Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  “Have you ever gone to Disneyland?” he asked.

  “No. I always wanted to and I think it’s something I’d like to do with Lucas when he’s just a little older.” She smiled at him. “I have to plan it so I have time to recuperate afterward before going back to work. I hear a Disney vacation isn’t particularly relaxing.”

  “I’ve heard that. I think Quinn and Anna have been trying to plan something too, and I don’t know, maybe all of the Shaughnessys would go, but you should ask her about it. It’s more fun when you go with the group. Of course, they’re going to the Florida Disney and not the California one.”

  “I don’t think I’d mind which one we went to, as long as Lucas had fun.”

  “How could he not, right?”

  It was a perfectly normal conversation. Nothing that should have his mind wandering to anything sexy, yet all he had to do was look at her and his mind went there. Maybe offering to drive her home hadn’t been the smartest idea.

  A little too late to come to that realization, dummy, he chided himself.

  Two minutes later they pulled into her driveway and climbed out of the truck. He thought about offering to just wait outside but realized he was being a little overdramatic. Surely they could handle being alone in her house together without him pouncing.

  Maybe.

  Teagan unlocked the door and Bobby followed her into the house. “Just give me five minutes and we’ll be good to go,” she called out as she walked to Lucas’s room.

  While she was gone, he took a minute to look around the space. He’d been in her house twice before but never really noticed the details. She had a ton of framed photos on display, mostly of her and Lucas, and they made him smile. His sister had done the same thing when she lived here. Walking over to the built-in bookshelves, he examined some of the photographs more closely. There was one of Teagan holding a newborn Lucas. She looked so young, and so happy. Unable to help himself, he reached out and touched the picture as if he could actually feel them.

  He moved over to the next picture, when Lucas was maybe a year old and Teagan was blowing bubbles. Next was a birthday picture where the boy had cake all over his face. The more Bobby looked, the more he realized it was like watching Lucas grow up right before his eyes. In every picture, Teagan smiled so beautifully, so happily, that it wasn’t hard to see how much she loved being a mother.

  The last picture was of her wearing a cap and gown and holding Lucas. It didn’t appear to be from that long ago. He remembered her telling him about getting her master’s and figured that’s what the photo had to be from. It was hard to imagine taking on as much as Teagan had. Bobby imagined some people would abandon their dream of finishing their education if they were in her shoes. But she had done it and now she was getting ready to tackle a new job in a new state, and…damn. Did she ever just want to give up? Throw in the towel because it was too hard? How did she find the strength to keep going?

  Here he was facing one obstacle and he was ready throw in the towel.

  “It wasn’t easy balancing the cap and tassel on my head with a four-year-old who thought it was some sort of pull toy,” she said softly from right next to him. “Luckily, my mom is quick with a camera and got the shot before he pulled the cap off my head completely.” She was smiling as she looked at the picture.

  “You’ve got some great memories here,” he said, his voice a little gruff. He cleared his throat. “You’ve done an amazing job with Lucas. He’s a great kid. You can see how happy he is just by looking at these pictures.”

  “Or maybe we’re just good at capturing him at the right moment,” she teased. “I told you my mom is good with a camera.”

  He knew she was trying to make light of the compliment, but he wouldn’t have it. Facing her, he reached out and caressed her cheek. It was impossible not to. “It’s not a trick of the camera or just getting him at the right moment. It’s you, Teagan. You did all this. You’re raising an amazing kid because you’re an amazing mom.” He paused and moved just a little bit closer. “But that’s not all there is to you, you know. You’re an incredibly beautiful, talented, and sexy woman.”

  “Bobby,” she said, but it was barely a whisper.

  Taking it as a good sign that she wasn’t nearly as unaffected as she’d like him to believe, he moved in closer still. Her big, beautiful eyes gazed up at him and he saw the same desire there that he knew mirrored his own.

  It was too much. Being this close to her tested him beyond his self-control. Bending slightly, he lowered his head until their lips were nothing but a breath apart. “Tell me to stop.”

  But she didn’t. Instead, she shook her head and surprised him by saying, “I can’t.”

  He said a quick prayer of thanks just before his lips touched hers. For as much as he thought his self-control was gone, the moment Teagan leaned into him, it was back. Where he thought he wanted to plunder, all he could do was slowly sip at her, taste her, until they both sank into the kiss. Bobby’s hands cupped her face as his tongue teased at her lips. He was content to keep doing this, to do this and never stop, but then her hands grazed up his chest, over his shoulder, and up into his hair. Her nails raked along his scalp and that’s when he knew he was wrong.

  He wanted more.

  Much more.

  Her lips opened to his, their tongues touched, and all hints of slow and sweet were gone. Now he wanted to devour. His hands got in on the action as they moved from the soft skin of her face down over her throat and around to her bare back. All afternoon he’d been dying to touch her there. Her skin was hot and smooth, and he knew she’d feel like that all over. His hands fairly twitched with the need to explore and find out.

  Standing in the middle of the living room wasn’t working for him. He needed to lay her down on a soft surface and feel her under him, over him. Slowly, he maneuvered them until they were next to her couch, and then he guided her down. Teagan went willingly, and as he lay down beside her, she simply wrapped herself around him.

