“Sometimes all the therapy in the world doesn’t help as much as a good cry,” Doc Jones smiled, showing him there was no reason to be embarrassed.
“I think you might be right,” he mopped up his face with his hands and shakily took another breath. “This is going to take me some getting used to, and I think I’d like to see you again, but I feel better.”
“You can gladly come whenever you need to.”
Meredith mumbled. “I think maybe the whole club needs to come after the stress and drama they’ve had the past few days.”
Tyler laughed loudly. “Yeah, can we get a damn group rate?”
“I don’t wanna go back,” she whispered as the two of them hopped on his bike.
“Me neither. It feels like it will be stressful if we do go back,” he agreed.
The dawning of December had brought with it cold temperatures. He had an idea, but there was no way they could take his bike.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “After all of the things we’ve been through the past couple of months, you’re gonna ask me if I trust you?”
“You have a point there.”
Without another word, he started up the bike and drove them to the clubhouse. Once there, he parked and got off, helping her like he normally did. “Go pack a bag for both of us. Enough for a couple of days. Make sure you grab us some warm clothing. It’ll be just a little bit colder where we’re going. I’m gonna take my truck up the shop and make sure it’s ready for a road trip. I’ll be back in two hours at the most.”
He didn’t even wait for her to ask questions. He was gone before she could open her mouth. This man never ceased to surprise her.
A few hours later he came back with the truck properly serviced. “You ready?” he asked her, throwing the bags she’d packed into the back of the quad cab.
“Yeah, but I’d really like to know where we’re going.”
“It’s a surprise,” he grinned.
This must be a big surprise because she had it on authority from Denise that he’d called Liam and requested to go silent for almost a week. As new VP, she knew that was serious.
“Okay, but I’m gonna figure it out sooner or later,” she taunted.
He didn’t say anything else as he helped her into the truck and then took his spot behind the steering wheel. They had obviously never done a road trip together and he was surprised when thirty miles from Bowling Green, she conked out in the passenger seat. He was excited about the impending vacation. After the stress of the past few months, he was looking forward to spending some time away from the club, alone with Meredith. That would be the best medicine of all.
Turning the radio up just a bit, he took the interstate south to Nashville and then took a turn east, heading towards Gatlinburg. Hopefully, when she awoke she would be just as excited as he was.
Chapter Forty
Five hours later, they entered the city of Gatlinburg. It was bordering on late night, but he knew exactly where they were going. He had called a friend a few hours before to make sure that the cabin he wanted was available. Snow had started falling the closer he got to the cabin, but that was why he had made sure the truck was properly maintained. A few miles ago, he’d stopped and put the snow chains on his tires. Meredith had yet to wake up. He reasoned that she probably needed this getaway even more than he did.
He parked at the cabin and was glad to see the stream of smoke coming out. His friend had obviously made sure there was heat, and hopefully there would be food because after driving all the way through, he was starving. Grabbing their bags, he took them inside before going back out to get her.
“Hey,” he nudged her awake carefully.
She snuggled deeply in his arms as he unbuckled her and carried her out of the truck. “Where are we?”
“Gatlinburg.”
She came awake quickly. “I slept the entire way?”
He chuckled. “You must have needed it.”
Rubbing her eyes, she took a glance around as he carried her into the cabin. “It’s a winter wonderland out here.” The pleasure was apparent in her voice.
“Sure is. I ordered the snow just for you baby.”
Her small hand smacked his chest lightly. “Sure ya did.”
He got the two of them into the cabin and set her down on her own feet. “I can’t believe I slept all that way. I didn’t even get to see the amazing views. Although,” she checked her watch, “with it being almost midnight, I’m sure you can’t really see them.”
“We can go see them in the morning,” he promised.
She turned around in a circle, admiring the cabin. “How did you get us this place on such short notice?”
It wasn’t grand like a lot of them in this area were. A bathroom and bedroom were the only rooms visible off this living area that boasted a kitchen. She wondered if there was a porch with a hot tub. That seemed popular with Gatlinburg cabins.
“This is a buddy of mine’s cabin. I called him and asked if he was using it, he wasn’t. So here we are. Do you want to look around? It’s not big.”
She shook her head in a no gesture. “I just have a question.”
“And I might have an answer.”
She poked his arm. “Smartass. Is there a hot tub?”
“Sure is, on the back deck. We’ll check that out sometime while we’re here.”
“Exactly how long are we here for?”
“Up to a week if you want to be.”
This was more than she could have ever asked for. This was exactly what she had needed. “I’m so happy,” she hugged him tightly. “We both needed this.”
“That we did. I’m gonna go take a shower, would you mind making some food? I’m fucking starving. I didn’t want to stop just in case the weather got worse.”
“Sure,” she walked to the kitchen as he walked to the bathroom.
