by JoAnna Grace
“Bo, I have something I want to tell you.” Tina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the air out of her mouth. “Today, when I was talking to Nan, I realized that I, um, I mean, I know it hasn’t been long and this is our first official date as a couple, and we, um, had that argument.”
He tried to follow along her train of thought, but it didn’t go in straight line. She bounced all over the place and he grinned, trying to figure out what in the world had her scatterbrained. It was kind of cute.
“We really haven’t worked together as a couple, so I think this might be premature. But I really think that I’m fall—”
“Tina?”
“Bo?”
Tina’s rambling was cut off. Bo turned to see Rodman on the street with a couple other guys. They were walking by the restaurant and apparently stopped when they saw Bo and Tina.
“Sean, hey.” Tina stood up and leaned over the railing to hug one of the guys. “I miss you man, how are ya?”
Bo would recognize a Harris boy anywhere. He had the same facial structure and big blue eyes as Bear. His hair was a little darker, not the dirty blond of the other brothers, but he was definitely a Harris.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Sean hugged her, and gave Bo an obligatory head nod in between the puffs of his cigarette. “I’m glad to see you too, baby girl.” He touched her cheek briefly, a sad smile on his face.
“That’s the guy who took my job,” Rodman sneered. “He took my job and apparently my cousin’s girlfriend.”
“No, Rodman,” Tina pointed her finger at him and used her kiss my ass, I’m the boss tone, “you threw away your job, he just cleaned up the mess…for both you and Trey.”
Rodman stepped forward. “Mouthy bi—” Sean put a hand on his chest when Bo rose from his seat.
“Hey, that’s my friend. Back off, Rodman.” Sean held up a hand to Bo. “It’s cool, man.”
Bo glared at Rodman. “It’s good to see you, Sean, but y’all should keep walking.”
Sean nodded and gestured the others on. “Yeah, yeah, you guys have a good time.”
Rodman, however, wasn’t budging and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re not going to do shit, jail bird. I’ll have your parole officer on your ass so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
“Is that supposed to scare me?” Bo gripped the railing, leaning on the iron fence that separated the patio from the street. He knew he was fearsome, he’d had to become a hardened criminal to survive in jail and this loser didn’t intimidate him a bit. “Care to see if I won’t chance it?”
“Don’t worry, baby,” Tina said from their table, “I’ll hire you a good lawyer. Kick his puny butt six ways to Sunday.”
Sean gulped in air. “Come on, man. Let’s not ruin a good night.” He pulled Rodman down the sidewalk.
That lowlife didn’t quit. “You two are quite the pair. Wait until Trey hears you downgraded to this looser. You’ll regret it.”
“I wouldn’t put money on that pony.” Tina waved them off and turned her back to the street.
The group of guys sauntered off, chests puffed like they’d done something. Bo sat back down and glanced over at Tina, who chugged the rest of her wine. “You’ll hire me a good lawyer?”
They both cracked up, letting the tension of the moment float away.
Tina threw up her hands. “Okay, not my best comeback. I don’t exactly have a nail gun handy.”
Bo laughed and pulled her over for a kiss. “You’re a funny woman.” He tossed back his drink, sensing that she was ready to leave. “What is Sean Harris doing with a piece of shit like Rodman?”
Tina sighed. “He took some emotional hits; first Lance, then Chris. His best friend and his brother dying within a year of each other, he has…lost his way. One day, he’ll figure out the drugs won’t fix what’s wrong. Hopefully, someday soon. I miss the guy he used to be.” Tina’s expression fell with a deep sadness. She’d been close to all the Harris boys as a teenager and Bo knew how much she adored Bear. It couldn’t be easy for her to see someone she loved turning to drugs.
“Let’s get out of here, Bo.” Tina leaned her chin on her palm, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’d like for you to take me home.”
“Yes, ma’am, boss.” He paid the check and they walked down main street hand-in-hand back towards the bridge. He kept his eyes peeled for the group of guys. “Should we get a cab? I’d hate for Rodman to start something I’ll finish.”
