Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  “You know what we’re doing, right?” he asked softly, and when she looked at him curiously, he explained. “We’re talking. This, Teagan. This is one of the things I love most about us.”

  Tears burned her eyes. “I do too.”

  And then he smiled, that sexy, heart-melting smile that always made her weak.

  “You know,” she began shyly, “there’s a beautiful resort right behind us and the parking lot doesn’t look too full. Maybe we can see if there’s a room—”

  He silenced her with a finger over her lips. “No. I’m not looking to jump into bed with you. I don’t care if we just sit and share some pizza while we talk about the weather. I like what we’re doing right now.” Sighing, he nuzzled her cheek. “The physical part of our relationship is amazing, but I like the intimacy of a conversation with you.”

  How could she possibly say no to that?

  “That has always been one of my favorites,” she admitted.

  “How about pizza on your couch?” he suggested.

  “Actually, I was thinking Chinese,” she said with a slow grin.

  “I can make that work.” Placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, he said, “Let’s go. I’ll meet you at your place in thirty minutes.”

  Then, hand in hand, they walked back to the parking lot and parted ways with nothing more than a soft kiss on the lips.

  And Teagan felt just as giddy as if they were heading into the resort.

  * * *

  In some ways, this felt like a first date.

  In others, a test.

  But as Bobby sat back and listened to Teagan talk about all her fears about her son starting kindergarten, he realized he’d take this. No matter what it was.

  “It’s not like we spend all day every day together. I mean, up until we moved here, I was either going to school or working, so I know I’m being a little bit crazy,” she was saying, “but it’s not about missing out on time together. It’s the fact that he’s growing up.”

  “That’s what they’re supposed to do,” he said lightly, because he could see her tearing up. “Your job is to love him, guide him, and set a good example, and you’ve done that.” Reaching out, he squeezed her hand. “He’s a great kid, Teagan, and you’re both going to be fine.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Everyone tells me I’m being overly dramatic because I’m going to be working in his school and I can see him anytime I want, but again, not the point.”

  “So you’re saying you’re not going to walk down the hall and peek in the classroom several times a day?” he teased, and was relieved when she blushed and smiled.

  “I didn’t say that. Not exactly.”

  “And what about you,” he said, reaching for his can of soda. “Are you ready for your new job?”

  “I am,” she replied confidently. “This is the position I’ve always wanted, and honestly, I’m anxious to get started. I’ve been to the school a lot over the past week to set up my office and get organized, and all I’m waiting for is the first day of school so I can officially begin.”

  Nodding, he asked, “So what exactly does an elementary school guidance counselor do in an average day?”

  “Believe it or not, it’s like a combination of teaching and psychology. I’m oversimplifying, but I’ve been trained in child development, learning strategies, self-management, and social skills. I need to be able to work with a diverse range of students.”

  “Wow—that’s very impressive!”

  She blushed and took a sip of her own drink. “Plus I work with the faculty in organizing community programs—sort of like when the fire department comes in to teach fire safety, or when the police department comes in to talk about stranger danger and the antidrug programs. I get to wear many hats in this position and I’m just too excited to get started!”

  He laughed softly, excited for her. She was so obviously passionate about this new job.

  “Listen, I know you don’t want to talk about anything too serious, but I’d really like to see Lucas before he starts school Monday. Just to wish him luck,” he added quickly for clarification. “I can understand that you’re probably worried about me coming around if we haven’t figured out where we are or what it is that we’re doing, but…” He looked at her pleadingly. “It would really mean a lot to me if I could just stop by and wish him luck.”

  Leaning back against the sofa, Teagan smiled at him. “I think he would like that a lot. How about tomorrow after lunch? He’s with my parents tonight. I’m going to pick him up after breakfast and finish our school shopping, but we should be back here around two.”

  “Uh…tomorrow I can’t,” he said slowly, evasively. If anything, he looked everywhere but directly at her. “How about Sunday?” Reaching for the container of dumplings, he popped one in his mouth.

  “Oh, um…okay,” she said, equally slowly. “Sunday we’re busy all day, and I want to get him home and to bed early since we’ll need to be up and on the go early Monday.”

  Damn.

  “Maybe you can call him on Sunday night,” she offered, and he knew she was trying to sound optimistic. “We should be home by five, so any time after that should work.”

  He nodded but couldn’t help feeling disappointed. If it were any other day or any other reason, he’d cancel his plans, but not this time. He knew her well enough to know she was curious about his plans but wouldn’t ask him, and telling her ran the risk of ruining what they were doing right now. Yet he hated keeping it from her.

  “That would be great,” he said after a minute. “Thanks.”

  Things got quiet to the point of being awkward. They finished eating in silence, and for the life of him, Bobby had no idea what to say to turn things around.

  Clearly, Teagan didn’t have that same problem.

  “So you never answered my question about Bree,” she said boldly, her expression neutral. “Are you involved with her again?”

  After he finished choking on his soda and remembered how to breathe, he held a hand to his chest and looked at her. “Geez, Teagan, what the hell?”