  He was a goner.

  Never had the simple act of kissing a woman aroused him so much. Never had he felt so consumed to touch and savor being touched. This? Right here, right now with Teagan? Was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. It would only get better. It had to.

  He moved his lips to kiss her cheek, her shoulder, and then up to the sensitive spot right below her ear. She tasted even better than she felt. He could feast on her for hours, and with the way she was moving against him, he knew she wouldn’t mind. Bobby kissed, licked, and touched everywhere he could reach. He murmured her name against her skin and loved the way she trembled in his arms.

  For her part, Teagan was still holding his head, tugging his hair, and it was sexy as hell. He wanted to keep moving his way down her body but wasn’t sure he could be so bold with her. Not yet. But then she was guiding him and moving so his lips hovered over her breasts. In that moment, he felt like the universe must really love him, because he was being rewarded for something in ways he hadn’t dared imagine.

  Through the thin fabric of her top, he kissed her, savored her. Then he settled in against her breast and they both sighed at the contact. Flicking his tongue against her nipple felt wildly erotic. Teagan’s back arched as she cried out his name.

  That was like hitting the launch button.

  Need for her threatened to overwhelm him. There was so much more he wanted to do to her, with her. As much as he was enjoying making her squirm, the need to hear her cry out his name again and again took over.

  Quickly, he moved back up and captured her lips, kissing her until they were both breathless. He settled over her, between her legs, and the contact as he nestled between her thighs was like finding heaven. Suddenly, he was sixteen again and ready to make his big move right there on a living room sofa, and he didn’t even care. It wasn’t until he rocked his hips, rubbed against her, that Teagan broke the kiss.
She was breathless, her lips red and wet, and he was ready to dive in for another taste before she stopped him.

  She looked up at him, her eyes a little dazed. “Bobby,” she began, taking a minute to catch her breath, “we have to… I mean, we can’t… I’m not ready for this. I’m sorry.”

  Those last two words did it. He quickly moved off her—off the couch entirely—and sat heavily on the one opposite it. He raked a hand through his hair and did his best to catch his breath before looking at her. Once he did, she was sitting up, looking completely tousled and sexy, and he practically had to sit on his own hands to keep from reaching for her again.

  And he actually groaned when she licked her lips.

  “Okay, look,” he said, hoping he sounded calm and reasonable, “please don’t freak out on me. Please. I feel like we keep taking one step forward and then, like, ten back.” He paused because she wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at her hands, tightly clasped in her lap. “Teagan?”

  He could tell she was nervous. She smoothed her hair and fidgeted in her seat for a moment. “I—I don’t even know what to say,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “That was all…unexpected.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” he said with a little more heat than was necessary. He was seriously frustrated, and he wasn’t going to let her shut him out again. “You and I both know why it happened, and that it will probably happen again.” He jumped to his feet. “So why keep denying it?”

  Now it was her turn to stand. “Because I have to! I’ve already explained my position to you, and I can’t keep saying it over and over. You have to accept my feelings!”

  It was a crock of bull and they both knew it.

  Taking the two steps to face her, he countered, “For someone who keeps saying she’s not looking to get involved, you certainly didn’t do anything to stop what just happened! I asked you to tell me to stop and you said you couldn’t. There is no way I’m taking all the blame for this. That’s not fair.”

  She covered her face with her hands, and he felt awful for losing his temper. Taking a steadying breath, they sat down beside each other.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was uncalled for.”

  Lowering her hands, she looked at him. “You don’t have to apologize, Bobby—I do. You’re right. I knew exactly what I was doing, and what I wanted, and it was wrong of me to try and put the blame on you.”

  Her apology made him feel only marginally better. “I don’t think we need to be assigning blame. What we need to do is talk about this, because—let’s face it—it’s not going away. We can both acknowledge we’re attracted to one another, and after what just happened here, I think we can also agree we both want more than to be friends.”

  And then he held his breath, because he seriously thought she’d deny it.

  She didn’t.

  Looking back down at her hands, she said, “I don’t know how to do that. My life is…it’s complicated. There’s no way I can enter into some casual affair. Not even for you.”

  She was ripping his heart in two and didn’t even realize it.

  “Who says it has to be casual?” The question surprised him, even as he was speaking it.

  The look on her face showed she was equally stunned.

  “I’m serious,” he said, reaching for her hands. “I know all about you, Teagan. I’m aware that you’re a mother first, and nothing is more important than that. I’m just asking for a chance to be a part of your life.”

  She was about to answer—he saw it in her eyes—but her phone rang, ruining the moment. Reaching for her purse, she grabbed the phone and answered. From what he could overhear, it was one of her parents asking where she was and when she’d be back. Apparently, they were getting ready to serve the cake.

  So this…whatever it was would have to wait.

  Again.

  Once she hung up, she turned toward him, her expression sad. “We, um, we need to get back.”

  Desperate times called for desperate measures. “We’re not done with this.”

  “I know, I know,” she said wearily. “But now’s not the time.”