“Sean won’t let him do anything. I’m not worried. It’s a beautiful night and they can’t ruin it.” Tina looped her arm around his waist and kept walking. That didn’t stop Bo from being on alert. Druggies were unpredictable and Rodman already had a big chip on his shoulder.
They stopped right in the middle of the bridge and looked downstream at the view. To the left, the lights from Bear’s Bar glittered on the water. To the right was Tina’s home, the tall brick building sat off the road, but overlooked the river. It was a beautiful view and a beautiful person enjoyed it with him. Tina leaned on the rail and he stood behind her, holding her close.
“When I was a kid,” he said, opening up the discussion of his mother, “my mom and her boyfriend were having another fight. She grabbed me up and drove me into town. She stopped right before the bridge and got out of her car. Mom threw her engagement ring off the bridge and I thought it was over for good. I was so happy. Even as a little boy, I knew everything that she tried to hide from me. I knew about the drugs, the men, and the crap she took from the men to get the drugs. When she threw that ring in the river, I felt hope for the first time in my life. She pulled me to this spot and said, ‘Take a good look, Bo. Even the water wants to get out of this damn town. The river runs to get the hell out of here.’ I thought about that a lot when I was in jail. For a long time, I thought she was right. When I got out and came back here, I came to this bridge and stopped, walked to this spot, and remembered her words again. I realized something; it’s all about where you choose to stand.” Bo took her hand and guided her across to the other side of the empty bridge. He wrapped Tina in his arms, her back to his chest. “You can choose to look at the world and see the bad or you can choose to change directions and see the good. From this perspective, the river rushes to get here. It’s why the river runs, T. It loves Riverview so much that it spreads out in the creeks and coves and tries to stay a while. I promised myself I’d always have a better perspective than my mother. That I’d focus on all the good things I have.”
“I’d like to get my hands on that woman, and maybe a nail gun or two.” She turned in his arms and faced him. Tina’s brows pinched together. “I’m sorry about what Rodman said.”
“Why are you sorry? That jerk can’t hurt me. He’s nothing. Unless he hurts you, then we’ll have problems.”
She grabbed the collar of his shirt and made him look at her. “Bo, don’t ever risk yourself for me, please. I can handle it. You don’t have to defend me. I’d like to think this is one of those reasons we work. You can’t afford to risk it and I don’t need you to.”
“Trust me, baby, now that I have you, I’m not eager to break my parole. That doesn’t mean I’m going to cower while some douchebag insults the woman I love.” Oh shit. The words slipped right out of his mouth and he tried twice to speak again while Tina stared. “That wasn’t exactly how I was going to tell you.” Bo stepped back and put his hands in his pockets.
Tina didn’t move. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were huge.
“I’d actually planned a more romantic delivery. It just slipped.”
Her lack of response worried him and the seconds turned into hours waiting on her reply. Was it too much too soon? Should he try to take it back? Not that he wanted to deny it, but it might make her feel better. “Tina?”
“I love you, too. That’s what I was trying to say when Sean walked up.” Her chest pumped hard with each breath. “I love you, too. I realized it this morning when Nan and I were talking.”
Bo�
�s relief and joy had him huffing out the breath he’d been holding. She loved him. Tina Foster loved him and he loved her.
Her smile grew wide and his probably matched. She stepped into his arms and linked her hands around his neck. “I promise you, Bo, I’ll love you better than any woman ever has. I’ll be like the river, always running to you and I’ll stay a lot longer than a little while.”
Bo’s heart danced in his chest as Tina rose and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. Each time he was with her, she set the bar higher for the happiest moments of his life. Whatever he’d done to win her heart, he prayed he did it every day.
