Betting Bad

by Cathryn Fox

  “Tyler, this place is amazing.”

  “I thought you’d like it.”

  “How did you get it? These places book up years in advance.”

  He averts my gaze. “I had a friend help me out. He has many connections.”

  I can tell he doesn’t want me to push, so I say, “You didn’t need to get a place so upscale.”

  He gives a casual shrug, but I can’t fight the unease in my stomach. He makes minimum wage at the BSA, and he’s been buying groceries for his family, and paying some of Gracie’s expenses. He can’t afford this. Unless he’s making money some other way, a way that has to do with the connections he just mentioned. I give a hard shake of my head. I hate myself for those ugly thoughts, but sometimes it’s hard to forget the past.

  “Don’t worry about it, Sara,” he counters, obviously reading between the lines.

  “Ty,” I say. “I want to go splits on it with you.”

  “No. It’s covered.”

  “But—”

  “Sara, really, it’s covered. I had some money put away for a new bike. It’s no big deal.”

  My stomach tightens. No big deal? Of course it’s a big deal. He was pretty upset when his bike was stolen. It meant a lot to him. “You didn’t have to do this. Not for me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re way more important than any bike.” He looks down and the muscles along his jaw clench. When his gaze seeks mine out again, I get the sense that he wants to tell me something.

  I put my hand on his arm and his muscles tighten. “Ty?”

  “We should get showered, and grab a quick nap before the parade.” He checks the dashboard on his car. “It passes by here around nine thirty, so we should be on the sidewalk by seven if we want to get a good spot.”

  “That’s in four hours,” I groan.

  A man comes from the hotel and makes his way to Ty’s side of the vehicle. We both climb out and Ty hands his keys to the valet and gives him a tip. The valet pops the trunk, and hands us our luggage. Ty takes both pieces and we make out way inside the grand entrance with the spectacular statue in the middle of the lobby.

  People are bustling about, some checking in, some checking out, and some lounging at the on-site bar. “This place is amazing,” I whisper.

  “Come on.”

  I follow him to the counter, and a very nice man named Seymour checks us in and points to the bank of elevators we need to take to the fifteenth floor.

  “Ah, wait,” I say, understanding Ty isn’t a fan of enclosed spaces. “Do you have anything on a lower level?”

  “I’m not sure I do,” Seymour says, as he presses buttons on his keyboard.

  Ty puts his hand on my back and I turn to him. “It’s okay,” he says quietly, then glances at Seymour. “The fifteenth floor is fine.”

  Tyler captures my hand, and we step onto the elevator together. I give him a reassuring smile, and he squeezes my hand. It’s nice to see him relaxed like this, working to put the past behind him. We ride up along with another couple and I stifle a yawn as we make our way down the hall. Ty passes the keycard over the lock and we step inside.

  I flick the light on and catalogue the gorgeous room. “This is so nice, Tyler.”

  He drops the bag, comes up behind me and presses a kiss to my neck. “We have it for three nights.”

  I eye the big queen-sized bed. “I can’t believe we have to get up in a few hours.”

  He gives me a playful whack on the ass. “Maybe it’s not worth sleeping at all. I’m sure I can find another way to pass the hours.”

  “As fun as that sounds,” I say, desperate to enjoy every moment of the weekend, “if we want to play tourist, we need rest.”

  “True enough.” He yawns and I say, “Come on, let’s have a quick shower and get to bed. You’re exhausted.”

  We both jump into the shower for a quick rinse, and I set my phone to go off at six before we climb into bed. Tyler pulls me in close and I let my eyes fall shut as his warmth and strength wrap around me. Honest to God, it feels so good to be held by him like this, to pretend nothing exists in this world but the two of us. He’s not the same man he was when he left all those years ago, but deep inside, I still see so many glimpses of my Ty. I swallow against the tightness in my throat, and strive to enjoy this while it lasts.

  Before I know it, my damn alarm is going off.

  “Fuck,” Tyler says from the other side of the bed.

  I turn to face him and laugh. “This was your idea, pal.”

  “Yeah, I know, let’s go,” he says, his mood changing quickly, his childlike enthusiasm back in place. I smile. I love when he’s like this. He jumps from the bed, and stark naked, he makes his way to the window and pulls back the curtains.

  “Ah, that might be considered public indecency.”

  “If I’m going to get in trouble, why don’t you come over here with me and we’ll really put on a show.”

  “I’m not into exhibitionism, Tyler.”

  “No? Just voyeurism?”

  “Nope, not that either,” I shoot back.

  His grin is playful, mischievous. “You could have fooled me.”

  I rub my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “You haven’t taken your eyes off my cock since I turned around.”

  I groan, grab a pillow and toss it at him. “Time to wake up, Ty. I think you’re still dreaming.”

  He catches it and tosses it back onto the bed beside me. “If you want my cock, then come and get it.”

  “I don’t want it,” I shoot back. A lie. I had been staring at his early morning erection.

  He crosses the room, falls over me, and pins my arms above my head. His grin is deliciously dirty as he pushes his cock between my legs. I open for him, instantly and readily. It’s futile to pretend I don’t want him.

  “What about the parade?” I ask as his mouth seeks mine.