  She shrugged. “Like I said, you never answered me. Is that why you can’t come by tomorrow? You have plans with Bree?”

  “First of all, I’m not involved with Bree,” he stated, more than a little annoyed that she thought so little of him. “You are the one I’m involved with, and only you. Do you understand that?”

  She didn’t look fully convinced.

  “I ran into Bree earlier and we went to grab some coffee. End of story. I wouldn’t be here with you right now if that were the case.” Then he sat up a little straighter. “And you know what? I thought we were beyond all this. That you’d been able to let go of the image everyone seemed to have of me. More than that, I thought you believed in me.”

  He knew the instant shame hit her. And he didn’t feel bad about it, because when he did finally explain it to her, it would all be worth it.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. I just…” Sighing, Teagan looked up at him. “I got jealous.”

  It was maybe the hottest thing she’d ever said to him.

  Ever.

  “There is nothing for you to be jealous about,” he said gruffly. “There’s only one woman I want, and that’s you.”

  “Really?” she asked shyly.

  “Yeah. Really.” Reaching over, he gently tugged her closer to him and was rewarded when she straddled his lap. All he could do was look at her face—that beautiful face that meant everything to him. “Hey,” he whispered softly.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  His hands rested on her hips before slowly moving around to cup her bottom. Teagan let out a soft little moan and moved against him ever so slightly. “What are you thinking right now?”

  She focused on him as she started to move in a much more suggestive way. “I’m thinking how much I missed you
. And how I would like it very much if maybe we didn’t talk for a little while.”

  One brow arched at her words. “You mean you want me to leave and not speak to me for another week or two?”

  With a knowing smile, Teagan shook her head.

  “Then what did you mean?” he asked, leaning in close and trailing kisses along her jaw.

  With her head falling back, she was panting a little. “I was thinking…maybe—oh, that’s a good spot—maybe we could take this inside and…and…”

  He gently bit her neck and pulled her close when she gasped his name. “It’s just the two of us here,” he reminded her. “We could stay right here in this very spot and…not talk.”

  And for a minute, he thought he had her convinced. But she surprised him. Lifting her head, she gave him a sexy smile and said, “But I was hoping to sprawl out on the bed and let you undress me. Slowly.”

  Before he could blink, Bobby was standing with her in his arms and striding for her bedroom. Sprawling Teagan out on the bed and undressing her was one of his favorite things to do.

  Gently, he put her down on the mattress and groaned as she squirmed to get more comfortable. When he placed a knee on the bed and went to reach for her, he was surprised to notice that his hand was trembling. He had sworn to himself during the drive over that they wouldn’t do this. There were too many things they really needed to discuss. But there was no way he could stop now. No way he would deny her—them—this.

  She was already barefoot and his hand trailed slowly from her slim ankle up her leg. Teagan had on khaki shorts that allowed him to caress a whole lot of smooth skin. She purred as his hand moved farther and farther up. He gently tickled her thigh before reaching for the waistband. Her hand settled over his.

  “I want you to know,” she said breathlessly, “I wasn’t prepared for this.”

  It was a weird thing to say, but he took it to mean that maybe she hadn’t put fresh sheets on the bed or something. Leaning down, he kissed her. “It’s okay,” he said.

  With the shorts unbuttoned, he pulled down the zipper and then gently began to tug the fabric over her hips. Once they were off and he had tossed them aside, he studied her and grinned widely.

  “I wish I had thought to change,” she said, smiling shyly.

  Running his hand up her leg again, he said, “You know how much I love you in white cotton.”

  “I thought you loved me in those lacy thongs I bought?”

  He laughed. “Sweetheart, I love you in anything and everything.” He paused and marveled at how soft she was all over. “Which reminds me, I still owe you about a half dozen of those.”

  “It’s okay. I know you’re good for them.” Next thing he knew, Teagan was pulling her shirt up and over her head, tossing it aside like he had done with her shorts. “One of us is severely overdressed here.”

  Straightening, he quickly undressed, adding his shirt and shorts to the growing pile of clothes on the floor. They both sighed in unison as he settled between her thighs. “You feel so good,” he murmured, kissing her throat, her shoulder, the swell of her breast. “And you taste even better.”

  “Mmm…is that right?”

  He nodded because he couldn’t speak. His lips didn’t want to leave her skin. She was so warm and soft and…still overdressed. Using his teeth, Bobby moved first one bra strap and then the other from her shoulders, then nudged the cups aside.

  Glorious.

  Teagan’s back arched. She reached behind her and unhooked the garment before throwing it over his head. When she lay back, she smiled victoriously at him. “Isn’t that much better?”

  For a moment, he was speechless. She was perfection. There wasn’t an inch of her he didn’t love, didn’t crave. It was impossible to touch her everywhere at once, no matter how badly he wanted to.

  “You’re so sexy,” he said, kissing one breast and teasing her nipple with his tongue. “So beautiful,” he whispered, kissing the other one.

