“There was a party. And a fight. Ty got arrested. Turns out he’s my boss’s nephew and has a criminal record.”
“You can move back in.”
“No, I can’t. You need the room. I’ve texted Yvonne. She offered me her sofa. I’m just waiting for her to reply. At least I still have time to get myself together before going back to work.”
“Not long, though. Are you going to be okay?”
“I’ll be fine. We’re strong women, us Beauchamps. Promise you’ll call me?”
“Promise.”
Leah nodded.
She didn’t cry until she was sitting behind the steering wheel of her car.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Yvonne’s home was the polar opposite of Ty’s. She lived on the first floor of a house that had been converted into four flats. The front door opened into a private hall and a set of stairs, littered with sealed post and a pair of muddy wellies that had once been black with bright purple flowers. The rest of the flat fared no better.
The lounge walls were lined with bookshelves, adorned with books gathering dust, DVDs and Star Wars figurines. The TV was about fifteen years old, with its behind jutting out toward the life-sized Han Solo poster that had been plastered behind it. An abused coffee table hid beneath magazines boasting health and fitness and more unopened envelopes.
In the corner, a dining table cried for help, its legs threatening to buckle under gym bags, weights and huge tubs of protein powder. A cross-trainer stood by the one and only window with pride, being that it was the only thing in the room that wasn’t draped or covered. It was actually used.
“There’s a sofa somewhere under there.” Yvonne gave a vague wave at the mound of wrinkled skirts, shirts and workout clothes. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to.”
“I’ll be out of your hair soon. I just need somewhere to crash while I get my head around everything that’s happened. I’ll move back in with Ty as soon as he’s released, but I feel a little uncomfortable staying there after last night.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Yvonne ran her fingers through her chestnut locks, scraping them back into a ponytail. She started stripping out of her clothes, tugging on a pair of leggings and a sports bra.
“Not really.”
“Why don’t you come for a run with me? It’ll do you good.”
“I can’t remember the last time I ran.”
“All the more reason to come with me. We’ll start slow, just a couple of miles. It’s been almost a week since I worked out, thanks to that bloody bug.”
Leah caught the pair of shorts thrown at her. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”
“Good for you! Endorphins are the best antidepressants. Plus, it gives you time to tell me all about Ty.”
Leah jumped as a ball of fur rubbed against her leg and began to vibrate.
“Oh, meet my new flatmate, Chewie.” Yvonne bent down and scooped the cat into her arms. “He’s a rescue. Some awful person left him in a box, all matted and covered in fleas, outside the vets. Didn’t they, Chewbacca? Yes, they did!”
The Himalayan let out a meow, and Leah understood how he’d been named.
* * * *
Gray paint flaked from the plaster. Brittle fragments clung for dear life, stained by the memories of all who had sat in that room. Ty leaned into the wooden chair, far from comfortable, and stared at the empty space in front of him. He’d answered all their questions. He’d reiterated the events from the night before and explained why Jerry had a fractured nose, two black eyes and a thick lip. They’d believed him, from what he could make out, but he still had to wait for paperwork to be filed before he could escape into the summer air and back to Leah. If she was still waiting for him. After all he had divulged, it had to have been a shock, then seeing him led away by the police… His heart broke a little at the thought of not seeing her again.
The door opened and a sergeant stepped inside.
“Hi, Craig,” Ty greeted, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Did he deserve it?”
“Yeah, he deserved it.”
Craig sat in the seat opposite and began to sift through a file. “I can’t keep letting you off assault charges, Ty.”
“You know that none of them had any substance. Not then, anyway.” He swallowed his pride. “I’ve taken the blame for your brother for too long.”
“You’re a good friend,” Craig acknowledged, rubbing a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. There was no similarity between the brothers. Craig was always well-kept, with dark blond hair closely cropped and navy blue eyes aged with experience.
“And a better boyfriend,” he said. “He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.”
“Leah Beauchamp…” Craig nodded. He looked Ty square in the eye. “I know how you and Jerry like to…” He waved around the room, as if the words would appear in his hand. “Whatever it is you’re into.”
Ty felt his cheeks flush. “Once or twice maybe. You know how it can get.”
“Not really.” Craig held his hand up, and the light reflected off the golden band that circled his finger. “But I get it.”
“Don’t try to make excuses for him, Craig. Leah’s different. I made that abundantly clear to him. He stays away.”
“Women aren’t property, Ty. You can’t treat them like objects to pass on to your mates.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Miss Beauchamp… She’ll back your side of the story, I assume?”
“Of course she will.” He said it, but didn’t know if it held any truth. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d run screaming for the hills.
“Okay…” Craig banged the files onto the table, straightening the edges. “Jerry’s going to stay at mine. Obviously you two can’t live at the same address. I’ll talk to him and maybe he’ll drop the charges. But if I can’t get him to change his mind, Ty…” He let the warning trail off before pushing away from the table. “Go home, have a shower and get changed. You smell like a nightclub.”
Ty sniffed at his T-shirt. Craig was right. The stench of stale alcohol and sweat was tinged with dried blood—his and Jerry’s.