Once there, she took stock of what they had. Someone had been kind enough to stock the pantry and fridge for them. Looking in the freezer, she saw hamburger patties. Tyler was hungry, and she couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard her stomach growl. Taking the patties out, she looked in the fridge and found cheese and bacon. A bacon cheeseburger sounded like the way to go. Chips sat on the counter as well as hamburger buns. She took that as a sign.
Walking out of the bathroom, Tyler ran a towel through his hair. He only had on a pair of boxer briefs, and she tried to hold back the moan, looking at his body. He really was a work of art.
“Food’s almost done,” she told him.
“It smells amazing. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m so hungry right now, I think I could eat shoe leather and it would taste amazing.”
“Bacon cheeseburgers and chips.”
He walked over to where she stood in front of the stove and slipped his arms around her waist, holding her body to his. “I love you,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell her, he just knew that trying to hold it back would have required more strength than he had. He wanted to use this trip to solidify their relationship.
That had come out of nowhere. She knew it wasn’t easy for him to express his emotions in words or actions, so this meant more than she could tell him. Expressing this feeling between them out loud was new, but the emotions weren’t.
“I love you too,” she whispered back, leaning her head against his chest and inhaling deeply.
The strength she felt there was her anchor. It balanced and centered her when she felt like everything else in the world was going wrong. Never before had she had that, and she loved that the feeling was shared with him.
“I don’t know what I would do if you felt differently about me because of what I did,” he started.
She reached up, putting her finger on his lips. “Stop. Don’t beat yourself up. We’re moving on, starting right now.”
He nodded, swallowing hard as she moved the burgers from the stove and set them on buns. Within minutes they sat around the kitchen table, both eat
ing as if they hadn’t seen food in months.
“It’s weird,” she commented. “This food tastes better than it has in months.”
He knew without her saying that the reason it did was because her attacker was dead, the man responsible was behind bars, and they could finally move on with their lives. “I think you’re right about that.”
They shared the meal making small talk, laughing and smiling at one another. As the food settled, Tyler yawned loudly. “I guess I’m a lot more tired than I thought,” he apologized.
She yawned right along with him. Now that she could breath, she realized just how tired she was. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.”
He grabbed her hand, allowing her to lead him to the bed that beckoned them both. They lay down, wrapped in each other’s arms, sleeping better than they had in months.
Chapter Forty-One
He was having the absolute best dream ever. His hands were tangled in Meredith’s hair as she kneeled between his thighs, her lips wrapped around the erection that stood up from his body. He was directing her with gentle pressure from his hands as he slowly thrust his hips towards the warmth of her mouth.
Her nails scored his thighs and the slight pinch of pain brought him to reality. Quickly, he realized this wasn’t a dream. This was real life. The morning sunshine streamed through the curtains, bathing her in sunlight. It looked as if she had a halo surrounding her, giving her an ethereal look.
“Damn, baby,” he groaned, leaning his head back against the pillows. “Can you take it deeper?”
She opened her mouth wider, relaxing the muscles of her throat, allowing him to slip further in. Pulling him back out, she swirled her tongue around the head and couldn’t help but grin as the breath hissed from between his clenched teeth.
Tyler tried to figure out how long she had been doing this because he was ready to blow. He hoped it had been enough time to make this respectable, but the visual of her between his knees looking up at him with his cock in her mouth was enough to send him over the edge. His fingers tangled deeper into her hair, pulling tighter. His hips pumped faster, his breaths becoming more and more shallow.
She went after him with everything she had, using her hand to stroke the hardness that she couldn’t get into her mouth. He wrapped his big hand around hers, showing her the rhythm he needed.
“That’s it,” he groaned. “Back up, Meredith,” he wrenched from between his lips.
When she didn’t, he tried his best to hold back, but she was hitting all of his zones. He fired on all cylinders as he emptied himself down her throat, shouting hoarsely as his body kept shallowly thrusting into the warmth that surrounded him.
As soon as she pulled away, he was on her, pushing her back against the sheets. “Tyler,” she whined as he lightly ran his fingers along the core of her body.
“Jesus Christ,” he moaned, feeling the wetness that gathered there.
“What can I say? Giving you pleasure gives me pleasure,” she smiled like the cat that ate the canary.
He quieted her as he coated his fingers with the wetness and then shoved them into her body. She thrust against him, holding his neck as she threw hers back. His lips trailed down the column of her throat, moving down to encase her nipple. As his tongue swirled the hard bead there, she arched into him, giving herself completely up to the emotions he created there.
Using his thumb, he strummed the hard nub at the top of her womanhood, eliciting a growl from deep within her throat. “Feel good?” he asked her, his voice dark.
“Uh huh.”
He stayed after her, moving with her as her body moved. Using his tongue, his hands, nipping with his teeth as she thrashed against him. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling his mouth tighter against her nipple, and she started mumbling ‘oh God’ as he began thrusting his fingers in rhythm with the undulations of her body. Her thighs tightened around his hand before she gave a great heave and she screamed loudly.
