She put a hand to her chest. “Whew. You scared me for a second.”
He scratched his head and felt a flush work its way up his neck. “Yeah, I didn’t really think this through very well. But now that I’m here, can we talk?”
“Sure. Come on in.”
She gestured for him to enter, and he took a few steps inside, looking around a small, but charming living and dining room. The colors were rich, the décor hippy chic, much like Jodi herself.
“Great place,” Ty said, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets.
“Thank you. Do you want the tour?”
“Um, sure,” he acquiesced, trying to focus on the house and not her ass under a pair of denim cutoffs.
She showed him her cute vintage kitchen complete with 1950s diner table and chairs, then the patio and lush gardens. He had to admit he was impressed with how she’d set up her medical practice so that clients didn’t come through the house, but he couldn’t help but worry about her there alone with men she didn’t know, and he wondered if saying something would get him labeled an alpha asshole.
“There’s only one bathroom,” she said as she leaned into the small room and flicked on the light. He had to smile at the bright yellow daisies she’d used all over the bathroom to contrast the stark black-and-white tiles.
“And the bedrooms,” she finished, gesturing toward two doors across from each other at the end of the hall.
“Do you have friends or family to come use the guest room?” he asked, allowing himself a little prying because he really wanted to know more about her life the last five years.
“Um, I have a couple of girlfriends from San Luis who might come visit, and Darcy and I are still in touch. We Skype once a week. But she got married last year and has a new baby, so she’s not doing a lot of traveling right now.” She paused, her hand resting gently on the wood of the door to one of the bedrooms. “I know I’m jumping the gun a lot with this, but what I really hoped for this bedroom when I rented the house is that maybe—eventually—Katie might be able to spend the night?”
Ty fought the tightening sensation in his chest. He wanted Katie to be with her mom, but not like this. He didn’t want the two of them away from the ranch, having a life here in a house that didn’t include him. The idea of Jodi and Katie being their own family made something inside him hitch uncomfortably. No, that wasn’t what he was hoping for at all.
Jodi rushed on, obviously sensing his discomfort, but not the source of it.
“It was just an idea,” she said, turning and walking back toward him where he stood in the middle of the hall, not speaking because he didn’t know what to say or how to say it.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep, I know her home is with you. Just forget I said anything—” She stopped, unable to go any farther because he was blocking her only escape.
“Ty?”
He looked down at her and took a shuddering breath as his hand moved of its own accord to smooth a strand of her silky hair away from her eyes.
“I don’t want the two of you here without me.” His voice was rough with emotion.
“I understand,” she said, her gaze darting away from his.
“I don’t think you do,” he answered, his hand cupping her chin and cheek so she was forced to look him in the eye. “It’s not because I don’t trust you with her.”
She swallowed, and he watched the movement like a hawk watching a bunny.
“I want it all—the three of us. I want to be with you both. I want you and I want her—the whole thing.”
Her breath caught. “What if it doesn’t work?”
“You’ll still be her mom. I’ll still be her dad, and we’ll still do what’s best for her.” He stepped back, running a hand through his hair. “I know it’s a big risk, but at some point, I have to decide to just trust. I have to trust that even if you and I don’t work in the long run, you won’t use that as an excuse to do things that aren’t in her best interests.”
“I would never,” she said solemnly, and he wanted to believe her.
“I don’t think you would either. And I want to follow my instincts here. I’ve always had pretty good ones when it comes to being a parent.” He didn’t admit that raging lust had never been a factor in those instincts before, but he didn’t want to acknowledge that difference even to himself.
He took her hand and pulled her against him as he leaned his back against the wall. “I want more—more than conversations once a week where we set her schedule and smile politely at one another. I don’t want to act like we’re the remnants of a divorce that never happened.” He took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. “I feel like we made an investment five years ago, and because it didn’t pay off the way we wanted, we’re ignoring the fact that we still got a pretty damn great return.
“We got along, you and me. We may not have been serious after those few weeks, but I can tell you I was damn happy with you, and if Katie hadn’t happened, I can guarantee I would have been asking you to stay longer than that summer.”
She smiled softly, shaking her head. “And I would have said yes.”
He grinned. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“We were good together.” He watched her with those lips parted, cheeks flushed. “We did something amazing together. Maybe it’s time to invest some more in the partnership.”
Then he lowered his head and touched his lips to hers. His heart raced, his pulse thrumming, blood like hot lava in his veins. His tongue slipped out, tasting her lip balm—sweet, minty perfection.
“Be with me,” he rasped as he skated his lips over her cheek. “See where this goes. Let’s at least try to give Katie what every kid deserves.”
She pulled back, looking him in the eye. “But careful.”
“Mm,” he murmured. His dick was so hard, he was having trouble listening to whatever she was saying.
“Some dates, maybe we can do some day trips just the three of us, but no talk about the future. We don’t want to confuse her.”
“Yes,” he whispered as he took her earlobe between his teeth and pulled lightly. She moaned in response.
