“I shouldn’t have to prove anything to him. Or anyone, for that matter,” he said emphatically. “The way I live my life isn’t anyone’s business, and nothing I ever did hurt any of them. So why am I being punished for it?”
Okay, things were starting to get just a wee bit out of control, and the last thing she wanted was for their night to be ruined before it even started.
In the blink of an eye, she was straddling his lap and kissing him soundly on the lips. When she raised her head a minute later, she rested her forehead against his. “Let’s not think of any of that tonight. Tonight, let’s go and have something to eat, maybe take a walk on the beach, and then come back here and enjoy having the place to ourselves. I missed you.”
That seemed to do the trick. She could feel him relax and it made her smile. “We do still have one problem,” she said with a small sigh.
“What’s that?”
“It’s still early. Too early to go to dinner.” She hummed and leaned in just a little, pressing her breasts against his chest. “What are we going to do until then?” She pretended to think about it. “Maybe we can walk around town, do a little shopping, or maybe go to that sweet art gallery on Main. What do you think?”
Getting in touch with my inner vixen is way too much fun.
“How do you feel about dessert before dinner?” he asked.
She purred and then smiled as she felt him harden beneath her. “That seems awfully…naughty.”
One hand came up and cupped her nape. “I think you enjoy being naughty, Teagan,” he growled against her lips. “And you’re very good at it. Believe me.”
“How about I prove it? You know, just in case,” she said, a little breathless with anticipation.
Rather than answer, he stood and carried her to the bedroom.
* * *
It wasn’t like Bobby was prone to paranoia, but it seemed like he was experiencing more than his fair share of bad luck on a night that had started off so well.
When they’d left Teagan’s house, he felt like the luckiest man in the world. They had made love, showered together, and then made love again. They were both ravenous for something to eat and she was so excited about going to this seafood place that he had forgotten he’d briefly dated the hostess.
“Hey, Bobby,” Victoria had all but purred when she saw him. She’d completely ignored Teagan and run her hand over his bicep. “It’s been way too long. Are you in town for the weekend?”
He’d practically tripped over his own tongue as he tried to deflect her while apologizing to Teagan.
Victoria finally took the hint but gave him a wink as she led them to their table and wished them a good night.
That’s when Kate—another ex from a brief fling—showed up to take their order. She wasn’t quite as bold as Victoria, but brazen nonetheless.
And all the while, Teagan kept a smile on her face.
Once they finished eating and he paid the check, he all but dragged her from the restaurant and breathed a sigh of relief. They walked down to the beach and he felt like he could finally relax. Taking Teagan’s hand, he was all set to ask her about how she was enjoying living by the ocean when someone called out his name.
You have got to be kidding me.
When he turned, he spotted Bree Tanner. His former partner. He held in the curse he was dying to let out and forced a smile onto his face. Bree was one of the reasons he had moved away. After getting assigned to work together, he’d found himself attracted to her, and he’d acted on it.
And things had gotten awkward fast.
Bree really wasn’t into him at all, had told him so right to his face, and even though he knew it, working with her became a major distraction. His biggest blunder of all had been losing his focus so badly that he’d gone to protect her when they were in the middle of an arrest. There had been a very real chance he was going to get hurt, or worse, hurt someone else because he wasn’t paying attention.
The next day he’d put out feelers and started the process of changing jobs, changing cities, and changing his entire life.
Now as she walked closer, he wondered what he’d ever seen in her. She was tall, blond, and very curvy, with a take-charge attitude. Bobby glanced at Teagan, who was observing all of this—again—with mild amusement. The two women were as different as night and day, just like Teagan had been different from Victoria and Kate in the restaurant, and he seriously had to wonder what the hell he had ever been thinking. The woman standing beside him was so much more of a match for him than anyone he’d ever met, and if they ever got a few minutes alone, he was going to tell her so.
“Hey, Bobby! I thought that was you,” Bree said, walking up to them. She was in a black one-piece bathing suit that really showcased her physique, but it did nothing for him. “How are you? I heard you got shot. Everything okay?”
As much as he hated talking about it, it had gotten easier the more time had passed. So he recounted the story of what had gone down in the convenience store and how his recovery was going.
“Basically, things are healing the way they should, but slowly,” he said. “Thankfully, I’ve got a great support network around me, including this girl here.” He squeezed Teagan’s hand and then introduced her to Bree. “We used to work together.”
Teagan didn’t react and her smile never wavered. “It’s nice to meet you, Bree.”
“Same,” Bree said, smiling. “You’ve got one of the good guys. Seriously, we all miss him around here.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Bobby said, feeling mildly uncomfortable. “You’ve got a great squad and I heard the guy who replaced me was awesome.”
Bree shook her head. “He left about three months ago. Took a position up in Raleigh because he got bored. Thought we were too much of a small town.”
“Really?” That was interesting. Maybe he’d look into coming back.
“In case you’re interested,” Bree went on, “the position is still open. I know Captain Holt would love to talk to you.”