  “I’ll be fast.”

  “When aren’t you?” I tease.

  He pushes my hair from my face and my heart nearly stops when I see the tenderness in his gaze as he stares down at me. “Hey, watch that smart mouth of yours, or I’ll put it to better use.”

  I wet my lips as I slide my legs around his back. “I like the idea of that, and if we didn’t have a parade to get to, I’d push you on your back and take you into my mouth.”

  His cock throbs between my legs. “Fuck, girl, I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “It’s a plan. Now inside me. Hurry,” I say and in one quick thrust he enters me. He pumps deep and it doesn’t take long to take me to the edge. “You’re not the only one who’s going to be fast,” I say breathlessly, as I run my hands over his body and cup his ass.

  “Fuck, Sara,” he murmurs, changing position to seat himself in deeper. He slides a hand between our bodies and the second he touches my clit, I tumble into an orgasm. I squeeze around him, and two seconds later he’s flying with me, our breaths coming in ragged bursts as we give another little piece of ourselves to each other.

  He collapses on top of me and we just hold on to one another, neither wanting to be the one to break the contact, but when we hear a lot of noise on the street below, he groans and rolls off me. “Tonight,” he says, sliding out of me. “More of that.”

  “And my mouth,” I tease, rubbing my hand along his cock.

  “That is the plan,” he says. He stands and drags me up with him. “Come on. Let’s shower, grab a bite to eat downstairs, and get outside.”

  Thirty minutes later we’re scarfing down muffins and coffee, and hurrying outside to get a good spot on the sidewalk. We could see the parade from our room, but it wouldn’t be the same experience as standing in the cold with the crowd. I hug myself, and Ty takes up position behind me. He pulls me to his chest and links his arm in front of me, warming me with his body. The street fills up, and people close in on us. Normally I would hate the claustrophobic feeling, but I feel so safe in Tyler’s arms. I could stand here with him holding
me for the rest of my life.

  Oh, God.

  I shouldn’t be having thoughts like that. I should be thinking about my future, of looking for another job in Indiana, so I can finally get my dad to retire. But I don’t want to go to Indiana without Tyler.

  “You okay?” Tyler asks, like he can sense the battle going on inside me.

  “Yup,” I say, and then point to a couple across the street, to the girl with her hand over her protruding stomach. “What do you think they’re saying?” I ask, my mind tripping back to the time I tried to play the game with Caleb. But thoughts of Caleb, and having to go to court in a few weeks to testify, bring on a shiver.

  Tyler must mistake it for me being cold. He runs his hands up and down my arms to create friction and puts his mouth next to my ear. “I think she just told him they were having twins.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, look at his face. It’s like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

  I chuckle. “I think I’d cry.”

  “Not me,” he says.

  I turn in his arms until I’m facing him. When our eyes meet and I see the ‘little boy lost’ look on his face, it’s all I can do not to sob. I bite the inside of my mouth to keep the tears at bay, but don’t miss the sound his throat makes when he swallows, like he too is remembering more things on our bucket list—like having our own family.

  “Twins do run in my family, remember,” he says, his voice hitching slightly.

  “Yeah, your grandmother was a twin, I remember.” I turn from him, unable to take the sadness on his face as he looks at the couple across the street. “I think she’s saying she’s a bit afraid.”

  “I think he’s saying she has nothing to fear, that he’ll make sure nothing ever happens to her or the babies.”

  At this point I can no longer talk, so I just stand there, a few tears slipping down my face as I really hear what Tyler is saying to me.

  I glance around, looking for a distraction, anything to help keep a big ugly cry at bay, when cheers erupt. I swallow. Hard. Then I say, “Look, the parade is coming!” Floats rise up over the city. “It’s Snoopy,” I say and Tyler’s soft chuckle in my ear curls through my blood, warming me from the inside out.

  I clap as the floats go by, and wave to the people hanging off the sides or riding inside the vehicles. Balloons fill the air, and I grab my phone and take a few pictures so I can savor the memories later. The truth is, I still can’t quite believe I’m here.

  “Look,” Ty says and points to the marching band coming. The crowd grows louder, and it’s hard to hear over the music. Bedside me a man lifts his daughter and sets her onto his shoulders, and when I turn to see Tyler, take in the way he’s looking at the family, my lungs squeeze. The look on his face says it all.

  He wants that.

  Then why oh why did he run guns and rob us both of a future, a family?

  “Angry Birds,” the little girl shouts, and Ty’s gaze jerks away. “It’s Scrat from Ice Age,” she squeals, and her father pats her knee and laughs.

  “Look Katy, Elf on the Shelf is coming,” the father says.

  Little Katy claps, and I turn from them to watch the parade. Laughter and clapping surrounds us, as I concentrate on the parade and remind myself what this weekend is really about.

  “Having fun?” Ty asks, his mouth close to my ear. His warmth sizzles through me.

  “Big fun,” I say. “You?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  I focus back in on the street, and Ty continues to warm me from behind until Santa in his sleigh goes by, waving to the crowd and signaling the end of the parade.

  I turn, and wrap my hands around Tyler’s shoulders, go up on my toes and kiss him.