“There ya go,” he encouraged her.
These feelings were different than anything she had ever felt either. This seemed to be another area that she was finally able to let go in. It had never been this good, never.
“Tyler,” she moaned, pushing her head back against the pillow, letting her body come to rest.
“Glad I could return the favor,” he grinned.
The two of them lay in each other’s arms. His arms around her, her hand stroking his hair. They lay in silence for what felt like hours, but she knew it was only minutes. Glancing over at the clock, she realized it was past ten am. She really wanted to get out and do some exploring with him.
“Let’s go do something,” she told him, hooking her leg around his and trying to sit up.
“Do you want to?”
She nodded. “I’ve never been on vacation with a boyfriend before. This is a first for me.”
“First for me too,” he admitted to her. “Let’s get dressed.”
An hour later, the two of them had made their way into downtown Gatlinburg and had parked. Tyler’s friend had thankfully had the presence of mind to provide them with heavy jackets. They were very appreciative as they made their way up and down the main thoroughfare.
Here it was different, since Tyler was alone, he didn’t wear his cut. They walked along just like two people in love, on vacation. His large hand held hers protectively as they made their way in and out of the crowds of people. They didn’t really have any plans, but they stopped at different locations and took pictures of each other with their phones. On a couple of occasions, she had kindly asked strangers to take pictures of them together. This felt blessedly normal after the months of unusual they’d both had.
“You want to go to the aquarium?” he asked as they came upon one of the tourist attractions this town was known for.
“Sure,” she shrugged.
They walked up to the ticket booth, and he paid their way. Both enjoyed the exhibits and continued taking pictures with one another. As they were about to leave, a young couple with a toddler and a baby struggled to get out of the door. Tyler walked ahead and held it open for them, smiling as they thanked him. She watched, her mind going to a place she hadn’t been sure it could ever go.
“Do you think that’ll be us one day?” she asked quietly, holding his hand in her tight grip.
He shrugged. “That will be us if you want it to be us. I’ll be with you regardless of what happens here on out, but it’s up to you if we have all of that. Marriage doesn’t mean kids and kids don’t mean marriage. A relationship is what the two people in it make of it. We’ll be whatever you want.”
She loved the fact that he could take a simple question like that and turn it into something that made her think. What did she really want from him? From their relationship? Was it heading toward the altar? Was it going to be a life partnership? Did she want the kid experience with him? Everything seemed to have taken on new meaning to her in the past few days and she knew without a doubt that she had some thinking to do.
“Let’s go in here,” he pointed to a jeweler’s shop.
Her mind heavy, she followed him, half looking at all the things that were on display.
“This is really cool,” he commented, pulling her to stand next to him.
It appeared to be two necklaces. They fit together to make up a heart.
The salesperson came over, smiling at them. “I see you found our sweethearts necklace. It’s kind of like one of those best friends necklaces but it’s for couples in a romantic relationship. You know, it gives each one a piece of the other’s heart. It’s one of our best sellers.”
Tyler reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his wallet, producing a debit card. “We’ll take it.”
It just seemed like it was meant to be.
Later on that evening, they drove around the surrounding area, just enjoying one another’s company. They passed different shops, and as they got a little further from town, it became less crowded. They passed a church that proclaimed it was a
wedding chapel. They had almost passed it when she put her hand on his arm.
“Stop here, I wanna go in.”
“To a wedding chapel?” he asked, his eyebrows drawn together in question.
“Yeah I do.”
He knew by the tone of her voice that they weren’t just going in to take a look around. He turned into the parking lot and turned the truck off. They got out and met each other around the back of it.
“You sure?” he asked.
“If you are.”
Smiling he reached over and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go see what kind of trouble we can get into.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Meredith walked into the chapel, Tyler not too far behind. The overhead bell rang and the clerk came out, a smile on his face.
“Somethin’ I could help you two with?”
Tyler reached out for her hand and squeezed it. “We were wondering what we would need to do in order to get married today.”
The clerk explained the process, that they would need the names of their parents, their driver’s license, and their social security cards.
“What if I was a ward of the state, and I don’t know who my biological parents are?” Tyler asked softly.
“That’s fine. If you don’t know, you don’t know. Just fill out what you can.”
They filled out the information and forked over the cash that was needed.
“Do you have rings?” he asked.
They looked at one another. This was something they had forgotten.
“We don’t, but we have something that’s a little more us,” Meredith smiled.
Tyler looked at her, the question written on his face. “Our necklaces,” she explained. “And you know we could totally play with everyone like you do with your skull cup. They won’t really know if we’re married or not if I don’t wear a ring.”
The grin that broke across his face was huge. “You are learnin’ so well, baby. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud.”
Heaven Hill Series - Complete Series Page 37