Now probably wasn’t the time to be thinking about it, but he couldn’t help it. This was the first bit of good news he’d had since he and Teagan had walked out of her house that evening. If he could get his doctor to sign off, he’d be completely open to reapplying here and moving back. And not just because of Teagan but…yeah, who was he kidding. She was his main motivation.
“Want me to put in the word to Holt? Maybe you can give him a call while you’re in town,” Bree suggested.
“I’m still waiting on clearance,” he explained. “Maybe once that happens I’ll reach out to him. But thanks.”
Off in the distance, someone called Bree’s name. She turned and waved before facing them again. “It was great to see you, Bobby, and it was nice meeting you, Teagan. You guys have a great night!” Then she jogged off in the opposite direction.
He cautiously glanced at Teagan and couldn’t even imagine what must be going on in her mind. Their first date had been a total disaster, and he wasn’t sure there was a way to recover from it.
“So,” he began, “what should we—”
Pulling her hand from his, she stepped in front of him. “Before we go any further, is this how it’s always going to be? We go out and everywhere we go, we run into a woman you dated?”
“Um…”
“Because I have to tell you, this was not particularly fun for me tonight.”
He hung his head. “I know, I know, and I’m sorry.” Then he looked at her and grabbed both of her hands. “I swear to you this has never happened before. I’m just as upset as you are!”
“Somehow I doubt that,” she murmured.
When she went to pull away, he gently pulled her back. “I get it, okay? I get that you’re pissed. To be honest, I am too. And now I can see why people think the way they do about me. But, dammit…” He dropped her hands and raked hi
s fingers through his hair in frustration. Taking a couple of steps away and then back again, he tried to collect his thoughts.
“You want to know what I was thinking tonight?” he asked.
“That you probably should have stayed in Myrtle Beach?”
“Fine, be snarky,” he snapped, but there wasn’t much heat behind his words. “All night I kept asking myself what I was thinking. All the years I’ve been messing around and thought I was a big deal because I was with all these beautiful women.”
“You’re seriously not helping yourself right now—”
“But,” he interrupted, “I realized how wrong I was. Teagan, I look at you and see so much more than I ever saw in any of them. Ever. There is so much more to you, so much more that I want to know about you. You’ve got substance! You’re smart and caring and—and I know I’m messing this up and you’re probably thinking of ways you can just walk away right now and leave me here.”
This time he did mutter a curse and put some space between them. “Come on. I’ll drive you home and…and I’ll go.”
When she didn’t argue, he knew he was in trouble. Rather than have a romantic walk on the beach, they were walking in silence back to his truck.
Rather than saying sexy, flirty things about what they were going to do when they got home, they weren’t even looking at one another.
And rather than having some hope at redemption, he had to face the fact that his past was just too big of an obstacle for them to overcome.
Dammit.
The drive back to the house was short and Teagan was opening the door even before he came to a complete stop in her driveway. Part of him knew he should just let her go, let her have some time to think things through. But that was the coward’s way out. He was many things, but a coward wasn’t one of them.
Slamming the car into park, he yanked the keys out of the ignition and went after her. He caught up to her at the front door.
“You said you’d go,” she reminded him as she unlocked the door.
“Yeah, well. I think we need to talk about this, don’t you?”
She stepped into the house and sighed loudly. “I honestly don’t know, Bobby. That was the worst date ever. And while I know it wasn’t directly your fault, it still… kind of was.”
“You have no idea how sorry I am,” he said bleakly. “I don’t have an excuse and I can’t promise it’s never going to happen again.”
Tossing her purse on the sofa, she turned and looked at him. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this. I don’t want to have to be on alert every time we go out. I want to know we can go out and women won’t be throwing themselves at you. Do you understand that?”
He nodded. “I know I’d hate it if guys were hitting on you while we were out.”
Her expression turned sad and it just about gutted him. “I’m not willing to let this end, Teagan. You mean too much to me.” When she stayed silent, his mind began to wander. Was she trying to come up with the right words to break up with him? He couldn’t let that happen. “Tell me what you want me to do. Do you want me to look up every girl I ever dated and tell her I’m off limits? I’ll do it!”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said with a hint of disgust.
“Should I take out an ad in the paper? Make a post on social media telling everyone I’m in a serious, committed relationship and to back off?”
“If you’re not going to take this seriously—”
“But I am!” he argued. “I have no idea how to fix this and I’m grasping at straws here! Don’t you get it? You mean everything to me and it sucks that you’re just so willing to walk away from me. From us! Hasn’t this meant anything to you?”
And then he remembered something he’d learned a long time ago: never ask a question you didn’t want the answer to.
Right now, seeing how upset she was, he wasn’t so sure he wanted this answer.
“These last few weeks have meant a lot to me,” she said calmly—almost too calmly. “But I’m a fairly private person, Bobby. I’m not…I mean, there just doesn’t seem to be a solution to this. At least, not a reasonable one.” Her shoulders sagged and she looked at him sadly. “This is for the best.”
