Her expression grew sad as she clasped her hands together and leaned forward. “Did you see that a lot in your old job?”
“I did, unfortunately. And let’s just say, it begins to wear on a person’s soul.”
She nodded in understanding. “My husband, Cord, grew up in the system, so I’ve heard stories. I can’t imagine what it takes to be a social worker. It has to be incredibly hard. What made you want to get into that line of work?”
“I was a foster child from ten to eighteen. I got into it because I wanted to help kids like me. I know the toll it takes on children, being bounced from one place to another, never feeling like they belong. Unless a child is as lucky as your Zach, there’s never a sense of security, and that can be devastating.”
She shocked me by reaching across the table and taking my hands in hers. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But I’m glad your experience made you who you are today. We want the kids in Hope House to feel like they belong. We want it to be their safe place, and with you at the helm, that might just happen.”
I swallowed to dislodge the lump in my throat. It wasn’t just that Rory was incredibly nice, but that she also got it. She understood what I wanted to accomplish with these kids, because she wanted the exact same thing.
“Cord’s gonna be so bummed when I tell him how awesome you are. He was really looking forward to meeting you.”
“He won’t be joining us today?”
“Unfortunately not. He has a case at work that’s taken him a little longer to wrap up than he initially thought.”
“Oh, he’s a police officer?”
“Private security, actually,” she answered. I wasn’t sure what all that entailed, but it sounded pretty cool.
Rory and I talked for a while. She filled me in on the responsibilities of my job, told me about the other workers and volunteers at Hope House, about the kids, and once the shop talk was done, she even filled me in on the town I’d now call home.
“I know you’ve only been here a few days, but have you had a chance to find a place?”
“I’m taking my time,” I told her. “Luckily, Valley Inn is a really cute place, so I’m not in any hurry.”
“That’s good. And if you ever need someone to show you around, I’d be happy to do it.”
I let loose a small laugh as we stood. “I might have to take you up on that. This might be a small town, but I’m kind of directionally challenged. I managed to get lost between the inn and here once already.”
Her pretty face split into a grin. “Well, you have my number. Don’t hesitate to use it.”
We parted ways after she wrote down detailed directions on a cocktail napkin to get me back to the inn safely.
And as I made my way back to my temporary home, I made a to-do list in my head.
Stop at the grocery store for dinner.
Use the inn’s washer and dryer to finally make a dent in the huge pile of dirty laundry I’d accumulated.
Then down an entire bottle of wine.
Chapter Two
Bryce
I hadn’t been able to focus on a damn thing. Since running into Tessa outside Alpha Omega earlier, I felt like I’d been shot with enough adrenaline to bring a goddamn elephant back to life.
I couldn’t sit still, but I couldn’t concentrate long enough to do any actual work. My mind had been firmly rooted in the past—a dangerous place for me—since that encounter, and it was screwing with me in ways I hadn’t experienced in years.
Giving up the ghost, I decided to leave the cases I’d been working on for another time and headed through the lobby of Alpha Omega’s offices to the stairs leading to the second level. When my head got fucked up, I could take my frustrations out on the equipment in the state-of-the-art gym Lincoln, our boss and the founder of the company, had built upstairs. And that was exactly what I planned to do.
I made quick work of changing in the small locker room, then headed for one of the treadmills. I’d start off with a ten-mile run in the hope of calming the swirling tempest in my head, and if that didn’t work, I’d beat the hell out of the punching bag, or hit the bench press until my arms gave out.
As I cranked up the incline, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Already knowing who had joined me, I kept my eyes forward as my feet pounded out a steady rhythm on the belt.
“Kind of in the middle of somethin’ here. And before you ask, no. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It was her, wasn’t it? Saw her through the glass and thought I’d spotted a ghost.”
I knew the feeling, more than he could ever understand. “We aren’t doin’ this right now,” I gritted out.
“Too damn bad,” Hunter said, coming to a stop at the front of the machine. “You didn’t really think we’d just go about our day like nothin’ happened, did you?”
My finger smashed the button on the dial, ramping up the speed. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
“For Christ’s sake, Bryce. She’s your—”
“I know what she is,” I barked, ripping the key from its slot and bringing the treadmill to an abrupt halt. “Fuck, man. You think I forgot? That I haven’t spent nearly every minute of every fucking day thinking about her?”
The sympathy in his eyes was almost too much to bear. Of all the men I worked with, only Hunter knew the darkest secrets I kept locked behind a façade of charm and humor. He was the only one who knew the truth. That it was all a lie, an act I put on every single day in an attempt to forget the pain lurking beneath the surface.
“How long do you plan on beatin’ yourself up, Bryce? It’s been years. What happened wasn’t your fault.”
Leaning forward, I braced my elbows on the front panel of the machine so we were almost at eye level. “Yeah? Tell that to Moss’s wife. Or how about you try explainin’ that to Danielson’s two kids. You tell them it’s not my fault they barely have a memory of their dad?”
Hunter’s jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth. “They don’t blame you, and you know it.”
