”
I smile softly and turn my gaze to his own tattoos on his arm. I begin tracing the lines with my fingertips and softly tell him the story.
“My dad was crazy about my mom.” My finger traces a skull as I swallow over the lump forming in my throat. “They loved me very much, but they loved each other fiercely. Watching them together was like watching a fairy tale. I know that sounds trite, but there’s no other way to explain them.” I smile up at Ty. “When I was young, my dad planted lines and lines of rose of Sharon bushes along the property. He planted them himself,” I stress. “He didn’t have a gardener do it for him.”
My finger follows the circle of a yin-and-yang symbol as I remember the look on my mother’s face when the flowers would bloom in late summer.
“The flowers are colorful and delicate, just like her, he used to say. So when they died, it made sense to get the flowers for both of them.”
“Thank you,” he whispers. My eyes meet his. “For telling me about them. It makes the tattoo even more beautiful.”
“I miss them,” I whisper.
“I know. I’m sorry, baby.” He pulls me back into his arms and holds on tight. “Now, about Jack.”
I tense and try to pull away, but Ty keeps me in his grasp. “There’s really nothing more to talk about.”
“Yes, there is. I want you to file for an order of protection with the court.”
I stare up at him in surprise and then shake my head. “I can’t prove anything. All he does is threaten.”
“That’s what an order of protection is for. It’s to protect you from abuse, and that includes harassment and intimidation.”
“Ty,” I sigh loudly. “I appreciate that you want to protect me, but honestly . . .”
“I don’t know your whole history yet, Lo, but I can feel that he’s put his hands on you before.” I bite my lip, unable to answer him. “I want a legal document in place stating that he can’t come near you.”
“I don’t think it’ll make any difference. But if it’ll make you feel better, okay.”
He kisses my forehead and relaxes under me. “Thank you. Let’s sleep, baby.”
Baby.
“Hey, beautiful,” Ty whispers as he kisses my forehead. I pry my eyes open to find him smiling down at me.
“Hey, yourself,” I murmur. “Time is it?”
“It’s early. I have to go home and get ready for work, but I didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye.”
I push up to my knees and wrap my arms around his neck, bury my nose against his warm cheek, and squeeze him. “Thank you for last night. I had a great time.”
“I’m glad.” He pulls back and kisses my forehead and then my lips. “If I don’t leave now, I won’t leave at all.”
“Okay, stay.” I smile.
“You’re too tempting.” He chuckles. “But I only have to work half the day today. You’ll hear from me later.”
“Looking forward to it,” I murmur.
He settles me back onto the bed and waves as he leaves the room. “Go back to bed, and don’t forget to eat today.”
“Yes, sir!” I call after him.
I hear him laugh as he descends the stairs.
CHAPTER
Seven
When my doorbell rings at noon, I’ve finished writing two chapters, caught up on my e-mail, and signed five hundred books for my publisher.
Apparently, a good night’s sleep helps productivity.
When I open the door, a huge bouquet of red roses with pink Stargazer lilies greets me, along with Mr. Feldman from the flower shop.
“I have a delivery for you, Lauren.” He grins and passes the large vase with the heavy blooms over to me. “Have a nice day.” He tips his hat and skips down to his van as I take the fragrant bouquet to the kitchen and pull the card from its plastic holder buried in the blooms.
Last night was amazing. The gala was fun too. Meet me at Frontier Park, north side of the bridge, at 5:00.—Ty
What does that man have up his sleeve? Aside from that sexy-as-hell tattoo?
With a quick check of the clock, I realize I have plenty of time to take a quick shower and drive to the courthouse to file the order of protection against Jack before walking over to the park. It’s not far from my house.
The process at the courthouse is quick and smooth, and Susan, the court clerk, doesn’t even bat an eye when she hands me the appropriate paperwork to fill out and submit to the judge. Relieved that it’s over, and a bit nervous about what Jack’s reaction is going to be, I return to the house, park, and set off on foot for my date with Ty.
It’s a beautiful day again today. I wonder how long we’ll continue getting these sunny fall days before Mother Nature decides the gig is up and gives us cold and rain instead.
The walk to the park is short. It borders my property at the edge of town and sits next to a small river. A large stone footbridge arches gracefully over the water. I love this bridge. I came here often as a teenager to sit and watch the water, read a book, or just think.
As I pass over the top of the arch, I move to the side of the bridge and look over to watch the water move quickly below, then I continue down the other side. This park has no playground equipment for kids. It’s full of meandering paved paths for runners and cyclists, tall trees, and picnic tables sprinkled here and there.
I turn a corner and see Ty sitting at a picnic table, his head bowed as he types away on his phone. He’s spread out a red cloth on the table, and a large brown paper bag is sitting on top.