  “Bobby?” she moaned, her back arching again to get closer to him.

  “Hmm?”

  “No more talking,” she panted.

  And that was fine with him. For the moment, his mouth had other plans.

  * * *

  Sunlight was just beginning to streak through the blinds when Teagan felt Bobby trailing kisses along her shoulder. She was exhausted, had maybe slept a total of two hours, but the night had been worth it.

  “Mmm… Good morning,” she said huskily, rolling over to face him. He looked super sexy with his hair mussed up and stubble on his jaw, and her hands twitched at the thought of touching him. She got as far as his shoulder when he stopped her.

  “I hate to do this, but…I need to get going.”

  Her heart sank. They’d never finished discussing what his plans were for today, other than the fact that they weren’t with Bree. And her curiosity was going to get the better of her. “Can’t you postpone it? Or be just a little late?”

  Smiling, he placed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. “I wish I could, but I can’t.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Had I planned better, I would have made sure there was something here to make you breakfast in bed before I left.”

  “As wonderful as that would have been,” she said, staring at his chest, “it would be better if you were here enjoying it with me.” Then she held her breath and waited to see if he would offer her some sort of explanation as to where he was going and why he couldn’t stay.

  “Teagan,” he said, rolling onto his back. He flung one arm up over his head and the other rested on his stomach. It was an extremely sexy pose and she wanted to curse herself for even noticing that right now.

  “I’m sorry if I’m prying,” she said carefully, “but you have to realize why I’m curious.”

  His expression was…bleak.

  She didn’t take that as a good sign.

  “Last night you said you didn’t want to talk about work or anything like that so—”

  “You’re going back to work?” she asked as panic began to rise. Sitting up, she looked at him. “I didn’t know you got your clearance.”

  He nodded solemnly. “Today’s my first day back.”

  Her heart sank and for the life of her, she had no idea what to do or say to him in that moment.

  Bobby sat up beside her and took one of her hands in his. “It’s going to be all right, I promise you.”

  But she was already shaking her head. “You can’t know that.” Her voice was no more than a hoarse whisper. “You can’t guarantee that nothing is going to happen to you out there.” Her vision was blurred with unshed tears. “I know you have to do this, but you have to understand why I’m scared, Bobby.”

  He looked down at their hands. “I need you to trust me.” Then he looked up. “Have a little faith in me.”

  She nodded, she knew she nodded, even though her heart was screaming no.

  Cupping her face, he kissed her—long and deep and so full of emotion that she never wanted it to end. Breathless, he lifted his head. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Bobby, but—”

  He instantly silenced her with a finger over her lips. “No buts, Teagan.” He kissed her again before climbing from the bed. He looked magnificent as he stretched, and she slowly eased back against the pillows and watched him dress.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him not to go. To stay with her, to consider other career options. This was something she excelled in—helping people achieve success. True, her forte was more in the school-age children sector, but she could totally make it work here!

  Think, Teagan! Think!

  Once he was dressed, he looked down at her with a small smile. “It’s all going to be okay. This is going to be a good thing. Trust me.”

  Her mouth wouldn’t work even if she wanted it to, so all
she could do was nod.

  Bobby kissed her one last time. “I’ve got to go back to my parents’ place to shower and change, and then…it’s going to be a full day. Can I call you tonight?”

  Again, she nodded.

  His shoulders sagged. “Say something. Please. I can’t leave and focus on everything I need to do today if I know you’re this upset.”

  “What do you want me to say, Bobby?” she asked after taking a minute to collect her thoughts. And oddly, that was all she could come up with.

  “Wish me luck!” he said with a mirthless laugh. “Or at least say something when I ask if I can call you! I mean, come on. I thought we were moving forward with this.”

  “Why would you think that?” she asked, finally finding her voice. “We just barely touched on the topic and the last I heard, you weren’t going back to work. I thought we had more time to—to figure this out!”

  “Figure what out?” he snapped. “This is my job, Teagan! That was never going to change!” He seemed to realize he was shouting and turned away with a muttered curse. After a minute, he faced her again. “I wanted to talk to you about this last night, but it was the one topic you said was off-limits. What was I supposed to do?”

  He had a point. “I know, I know. I’m just…” She looked up at him helplessly. “I need time to get a grip.”

  Bobby was already shaking his head. “Not if it means you’re going to completely cut me out of your life while you think. Absolutely not.”

  “I won’t. It won’t be like that again. I promise.”

  He stared at her long and hard before giving a curt nod. “Okay then.” Glancing at her bedside clock, he cursed again. “I really need to go. It won’t look good if I’m late on my first day back.” With one last quick kiss, he was out the door.

  Teagan waited until she heard the front door close before letting out a shaky breath.

  This was so not the way she’d imagined starting her day. After an incredible night, she’d had visions of breakfast in bed followed by another round of love-making before she went to pick up Lucas. Even though she’d already known Bobby wouldn’t be with her for that part, she had still figured a satisfying morning would energize her for the rest of the day.