What Makes Us Stronger (A Well Paired Novel Book 3)

by Marianne Rice

  “Let me try.”

  While she worked on her zipper Ty studied her face, all scrunched up in concentration. She wiggled her hips and lifted her butt and lowered it again trying to free herself from her jeans.

  He dropped his gaze to her nakedness and saw a freckle he hadn’t noticed before on her side. Hovering over her, he dipped his tongue in her belly button then made a path over to her lonely freckle.

  “Uh, you’re not helping any.” Lily laughed and gently pushed at his stomach, which loomed over her core.

  Her hands brushed against his erection. Damn. He was harder than granite and the wiggle of her slim hips, her naked breasts, and her whimsical laugh was only making him harder. If that was even possible.

  Ty lowered himself until they touched core to core, still both clothed from the waist down, and braced himself with his elbows until their lips were a whisper away from each other.

  “I have scissors in the kitchen. I’ll buy you a new pair of jeans. But those have to go. Now.”

  Instead of being turned off or afraid, Lily broke into a shit-eating grin and lifted her hips, grinding into him. “If you can give me two seconds I’m sure I can get them off.” She planted a chaste kiss on his lips and squirmed away.

  Her body rubbed against his in all the right places, and he moaned in pleasure. In pain. In agony. Rolling to his back, he watched her hop out of bed and jump up and down in an attempt to remove her jeans.

  Those breasts. Tiny and perky and made for his hands bounced around, and this time he growled. “One.”

  “I got them!” Lily bent over and worked the jeans down her legs.

  “Two.”

  “Wait,” she giggled.

  Wait? He’d been waiting too damn long. Shuffling to the edge of the bed, he planted his feet on the floor and reached out, grabbing Lily by the waist. She shrieked when he pulled her down on top of him.

  “I didn’t peg you for an impatient man.” Lily ran her hands through his hair and smothered him with kisses, giggling as he groped her ass.

  “I’ve been waiting for hours for you to take off those damn jeans.”

  “Hours? It’s been two minutes.”

  Actually, it had been seven days. Admitting he’d been pining away for her would scare her away so he kept that comment to himself.

  “Next time wear something with elastic. It’s easier to take off.” Yeah. He said there’d be a next time and hadn’t thought about the possible rejection. There’d be a next time. He was sure of it.

  “That is true.” She slid her hands between them and under the elastic of his shorts. “You know, the entire two seconds you were watching me fight with my jeans you could have taken these off.”

  Before she could formulate her next word, he grabbed his shorts and shucked them off. “See? Elastic. Next time.”

  “Duly noted, hot stuff. Now, you were a little anxious about my jean situation. They’re still around my ankles. I’m not going to be able to...”

  Message heard loud and clear. Ty rolled her to her back and slid down her legs. Taking the jeans off the final few inches was a snap. When Ty looked up again, Lily was stretched across the bed and reaching into his nightstand for a condom.

  Taking it from her, he placed it next to the pillow and made love to her mouth. She tasted like cherries and wine, and he couldn’t drink up enough of her.

  “Ty.” She lifted her hips into his again and he brought his hand between their bodies, pleasuring her, making their evening last.

  After she’d clenched around him and called out his name, he tore open the condom wrapper and covered himself.

  There were no more words, no more wrestling of clothes. Just the two of them, naked and joined. Loving each other into the night.

  LILY BLINKED HER EYES open in a fog. The slight throb in her head wasn’t from a hangover. She wasn’t that drunk last night, but she was dehydrated. Her tongue was dry and fuzzy and could use a gallon or two of water.

  The clock on the bedside table read eight or six or possibly zero thirty-one. It was hard to tell with the haze in her eyes. Too caught up in everything Ty Parker, she’d forgotten to take out her contacts. Now they’d be stuck to her eyes and she wouldn’t be able to see straight.

  A big, strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her tight into the furnace’s cavity. Or rather, Ty. His body shed off some serious heat, not only visually but in temperature too.