“Thanks,” he said, standing up and following Craig out of the station.
Craig grabbed his arm as he walked past. “I meant what I said, though,” he warned. “You both need to think about how you treat women. It’s time you both grew the hell up.”
“It’s not me you need to remind,” Ty shot back, tugging his arm out of Craig’s grip.
* * * *
Sweat poured down, blurring Leah’s vision. She didn’t understand how Yvonne, who professed to be recovering from a stomach bug, was still going. They’d run at least a mile and a half with the morning sun beating down on them.
“Keep going!” Yvonne encouraged.
“It’s all right for you,” Leah panted. “You slept last night!”
“It’s a good start for the day.” Yvonne jogged back to her friend’s side. “Tell me about those jerks from last night. What were their names?”
“Lance…and…Jerry…”
“Sounds like a cartoon duo.”
“They’re Ty’s friends.” Leah stopped, bracing her hands against her knees, grabbing gulps of fresh air. “They were both after Rainie from work…”
“The drama teacher,” Yvonne said, hopping from one foot to the other. “The one who was crashed when I got there.”
Leah nodded, unable to find her voice. “But they… Oh, I dunno…”
“Don’t know what?”
“They’re into weird shit.”
“You mean drugs?”
“No.” Leah shook her head and stood up, arching her back and forcing the tension from her spine and hips. “Sex. They share, you know.”
“Ahh the classic ménage à trois. Oh…” she added. “Ty too, huh?”
“I’m not sure. Jerry made out that it was like one big orgy—wife swapping, but without the marriage part.”
“Seriously?” Yvonne stopped, lifting the bottle s
he held in her hand and taking a swig before passing it to Leah, who guzzled the lukewarm water. “That’s not so bad.”
“He’s into BDSM as well.”
“Who? Jerry?”
“No, Ty. He’s got this entire wardrobe full of…toys.”
“You sound like a complete prude.” Yvonne laughed. “But I get it. After Kyle, who could blame you for being wary?” She started to jog again, slowly so that Leah could keep up. “So what does he do?” she asked, intrigued and desperate for the juicy details.
“He likes to tie me up,” Leah confessed. Heat rose in her cheeks. “And spank me. And I kind of like it.”
“And you think that’s BDSM? Holy hell, Leah, I have an ex who wanted to strap me to a crucifix and turn me on my head to give him a blow job while he fucked me with a dildo. Being tied to a bed and having your arse slapped is hardly kinky.”
Leah stopped in her tracks. “I don’t mind the spanking part,” she admitted. “Or the toys. In fact, he gave me one to use when I’m on my own. None of it has been weird yet, but it’s the yet part that scares me.”
“Shit. You love him, don’t you?” A dog barked in the background.
“Yes. And I’m terrified he’s going to turn out to be some kind of deviant. I’ve just found out that he’s been arrested a couple of times. He got carted off by the police this morning… What if his fantasies extend way beyond what he’s told me?”
“So he’s got a bad boy past. Who hasn’t these days? But you’ll never know if you don’t talk to him and find out. How far would you be willing to go?”
Leah shrugged. “I’ve never thought about it before. Kyle creeped me out big style, and after that I swore only boring men for me. But Ty is far from boring.”
“It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.” The two women began to walk back to the flat.
“We barely know each other.”
“That’s the best part of a new relationship. Discovery. You learn about him, and he’s obviously helping you to find yourself again.”
“I don’t think Maggie trusts him.”
“He’s not Maggie’s boyfriend. Anyway, she’s about to have a baby. Her hormones are all over the place. I remember when my sister was pregnant. All I had to do was look at her wrong and the world was falling to pieces.” Yvonne shoved the key into the lock. “Crash here for as long as you want, but once the police have released him, you really should go and talk to him. And have some great, kinky sex,” she added.
* * * *
I’m home. Please call me. X
Leah stared at the screen.
“Just call him,” Yvonne urged, slumped in a corner on the sofa with Chewie purring on her lap. “Kinky sex, remember? Anyway, I need a shower.” She shoved the cat onto the floor and let her feet land with a heavy thump. “When I get out, I expect you to have called him.”
Leah chewed on her lip in contemplation. She was curious to find out what had happened with the police. Were they charging him? Was it about the party, or the fight that had ensued? She hit his name and watched as it filled the screen.
“Hi,” she greeted when he answered. “I’m sorry about last night, or this morning, whichever. Are you okay?”
“Worried about you. Where are you?”
“At Yvonne’s. Maggie’s gone into labor. I’m waiting for Neil to ring.”
“I should let you go then.”
“No, wait! I should have stayed. It was just…” She heaved a breath. “A shock, that’s all. Jerry scared me, but it’s nothing that I haven’t dealt with before, and then the fight, and everything you said, and the police, and then walking in on Lance and Rainie! I had to get out of there.”
“I don’t blame you. Are you coming back?”
“Yes. Von and I had a good chat and… I love you, Ty.”
There was silence from the other end.
Shit, she thought. It was just a bit of fun for him.
“I love you too. Come home.”
“I will. I need to know Maggie’s okay first. She might need me. How’d it go with the police?”
