Still, if she didn’t shoot some caffeine through her system, she would not be responsible for her actions. Sex had taken priority over food last night, but right now the flaking paint on the walls was looking appetizing. The fleeting thought that Ty had made sure the house had a bed for sex but hadn’t put food on his priority list amused her.
She headed for the door, then turned to look at sleeping beauty in the middle of the large old room. It was ridiculous how tightly her heart squeezed as she watched him sleep. He’d drawn the short stick when he’d fallen for her. Against all logic and reason he loved her. She knew it, she felt it radiate from him, like power straight from the source, especially when they were making love. She loved him, too. Loved him ridiculously. The probability was high that she was never going to deliver June Cleaver. Maybe it was time to concentrate on what she could give him.
If this house was a part of his dreams, she could give him that. She really didn’t care where they lived. Unless hot coffee was more than ten minutes away. If she had to travel farther than that for her morning caffeine, the deal was off.
***
Luckily for Ty, Jordan traveled only five minutes down the main road before a sign advertising a giant coffee cup and bear claws snagged her attention. She pulled Ty’s obnoxiously big truck to a stop at the side of the building, an aging combo donut house and gas station.
Inside, Jordan inhaled the heavenly scents of coffee and breakfast. An older man with white hair held a steaming pot and greeted her from behind the counter.
“Hey there, little lady. What can I do you for?”
She smiled back at him. “I’d kill for a cup of that coffee.”
He chuckled, flipped over a mug, and filled it. “Have a seat.” He motioned to one of the stools at the counter. “Cream and sugar?”
Her intentions had been good. She’d planned to grab food and coffee and get back to Ty before he woke. But when the man placed cream and sugar next to the mug, she nearly wept, the coffee smelled so good.
“Can I get you a menu?” he asked.
“Actually, I thought I’d see if I could get breakfast to go, but your evil pot of caffeine lured me to this stool.”
He chuckled again. “Yeah, it does that to a lot of people. I keep telling my wife it’s my handsome face that draws them in. She insists it’s the coffee.” He slid a menu in front of her. “Even if you’re ordering to go, you’ve got to wait for your food to be cooked, right? Might as well do it sitting down with a cup of joe in your hand. We have vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate flavorings if you’d like one.”
Jordan might possibly love this man. “Your evil temptations know no bounds, do they? But I think I better order and get back home with some food. How about two number threes to go?”
"Two number threes bagged," he said through the kitchen window. He turned back to Jordan. “Are you new in town? Or just passing through?”
She wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question. “Sort of,” she said, stumbling through the explanation. “My boyfriend and I are considering buying the old Henderson property. We’re looking it over, deciding how much of an investment it would take to get the house up and running.”
The old man’s smile spread wider, and he held out his hand. “Bill Tucker,” he said. “You and I just might end up neighbors then.” He turned and shouted into the kitchen. “Lizzy, come out here, honey.”
An attractive, fifty-something wisp of a woman rounded the corner, wiping her hands on an apron.
“Liz, this lady is thinking about buying the Henderson house. We might finally get some company out our way.”
“That’s great to hear. The house has been empty for so long and it’s such a shame. That place was amazing when the Hendersons owned it.” Liz held out her hand. “Our properties back up against each other. If you need anything, just come on up to the house. I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Jordan. Jordan Delany. My . . . ah, boyfriend is Tyler McGee,” she said, feeling the oddity of the new and strange declaration roll off her tongue. “With coffee this good, and donuts on the menu, you'll probably be seeing a lot of us. We're both cops.”
“Goodness, our neck of the woods will be extra safe with two police officers next door, won’t it?” Liz laughed. “Hmm . . . Tyler McGee. Honey, wasn’t there a Tyler in the McGee family over in Longdale? Now that I’m thinking about it, I kinda remember that one of those boys became a police officer.”
“That’d be him, I’m sure. I’ll have Ty stop in and say hi.”