  “You’re so hot.”

  “Um. Thanks?”

  Lily snorted. “I mean you’re an oven.” She rolled over to face him. He was close enough so he wasn’t a blur, but she had to blink a dozen times to get him in focus. Her morning breath was rancid, so she pulled the covers up over her mouth. “And in body too.” She tapped her fingers across his chest, squeezing his muscles.

  “You okay? Have a headache?” Ty moved the blanket from her face. “Can I get you something?”

  “A toothbrush. Water. Contact solution. Preferably in that order.”

  “I can do two out of the three.”

  “Let me guess. No contact solution.”

  “Twenty-twenty here.” He winked.

  She really didn’t want to end their evening so soon, whatever time it was. A ray of light peeked through his blinds so she figured the night was over and they were knee-deep in the morning after awkwardness.

  Add morning breath and glued in contacts and the awkward kicked up another notch to extremely uncomfortable.

  “I’ll grab you a water. I don’t have an extra toothbrush but you can use mine. Or if that weirds you out, I have mouthwash in the cabinet next to the sink.” He dropped a kiss on her nose and rolled out of bed.

  Gah, she wished she could see better. His naked form was outlined by the crack of dawn giving her just enough of a reminder of what she’d seen quite clearly last night. Not that she needed clean contacts to remember every detail of his body. He picked up something off the floor and put it on. Probably shorts. Just as well. She didn’t want to come off totally desperate and needy.

  Or whorish.

  Lily dragged her body up and leaned against the headboard and cuddled a pillow to her front to hide her nakedness. Her shirt had to be around the room somewhere, but she was too cozy to leave the bed.

  Ty came into focus a minute later holding a glass of water in front of him. “I started a pot of coffee if you drink it.”

  “If? I can’t function without.”

  The bed dipped when he sat next to her, and she gulped the water down hoping it would wash out some of the dry fuzz in her mouth.

  “I’ll make you a cup and bring you home.”

  Oh. So much for morning sex. Or hand holding during coffee. Sharing a muffin. “Sure.” She shrugged the sadness away.

  “Your contacts. My mom wears them. I can remember a few times growing up when she’d forgotten to take them out at night. That can’t be comfortable for you.”

  “Yeah. My eyes feel kinda gunky right now.” Way to ooze the sex appeal. “I’ll probably toss the contacts out when I get home. I need to replace them in a few days anyway.”

  “Oh.” Ty fidgeted with his hands in his lap. “How, uh, well can you see without them?”

  “I don’t always wear them when I’m alone in my apartment. I can’t watch TV or anything, but I can read. I’m nearsighted.”

  “Do you need your solution to take them out?”

  Lily cocked her head at the odd question. The man obviously didn’t wear contacts. Why did he want to know if... Oh! He wanted her to stay and didn’t know how to ask. Ty Parker, when not naked and rolling around in bed, was a shy guy. She liked that. Too much.

  “No. In fact.” She tossed the pillow to the other side of the bed and grabbed hold of the sheet, wrapping it around her body as she stood. “I’m going to take them out right now. My eyes will need to breathe, so I won’t put in a new pair until tomorrow.”

  She let the sheet drape behind her as she left his bedroom and headed toward his bathroom. Closing the door be
hind her, she dropped the sheet and checked out her reflection in the mirror and shuddered.

  Scary.

  Smudged eyeliner and mascara, plump lips, and a thin strip of beard burn on her neck. That, she didn’t mind one bit. Ty’s stubble made him appear even more gruff, and she loved how it felt against her body. How he felt against her body.

  When Ty was naked and aroused, he was a completely different man. He didn’t hold back like he seemed to do when they were on a date. It was like something feral went loose in him and he forgot about whatever inhibitions he had.

  It could be the friends they had in common, or small town gossip. Maybe Ty didn’t want anything more than sex with her because of the complications? She understood, but she didn’t want to accept it.

  Lily stepped away from the mirror, did her business, then had a staredown with Ty’s toothbrush. He wouldn’t have offered if it grossed him out. They had their tongues down each other’s throats last night.