  “Let me come back with you tonight,” he said, hating the desperation in his voice. “Lucas won’t be here, there won’t be any interruptions. Please.”

  Her eyes went wide. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “Because… I, um…”

  Bobby walked over to her and just as he had earlier, cupped her face in his hands. “You’ve accused me of walking away whenever things got uncomfortable, and I’ll admit that it’s a bad habit of mine. But now it’s you who’s running. All I’m asking for is you to please sit and talk with me. That’s it. Just talk.”

  She frowned and it was cute as hell. “I think we both know that’s a lie. We may say it now, but later on…”

  Yeah. He knew it too and was glad he wasn’t the only one thinking that way. “I’m not willing to let this go, Teagan. I can’t.”

  Her shoulders sagged with defeat. “You’re right.”

  He’d give everything he had to know what she was thinking right now. Was she even aware of just how much he wanted her, how much he wanted simply to be alone with her for any amount of time she was willing to give him?

  He nodded. “Okay, then. We’ll come back here after the party and…talk.”

  With a nod of her own, she moved away from him to pick up Lucas’s bag. Neither spoke as they left or for the entirety of the ride back to the party. As soon as he parked the truck, he let her walk into the yard alone while he sat and watched.

  How was he going to survive the rest of the day knowing tonight he’d finally have her all to himself?

  * * *

  The party was winding down, only a handful of people left. Teagan was sitting around one of the patio tables along with her cousins—and Bobby. While she loved having this time with her family, it was hard to focus on anything anyone was saying. She could feel his eyes on her, just as she had felt his hands on her earlier.

  God, what had she been thinking? If the phone hadn’t rung when it did, she believed she would have begged Bobby to make love to her. She’d been so far gone, so overcome with need for him, that it was all she’d wanted.

  And if she were honest, it was still what she wanted.

  No doubt all she had to do was say the word and he’d give her exactly that. And no doubt she’d enjoy every single second of it. Then why did she feel so…bad about it all? Why was she second- and even third-guessing herself? She’d been celibate for six years, for crying out loud! Wasn’t she entitled to have one night of fun for herself?

  Really, no matter what Bobby said, she knew he wasn’t interested in more than that. His reputation spoke for itself. Right now she was a novelty. Something he wanted but couldn’t have. Once he had her, he’d be more than okay with moving on.

  But would she?

  It wasn’t as if she’d have a choice. She was an adult, and surely she could handle having one night with a man she found to be incredibly sexy and attractive and… She sighed.

  Everything.

  Bobby Hannigan was really the total package. So why not take that one night? If her heart broke afterward, it would be all right. It had been broken before and she’d survived. Barely, but she’d survived. The only difference was this time, no one would know. Any grief and disappointment she felt would be hers and hers alone.

  And if she had to avoid certain family gatherings for a while just so there weren’t any awkward encounters, then…so be it. It wasn’t the end of the world, right?

  Feeling confident that she could not only do this, but do it with few to no regrets, Teagan finally felt like she could breathe. All around her people were talking and laughing, and when Aidan asked her about her new job as the guidance counselor at the local elementary school, she was excited to re
ply.

  Soon the sun was setting and the kids clamored to get their sleeping bags ready. Quinn promised to order pizzas, which made them even more excited to head inside.

  “So what are you going to do with yourself tonight?” Anna asked. “You’ll have the house all to yourself!”

  Smiling, Teagan replied, “I don’t really have anything planned, but I think there’s a glass of wine and a good book in my future.”

  “Ooo, that does sound good,” Zoe chimed in. “I can’t remember the last time I had the entire place to myself.”

  Aidan looked at his wife and frowned. “I haven’t had the place to myself either, you know.”

  Before they could go any further, Riley spoke up. “It’s not a competition, kids,” he teased and then looked over at Bobby. “What about you, Hannigan? Now that you’re free of your sling, I bet you’re out on the prowl again.”

  Teagan shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

  “Nah,” Bobby said with a small laugh.

  “Oh, come on,” Aidan said with a laugh of his own. “You’re in town for the weekend, it’s like seven o’clock on a Saturday night, and you’re telling us you have no plans to go down to the pub and find a hookup?”

  For his part, Bobby didn’t look at all put out by the questions. “That’s what I’m sayin’.”

  Quinn snorted as he stood up. “Right. Because you enjoy sitting in your parents’ living room watching reruns of Law & Order. Come on, dude. Fess up! We all know it’s what you’re gonna do. It’s what you always do. Why deny it?”

  Before Bobby could respond, Teagan rose. “I think I’m going to go kiss Lucas good night and head out. That peace and quiet is definitely calling my name!”

  She kissed her cousins goodbye before heading into the house to do the same with her son.

  “Be good for Anna and Quinn, okay?” she said as she hugged him close.

  “I will, Mom, I promise,” he said before he scrambled out of her arms and ran to join his cousins.

  For a minute, she stood and stared after him. It wasn’t until Anna came up next to her and put her arm around Teagan that she turned her head. “He’s going to have a great time, don’t worry about a thing. Why don’t you pick him up tomorrow after lunch—say around two? Will that work?”