Face Value (Next Generation 7)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “I’ll never forget this moment, Lauren.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek into her hairline because, without words, he was telling her they could never have anything more. Sex, for a week or a month, would only intensify the ache when he walked out of her life, but she suspected her willpower wasn’t strong enough to resist him, especially after learning how unbelievable being his lover felt.

  They spoke without words, their bodies moving to a gentle rhythm that belied the fierce emotions rocking Lauren to her core.

  She heard his moans echoing her own, but she didn’t hear the words she needed. There were no whispered promises or regret about the claims he’d made about the future. He was merely enjoying her body, and she let him, because at least then she would have the memory of that night.

  He loved her slowly and tenderly before relinquishing some of his control and taking her faster and harder.

  She cried out his name when she really wanted to say so much more. “Yes…” With that one little word, she would have given him anything, but she knew he’d never ask for more. He didn’t want her to warm his bed every night or help him raise his kids or share a meal at the end of the day. He didn’t need her in his life, he’d said so himself… She was just a fun diversion.

  His eyes locked on hers as he brushed her hair off her damp forehead and slowed his pace. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Oh God, did she dare tell him the truth? “I’m thinking I could get used to this.”

  He grinned that heart-stopping smile that almost made her miss a step the first time they met. “Yeah, me too.” He grinded, eliciting a tiny gasp from her. “I’m betting you could become pretty addictive.”

  He rolled his hips, creating a delicious friction that drove fear out of her head, demanding she focus on the only thing that mattered: her body’s need to reach that elusive summit only he could guide her to. “I need-”

  “I know what you need, angel.” He kissed her again. Her head was already spinning, and she felt short of breath. He invaded every part of her from her body to her mind to the cage that had always shielded her heart.

  The kiss went on and on. He continued to consume her mouth through the most intense orgasm of her life. “Wow,” she murmured, dropping her forehead against his slick shoulder. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

  He chuckled, the vibration moving through her. “I’m not sure if I should be offended at your lack of faith in me.”

  “I’ve never… I mean, no man has made me…” Her face burned when she realized there was no delicate way to tell him she’d never had an orgasm during intercourse. She was still trying to un-tie her tongue when he stilled and pulled back to reveal a scowl.

  “I don’t want you thinking about other men when I’m making love to you.”

  The look on his face told her he was deadly serious. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

  “When you’re in my arms, you’re mine.” He tightened his hold on her. “You don’t think or talk about other men. Understood?”

  She swallowed to coat her dry throat. His jealous streak still caught her off guard, especially since he was the one who wanted to keep their relationship casual. “Got it.”

  “Good.” He began thrusting, but it was agonizingly slow, as though he was punishing her for her previous indiscretion. “Goddamn losers.”

  He’d said it so low she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. “Excuse me?” She could barely remember her own name, and he was asking her to decipher code?

  “Any man who would let you out of his bed without making sure you were thoroughly satisfied didn’t deserve you.” His breathing was labored as he picked up the pace, looking frighteningly intense as he pinned her with a dark gaze.

  “O…kay.” Lauren didn’t know how else to respond. She’d never fooled herself into thinking she’d had the world’s best lovers, but they held their own.

  “Why the hell did you put that visual in my head?” He muttered a curse as he braced his forearms on either side of her head.

  “I’m… sorry.”

  “You don’t know what you do to me, girl.”

  She closed her eyes as he showed her. Within minutes, they were both on the verge of losing control, and she could scarcely believe her body could perform that incredible feat. No question, the man was a master. Which only made her wonder how he got to be that way. Ugh. He was right, it was a terrible visual.

  “Now, baby,” he groaned, his jaw clenching with the effort it took to suppress his release.

  He didn’t have to prompt her. Her body demanded she give in to him. “Tucker… I…” Don’t say it!

  “Oh God, Lauren…” Her name slipped from his lips sounding like a curse, and she knew he hated losing control, even in her arms.

  Her body answered his, clenching and throbbing around him until she felt as if she might pass out. He looked her in the eye, penetrating her with his stare. “What’s wrong?” She knew something was, whether he would admit it or not. “Tucker?”

  “Damn it.” He dropped his head to rest on her pillow.

  Her heart hammered in her chest as he rolled to his back beside her. What now? Would he ask her to leave? Before he had the chance, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

  Tucker grabbed her wrist. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

  “Home.” She didn’t trust herself to lie beside him and keep her feelings in check. Basking in the moment wasn’t an option when he held the power to break her resolve.

  “Not a chance.”

  “I have work tomorrow.” She tried to shake him off, but his grip tightened. “So do you.”

  He tugged her back down and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll do the site visit in the morning while you go home and change.”

  It was a tempting offer, but if she stayed, she wouldn’t want to leave. “You can’t waste any more time on me.” She hadn’t intended that the way it sounded, but his dirty look told her how he’d interpreted it.

  He seized her chin, turning her face toward him. “Don’t ever imply I’m wasting my time with you.”

