“She couldn’t do both? I know it’s hard but–”
“My father’s a bastard,” he found himself saying. Now that he hadn’t anticipated discussing. “He was a real bully while we were growing up but he mostly aimed it at me.”
She turned to face him, her expression soft and understanding. “Go on.”
“But when Alyssa turned up pregnant, he wouldn’t let my mother help her, and what Don Grayson says goes, at least in his home.” He swallowed hard. “I wasn’t in any position at that point to help, and Nick Dobbins, the guy who got her pregnant, stepped up. He’s a mechanic and he wanted to marry her and take care of her and the baby. They have a son, by the way. His name is Cal and he’s a great kid.”
“I love the smile on your face when you talk about him,” she said.
He chuckled. “He’s a teenager and he alternates between being a big goofball and trying to be the adult he isn’t ready to be.” He shook his head, laughing. “But back to Alyssa’s story, they couldn’t afford daycare if she went back for her nursing degree so … she made a sacrifice but she’s happy now.”
“That’s… Well, I don’t know what to say really. I’m sorry she missed out on the career she wanted but glad she has a family she loves.”
“Exactly how I feel. Except I hate my father for not being there for her when she needed her parents the most. Hell, I hated him anyway,” he said, feeling his hands curl into fists and immediately releasing the tension before Scarlett could notice.
“I wish you’d had it better growing up,” she murmured, her soft hand cupping his cheek. “You deserved better. You and your sister, both. You already know my childhood story.” At the memory, she stiffened, the reminder of where they were headed suddenly front and center once more.
Luckily there hadn’t been much traffic and the car pulled up in front of the emergency room, and they exited the vehicle. He let her take the lead, his hand on her back so she knew she wasn’t dealing with things alone.
Scarlett gave her mother’s name at the desk and a woman directed them around the corner, down a long hall, to the waiting room.
As soon as they walked through the doors, Scarlett called out, “Dad!” and ran into her father’s arms.
Tanner took a slow walk over, giving them a few seconds together before he joined them.
She stepped back, her eyes red as she met his gaze. “Dad, this is Tanner Grayson. He brought me here. Tanner, this is my father, Mack.”
Tanner shook the man’s hand. One look and he saw the father-daughter resemblance, the sandy-blond hair and the green eyes.
“They have her in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber,” Mack said, wringing his hands. “Apparently oxygen is the treatment for this kind of thing but the basic inhalation isn’t working. This is one of the few hospitals that has the chamber, and when she wouldn’t come around with oxygen the regular way, they resorted to using it.”
Scarlett nodded, and though Tanner wanted to haul her into his arms, he couldn’t make a scene.
“What do the doctors know?” she asked.
Mack ran a hand through his already wild hair. “Not much. At least not yet. It’s my fault. I told Colleen she could leave. I rushed right home. I was at a call nearby and I went right home. She couldn’t have been in that car with the engine running for more than five minutes.”
“That’s all it takes,” Scarlett said, grabbing her father’s shaking hands. “It’s not your fault. It’s a symptom of her depression. You had to let Colleen go to her daughter.” She drew a deep breath. “When will we know something?”
“The doctor said he’d update me periodically.”
“Can I get you coffee? Food? Something to drink?” Tanner offered them both.
They shook their heads in unison.
The three of them sat down and time ticked by slowly. Occasionally one would get up, pace, sit down again. Then someone else would begin. Tanner called the guys and explained why he wouldn’t be at the club tonight, despite Scarlett insisting he should go. He wasn’t leaving her alone.
He knew what it was like to worry about a loved one. Maybe not a parent but Levi. He’d sat in the ER after they’d carried him, unconscious, out of that fucking frat house, walking until a campus van picked them up on the road. He’d been DOA but none of them knew for sure. They’d waited and waited in a room just like this one for news. So he wasn’t leaving her.
An hour and a half after they’d arrived, a man in a white coat walked into the room. “Davis? The Davis family?”
Scarlett and her father jumped out of their seats.
“She’s awake,” he said and Tanner flew out of his seat, getting his arms around Scarlett before her knees buckled. She felt so fragile in his arms.
“Thank God,” she said, her voice cracking.
“When can we see her?” Mack asked.
“I’d like to talk to you first.”
Scarlett leaned into him. “Go on,” she said to the doctor.
The balding man gave her a nod. “We’re going to keep her overnight. Run some tests, make sure there’s no damage that we can assess right away. But I’ve spoken with Mrs. Davis’s psychiatrist and we are in agreement that she’s a danger to herself, and with her years of treatment-resistant depression, we believe she belongs in a residential psychiatric facility at this time.”
“I tried so hard at home but it’s become so difficult. Beyond what I can do. I–” Mack’s voice shook with emotion.
“It’s doing the best thing for your wife, Mr. Davis,” the doctor said.
Mack nodded.
Scarlett’s eyes glistened with tears.
But as Tanner glanced from father to daughter, they looked … relieved, something he could understand. Her mother would be under constant supervision. She couldn’t hurt herself.