“No. No, it’s not. And I get it, my reputation’s apparently never been worse. But…I thought that maybe you could see beyond all that. I thought we’d moved past it. We’ve had the discussion before, Teagan.”
“I know we did, and when we were talking about it, it seemed fine. But the reality was very different. You can’t expect me to deal with that every time we go out. Or worse, if we’re out with Lucas. I won’t subject him to that.”
Damn. He hadn’t thought of that.
So this was it. Over before it even had a chance to begin.
He’d never been in a situation like this. He hadn’t broken up with anyone because he’d never really been with anyone. And now that he was here, it hurt like hell. It hurt more than he ever thought possible and he hated it, wanted to scream at the unfairness of it.
How was it that they had just been talking about spending the Fourth of July together and her coming to Myrtle Beach for a weekend, and now they were done? Weren’t they supposed to have lunch with her parents tomorrow? He was supposed to play ball with Lucas, and missing out on that hurt almost as much as the thought of walking out the door.
“You should go,” she said quietly.
One step toward the door and he stopped. Facing her, he said, “No.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes went wide and her tone was incredulous.
It was bold and would possibly backfire on him, but he really didn’t have anything else to lose.
“You know what I see when I look at you?” he asked.
“We’ve had this conversation already,” she replied wearily, but he wasn’t listening.
“I see a fighter. I see a woman who suffered a great loss and somehow managed to keep going. You had to fight to accomplish what you wanted to. You were pregnant, you lost the man you loved, and you had to finish your education.”
“Bobby…”
“Then you had a child and you’re raising him on your own, and he’s amazing.” He wasn’t above obvious flattery at this point. “But even that wasn’t enough. You went on to get your master’s degree while raising a toddler. Those aren’t the actions of someone who just gives up, Teagan.”
“It’s not the same.”
Feeling bold, he walked right up to her and gently grasped her shoulders. “You overcame obstacles that would have crippled some people. You’ve got the most challenging job there is—you’re a single mom who is practically a superhero, and you’re telling me that you can’t get over a couple of forward women acting badly?”
The look she gave him showed how unimpressed she was with his speech.
“You’re thinking a little highly of yourself, Hannigan,” she stated. “If you think this relationship is on the same level of losing someone to death or to the challenges of being a single parent, then you’re delusional.”
Yeah, okay. Maybe he’d misjudged his own importance. Maybe he should just concede defeat.
“However,” she said, interrupting his thoughts, “you do have a point. I am better than those other women. Anyone who would hit on someone with their girlfriend right there isn’t worth my time.”
He wasn’t sure if he should agree or keep his mouth shut.
Ultimately, he shut up.
She eyed him warily. “I want you to know, if anything like that happens in front of my son, we’re through.” When he tried to speak, she held up a hand to stop him. “I know you have no control over how someone else behaves, but you need to know the rules going in. If we’re going to continue with this relationship, you need to know where my limits are. And that’s one of them.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
“Know this, Bobby
Hannigan. You need me way more than I need you. I’ve been on my own for a long time and I know I can do it again. I care about you a lot, and I’m not saying that it wouldn’t hurt if this ended, but it wouldn’t destroy me. Do you understand?”
He swallowed hard and wasn’t sure if he was seriously impressed or totally put in his place. Both, he told himself. He’d always known she was a fighter, but her words just proved it. “So,” he began hesitantly. “Can I stay?”
Her first response was another wary glance.
Opting for a different approach, he stepped in close. “I was thinking of sundaes in bed,” he said softly, seductively. “Followed by hours of making you feel good. And when that’s done, holding you in my arms while we sleep. Then tomorrow morning, we get up and make breakfast together, make love, make our plans for the fourth, and then go have lunch with your folks and Lucas.”
Boldly, he wrapped his arms around her waist. He had to hide his smile when she only mildly resisted, then leaned against him.
“I’m still disappointed, Bobby.”
He nodded. “I know.”
They stood like that in silence for several moments.
“I’d stand in the middle of Main Street and yell out to anyone who’d listen that I’m sorry and I never meant to hurt you. I’d shout from the rooftops that no one better hurt the woman I love.”
They both startled at his admission.
“Bobby,” she sputtered. “We’re not… I mean, you can’t be—”
Placing a finger over her lips, he stopped her words. “I can be,” he said slowly. “But I get that it’s too soon to say it. It doesn’t change how I feel, though.”
This time when she went to speak, he silenced her the only way he knew how—he kissed her. He kissed her with all the love, need, and frustration that he felt, and was relieved when she responded in kind.
It wasn’t perfect—but hey, neither was he.
There would be other obstacles, other arguments, but for tonight, he wanted to make it up to her in any way he possibly could. And he began the only way he knew how.
Kissing his way across her cheek, down to her shoulder, and down to her breasts, he waited until she was trembling in his arms. Once her head fell back and he had her panting for more, he led her to the bedroom and lavished her body with every exquisite pleasure he could. He loved her until they were both weak and exhausted. He touched her until she was crying out his name.
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