“Suck off, man. I asked Jena to stay. What more can I do?”
Grabbing a beer from the cooler, Dax popped the cap and set it down in front of Tyler. He leaned his elbows on the bar and moved in close. “You can’t just whack a ball with a bat and expect it to go where you want, dumbass. You have to follow through.”
“What?”
“Call her. Text her. Talk to her. Let her know you give a shit what her answer is. I bet your stupid ass sat around waiting for her to call you today, didn’t you?”
“I was giving her space.”
Standing straight up, Dax shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t know jack about women, do you? You can’t give them space, man. Women think too much. You give them time to think, and they’ll have racked up a thousand different scenarios, most of which will leave you standing with your dick in your hands wondering what the hell happened. You want them to think a certain way, you’ve got to keep steering the wheel in that direction.”
Tyler stared at Dax as if he’d just jumped off the crazy train. Probably steered that sucker right off the rails before he leaped too. “What the fuck happened to you, man? You’re all poetic and shit now. Riley got you trying to write your own vows or something?”
Dax glared, and Tyler knew he must have hit on some truth. He laughed and took a swig of his beer.
“Don’t make me throw you out, princess.” His gaze swung toward the entrance of the bar. “Especially since your thing just walked in.”
Tyler spun on the stool and spotted Riley and Jena talking to each other as they took their time entering the bar. Jena’s eyes snapped up as if he’d silently called to her, and their gazes held for a moment or two. She broke the connection, whispered something to Riley, and then sauntered toward him. Her sweet, flowery scent took over his senses even before she reached him, and all notions of relationship protocol, cryptic advice, space, time…everything, went out the window. All that mattered was she was close enough to touch. Pulling her in, he kissed her dead on the lips. “I missed you,” he whispered in her ear.
Loosening the hold, he positioned himself to see her beautiful face again.
“You did?” she asked.
“Hell, yes. I’ve wanted to call you all day.” Screw it, he was going all in, but if asked, he refused to give Dax the credit.
Jena smiled, and he knew then, it was the right thing to do. Still not giving Dax the star.
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Honestly, I wanted to give you space. You know, time to think over what we talked about. But that’s not working for me anymore.”
The side of her mouth lifted into a half-grin. “It’s not, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Then what will work for you?”
“The only option left is for you to say yes and come back to my house so you can scream it over and over…and over again.”
She laughed, and then shocked the shit out of him when she said, “Yes.”
Tyler flinched, confused for a moment. What exactly was she saying yes to? Now that the word he wanted to hear was out of her mouth, he wasn’t sure what to do with it. “Just to clarify, is that a yes for both?”
Before she could answer, Riley approached and stood in front of them. “Did she tell you? She’s staying. And you owe me.”
He did a double take as he stared at Riley. “I owe you?”
She looked back at him as if whatever the hell she was talking about should be obvious. “Yeah. Because I’m the one who got her to stay. I’m not saying you couldn’t have done it on your own, but since you played the man card and then didn’t call her all day, someone had to take the lead.”
Tyler darted his gaze toward Dax behind the bar, who was leaning against the counter, arms and legs crossed, looking like the snide, cocky ass he was. Then he let out an I told you so for good measure.
Tyler rolled his eyes and faced Riley again. “Well, then, thank you, Riley.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, and by the way, your mom offered the shop to Jena to start a daycare. Thought you’d want to know.”
“Standing right here,” Jena called out.
Riley spun to her friend and nodded. “Okay. My work is done. You two, carry on.” She walked away and disappeared into the back room with Dax on her heels.
Tyler watched them go, more to allow his thoughts to catch up with the conversation than caring for Dax and Riley’s whereabouts. “What just happened?”
“Um…” Jena let out a nervous chuckle. “Why don’t we sit?” They each perched at the bar facing each other. “I think I might need a beer first.” She appeared to be stalling.
Tyler slid his bottle over to her. She appeared stunned by the move at first but grabbed it anyway.
“Was she serious?” he asked while she chugged.
Jena studied him for a moment. “I take it you didn’t know about your mom’s plan?”
“I’m somewhat confused about what she actually did. Explain it to me.”
“Well, she basically offered to let me rent the shop from her to start up a daycare.”
Tyler felt his eyebrows pinching together. “For the few months you’re staying?” It made absolutely no sense in his head and still didn’t coming from his mouth.
Jena eyed him for a moment or two before answering. “No, after the wedding.” Her tone was tentative as if she might be afraid of his reaction.
His brain took off trying to process what the hell his mother was up to, until everything stopped, and his mom’s words lit up like a neon sign in his head: Get her to stay.
That little devil.
“Did you give her an answer?” he asked.
She shook her head, and his heart faltered. Even though he thought his mom had overstepped her bounds, and definitely should have talked with him first, it hurt to hear Jena had outright rejected the idea.
“I’m still processing it, really,” she said. His heart beat again. Jena laid a hand on his. “And I wouldn’t think of answering her without talking to you first, Tyler. I still can’t believe she didn’t let you know before asking me.”