“Take me home, Bo,” she whispered against his lips. “I don’t care what we do, I just want to fall asleep with you tonight and wake up with you tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bo held her hand and walked over the bridge and down the long gravel driveway through the woods leading to Foster Construction and her home. They hit the top of the stairs leading up the side of the building and he scooped her up, kissing her like crazy. She was so soft, so incredibly silky in every way. He gripped the back of her head, her hair wrapped around his hand, deepening their kiss.
Tina fumbled with the key while still trying to kiss him. Bo finally turned her around so she could see what she was doing. While she opened the door, his lips trailed her neck and shoulder, his hands roamed her stomach and her hips, loving the way she pressed her body against his. Once he got her inside, he all but lost control. It had been at least five years since he’d been with a woman, and back then, he’d barely known what to do.
The one good thing about having so much free time in jail was he read…a lot. Now all he could think about was putting some of his knowledge to work on Tina. He kicked the door closed and never lost contact with her mouth. She was wrapped around him, climbing him like he was a damn post. Her purse and keys hit the floor right where they stood. Bo ran his hands up under her dress and up her thighs, lifting her from the ground. Tina was a petite woman, and she fit perfectly in his grip.
Her mouth was heaven, pure, sensual heaven. Never in his life had he dreamed such pleasures could be his. And Tina Foster was definitely his.
TINA DROWNED IN BO. Just like he promised, he took over her body and soul. Bo’s hands ran up her thighs and cupped her bottom, lifting her into his arms. His strength only turned her on more. How in the hell one man could drive her insane with only his hands and his kiss? Even if all they did was kiss until the sun came up, she’d be satisfied.
That was not his plan.
Bo carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. His weight pressed against her and his lips traveled down the sensitive skin of her neck and then farther south. Tina closed her eyes and let him do whatever he wanted. For the first time in her life, she felt safe enough in bed to surrender. It was easier than she expected, allowing him to pleasure her in any way he wished. Maybe it was his air of confidence as he brought her to a climax, maybe it was the way he whispered how much he loved her in her ear as her body quaked and writhed under his. Maybe it was the way he was right there with her, staring at her as he took her over and over again, or the way his big body felt inside hers. Maybe it was all of it mixed together and multiplied by her love for him. Whatever it was, it was the best night of her life.
When they both collapsed from exhaustion, Tina and Bo laughed about what a damn mess her room was. She’d never been giddy after sex, another first. There were clothes everywhere, all her blankets and pillows littered the floor where they’d kicked them off. His clothes made a trail to the door. Her dress was inside out and thrown across a chair in the corner.
“I’m thirsty, you want anything?” Tina hopped up from the bed and searched under the scattered blankets for his button up shirt.
“Sure, baby.”
Damn, her body was humming and pleasantly sore. She slipped into his shirt, pressing her nose into the cologne scented collar.
She heard a clicking noise and turned to see him with his cell phone, taking a picture. “Bo!”
He grinned at his screen. “Hot damn, that’s a good picture of you.” He shook his head and sighed. “I can’t believe you’re mine. I’m the luckiest bastard on Earth.”
Tina crawled on the bed and kissed him again. “I love how much you love me.”
He ran his knuckles over her breast. “I’m just getting started.”
“Then I definitely need a drink.” Tina couldn’t contain her joy as she padded to the kitchen.
There was one thing she’d learned about Bo during their working time together; he was a determined man who paid attention to details. He was no different as a lover. Every little whimper made him more attuned to what she liked. In a matter of minutes, he’d figured out her sensitive spots, her weaknesses, and her deepest pleasures. More than anything, he’d not only made her quiver with delight, he’d made her laugh.
Tina leaned against the sink and sipped her glass of water, smiling to herself, when he came out of the bedroom in nothing but his briefs.
“Dear Lord,” she whispered, taking in his rock-solid body. How the hell had she ever thought she was attracted to any guy before Bo? No one could compare.
“What’s wrong?”
“We have a problem,” Tina said and sighed, playing him.
He put his hands on her hips and frowned. “Are you okay?”
“I think we’ve crossed a line, and I’m afraid this is going to turn in to a very physical relationship. I think I want to use you for a sex toy.”