“Well they should. And so should you. Christ, Hunt. It was because of me you lost—”
“Damnit, Bryce!” he thundered, slamming his fist into the treadmill. “That’s not on you, so stop carryin’ that weight. It’s not yours to have.”
Shadows danced over Hunter’s eyes, leaving a vile, acidic taste in my mouth. All he’d suffered, whether he was willing to admit it or not, was because of me. Hunter McCann was a born fighter. The smartest, toughest man I’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was a SEAL to his very core and would have gladly served his country until old age took him from this earth. Unfortunately, an RPG had cost him half his leg and nearly his life, effectively ending the career he’d loved.
“Christ, you’re one the most hard-headed sons of bitches I’ve ever met.”
I lifted a single brow. “Thank you?”
He let out a huff and rolled his eyes. “That wasn’t a compliment, asshole.” With a weary sigh, he reached up and ran a hand through his hair. “This self-imposed punishment you’ve been inflicting on yourself has to end, man. I don’t know why your girl’s back, but it appears you got yourself a second chance, and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna sit by and watch you waste it.”
Standing tall, I gave my head a shake. “It doesn’t matter. This isn’t the second chance you think it is.” My gut twisted at the memory of her face, that lost, sad look that filtered across her expression before she covered it with hatred so thick it bled from her pores. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“So change her mind,” he said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. His lips stretched into a shit-eating grin as he added, “You might be one ugly fucker, but you have a gift for charmin’ the panties off any woman you meet. That’s the only reason you landed her in the first place.”
A surprising bark of laughter burst from deep in my chest. “I’m better lookin’ than you, asshole.”
“Not even on your best d
ay,” he replied with a scoff before those shadows in his gaze returned. “Look, just think about what I said, yeah? One of us should get the woman he wants, and we both know it’s not gonna be me. That means its on you, brother.”
With that, he turned and headed for the stairs, the subtle limp in his gait barely noticeable anymore.
He thought I didn’t notice every time he winced, every time he reached down to massage an ache that was only in his mind, but I did, and each time I saw it, another piece of me shriveled up and died. The doctors had called them phantom pains, but for all the discomfort it caused him, the mangled limb might as well still be there. I could still hear the sound of him bellowing, could still feel his body thrashing beneath my hands as I struggled to help nurses and doctors hold him down while he screamed in agony at the pain in a leg that was no longer there.
Once I was alone, I put the key back into the machine and cranked it back up, running the first few miles at a full sprint. I ran until sweat poured down my forehead and seeped into my eyes, causing a nagging burn. When that was done, I spent another two hours beating my body into exhaustion.
But it wasn’t enough. After a quick shower, I headed back downstairs. The office had closed for the day, meaning everyone had cleared out, so I didn’t have to worry about being bombarded with a million questions. Sitting at one of the many computers in Alpha Omega’s control room, I tapped the keyboard to bring the screen to life and started typing.
Xander Caine might have been our resident computer genius, but, fortunately, I was tech savvy enough to navigate my way around the web in search of what I needed. I quickly became consumed, searching for every bit of information on Tessa Day I could find. I was like an addict in desperate need of his next fix. It was the reason I’d resisted doing this very thing all these years. I knew if I learned where she was or what she was doing, I wouldn’t have the strength to keep from tracking her down. But that wasn’t an issue anymore. She was already here. And if I was going to do as Hunter suggested, I needed to be armed with as much knowledge as possible.
An hour later, after scouring the internet—some searches legal, others . . . not so much—I pushed away from the desk and headed out.
My body guided my truck out of the small downtown area as if it had a mind of its own. Pulling to a stop across the street from Valley Inn, I slid the gear shift into park and stared out the driver side window. The picturesque Victorian had been converted into a twelve-room inn several years back. A gravel parking lot large enough to accommodate the guests stretched across both sides of the large walkway that led to the entrance. I searched the lot for Tessa’s car but didn’t see it. However, I was willing to wait her out. Leaning back in my seat, I rolled my shoulders and stretched out my neck, trying to alleviate some of the tension that had knotted up my muscles as I settled in.
Sure enough, thirty minutes later, the black sedan registered to her that I’d found in one of my searches pulled into one of the vacant spots.
My heart began knocking against my ribs with the force of a sledgehammer as I watched her climb from the car. Her hips swayed as she moved to the trunk. Those long legs, even encased in denim, were as curvy and enticing as I remembered, and I remembered a lot.
The memories of our time together were always there, and as I watched her now, there was one in particular that teased at the fringes of my mind, refusing to be pushed away.
We were on the fourth night of our week in Vegas, and so far, they’d been the best four days of my life. Tessa had this light about her that became more and more addictive the longer I spent in her presence. It had been such a short time, and already I couldn’t get enough of her. Her laugh, her smile, everything about her was infectious. I wanted to know everything about her. For four days and nights, I’d peppered her with questions, wanting to learn everything I could, to discover what made her tick.