“A social worker will be by to help you with paperwork.” The doctor placed a hand on Mack’s shoulder. “As soon as she’s settled in a room, we’ll let you see her.”
“Thank you,” Scarlett and Mack said at the same time.
Hours later, Scarlett had seen her still-nonresponsive mother. Tanner had seen her at her weakest and at her strongest. Watching her handle her personal crisis made him fall for her even more. She didn’t need him but he knew she appreciated his presence, and he was happy to be able to give her his strength when hers failed.
With exhaustion seeping in, Scarlett and Tanner settled Mack in an Uber since he’d accompanied the ambulance to the hospital. And their own car picked them up to go back to the city.
“God, I’m beat.” Scarlett yawned, then met his gaze. “Thank you. I don’t know why you stuck it out all night. Want to explain?”
“First, don’t thank me, okay?” He didn’t want her to feel obligated to him in any way.
She nodded, her eyes on his.
“Second, I stayed because I care. And because I understand what you’re going through. Well, sort of.” Levi once again came to mind.
“How–”
Tanner placed a finger over her lips. “No questions tonight, okay? We can crash and deal with everything else in the morning.”
She exhaled a long breath. “Sounds good. Can we drop you off first?” she offered.
He grinned at her. “When I said we can crash, I meant we can crash. Together. Somehow I think you just need to be held tonight. And I know I need to hold you.”
And when they finally did fall into bed together, Scarlett passed out immediately but Tanner lay awake thinking. He still hadn’t told her his secrets but he’d fallen harder for the prosecutor. And if she had walls up before she knew his truths, what would she do once she found out?
Chapter Five
Scarlett woke up in her own bed with unfamiliar heat bracketing her body. Yesterday’s events came back to her immediately—her mother trying to kill herself and the man who was currently wrapped around her, who’d had her back every step of the way. Not ready to face the day, she closed her eyes and sighed.
“Are y
ou up?” Tanner asked from behind her.
“I don’t want to be.”
He squeezed her tighter. “How about you call your dad and reassure yourself your mom is okay?”
She nodded and reached for her cell on the nightstand. A few minutes later, she’d spoken to her father, who was calmer and in a much better mental state than last night.
She disconnected the call and put the phone back on the nightstand before rolling to face Tanner. “Mom had a peaceful night.” Scarlett had relaxed after finding that out.
“Are you going to go over to the hospital today?” he asked.
She met his gaze. “I don’t know. Dad says he’s meeting with the social worker this morning, and he seems to have things under control. As much as I hate to admit it, I think a treatment facility is the best place for her.”
Tanner nodded in understanding. “I got that feeling from both of you last night. I’m sure it’s exhausting worrying about your mother all the time. And your father has done all he can at home.”
The familiar lump rose in her throat along with tears floating in her eyes. “It’s sad. And frustrating. Sometimes I’m angry that she won’t just snap out of it even though I know she can’t control it. Mental illness is no different than any physical one that needs treatment. Either a person responds to it or they don’t.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Well, she has a good family and support, and maybe your dad needs a break. This solution will give him one.”
She nodded. “I hope insurance covers things.” She knew her father had a good medical plan but not extra money to keep her mother in a facility indefinitely.
“And that’s why the social worker gets involved. You said your dad has things handled. Why don’t you take the day off and give yourself a chance to accept and process things. If you decide you want to head over to the hospital later, we can do that.”
“But work–”
He shook his head. “You already told your boss you didn’t know if you’d be in today. Cut yourself some slack. This is a legitimate personal family emergency.”
His words made sense and she needed the space from both the pressures of the office and the ones at home. She relaxed on her side, her head against the pillow, staring into his eyes. “You’re persuasive, Mr. Grayson.”
He tapped her nose and grinned. “I just know what you need.”
“What’s that?”
He pulled her close. “You need me.” He kissed her mouth. “Inside you.” He licked his tongue over her lips. “Now.”
She wasn’t about to argue with something that could make her feel good when she needed it.
His hands trailed down her sides and her nipples puckered at the sensual way his fingertips glided over her skin.
“I want you naked.” He lifted her nightshirt up and over her head, baring her top half.
She immediately wriggled out of her panties and kicked them to the side. “Condom?” she asked.
He reached over for his jeans on the floor, pulling one out of his pocket.
She eyed him with a knowing grin.
In an instant, he’d shucked the boxer briefs he’d slept in and rose over her. She parted her legs and he slid into the space she made for him, his hard erection nudging against her sex. She moaned at the feel of him parting her and thrusting inside. He filled her, thick and pulsing, until thoughts of anything but him disappeared.
Spearing her hands into his hair, she held on as he pumped his hips back and forth, gliding into her, groaning as he bottomed out inside. “Damn. It’s like you were made for me.”
Her lips parted and he took advantage, sealing his mouth over hers. He kissed her hard and fucked her harder, his tongue perfectly mimicking the thrust of his hips and the way he consumed her. He pumped in and out and she closed her eyes, savoring the determined way he took her.
So she was surprised when he slid out of her, leaving her empty. “What…?”
He met her gaze, eyes gleaming with desire as he moved off her. “Hands and knees,” he instructed in a sexy growl.