“We probably shouldn’t be having sex either,” she gasped.
“Mm, I’m sure you’re right,” he growled, his hand finding its way under her little cropped peasant blouse. He quickly discovered she was braless beneath the flounces around the neckline. “Fuck,” he gritted out.
“Maybe just this once,” she whispered, her head falling back, exposing the long column of her throat.
“I think we need more data before we make the decision.”
“Okay,” she conceded on a whimper as he pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
He pushed off the wall and spun them so her back was to the end of the hall. “You didn’t show me the bedroom. I paid for the full tour.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I’ve never had any willpower around you.”
“No need to start now.” He grinned, his cock pressing hard against the constraints of his jeans.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to bring her up to eye level with him. “Willpower’s overrated. Let me show you the bedroom.”
14
Jodi gave one last gasp as Ty’s head lifted from between her legs. Her back arched as he slid up her body like a snake, his tongue and hands stroking and licking every inch of her along the way.
“I didn’t know it was possible to come that many times in an hour,” she said as he looked down at her, his smile a mile wide.
“I think you may have one more in you,” he countered, wiggling his eyebrows as his hips thrust lightly against her, bringing his once again hard cock into contact with her very wet core
“You can’t be serious,” she moaned. “How can you keep doing this? I thought guys ran out of juice at some point.”
“Common misconception started by men who just wanted a one and done. With the rig
ht woman, we can go a hell of a lot longer than science gives us credit for.”
She started to laugh, but it died on her lips as his expression grew serious. “Turn over,” he rasped, all heat and danger now.
She blinked at him, but then complied as he slid a hand under her hips and pulled her up onto her knees.
“The headboard,” he said in her ear, that same dangerous quality to his voice.
A thrill raced through her at the commands, and she grabbed the edge of the wooden headboard, arching her back so her ass slanted toward him. He murmured in satisfaction as his hands roamed up and down her hips and thighs. Then he pulled her ass closer and positioned himself. He entered her slowly, one excruciating inch at a time, making both of them weak with ecstasy.
“You feel like fucking heaven,” he whispered in her ear as her head fell back onto his shoulder.
With one hand, he skimmed up and down her torso, caressing her breasts gently, circling her belly button, dipping toward her clit but never actually meeting it. Meanwhile, his hips pumped leisurely, in and out in short thrusts until she thought she’d lose her mind.
“You’re killing me,” she gasped.
“But what a way to go,” he answered, wrapping an arm around her waist to pin her to him as he continued his slow assault.
“Really. I think I might…”
He ground into her and circled his hips once. “You might what?”
“Oh God!” Her whole body tensed with the orgasm that lingered on the edges of her reach.
“You need something, gorgeous?”
“You’re a bastard,” she said, half laughing, half crying.
“Aw, poor girl,” he conceded, chuckling. “Let me fix that for you.”
He reached down and circled her clit with his finger at the same time he circled his hips again, cock so far inside her, she had no idea where he ended and she began.
The orgasm was swift, sharp, and the sweetest thing she’d ever felt, but before it ended, he grasped her hips and began to thrust hard, fast, short, and ferocious. He grunted as she hung on to the headboard, arms locked to prevent her body from being slammed against the thick wood.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Ty growled as he finally came, his teeth digging into the muscle that ran from her neck to her shoulder.
They collapsed in a heap, her head on his stomach, his fingers sifting strands of her hair across his abs.
“My God,” she murmured. “No wonder we have Katie. I guess I’d forgotten it was like that.”
“Sex in general or us?” he asked lightly, although she sensed the answer was important to him.
“Us. That was definitely more than standard sex.”
She felt his belly give under her head as he let out a breath.
“Like I said. We have some pretty amazing returns on our investment.”
They were silent for a few moments before he broke the quiet. “So, these last few years…you had other relationships, obviously. Anything serious?”
Her throat closed, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, part of her wishing there’d never been five years she had to account for. But then she reminded herself that those five years had helped her become the woman she was now, the person who could contemplate being a true mother to a beautiful little girl. No regrets, she thought. It was all part of the process.
“There were a couple,” she answered. “They were…learning experiences.”
“Jodi?” Ty said as he sat up, forcing her to sit as well, and turn to look at him. She reached down to pull a sheet from the tangled bed in front of her, but he put his hand over hers. “Don’t,” he said, his eyes pleading. “Don’t hide from me. There’s nothing you can’t tell me. I won’t judge. You’re Katie’s mother. You gave me the most beautiful thing one human can give another. I want to be on your side. I want us to be here for each other.”
She nodded, but something inside her still fought telling Ty about her most humiliating moments.
“I made some mistakes. One in particular. A guy—he was a doctor at the hospital. We lived together.” She sat back against the headboard, pulling her knees up to her chest. Ty faced her, one knee propped under his elbow, looking like a Greek god in repose.