  No. She wouldn’t cross that line. Yet. She reached for the mouthwash and swirled while she unglued her contacts from her eyes.

  Better. Finding a clean washcloth, she let the water warm up and washed her face, rubbing off the makeup residue from last night.

  Fresh and clean, she draped the sheet around her like a toga and went back to Ty’s room. Only it was empty. Noises and smells from down the hall told her he was in the kitchen. Not wanting to snoop too much, she tried the second drawer of his bureau and struck gold.

  Two piles of neatly folded shirts. Taking the one on top without paying much attention to it, she slid it over her head and tossed the sheet to the bed.

  The shirt hung to the top of her thighs. The last thing she wanted to do was wrestle with her skinny jeans again, but traipsing around his house with her butt hanging out wasn’t ideal either. Pushing their unclear boundaries again, she tried the third drawer and was relieved when she found a stack of shorts and workout pants.

  Lily was tall, nearly five-nine, but the pants would drag. She opted for a pair of running shorts and cinched them at the waist. Hopefully Ty wouldn’t mind her rummaging through his things.

  She closed the drawer and made her way down the hall toward the kitchen. He stood at the stove stirring something in a pot. He’d put on a shirt and had on the same shorts from last night. His feet were bare making every woman’s fantasy come true.

  Barefoot and cooking for her. Lily could get used to this. He must have heard her romantic sigh and turned around. A slow smile took over his face.

  “You look nice.”

  “You compliment the grungiest outfits.”

  “Easy now. Nothing beats Jack’s lobster pound.”

  Lily looked down on her chest where a bright red lobster stood out against the light gray shirt. “I didn’t mean to offend Jack.”

  “You like seafood?”

  “I’d think that was a prerequisite living here.”

  “Good answer. You like French toast?”

  “If I don’t have to make it.”

  “You really don’t like to cook?” Ty flipped a piece of toast from the pan and placed it on a plate.

  “I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of not liking. More like can’t do.”

  “Your mom or dad never tried to teach you any dishes when you were growing up?” He got two forks and two knives from a drawer and set them on the counter.

  “I’ll help set the table. What else do we need?” They weren’t taking a trip down memory lane. Not only could her heart not take it, but she wasn’t allowed to anyway. She hadn’t seen or heard from Agent Thorne in over eight months and didn’t want to give him any reason to come back around. Not that there was anything wrong with him. But news coming from Thorne was never good.

  No news was good news in her life.

  Ty paused mid-flip before setting the last piece of French toast on a plate. “Okay.”

  Okay? Ugh. She hated how sad he sounded, like she’d run over his puppy. Lily looked around for Meatball and didn’t see him. Probably moping outside, which is where Ty looked like he wanted to be.

  All he was trying to do was make conversation, and she cut him off. She had to, though, and she couldn’t explain that to him. Oh the irony. She inwardly complained about his lack of communication skills yet shut him down when he tried to get a conversation going.

  “This smells amazing.” She picked up the silverware from the counter and gave Ty a slow kiss hoping she could turn his frown around.

  When his hands held firm on her hips and dragged her body into his, she figured that had done the trick. He traced her lips with his tongue and pulled her bottom lip between his teeth.

  “You hungry?” He raised an eyebrow at what she was sure was meant to be a double entendre.

  “Absolutely.” Lily lowered her hands and squeezed his buns of magnificent steel. “Maybe one morning you can teach me how to make French toast.”

  Ty’s hands stilled on her hips, his body tense, his eyes hooded. Maybe she made too many assumptions about the progression of their relationship.

  “Or not. I know how some people can be territorial in the kitchen.” She patted his buns and stepped out of his reach. Or at least, attempted to.

  Strong hands held her in place.

  “I’d like that.” Ty leaned in and nipped her earlobe. “Making breakfast together.” He released her and picked up the plate of French Toast as if he hadn’t whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

  Which he hadn’t, but when he dropped his voice down a notch or two and did that half-grunt, half-moan, half-whisper thing—screw the math—he had her panties in a twist.