Holy shit, were the wheels turning. He’d planned on using the time before the wedding to get to know each other more, take their relationship step-by-step and see what happened. If it grew stronger, and he suspected it would—based on how intense his reactions were to her already—he wasn’t opposed to persuading her to stay for the long haul.
Leave it to his mom to build a bridge and take a shortcut.
“Yeah, wow. She’s…that’s my mom for you. Once she has an idea, she runs with it.”
Jena regarded him with wonder.
Tyler wasn’t sure what his features expressed since his emotions were all over the place. Mostly, he was mentally pumping a fist in the air, thankful his mom had butted in giving them this chance. He was also concerned that if Jena accepted the offer, he wouldn’t know if she was staying for her dreams of owning a daycare, or for him. Maybe it was his ego chiming in, but he desperately wanted her to stay for him…for them.
“Did she say when you needed to answer?” he asked.
“Before the wedding. They want to put the shop up on the market if I don’t accept, and it sounds like they are eager to start retirement.”
“Yeah, they are. That’s why they came over the other day. To tell me they were selling the shop. Obviously, the idea to have you take over came after they left.”
“Well, I have some time to decide anyway.”
“So, is that what got you to stay, my mom offering you the shop?” he asked.
“No, I decided before we even went to your mom’s shop. Riley was right, she convinced me this morning at the diner.”
“Oh? And how did she do that?” Had she heard the disappointment in his voice? It wasn’t that he was unhappy about the decision, only that he wasn’t the reason.
“She simply helped me realize I need to be here for her.” She stood and sidled up between his legs until she was as clo
se as they could get in that position. Then she placed a soft kiss on his lips. “But Riley’s not the only reason I want to stay.” Her gaze captured his, the passion in her eyes reeling him in easily.
“Yeah?” he said, with a grin. “What’s the other reason?”
Jena put both hands on his shoulders and leaned in so her legs put pressure on his growing lust for her. “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll show you,” she whispered in his ear.
“I thought you were coming back to my place.” He didn’t care one way or another. Hell, he’d take her right there on the bar if she asked.
“I can’t wait that long.”
And now, neither could he.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Tyler and Jena spent another blissful night together, not all of it in bed. After a few rounds, they came up for air, grabbing food from the bar and eating while watching a movie on the sofa. They talked. A lot. Stories of their childhoods, how they met their friends, embarrassing first dates. They even nailed down the details of the bachelor and bachelorette parties, which would be combined, per request of the bride and groom.
Jena was the happiest she’d been in a long time. Not only because she was in bed with a sex god, and, hot damn, could he make her happy that way, but because she was content, excited even, for the future directly ahead of her. The path leading to her dreams was no longer an ambiguous idea so far away she didn’t know what step to take. Whether it was the right course or not, there was hope and good friends to help support her along the way.
She considered Tyler one of those friends. Beyond the intimacy they shared, he pushed Jena past her comfort zone to follow her dreams, willing to go above and beyond to help her achieve them. Friends did that. The fact she could enjoy the carnal pleasures he was so very capable of too was merely an added bonus, one she seemed to crave more and more every time they were together.
A ringing phone woke them. Jena heard Tyler groan, and then a few slapping noises as he smacked the nightstand in search of the offensive sound.
“This better be important,” he said into the phone, his morning voice sounding more sexy than grumpy. “Shit, what time is it?”
Jena sat up and reached for her own phone, hitting the screen to find it was past eight.
“Why, what’s up?” Tyler sat on the side of the bed.
He was naked, and she let her eyes roam down the muscles of his back, continue past his tapered waist until they settled upon his perfect, tight ass sitting on the mattress. She reached out and ran fingers along those muscles, inching her way to his side. She heard him sigh as his body vibrated with her hand.
He peeked over a shoulder, lifting the corner of his mouth in a sexy smile aimed her way.
“Well, that’s no good,” he told whoever was on the line as he twisted his body, laying a bended knee on the bed. Switching the phone to his other ear, he captured the hand she was slinking around his waist and put it on his eager erection.
As she slowly stroked him, he bit down on his lip and closed his eyes, audibly breathing through his nose.
“What? No, I’m still here. I’m thinking.”
Jena scooted over until her bare breasts pressed against his back, and she kissed the nape of his neck while continuing to pump him up and down. His torso heaved faster and faster with his breaths.
“Let me call you back, Zane,” he growled. “I might…have a solution.”
Without a goodbye, and before she knew what was happening, Jena was on her back with Tyler hovering over her. “You, are a redheaded vixen.”
“Yeah? Do you have a solution to my problem too?”
He kissed her as if his life depended on it, and then eased up. “I have several.” Their lips touched as he spoke. “One includes a handprint on your ass.”
“Ooo…kinky. I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”
“With you? I want to be into a lot of things. But right now, I only want to be in you. Tell me you’re still on the pill.”
Their eyes connected, and she knew exactly why he was asking. She gave him a smile that required no answer, but she said it anyway. “I am.”
“Yeah?” he asked, making sure she knew his meaning.
“Yes, Tyler.”
“Oh, thank God.” And with that, he slammed into her, causing her breath to catch with no promise of ever having it again.