  “What was that for?” he asks, taking his bottom lip between his teeth, like he’s tasting me.

  “For coming up with this idea.”

  “I can’t wait to see how I’m rewarded after Rockefeller.” He tugs my hand. “Come on, let’s get a hot cup of coffee and go skating.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Fighting our way through the crowd, we go back into the hotel, grab a hot coffee, and make our way to the rink. My eyes go wide by the time we get there. “God, that line. We’ll be in it for hours.”

  He shrugs. “I’m okay with that if you are.”

  I think for a minute. “Sure, why not?” We take our place in line, and Ty glances around.

  “Hot dog?”

  “Mmm, New York street food. Another thing on my bucket list,” I tease.

  He takes my empty coffee cup, and says, “Wait here.”

  He disappears into the crowd, and I look around, watching all the people, and wondering what their story is and what conversations they might be having with each other. When Ty finally comes back, he’s carrying two big hotdogs.

  “Ketchup and mustard, hold the onions,” he says as he hands it to me.

  “You remembered.”

  “I don’t forget anything, Sara,” he says and takes a big bite. He chews and his eyes roll. “Jesus, this is the best hot dog I’ve ever had.”

  “You get that from Drew’s truck?” a male voice asks from behind us.

  We both turn, and I take in the guy and the girl standing there holding hands. “Yeah,” Ty says.

  “We had them yesterday, they were awesome.”

  With that I bite into mine, and much like Ty, I roll my eyes as I chew. “Ohmigod, you’re right.”

  The girl chuckles. “Good, eh?” she says.

  “Delicious.”

  “I’m Peter, by the way,” the guy says and holds his hand out. We both shake it then he introduces his wife, Cheryl.

  “I’m Tyler, and this is Sara my…wife.” My gaze darts to his and when I find him looking at me, warmth in his gaze, I smile back and play along.

  “Where you from?” Peter asks.

  “Chicago. We drove through last night. How about you?”

  “Nova Scotia. We’re actually on our honeymoon.”

  “Oh, how nice,” I say, and smile at Cheryl.

  “It is, but now I’m rethinking my decision not to go to Jamaica.” she says hugging herself to ward off the chill. Peter drags her to him and the loving way he holds her is identical to the way Ty holds me. We eat our hotdogs and fall into conversation with our new Canadian friends. I love they way they talk and sometimes add ‘eh’ to the end of their sentences.

  The rest of the morning slips by as we get to know each other and it’s early afternoon by the time we finally make it to the rink. We get into our skates, and I feel a bit wobbly in them as Ty helps me onto the ice.

  “Should we see if they have helmet rentals,” he teases.

  “Not funny.” I whack at him, but he skates backward out of my reach.

  “A little funny,” he says.

  “Come here. I’ll show you just how funny I think you are.”

  “Nope. You’ll have to catch me first.” He skates away and I push off the boards to go after him. He’s so damn graceful as he moves in between the other people, I can’t help but want to just stare at him. For a big, tough guy, he moves with a grace few men have. I’m not the only one noticing him, either. He’s caught the eye of a few other women, who seem to be following him around, closing the distance.

  Oh, hell no!

  I take a few glides until I’m a little more stable, then cut across the rink. I skate right into him and nearly knock us both to our asses. Tyler laughs and grabs me to help right us both. When we’re finally stable, I go up on my picks and kiss him again.

  “If I had known you were going to show me how funny I was with a kiss, I wouldn’t have fled.”

  I angle my head and the girls scowl at me as they skate by. “Come on,” I say. I hold his hand and we skate together, the cool afternoon air in our faces, and my skates are a bit too tight, but I’m having too much fun to care. We laugh and touch as we skate, and Ty shifts to skate backwards, while holding both of my hands. Lost to everything but this man and th
e fun I’m having, our half hour flies by.

  “That went way too fast,” I say, breathless but exhilarated.

  “I didn’t make any plans for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, though, we should hit the Empire State building first thing, so we can avoid the long line.”

  “You made plans for later,” I remind him.

  We pull our skates off, and slide back into our boots. “I did?” he asks, as a bubble of excitement wells up inside me. Honest to God, I’m having so much fun here I feel like a giddy schoolgirl.

  He keeps eyeing in me as we move through the crowd and return our skates. When we’re finally away from the rink, he says. “You going to remind me or do I have to guess?”

  “Well, there was something you said about my mouth?”

  His grin turns wicked. “Now how the hell could I ever forget a plan like that?”

  Hand in hand we maneuver through the busy crowd and make our way back to our hotel. When we finally enter our room, we’re both practically vibrating with need. It’s insane how happy I am, how much I want him right now.

  I sit on the edge of the bed and crook my finger. “Come here, big boy.”

  We fall into bed together, our bodies tired after such little sleep and an early morning, but neither wants to give up making love for rest. We come together as one, our lovemaking less hurried than this morning, but ever bit as touching and powerful. After a glorious round of sex, we fall asleep, only to wake up sometime in the early evening.

  “Hey, babe,” he says quietly, the bed dipping beside me as he shifts.

  “Hey,” I say and roll toward him.

  “Hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “Do you want to go out or just get room service?”