Mr. Tucker snatched a bag out of the window and handed it to Jordan. Then he poured coffee into two giant foam cups and topped each with a lid. “No charge,” he said, scooting all of it toward Jordan. “Consider it a housewarming.”
“That’s not necessary—I’m just happy to have hot coffee. This smells amazing, thank you so much. It was good to meet you.” Jordan smiled at the Tuckers. She headed for the door, then turned back. “Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know what the Henderson’s first names were?”
“Mary Ellen and Joe.” Liz's eyes softened. “They were such nice people.”
Jordan nodded.
“Nobody called her Mary Ellen, though,” Bill chimed in. “Whole town called her Ellie.”
***
Jordan eased onto the bed and opened the containers, waving the smell of eggs and bacon in Ty’s direction.
“Mmm,” he murmured, opening one eye. “What smells so good?”
“Wake up and find out.”
He rolled to his back, stretched, and sat up.
She arranged the containers picnic-style on the bed. “I even have coffee. And it’s good coffee. Strong. Just how you like it.”
“This looks great. Man, I’m starved. Where’d you get all this?” He nabbed a fork, jabbed it into the eggs. Then his sleepy eyes opened wide. “How’d you get all this?”
“I found a neat place just a few miles up the road. If you think this looks good, you should see the donuts. Some of them were as big as my head. And the cinnamon rolls, good God, they were . . .” She glanced at him, noticed his expression had sobered. “What? I have everything you need—salt, pepper, butter for the toast.”
“You drove my truck?”
She tilted her head and studied him.
Ty had wrestled and killed a drug runner from the Delago Cartel. He’d delivered seamless reports to both of their superiors with effortless grace. Formidably kicked ass in an interrogation with the one drug runner who’d been arrested.
And never once had she seen a hint of a tell on his face.
But now—right now—he looked like someone had kicked his kitten simply because she had driven his truck. She would have laughed if she hadn’t been so insulted.
“No, I hoofed it five miles down the road and back. Strapped your eggs and bacon to my ass so I could carry two giant cups of coffee in my hands. How do you think I got it?”
“It’s just . . .” He tipped his head forward, obviously weighing his words. “The truck is kind of big for you. And it barely fits in and out of that old gated opening. There can’t be more than a couple of inches to spare on either side.”
Seriously? Was he seriously giving her shit because she’d driven his truck?
“Oh, I didn’t need to use the gate.” She smiled like the village idiot. “There’s a big muddy spot twenty or thirty feet down where the fence has fallen. The only problem was that I had to push through a ton of tree branches and brush to get to the road. But I can see why you’re so in love with that monster.” She stabbed up a forkful of eggs and excitedly shoved it into her mouth. “That big sucker of yours just plowed right through all that crap,” she said around the eggs.
His jaw stopped mid-chew. His eyes opened wide and he struggled to swallow, as if he were choking down a large mouthful of glass. “I don’t usually take her off-road much.”
For God’s sake, he called it a her. “Well, you should,” she said enthusiastically. “What’s the
point of having that big badass truck if you don’t go plowing through the mud and brush once in a while?” She tossed down her fork and folded her arms across her chest. “I think she liked it.”
“Jordan, my truck doesn’t have a scratch on it.”
“Relax, cowboy.” She snapped the words at him, unable to hide her irritation anymore. “I was joking about driving through the brush. But just so you know, criminals who carry illegal drugs don’t always pull over kindly and wait patiently for a cop to catch up. I’ve been in plenty of high-speed chases and can’t remember one where I was outmaneuvered. But if you’re going to strand me out here in Green Acres and get your tighty-whities in a bunch because I get breakfast, you damn well better get me a vehicle to drive.”
Sensing the depth of the pile of shit he’d just stepped into, Ty jumped from the bed and hauled ass to the bathroom door just before she stomped through it.
“Get out of my way, Ty. I need a shower and if you know what’s good for you, you’re going to get my suitcase and bring it to me.”