He doesn’t see me as I approach so I take a moment to watch him. His brow is creased in concentration, his gray eyes narrowed on the device in his strong, lean hands. He’s changed out of his work clothes into jeans and a plain, black T-shirt. A hoodie lies on the bench beside him.
I’ve never seen anyone else as handsome as he is.
“Mind if I join you?” I ask with a smile.
His head whips up and he smiles widely as he rises from the bench and crosses to me, pulling me in for a big hug.
I’m quickly becoming addicted to Ty’s hugs.
“I’m happy to see you,” he murmurs against my hair.
“Thank you for the ridiculously gorgeous flowers.” I grin as I pull away. “And for this.” I gesture to the table.
He smiles shyly. “Who knows how many more pretty days we’ll have?” he asks, mirroring my thoughts from just a few moments ago. “Might as well take advantage of it. I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry.” I laugh and sit on the bench next to him.
“Well, I didn’t have time to throw something together, but I brought Mexican.”
“How did you know that I have an addiction to guacamole?” I ask with wide eyes, teasing him.
“How do you know I have guacamole?” He raises a b
row as he unloads the bag.
“Mexican without guacamole is just . . . wrong.”
He laughs as he sets aside the bag and begins to pull the tops off the styrofoam containers. “You’re in luck. We have the guac, along with carne asada, pico de gallo, and all the trimmings.”
“Where’s yours?” I dig in with gusto, not at all shy about eating in front of him.
“You’re funny.” He laughs and joins me, piling his plate with delicious food. “How was your day?”
“I had a good day. I filed the order of protection.” I shrug and bite into a chip with dip and sigh in pleasure. “So good.”
“Here.” He touches his index finger to the corner of my mouth, coming away with a dab of guacamole. With my eyes on his, I grip his wrist in my hand and pull his finger into my mouth, licking it clean.
His eyes darken and narrow. “Lauren,” he whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Eat your dinner.” He turns away and digs into his plate and I grin at him. “You should have called me. I would have gone to the courthouse with you.”
“It was easy.” I wave him off and shake my head. “The hard part will be when Jack is served. That won’t go over well.”
“It doesn’t matter what his reaction is, Lo. I’m relieved that you filed. I still would have liked to be there with you.”
“I’m fine. How was your day?” Ty holds a forkful of Spanish rice to my mouth. “Mm . . . good.”
“It was pretty good. I left at around one.” He takes a bite of his steak. “Oh! Here.” He pulls a thermos from under the table and fills two red Solo cups. “We can’t have Mexican without margaritas.”
“I didn’t realize they let you take liquor to go,” I reply dryly.
“They don’t, smart-ass.”
“Why, counselor, I do believe you’re breaking the law. There is an open-container law in Montana, you know.” I bump his shoulder with mine and then take a sip of the sweet drink.
“It’s our secret. I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Deal.” He feeds me another bite of rice. “So your day was good?”
“Busy,” he confirms. “But good. I’m glad it’s the weekend.”
“I wish I had weekends.” I frown down at my food.
“You have to take days off now and again.”
“I do, but the story is always in my head. And lately, I don’t have time to take days off. Not whole days, anyway.” I shrug and stuff more delicious guacamole in my mouth. “I’m not complaining though. It’s a fun job.”
He holds another bite up for me but I shake my head and wipe my mouth with a napkin. “I’m full. That was great, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” We pack up the leftovers and empty containers.
“Let’s go sit on the bridge for a little while,” I suggest.
“Sounds good.” He nods and rises from the table, holding his hand out for me to join him, and we stroll slowly down the path to the bridge.
“I love this place.” I take a deep breath, enjoying the musty smell of the leaves. “I used to come down here almost every day after school in the fall and the spring to do homework or read or just think.”
“What did you think about?”
We approach the top of the bridge and lean against the railing, taking in the tall mountains ahead that are sprinkled with yellow and red trees. A breeze has picked up, making the limbs above sing.
“Oh, normal teenage-girl stuff, most likely.” I turn my back to the rail and lean on my elbows, watching Ty as he leans his hands on the rail next to me. “You know, boys, clothes, school. Swimming.”
“Do you still swim?”
“Every day.”
“Really?” His brows rise and he reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “That must be how you stay in such great shape.”
“It is.” I nod. “I’ll never stop swimming. My parents built the pool house when I was a freshman in high school and took an interest in it.”
Ty slides closer to me. His hand glides over my stomach and around my waist, holding my side against his stomach, and he lowers his mouth to my temple. “Thank you for bringing me to this spot.”
I turn to smile at him, and my breath catches. His lips are mere inches from mine. I can feel the heat of his skin, and I know without a doubt that I want him.
I trust him.
I need him in my bed.
I turn into him and wrap my arms around his shoulders. His nose brushes against mine. I take a deep breath and whisper, “Ty?”
“Yeah, beautiful?” he whispers back.
He sweeps his lips across mine and settles those lips on the corner of my mouth, nibbling lazily, before moving down my jawline.