  “Isn’t that what we’re both doing?” She had to put some distance between them so she could talk herself down off the ledge before she leaped into loving Tucker. “Killing time until the next one comes along?” Just the thought of it turned her stomach. She couldn’t imagine being with another man, and the thought of Tucker making love to another woman was even more repulsive.

  Tucker narrowed his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You said yourself this is just a temporary thing…” She pretended to be unaffected, but she suspected she was failing miserably. “It won’t be long before another pretty young thing turns your head.” And Lauren would want to scratch her eyes out.

  “Is that what you think?”

  “That’s the way it is. I thought you said you were in this for a good time, not a long time. Did I misunderstand?” Please tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you were a fool to think you could ever let me go.

  He sat up, resting his weight on his elbow as he faced her. “You know I don’t want to hurt you.”

  But he was. “You’re not hurting me.” She lifted her chin. “You made yourself perfectly clear earlier, Tucker. I get it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Tucker walked into Jimmy’s the next day still in a foul mood. Lauren had walked out of his house without a backward glance, and letting her go took every ounce of self-control he possessed.

  That girl rocked his world, and he didn’t know what the hell he would do about it.

  Tucker spotted J.T. behind the bar talking to one of his bartenders.

  J.T. scowled when he caught Tucker’s eye, and Tucker knew their talk wouldn’t end well.

  “Can I have a word with you, J.T.?” Tucker asked when J.T. wandered over to collect his keys and cell phone from behind the bar.

  “I’ve got nothin’ to say to you.”

  “Then you won’
t mind listening.” He didn’t want to go toe-to-toe with Lauren’s father, but he had a problem with anyone reducing her to tears, and Tucker couldn’t let it go without telling J.T. how he felt. “I care about your daughter.”

  “You don’t even know her,” J.T. said between clenched teeth.

  Based on how long they’d known each other, J.T.’s claim should have been accurate, but Lauren had gotten closer to Tucker in days than other women had managed in months. “You’re wrong… about a lot of things.” He’d promised himself he would maintain his composure, but it wasn’t easy with J.T. looking at him as if he was pond scum.

  “I suppose you’re here to set me straight?”

  “I know you don’t like me.”

  “With good reason.”

  Tucker pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed for patience. “I know I’ve busted up your bar a few times, and I’m sorry about that. I paid for damages-”

  “I’m more concerned about the damage you’re gonna do to my daughter.”

  That hurt more than it should have. Tucker would never intentionally hurt Lauren, and he would level anyone who tried. “You don’t know me and-”

  “I know you’ve been in jail ‘cause you can’t control your goddamn temper.” J.T. leaned forward until he invaded Tucker’s space. “And I know you got away with a hell of a lot more. They should have locked you up and thrown away the key.”

  Was he trying to provoke Tucker? Did he want Tucker to hit him so Lauren would see him for the brute J.T. claimed he was? “You don’t know what landed me in jail.” And he never would. Lauren was the only person he’d shared that story with, and that’s how he intended to keep it.

  “I don’t care what you say. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let my daughter be your next victim.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I would never hurt her!” Tucker lowered his voice when the lunch crowd turned to stare. “I don’t know where you get off-”

  “I bet your ex-wife thought you’d never lay a hand on her too, didn’t she?”

  “What?” Tucker couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had Amanda spread her lies at Jimmy’s? No wonder J.T. hated him. “Whatever Amanda told you was a lie.”

  “I saw the pictures.” J.T. looked disgusted. “You beat the hell out of her.”

  Tucker felt sick just remembering the way Amanda looked after that beating. “How did you see those pictures?”

  “My brother Derek is the chief of police.”

  Oh no. Tucker hadn’t expected that. “Those charges were dropped.” He wouldn’t share the whole sordid story with a man who didn’t like or respect him. No matter what he said, J.T. would never believe him. “Amanda realized she was making a mistake.”

  “Abused women often drop the charges. What did you do? Threaten her life… or how about your kids? Did you threaten to hurt them? Is that why she backed down?”

  Tucker wanted to jump over the counter and tackle Lauren’s old man. How dare he insinuate Tucker would ever hurt his children? “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. If you were smart, you’d shut your mouth. Now.”

  J.T. looked at his watch. “Lauren should be seeing those pictures right about now.”

  “What?” Tucker’s heart pounded so hard, he knew his blood pressure must be high enough to warrant a stroke. “I can’t believe you’d do that.” He shouldn’t be surprised. J.T. would obviously go to any lengths to protect his daughter. He wanted to hate the man, but he couldn’t fault him for trying to protect his child. Tucker would have done the same thing.

  “I couldn’t get through to her.” J.T. shrugged. “I thought maybe my brother could.”

  “You think that will change the way your daughter feels about me?” How could it not? She would take one look at Amanda’s battered face and believe he was the monster responsible.

  “I can pretty much guarantee it.” J.T. leaned against the sink behind him, a smile lighting his face as he crossed his arms. “Whatever you thought you had goin’ on with my daughter is over. Now get the hell out of my bar and don’t ever come back.”