  Only she wasn’t wearing any panties. She’d hold that card close to her chest and let it slip if Ty did that lost puppy thing again.

  They managed to eat a yummy breakfast keeping their clothes on and their conversation light. He talked about his current project, and she shared local gossip she’d heard at the spa. Nothing to get anyone in trouble; mostly about the geriatrics arguing over who had the better chowder recipes and who had the cutest grandbabies.

  When they finished eating, she stood and cleared the table. “How’s Meatball doing?”

  “I’m sure he’s got birds nesting on his back by now.”

  “I suppose a game of fetch or even a walk around the neighborhood is out.”

  “For him, yes. If that’s something you want to do I’m game.”

  “You’re going to chase a ball into the woods and bring it back to me?”

  Ty laughed. “I was referring to the walk. Can you see well enough to do that?” He stroked her back while she washed the pan, only stopping when she handed it to him to dry.

  “I’m not blind. I can see fine around here. Walking, I can handle. Other activities probably not.”

  “Other activities like what?”

  That double entendre thing happened again, and Lily had to decide how far she wanted to go. Innocent flirting or another round in Ty’s bed.

  Five minutes later their clothes were on the floor.

  Twenty minutes later they were asleep in each other’s arms.

  CHAPTER TEN

  OVER THE COURSE OF the past two weeks, Lily and Ty saw each other almost daily. On her late days, she called him when she’d closed up and they talked for hours. On the nights when they finished working around the same time, they either grabbed a bite to eat in a nearby town—to avoid local gossip—or she peered over his shoulder while he cooked them dinner in his kitchen.

  Since Ty left the house not long after sunrise on most mornings, they usually made love on his couch or in his bed shortly after dinner. Getting dressed and leaving the warmth of his arms proved to be more challenging with each day.

  Somewhere between walks on the beach with Meatball—which had happened twice now—dinner, and lovemaking, they’d crossed the threshold to something more. Yet there was still the lost puppy dog look in Ty’s eyes when she evaded talking about her past.

  When that happened, she showered on the love
and attention and asked him about his childhood.

  Two loving and supportive parents, a sister who worshiped him—although he called her pesky—and an entourage of aunts and uncles and cousins sprinkled about the state. He was a lucky one, and she’d told him this on many occasions.

  They’d been looking forward to Saturday night since, well, last Saturday night. Since Sunday was the only day neither of them had to work and they blocked the night before out as a date night.

  And sleepover.

  Lily tossed a few things in a backpack and skipped down both flights of stairs to the front door of the spa.

  “Hey, Lily. Have a minute?” Grace got up from the bench outside the spa. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was pulled back in a messy bun. Very much out of character for Alexis’ high maintenance sister.

  Granted, no one knew too much about Grace other than what she wanted to reveal. Which was nothing other than superficial makeup and fashion advice. She knew the type and yet there was another layer to Grace buried beneath the façade of a well-put-together woman.

  Lily knew those signs as well. But to confront Grace about it would mean to uncover her own scars. Scars she needed to keep hidden.

  “Sure.” Lily dropped her backpack on the bench and took a seat.

  “Actually, do you mind if we talk inside?”

  Torn between wanting to brush off the woman she barely knew to get to Ty and lending an ear to a woman who looked like she could use a shoulder to lean on, Lily stood again.

  “Absolutely.” She unlocked the door and let them in. A regular of the spa and all its offerings, Grace made herself at home on one of the chairs in the waiting area.

  “You’re on your way out,” Grace stated the obvious, toying with the straps of her Michael Kors purse.

  “That’s okay. You wanted to talk?” Lily hadn’t a clue what about. She’d never had a private conversation with Grace, much less been in a room alone with her. They’d had fun as a group a couple weeks ago at the concert in the park, and Grace had come to a couple book clubs. Other than that, she was a stranger to Lily.