“It’s being dealt with.”
“Don’t try to shelter me, Ty. You started being honest with me last night. I think you need to stay with that.”
“They wanted to know about you and your relationship with Jerry. I explained and they understood why I hit him.”
“So you’re not being charged?”
“I don’t think so. I’d better go. The house is in a state and I doubt I’ll get any help.”
“Give me an hour. I’ll come over and help tidy up, but I’m still spending the night here.”
“Okay. See you in a bit.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Leah pulled her car up alongside the curb and looked at the house. From the outside it looked like any other part of the suburbs. There were no signs of a drunken brawl, smashed punch bowls or spilled secrets. Beyond the door was a different story.
Stepping over the debris, Leah picked her way toward the kitchen. Ty was on hands and knees, scrubbing at a sticky blue residue that had been smeared all over the tiles. He was shirtless, and the morning sun broke through the window, glistening off his back.
“I like that view,” she said, leaning against the fridge.
Ty turned. “I like that one too,” he said, standing up. “You look a hell of a lot better in my clothes than I do.”
“Hmm, I agree,” she said. “And considering you stole my knickers, I think I might keep this.” She hugged the T-shirt and smiled. But the curve of her lips soon dropped. “So last night…”
“Last night…”
“A lot happened.”
“Yes, it did.”
“Is Rainie still here?”
Ty shook his head. “I called her a taxi when I got home. She’s a very hung over, confused mess right now. It might take a while for her to recover.”
“And Lance?”
“Same. He’s not all that bad. He just wants to be Jerry.”
“Speaking of which…”
“He’s at his brother’s. The house is mine—ours if you’ll stay.” He stepped forward, grabbing her hips and tugging her forward, planting his lips on hers.
“I had a long talk with Von about you. She thinks I should give you another chance and be less prudish.”
“I don’t think you’re a prude.”
“Maybe not, but…”
“You still need space and time. I get it, I do.” He let her go and turned back to the task of restoring the kitchen to its former glory.
Leah watched him. Her mind was losing the battle with her heart, and stood to lose the war as well. Nothing made sense when she was around him. She wanted to slow down a bit, get her head together. But how was she supposed to do that, how was she supposed to concentrate on anything when he looked so goddamn tasty?
“Fuck it,” she grumbled to herself, leaping into him, grabbing his arms and forcing him backward. She straddled his hips and leaned forward, her hair falling in his face as he lay down against the cold floor.
“Shit,” he exclaimed as she dug her nails into his chest, raking her fingers down to the belt of his jeans. Shifting back, she made little work of his fly, releasing his cock into her hand. She was surprised that he was hard already. Ty murmured, blinking slowly. “I’m always ready for you,” he said, answering her unspoken question.
“I want you to take me upstairs,” she said, leaning to him and kissing him fully, her tongue forcing him to part his lips. “I want us to start again, and I want you to show me who you really are. No more games. No more hiding.”
Ty sat up, throwing her off him. He stood and pulled her up, sweeping his hands around her hips and grabbing her ass. “Then I’m in control,” he said. “I want to do so much more with you. What we’ve done…” He blew out a breath. “Is nothing. If you want to get to know the real me, you have to give me complete and utter control and promise you’ll use the safe word when you need to.”
“Detenti
on,” she said, letting out a small gasp as his fingers drifted over the crease of her bum.
He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His dick, hard as marble, stood away from his clothes, pressing into her thigh as he carried her through the hall, over the mess and upstairs into the bedroom.
Dropping her on the bed, he stripped. Leah gazed at his magnificent and proud erection with nervous wonder. Ty strode over to her, tugging her jeans over her hips, pulling the T-shirt over her head and helping her out of her underwear.
Sparks shot to her core. She could feel her pussy begin to swell and her nerves liquefy at the power of it all.
“I am going to educate you, Miss Beauchamp,” he said, his voice low and meaningful. Walking to the wardrobe, he threw open the doors and pulled out numerous toys and things she had never seen before. “First, I am going to restrain you.”
He attached the black leather cuffs to her wrists and ankles, the fur lining was soft against her skin. He took out some ties, tying one to the D-ring on each cuff.
“Roll over,” he commanded. “Onto all fours. I want to see how wet your pussy is. How much you want this.”
She did as she was told, shocked by how turned on she was by the brutality in his voice. There was a bottle of chocolate-orange- flavored lube on the bedside table that he’d put there along with the neon pink vibrator, but she knew that lubricant was definitely not required. She could feel herself almost dripping with anticipation.
There was a sense of embarrassment as she bent over, ass in the air, but it soon disappeared as he planted his mouth on one cheek, giving a gentle nibble, trailing toward the other side and repeating the motion.
“Stretch your arms in front of you.”
She reached up to the pillows, pressing her cheek into the soft duvet beneath her. Ty took the ties and attached them to the bed frame. He smoothed her hair out of her sight and kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She sucked on it.
“I love your mouth,” he said, moving away from her. “I am going to show you how good this can be, and then I want you to suck on my cock until I come.”
Taking Care Of Leah Page 13