  ***

  Lauren was surprised when her uncle Derek called and asked her to stop by the station. When she asked why, he’d been very vague, telling her they needed to talk about something.

  “There she is,” Derek said, looking up from his desk with a wide smile. “I was beginnin’ to think you’d stood me up.” He came around the desk and enveloped his niece in a hug.

  “How’s it going, Chief?” she asked, kissing his cheek. “Are you keeping our community safe?”

  “Doin’ my best.” He pointed at one of two chairs across from his desk. “Have a seat, darlin’.”

  “How’s Ashley?”

  His face lit up when she mentioned his wife. Derek had finally married his college sweetheart after years of being apart, and he often said he’d never been happier. “Couldn’t be better. She’s retirin’ this year. I’m thinkin’ it might be time for me to do the same. We always talked about travelin’. It might be time to start, while we’re still fit enough to enjoy it.”

  Lauren knew her uncle and his wife worked out together every day. They both looked fantastic. “I think you should, Uncle Derek. You guys have earned it.”

  “Listen, I know you’re busy,” he said, looking suddenly uneasy as he laced his hands over his flat stomach. “I wouldn’t have called you down here unless it was important.”

  She edged forward, trying to tamp down her uneasiness. Derek didn’t pull punches, and his hesitance to share the reason for her visit made her nervous. “Whatever it is, just say it. Please.”

  “Your daddy tells me you’ve been seein’ someone new.”

  Of course the visit was about Tucker. She should have known. “If you’re going to tell me he’s been in jail, I already know that, and I know the reason why.” She sighed. “He’s a good guy, Uncle Derek.”

  “Honey, there are things about him you may not know.” His blue eyes softened. “I hate to be the one to tell you this…”

  She couldn’t imagine Derek could say anything to obliterate the amazing night they’d spent together, but she knew if she left without hearing him out, she would always wonder what he might have said. “Just tell me.”

  Derek reached for a file and pulled out large, glossy photos depicting a battered and bruised Amanda. Her face had garish purple contusions, and her right eye was nearly swollen shut. Lauren’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide.

  “I’m so sorry I have to show you these.”

  “Tucker wouldn’t do this,” she said quietly, praying she was right. The man who had held her when she’d cried couldn’t be capable of that kind of violence. Tucker’s words filtered in and out of her head. He’d told her he was dangerous; he said he scared himself sometimes. Was he talking about those photos?

  “The report says otherwise.”

  “Amanda claims he did this to her?” She had known Amanda a long time. She had accused her ex-husband of a lot things, but she’d never said he beat her. Of course, a lot of women carried the shame with them, believing they’d somehow said or done something to warrant the attack. Is that what happened with Amanda and Tucker? Just thinking about it made Lauren sick.

  “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t she press charges?”

  “She did, but she dropped them before the case went to trial. Without her testimony, we couldn’t prove he was responsible for her injuries.”

  Lauren folded her arms over her body when her stomach started to cramp. “I can’t believe this.” She didn’t want to believe it. Tucker wouldn’t do something like that. Would he? She knew he had trouble controlling his temper, but surely he wasn’t capable of inflicting horrific injuries on a woman he once claimed to love, or any woman for that matter.

  “Pictures don’t lie, Lauren. The man is dangerous. He has a violent temper, and I don’t want you to be his next victim.”

  Lauren’s eyes flew to her uncle’s. He was serious. He re
ally thought Tucker could do that to her.

  “I know you don’t want to believe the worst of him, but you have to weigh the facts. You can’t ignore his history. He’s gotten into it at Jimmy’s I don’t how many times over the years. He put that guy in the hospital for weeks, and this…”

  Lauren reached for the pictures. There were half a dozen of them, each more shocking than the last. Her stomach bottomed out. How could he have done that?

  “I know you’ve been fightin’ with your daddy about this, but he’s just lookin’ out for you, darlin’.”

  “My dad knew about this?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, he knew.”

  No wonder J.T. was adamant she keep her distance from Tucker. She stood up, praying her trembling legs would carry her all the way to the parking lot. She had to see someone. “Thanks for showing me these.”

  Derek came around the desk and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, honey.” He stroked her hair as he held her head against his chest. “I know you liked this guy.”

  Like didn’t begin to describe what she’d felt for him. But maybe she didn’t know him at all. If she could fall in love with a monster like that, what did it say about her?

  “It’ll be okay,” Derek said, kissing the top of her head. “Better you found out now, right? Before he hurt you.” He pulled back, looking her in the eye. “Then I would have killed him.”

  “I love you,” she said, looping her arms around his back. Thank God she still had a family who loved and supported her. They would help her get through anything.

  ***

  Lauren walked into Jimmy’s feeling numb. Those pictures sifted through her mind on the short drive from the station until they felt etched into her memory. She’d imagined what must have led up to it, how hard Tucker must have hit his wife to inflict that kind of damage.

  J.T. looked up from his post behind the bar, looking wary when he saw her.

  “Can I talk to you, Dad?”

  He nodded and gestured toward his office in the rear of the bar.