It broke my heart to hear she’d lost her parents at such a young age, but at the same time, I admired how it had led to getting her degree in social work so she could help kids like her. I knew her favorite color, favorite food, what kind of music she liked. I knew the big watch on her wrist had belonged to her father, and she only took it off to sleep or shower. I knew she had her dad’s hair and her mom’s eyes. I’d learned she was scared of thunderstorms, and she hated spiders but thought lizards were cute. The more I discovered about this unbelievable woman, the deeper my craving for her grew.
It felt like I’d known her forever, not just a handful of days.
As an excuse to spend as much time with her as possible, I’d made it my mission to help her complete her list. We’d already worked our way through three quarters of it, and despite the fact we were both running on hardly any sleep, I didn’t want it to end. I was beginning to question whether or not I’d be able to walk away from this woman at the end of our week.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
I grinned down at a nervous Tessa. Her sweet, honey eyes glittered in the dim lights of the packed dance club as she looked around, chewing on her thumbnail.
Reaching over, I pulled her hand away from her mouth and laced her fingers with mine, something else I’d been doing a lot over the past few days. Any excuse I had to touch her, I took. I couldn’t help myself. “You can do this, beauty. Just close your eyes and tune everyone else out.”
Those doe eyes came to me. God, they were something else, so big and bright. They were fringed with the longest, darkest lashes, and fit her heart-shaped face perfectly, making her look like a living doll. “What if I’m like the world’s worst dancer? I’m gonna look stupid.”
My gaze slid from her face, trailing down that incredible body. Her dress was tame in comparison to what a lot of the other women were wearing, but she still managed to take my breath away and make me hard at the same time. Judging from all the men looking in her direction, I wasn’t the only one who appreciated every curvy inch. “Trust me, baby, just you breathin’ is enough to turn every man in here on. You start to move, no one’s gonna think you look stupid.”
There was no missing the way her eyelids drooped or her breath stuttered as she stared up at me. And Christ, that look made me want to kiss her, to bend down and taste those sweet pink lips. But before I had a chance, she turned away. Reaching for the shot glass on the table, she threw the tequila back and immediately began to cough like she’d just swallowed fire. “Oh God, that burns.”
Taking the glass from her hand, I set it back down took her by the arms. “Relax, you’re gonna be fine.”
She crossed her eyes and gave them a dramatic roll that made her look adorable and sexy at the same time. “This is dumb. Can’t we do something different? Like, maybe a tattoo! That sounds a lot more fun. We’ll add that to the list! Let’s go get me inked up.”
“I’m not lettin’ a needle anywhere near that perfect skin. Now stop arguing. You’re gonna get out there and dance sexy like no one is watchin’, just like you wrote in that journal.”
Spinning her around, I gave her ass a playful smack to send her on her way. She looked back over her shoulder, giving me a nasty look that made me laugh as I moved my chair closer to the dance floor and took a seat. I knew she wasn’t doing this for me specifically, however I couldn’t help but think of this as my own personal show. In my head, she was about to put on a performance for my eyes only, and fuck if I didn’t want that to be true.
Sitting back, I spread my thighs, one foot on the floor with my other leg stretched out straight, trying to get comfortable as a new song started playing over the speakers. She stood there like a deer in the headlights for several seconds before finally getting into the swing of things.
She closed her eyes and lifted her arms. Her hips began to sway seductively, and a minute later she shed the last of her inhibitions. She was a goddamn vision on the dance floor. The way she moved, her carefree abandon, the dreamy expression on her face as she got lost in the music and forgot about everyone around her. I couldn’t have ripped my ey
es away if I’d had a gun to my head.
My cock was rock hard beneath my fly. I had to squeeze the arms of the chair to keep from reaching down and massaging my aching erection, my grip so tight my knuckles had bleached of color.
Christ, I wanted her. I wanted to possess her. I wanted her to belong to me forever. And I knew in that instant, there was no way in hell I could walk away from this woman. Not for good. I pushed to my feet and moved to the dance floor, coming up behind Tessa and looping my arms around her waist.
She pulled in a sharp gasp at the feel of my arousal pressing against her before she melted against me. We moved together to the music as I brushed the hair off her shoulder and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “Do you have any goddamn clue how sexy you look?”
“I-I do?”
“Yeah, beauty. Always. But when you dance . . .” A gravelly noise vibrated through my chest. “I couldn’t stay in that chair. I had to touch you.”
I could feel her tremble beneath my hands as I moved one higher, the tips of my fingers brushing against the underside of her breast. “I l-like it when you touch me.”
There was only so much a man could take before his control snapped. That too-quick kiss down at the pool days ago had been the only one we’d shared. I’d wanted to kiss her a million times over the past few days but worried I’d move too fast and scare her off. Now I couldn’t wait another goddamn second.
Spinning her around, I slammed my mouth down on hers. The instant her lips parted on a surprised gasp, my tongue dove in. That first taste went straight to my head and my groin. I couldn’t get enough, and from the way she clung to me, meeting my tongue stroke for stroke, sucking and biting, tasting as much of my mouth as she could, I knew she felt the same way.
“Jesus, beauty,” I grunted once I pulled back in order to breathe. “I want you so fuckin’ bad.”
The Second Time Around: a Hope Valley novel Page 3