Bo smirked and swatted her bottom. “That’s fine, as long as you don’t mind me obsessing over you and spoiling you rotten in the process.”
Tina’s cheeks hurt, he made her smile so much. “Deal.”
“By the way, I’m leaving that shirt here just so you can walk around in it.” He dipped his head and took her mouth in that powerful way that he had.
It was an odd feeling, letting a man take control and not only being okay with it, but wanting it, desiring for him to take her any way he wanted. Then again, this wasn’t just some guy. This was Bo; her rock, her soft place to fall, her greatest strength and her biggest weakness. Each moment they were together, she lost more and more of her heart to him.
What happened when she lost it all? Did she lose herself? Did she become Bo’s woman and not Tina Foster? What if she lost her entire heart to him and he realized it was a mistake?
“Bo?” She swallowed hard and met his eyes.
“You’re overthinking again, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” She bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
Bo cupped her cheeks and looked her deep in the eyes. “I love you. Period. I didn’t fall in love with you just now because we had sex. I’ve wanted you in my life since the first day I met you. You know how hard it was to see you with Trey? To know he didn’t make you happy and I could? The first time I heard you sing on the jobsite, I knew I’d never be able to appreciate that song again unless it came from your lips. When you sang at Bear’s, I knew I was sunk, worthless to any other woman in the room. So I waited. I prayed to have you. I gave you space when you needed it and felt the loss every day you were gone to Boston. I’m not going anywhere, Tina, not until you tell me to leave.”
“Never again.” Tina shook her head and blinked the moisture from her eyes. His words were just as much making love to her as what they did with their bodies. “I love you, Bo. I’m scared of how much I want you in my life. It’s a new sensation for me, that’s all.”
He pulled her to his chest and she hugged him close. “It’s okay. I’m a patient man, T. You process it however you want, but you’re mine and I’m yours. I didn’t spend four years in Hell just to have Heaven pass me by.”
“You know what I will never get over?” Tina leaned back and tilted her head upward. “How a man who said a grand total of four words in the last two months suddenly has so much to say.”
Bo’s deep rumbling laughter warmed her from head to toe. “You’re the only pe
rson worth talking to, well, and maybe Jason.”
Again, Tina found herself laughing and happier than she’d ever been. They spent the rest of the night cuddled up on the couch watching movies and talking until they fell asleep.
She woke the next morning to Bo making coffee. Another first for her. Trey never stayed the night. He always left so he could use his own bathroom to shower. He was a freak about hygiene. Tina slowly stretched and made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and do something with her mass of hair.
The last thing she expected was for Bo to barge right in with her.
“Um, hello,” she said around her toothbrush.
“Morning. You might want to get naked. I plan on doing you in the shower.” He shut the door behind him and kissed her head.
Tina’s mouth dropped open, nearly drooling toothpaste and she scoffed. “Tell me what you really want, why don’t you?”
“I just did.” He winked at her and dropped his drawers.
Holy shit. Bo started the water, giving her a fabulous view of his naked backside. She finished brushing her teeth, awed at how relaxed he was around her. Was this what it would be like to live with him? Totally at ease with him being in her private spaces?
It wasn’t as bad as she imagined.
She shrugged internally and went with it. “You need a toothbrush? I have extras down here.” She moved aside to let him search the lower cabinets.
“Why do you have so many? Good gracious, woman.”
“Daddy prefers we shop in bulk.”
Bo popped to his feet. His face went pale. “Oh my God. Your dad. He’s right downstairs, isn’t he?”
Tina laughed and rinsed her mouth. “Please don’t tell me that just now dawned on you. He was down there all night, Bo.”
His eyes rounded. “He’s not going to shoot me, is he? I mean, I didn’t exactly ask permission to—”
“Bang his daughter?” Tina giggled and unbuttoned her shirt until it slid to the floor. “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.”
Bo tickled her sides and made her squirm. “If he kills me, I’m haunting you.”