“You have to know, I wasn’t in a good place then. I hadn’t come to grips with my issues about Katie yet. I was still on the treadmill with my career, convinced if I worked enough, earned enough, I’d somehow escape being my mother. He was all about his career. I thought it would be a great match—the two of us spending all our time and energy on being successful.” She sighed, remembering all the warning signs she’d ignored.
“It was emotional at first. He’d criticize me, make me feel guilty for doing anything with other people. It deteriorated from there. We’d argue a lot, and it was always my fault. I always ended up having to beg him for forgiveness. He’d get angry over the tiniest things, a hair-trigger temper he made no effort to control.”
Ty made a low, rumbling sound in his throat and she looked up to find his eyes blazing with fury.
She swallowed. “Then one night, he came home late from a surgery. I was already in bed, but he was banging around the house, slamming doors, swearing. I got up to see what was wrong and found him in the kitchen on his second scotch. He started in on me the moment I walked in the room—I hadn’t left him any dinner, I didn’t understand the demands of his job, he was sick of how ungrateful I was.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Ty suddenly interjected, his jaw set like concrete.
“It’s okay,” she answered softly. “It’s part of me—of who I am now. I can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”
Ty’s hand found her leg, and he began a slow stroke up and down, soothing, gentle, the exact opposite of the man who’d tried to take everything from her.
“When it became clear he was just going to keep berating me no matter what I said or did, I decided to go back to bed—and while I didn’t tell him, I also intended to lock the door. But as I turned to leave the room, he grabbed me by the arm, swung me around, and backhanded me across the face.”
Ty was silent now, but when she glanced at his face, his eyes were screwed shut, his jaw muscles clenching and unclenching.
“It knocked me down, and disoriented me so much, I couldn’t move for a few moments. Luckily for me, though, his phone went off right then, and it was the hospital. He had to go to his home office while he was talking to them so he could log in and give the instructions for the patient. I grabbed my purse and ran. Got a hotel for the night and only went back for my things the next day when I knew he was at work and I had a friend with me.”
“Jesus,” Ty swore softly, his hands coming up to cradle her face. “I’m so sorry.”
She nodded lightly.
“Did you go to the police?”
“Yes, not right away, and not for me, but to save the next woman. Until then, I was so focused on how in the world I’d let things get that far, how I’d been so far in denial that I’d stayed with him—”
“You were the victim.” Ty’s voice was firm. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“No, it wasn’t, but I’m also an educated, intelligent woman. Trained in the medical field no less. I know the signs of an abusive relationship. I could see the escalation over several months.”
Ty slid up the bed until he was resting against the headboard too and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as he murmured comfort.
“I’m so glad you got out. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, gorgeous.”
“There’s more,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. This part was almost harder than the rest for her to talk about. It made her so vulnerable, cast a shadow of doubt over who she was and whether she could be a fit parent.
“After it happened, I made a promise to myself—that I would take control of my life, figure out why I was so unhappy that I’d ended up with someone like him. So…” Ty’s hand never stopped its soft caresses, and she breathed in the smell
of him for strength—grass, sunshine, saddle soap. He was like the foundation of everything, and she wanted to build her most beautiful world on that platform.
“I checked myself into the hospital—for psychiatric evaluation. The head of the department diagnosed exhaustion so it wouldn’t impact my medical records, but they put me on antidepressants.” She pulled away from him so she could look him in the eye. “I spent a year and a half in therapy. That’s how I came to terms with my feelings about Katie. That’s when I planned how I could come back here and try to salvage my relationship with her. I’ve done it all with the guidance of my therapist. I’ve worked to make sure I was as careful as I could be every step of the way.”
“And I can’t thank you enough for that,” he answered, his eyes tender. “It shows me how dedicated you are to her and to being the best mother you can.”
“You can use that against me now—my mental instability—”
“Stop,” he commanded. “Don’t talk that way about the mother of my child.”
Her heart did an actual backflip at that. Ty defending her even if it was just to herself.
“You’re not mentally unstable. Anyone who talks to you for five minutes can see that. You had a rough childhood. You’ve been recovering from it ever since. And now here you are. Whole, healthy…” His voice cracked as his lips touched hers in the briefest brush. “Perfect.”
Any other words she might have spoken were swallowed in desire as they melted back down onto the bed, heated skin, whispered words, sliding, thrusting, caressing until they both came and her soul was filled with the blinding white light of hope.
Jodi spent the next few weeks in a spin cycle of stolen moments with Ty, afternoons with him and Katie, and time at the ranch. They decided to keep the relationship between them, using Katie as the excuse for meetings, discussions, outings. She could tell Cade still hadn’t warmed up to her, but the rest of the family seemed to be on board, albeit cautiously, and Katie was as happy and well-adjusted as ever.
The decision to allow her time alone with Katie didn’t come in a monumental way. It was early on a Saturday morning when Ty called and asked if she could pick Katie up at dance class and take her to the dress rehearsal for the upcoming recital.
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