I tilt my head to the side, giving him more space. He cups my face in his hand and hovers his lips over mine again before he pulls back to gaze down at me. We’re both panting now, eyes bright with lust, and my stomach is clenched, my center pulsing in need.
“Let’s go to my place, Ty.”
He smiles softly, his breath still coming hard. “You need to be sure, Lo. I won’t share you. So you need to be completely sure that this is what you want.”
I stare up at him, my mouth dropped. His? His. “That means you’re mine too. It goes both ways.”
He smiles triumphantly and kisses me long and hard, his mouth demanding and urgent. He finally backs away, grips my hand in his, and guides me back to the picnic table to gather our things before leading me to his Jeep.
The ride to my house is short. We arrive in just a few minutes.
“Wait for me,” he murmurs. He kisses my hand before leaving the car, walking to my side, and opening the door for me.
“You’re so chivalrous.”
“Is that a good thing?” He leads me up to the house.
“Yeah, it’s good. Different.”
“Get used to it, beautiful.”
He runs his hand down my hair and waits while I unlock the door and key in the alarm code, then simply takes my hand and leads me to the stairs.
“Every instinct I have,” he begins as he climbs ahead of me, “is telling me to take you right here on these steps, but I want to make love to you all night, and I don’t think the stairs will be comfortable for long.”
He tosses a smile over his shoulder at me and leads me to the bedroom. He turns to me and pushes his finger into the waist of my jeans and pulls me against him. “I need to get you naked.”
“Back at you.”
Suddenly we are a tangle of arms and clothes and laughter as we strip each other down. When the offending clothes are gone, Ty lifts me and, with one arm wrapped around my waist, climbs to the middle of my king-size bed and lowers me gently. His hands glide up my arms. He threads his fingers through mine and pins my hands to the bed above my head as he lowers his head and kisses me softly. He settles his pelvis against mine, his cock nestled against my folds, and he just kisses me until we’re both breathless.
“I want to touch you,” I whisper against his lips. He frees my hands and they roam down his smooth back to his firm ass and up his sides. “Love the way you feel.”
He growls and kisses down my neck, across my collarbones, then licks his tongue over a nipple. I gasp and shove my hands in his hair as he pulls the nub through his lips and sucks it in his mouth, worrying it with the tip of his tongue. His hand finds the other breast; his thumb moves back and forth over the nipple, making it pucker.
I arch my back, pushing deeper into his embrace.
“You’re so fucking sweet,” he growls, and switches breasts, tasting and biting the other nipple almost painfully, but I can’t get enough.
My hips tilt, pressing my core against his stomach as he continues his journey south. His hands slide from my sides down to my hips, and that amazing, talented mouth of his nibbles its way down my stomach, over my navel, and lower still to the bare, sensitive flesh below.
“God, you’re so beautiful.” His hand glides over my flat stomach and his eyes watch th
e movement. I push my hands through his hair gently, needing to touch him, to be connected to him.
He spreads my legs wide as he shimmies farther down the bed and brushes his tongue over my clit, just barely touching it.
“Holy shit!” I exclaim as my hips leave the bed.
“Shh.” He grins and spreads my lips, then lowers his mouth to me again, softly brushing his lips over me, then he sucks my clit into his mouth and pulls in tiny pulses.
“Fuck, Ty.”
“Oh, we will, beautiful. Trust me.” He pushes a finger inside my wetness and groans. “God, you’re so wet.”
“I’m kinda turned on here.”
He pushes my legs up toward my chest and spreads them so he can still see my face. His dark hand against the white flesh of my thigh is a huge turn-on. A second finger joins the first in my pussy, and he begins moving them rhythmically in and out, swirling them and pushing in again. His tongue returns to my clit, and my whole body tightens and heats. Goose bumps spread as I climb higher and explode around him, shamelessly pushing my pussy harder against his mouth as I have the most intense orgasm of my life.
I can feel his lips and tongue move up my body, and he reaches for a foil packet that I didn’t even see him throw on the bed earlier.
Once he has the condom in place, he leans on his elbows above me, his hands buried in my hair, and kisses me deeply. I can taste myself on him, and it makes me crazy with want for this sexy, kind, funny man. My hands can’t stop roaming over him, feeling him. I rake my fingernails lightly over his shoulders and he groans deeply.
“Ah, sweetness, you feel so good.”
“I’ll feel better when you’re inside me.” I smile breathlessly. He grins and pulls his hips back, nudging my opening with the head of his erection. He slowly slips inside me, his eyes intense and pinned to my own, and when he’s completely buried in me, he rests his forehead against mine. I lift my legs up around his hips, opening myself up further to him, and he moans.
“Fuck, you’re amazing,” he whispers.
I roll my hips, urging him to move. He curses and begins to rock his hips against me in shallow thrusts.
“I won’t break, Ty.”
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