He continued to block the doorway and smiled down at her. “I’m sorry. Thank you for breakfast.” He softly kissed the tip of her nose, then her lips. Eventually worked his way around to her earlobe, her Achilles heel. “I love you,” he whispered against her ear. “And you can drive Molly any time you want.”
Christ Jesus, the stupid truck had a name. And she was worried about being the crazy one in the relationship.
“Just so you know, Molly fits just fine through the gate.” She smiled up at him sweetly. “At least now she does.”
Chapter 4
Women were just entirely too sensitive. Ty blew out a frustrated sigh as he tugged on his shirt and jogged out to his truck to get their suitcases. It was the same shirt Jordan had tugged off only seconds before, revealing her naked breasts.
She hadn’t been wearing a bra, and damn, she knew what that did to him.
After peeling his shirt slowly off, she’d posed, teasing and taunting. When his dick made it very clear he was enjoying the show, she threw his keys at him and promptly kicked him out of the bedroom. Told him go enjoy some one-on-one time with Molly.
Apparently when a female woke up early and delivered you breakfast in bed, questioning her mode of transportation was not cool.
He circled the truck and examined her paint. Then guilt had him checking out the upstairs window. Jordan was in the shower. She couldn’t possibly catch him inspecting the truck. All the same, he chuckled and decided he had no interest in finding out what she would do if she did see him. He’d hurt her feelings, but he’d seen her drive through the city. She maneuvered through traffic like rainwater flooding a storm sewer—fast and furious and sweeping away everything in her path.
Maybe the best apology would be the one delivered slowly in a warm, wet shower as he worshiped every inch of her body. That was exactly what he planned to do next.
He tugged out their suitcases. As he turned toward the house, a pickup pulled to a stop at the gate. It was his brother with Jordan’s old orange couch—from her apartment in Titus—strapped to the truck bed. That sofa had been the first place they’d made love.
Well, technically he supposed it had been the first horizontal place they’d made love. They’d had a rather explosive vertical encounter before that, but it had been more about slaking a long overdue need than making love. But the second, third, and forth times had been on that huge, ugly orange couch.
He fucking loved that couch.
So did Jordan. Ty grinned and jogged over to open the gate.
Trevor rolled down his window. “Hey, bro.”
“Did you have any trouble getting it?”
“None whatsoever,” Trevor answered. “But I still haven’t figured out why you’d actually want the ugly old thing.”
Trevor parked and Ty tossed the suitcases on the couch. Trevor helped him carry the sofa inside. They centered it in front of the fireplace. Other than the bed, it was their first piece of furniture. The sight of it made him laugh. Didn’t make much of a fashion statement, but they both had a silly attachment to it.
Ty glanced at Trevor and nodded toward the radiator. “You’re staying to help me fix those, right?”
“Got all my tools in the truck.”
“Okay, I’ve got to get this suitcase upstairs pronto. I’m ah . . . already in the doghouse. I’ll be right back and we’ll get started.”
***
Jordan saw Ty’s blurry figure through the frosted glass of the shower doors.
He slid one open and pushed his arm in, handing her the soap and shampoo. “Am I forgiven yet?”
She took the items and noticed that he’d gotten her a towel, too. “Maybe. That depends.”
“On?”
“How thoroughly you wash my back.”
He peeked in. His gaze meandered from her toes up her legs, paused slightly at her hips, and came to an abrupt stop on her breasts. No doubt about it, Ty was a boob man.
She squeezed soap into her hands and rubbed them seductively over her breasts. “Well?”
“Baby, I had that very same idea.” He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “But I can’t. My brother’s gonna help me get the radiators up and running today. If we’re going to seriously check out the rest of the house, we need some heat.”
“Okay.” She ran her hand between her legs and fluttered her eyelashes. “I’ll just have to finish without you.”
He groaned again and twisted toward the door, as if debating how long he had before his brother arrived. Ha. She’d reduced him to wavering uncertainty. Score one for boobs.