His name shot out on an exhale, as he continued to thrust into her. The pressure built quickly in her core. He lifted his body up, put her leg on his shoulder, and angled himself even deeper inside. He put a thumb on her clit and circled vigorously.
She panted, crying out, pleading with him for more, letting him know she was near the edge.
“That’s it, baby, come for me,” he said, his voice desperate. “I’m going to explode inside you.”
Jena threw her head back, so on the brink…it was almost painful.
“Open your eyes, Jena. I want you to see what you do to me.”
She did as he asked. Their focus connected over their bodies, his eyes full of passion and lust as they locked onto hers, reeling her in so deep it was as though she were inside of him on the edge of the same blissful cliff.
He called out her name, and she tumbled over. Wave after wave, pleasure rocked through her, throbbing her core, radiating fire beneath her skin. Just as it eased, he pounded into her one more time and then burst inside on a long, low moan. Aftershocks of ecstasy roared through her.
They lay together, him on top, his breathing evening out near her ear while she caressed his back with light fingers.
“Is it too much to ask to wake up like that every single day for the rest of my life?” he asked.
She giggled.
He raised up and stared down at her. “What are you laughing at? I’m serious.”
The implications of his words had her eyebrows halfway up her forehead. He smiled and licked his lips before giving her a long, mind-numbing kiss. “A man can dream.”
She put a hand on his cheek. “I like your dreams.”
“You like my fantasies,” he said with a wink. Then he kissed her once more and rolled over until he was lying next to her, pulling her closer to his side.
They lay like that for a time, basking in the afterglow of life-altering sex, mindlessly petting one another.
“Everything okay with Zane?” Jena asked.
“His ex dropped off their daughter unexpectedly, so he can’t help with the barn today.”
“Oh, no. That leaves only you and Dax? Or do you have someone else who can fill in?”
“Actually, I was thinking you could kickstart your career today. You know, start earning your keep.”
Jena stopped brushing her fingers over his divinely cut abs and sat up on an elbow to look at him. “Say again?”
His sly smile taunted her. “You heard me, woman. You need to bring home the bacon. I can’t support us forever, you know.”
She swatted his chest. “You want me to watch Zane’s daughter today? I’ve never even met her. I wouldn’t know what to do with her. We have no place to go. I don’t know Seeton well enough.”
“Holy shit, did you rehearse those excuses, Red?” He grabbed her shoulders. “Stop. Breathe. If you owned a daycare, you wouldn’t know the kids until they came in either. Her name is Hannah, and she’s four years old. Four-year-olds love everything. I’m sure Riley wouldn’t mind you hanging out at the farmhouse. I already know Hannah enjoys the horses. There’s also a kids’ park in town you can take her to if she gets bored doing that. It’s right by the school.”
“Where’s the school?”
“Near the diner.”
Jena thought it over. She’d need to start somewhere if she was going to pay her way living in Seeton for the next few months. Getting to know the children in town, along with their parents, would probably be a good place to begin, if she ended up accepting Lynn’s offer. She could get a start on establishing a reputation as a reliable caregiver.
But, damn, it sure seemed
like she was being thrown in without a life raft.
Screw it. It was either sink or swim.
She gave Tyler a definitive nod. “Okay.”
His eyebrows shot up as if he weren’t really expecting her to take him up on the offer. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Great. I’ll call Zane and tell him he’s got a babysitter.”
She laid a hand on his stomach, her expression serious. “If he’s okay with it, Tyler. I really should meet Hannah first. Even at a daycare, parents bring them in to make sure it’s a fit for their child.”
He touched her cheek with gentle fingertips. “I agree. But, honestly, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to spend time with you. I’m already jealous of a four-year-old.”
She felt the heat in her cheeks. “You are such a smooth talker.”
“Will it get you in my bed tonight?” The smirk he sported deepened a dimple on the side of his mouth.
“If you’re lucky.”
Tyler shot up and flipped her onto her back as easily as he had before. She was going to need to watch for signs if it became a habit. Then she felt his hard length nestle between her thighs and decided signs weren’t that important.
“I’m feeling kind of lucky right now,” he said.
“Again? Don’t you have to call Zane back and get to work? Me too, for that matter?”
“I have a feeling this won’t take long, babe.”
***
“Hannah, this is Jena. Jena, Hannah.” Zane made the introductions as he kneeled next to his daughter in the middle of Dax and Riley’s living room.
She was a sweet, seemingly shy girl, who tucked into her father’s body as much as she could. Her long, dark hair that curled on the ends was pulled up into a haphazard ponytail, and Jena wondered if it was Zane’s attempt at styling a young girl’s mane or a natural result of toddler-ism.
Bending down to Hannah’s level, she gave a comforting smile meant to set the girl at ease. “Hello, Hannah. It’s very nice to meet you.” The girl peeked up through thick, dark lashes, but only stared at the hand Jena stuck out between them. Uncertainty set in, but she pushed through it. “You want to have some fun today?” The little girl’s eyes sparked as they darted up to meet Jena’s gaze, but she remained silent.
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