She didn’t hesitate to do as he said, shifting onto her stomach and raising herself up, ass in the air. He came over her in an instant, his thick cock once again aligned at her entrance. He gripped her hip with one hand, and as he entered her, a low, sexy noise rumbled in his throat.
He felt bigger this way, thicker inside her, and her inner walls began to ripple around him, pulses of desire that felt incredible. “Tanner,” she moaned.
He gathered her hair in his hand and pulled it to the side. “Say my name again and I might come from the sound alone,” he said, his breath warm in her ear, the heat of his body at her back.
“Tanner,” she repeated, unable to resist teasing him.
He tightened his grip and began to take her with a hard thrusting of his hips, his thighs slapping against hers.
“Oh, God. That feels so good.”
“I can make it better.” He reached around her waist and slid a finger over her clit, causing waves of pleasure to build again. His hard cock pummeled her from the inside and his finger brought her higher on the outside. She pushed back, meeting him thrust for thrust, her entire being focused on one thing only. “I need to come,” she said, trembling uncontrollably beneath him, her body on the verge of exploding.
He pinched her clit.
It was all she needed for her body to let loose, and everything coalesced as she came hard, her orgasm overtaking her, waves of pleasure consuming her.
Her climax triggered something primal in him and he began to thrust harder. She hadn’t thought it was possible but he slammed into her with a punishing rhythm that set off another orgasm inside of her at the same moment he came with a shout, stilling as his orgasm gripped him. He clutched her waist possessively as he collapsed on top of her and she fell to the mattress, completely fulfilled.
Later, after they’d showered and ordered in something to eat because her refrigerator was empty, she looked at him across the table. “I need to go see my mother.” She’d been debating for a while now and decided she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t go visit again today.
He nodded as if he’d expected her words. “I know. I just wanted you to have a break before you needed to deal with reality again.”
She propped her chin in her hand and met his gaze. His hair was rumpled from her hands pulling at the longer strands and his eyes held a warmth she sensed he didn’t give to most people. A far cry from the man who’d come down on the elevator and surveyed his domain, she mused. She didn’t want to let him down but she had a feeling sooner or later, she would. He’d grow tired of her being busy all the time.
And speaking of busy … she rose to her feet. “I should get ready.”
He nodded, standing too. “And I have to be at the club for a meeting with the guys before opening.” He held out one hand. “Now say goodbye the right way.”
She was getting used to his bossy ways and stepped into the crook of his arm, tipping her head up for the kiss he’d all but demanded. He deserved one.
After all, he’d given her exactly what she needed. Not that sex had been a hardship for him, she mused, but it was the fact that he’d known how to soothe her ragged edges that stayed with her long after he’d put her in an Uber to go deal with her family alone.
* * *
It took everything inside Tanner not to head over to the hospital with Scarlett again, but they weren’t at that point where he should be with her twenty-four seven. More importantly, she needed to see that she could live her life and he’d keep showing up, being there, not running off like the last loser she’d dated.
Which was why he’d let the last week go by, allowing a slow get-to-know-you period, when all he wanted was to barrel his way into her life and make her his. If asked, Tanner wouldn’t have said he believed in love at first sight, but from the second he’d stepped off the elevator and met Scarlett’s gaze, he’d known she was different. That he had to have her.
&nb
sp; And after spending time with her both in bed and out, he understood he wouldn’t be letting her go. Of course, he might not have a say in the matter. She still didn’t know about his past. After her mother’s suicide attempt had taken precedence over his confession, he’d decided to let her get to know and trust him before he dumped his shit in her lap and discovered whether she’d go running. He knew Scarlett was a strong woman and could handle his old issues. The question was whether or not she’d want to.
In the meantime, he’d learned all the restaurants around the area of her office and had gotten in the habit of bringing her lunch so they could hang out and talk while they ate. True, he was stealing an hour of her time because, prior to him, Scarlett worked through lunch, but after the third day, she’d stopped complaining. After the first week, she’d begun to text him what she wanted to eat instead of making him guess—in the incorrect assumption he’d give up and not come by at all.
This morning, he’d woken up early and worked out at the gym, sparring with a partner before showering there. He expected to receive a lunch text with her daily meal request but his phone screen was empty.
He frowned and texted her. No quick reply. If she’d had to be in court, she’d have let him know not to plan on coming for lunch. Frowning, he pulled up the Uber app and put in her office address. Though he tried to call her on the drive over, she didn’t answer.
He worried something had happened with her mother, but he knew Maxine was in a good facility, and though she wasn’t making progress, she couldn’t hurt herself either.
He took the elevator to Scarlett’s work floor, waved at Michelle at reception, who by now he’d met. She just grinned and watched as he walked past. Considering she didn’t stop him, he knew Scarlett was in her office. Maybe she’d gotten so busy she’d just forgotten to text him.
Her door was closed and he knocked. She didn’t answer. He knocked again and let himself in.
Scarlett sat at her desk, a photograph in her hand, tears in her eyes.
Twice as Sexy Page 6