“Go on, don’t mind me. Go play with your radiators.” Yes, it was mean to tease him that way. But after the truck incident, he deserved it.
Once he left, she finished her shower and stepped up to the big mirror and double sink, still bemused. Did men always get that worked up about their vehicles and projects? He’d actually turned down sex to work on a radiator.
She grabbed her blow dryer. If she was going to meet Ty’s brother, she’d at least fix her hair and throw on some makeup. The thought of meeting any member of Ty’s family made her nervous as hell. At least it was just his brother. How badly could she screw that up?
Ty knocked on the door and muttered something about fixing the heat in the bedroom first.
She turned off the dryer and looked around for her suitcase. He’d dropped her cosmetic bag on the bathroom floor, but her suitcase was nowhere in sight. He must have left her clothes out in the bedroom.
Huh, guess she’d just have to prance out there naked and find something to wear. She glanced at her towel on the floor. Who was she kidding? She intended to see just how strong his resolve was to work on the radiator instead of her.
She strolled gloriously naked out of the bathroom, propped her hands on her hips, and struck her most seductive pose. “Any reason in particular you delivered my makeup but chose to hold my clothes hostage?”
He was crouched in the corner messing with the radiator. Sexy, wide shoulders shifted when he turned. And beautiful sexy eyes opened wide when he saw her.
“Ah . . . well . . . maybe because you look really good naked,” said a deliciously low voice.
Too bad it wasn’t Ty’s voice.
***
Ty picked up his toolbox and jogged up the stairs. He was almost to the bedroom when Jordan screamed. She’d likely pump a bullet into a mouse or spider before she’d squeal about it. And she hadn’t been asleep, so it wasn’t a dream. Her shriek kicked his pulse into overdrive.
He flew through the door. Jordan was stumbling backwards buck naked, and Trevor was standing there with a huge-ass smile on his face.
“What the fuck?” Ty grabbed a blanket from the bed and flung it at Jordan, then stomped to his brother and spun the dumbass around.
Jordan picked up her suitcase and escaped into the bathroom. When she was gone, Ty cursed at Trevor again. “What the fuck was that?”
Trevor looked nothing b
ut amused, a big shit-eating grin lighting up his face. “I’m guessing that was your girlfriend, and let me just say, well done, bro.”
“I told you to knock on the bathroom door and let her know you were in here.”
“I did.”
“How could you just stand there—?”
“What did you want me to do?” Trevor shot back. “Under the circumstances, standing here was the most polite thing I could think of.”
“He’s right.” Jordan’s voice came from behind him.
Ty turned around. At least she was dressed this time, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a brightly flushed face.
“He didn’t do anything; it was my fault. I thought he was you.” She turned to Trevor and held out her hand. “I am so, so sorry. You guys look identical from behind. I’m Jordan, Ty’s very embarrassed girlfriend.”
Trevor took her hand and chuckled. “Trevor. Ty’s very happy brother. Don’t be embarrassed. That was the nicest start to a day I’ve had in a long time.”
“Hello. Still standing in the room.” Ty glared from one to the other.
“What can I say? You both have very nice backsides,” Jordan said.
Trevor chuckled. “Honey, you have really nice everything. And if you have an aversion to clothes, please don’t feel you need to wear them just because I’m here.”
“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious,” Ty said. “Don’t you have a radiator to fix?” He turned to Jordan. “And you, go put more clothes on. And a coat. And a hat. Try to avoid walking naked through a room we have company in.”
Chapter 5
Jordan inspected all the rooms on the second floor a bit more closely. Not that she knew much about home renovation. Nothing appeared to be in a horrible state of disrepair. New windows and new paint would likely do wonders. She headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. The rest of the house was much colder than the bedroom. Thank God Ty had packed her extra jeans and a heavy jacket. Didn’t look like she was going to need her swimsuit or other beachwear on this vacation.
Protecting the Dream (A Dream Seeker Novella Book 2) Page 4
