by Jayne Rylon
“Actually, Tommy…”
“Oh, no.” He groaned. “I know that tone. Just say it fast. You changed your mind about what we talked about last night? You’re not that into me. What?”
“I just need a night to myself.” She swallowed. Her eyes stung as they filled with unexpected tears. “To be sure, you know? I want to think everything over before we do something rash.”
“Honey, the very last thing we’ve been is hasty.” He chuckled. “Trust me, the kids were over before, practically offering to donate their stash of condoms to us.”
“Oh jeez.” Her fingers flew to cover her open mouth. “They weren’t.”
“Sure were. But it’s your choice, not theirs. So take all the time you need. I’ll be right here when you’re ready.” He sounded disappointed yet understanding as ever. What had she done to deserve someone like him?
“Okay.” She hated that despite her yearning to rush back to his house and into his arms, she couldn’t allow herself to do it yet. “Tomorrow, I promise.”
“I’ll miss you tonight,” he murmured, setting her insides on fire. Kindling a flame she hadn’t fanned in years.
“Same goes.” It wasn’t a lie either.
“If you have a nightmare or want to talk…about anything…call. Doesn’t matter what time it is, you understand?” His firm tone only turned her on more.
“Yes, Tommy.” She tried not to giggle, knowing how much he despised her nickname for him. It was so inappropriate for a man like him it made her grin every time she whipped it out. Failing to stifle her amusement, a hint of her laughter seeped through.
“Don’t tempt me to make you scream my name. The real one. I bet I can make you do it, you know?” His husky guarantee was doing nothing to fortify her will. She had to cut this off before she flew back to him and begged him to make good on his promises. “I may be out of practice, but I’m willing to spend some quality time relearning how to do it right.”
“Seriously? Phone sex now, too?” Quinn’s groan came through loud and clear over the phone. “I’m going to the garage!”
“Be back in an hour for dinner,” Tom told the kid.
In the background, Quinn agreed. Poor bastard would have to suffer and eat that pasta. He would never complain. Tomorrow, she’d make it up to him with his favorite, her home-cooked meatloaf with fresh-baked berry pie.
Considering she wasn’t on site to be mortified about the interruption, Willie allowed herself to rock with peals of laughter.
“Such a pretty sound.” Tom sighed after the slamming door signaled Quinn’s departure. “Are you sure about this?”
“Just one night. To get myself ready.”
“You’re everything I want, Willie. Exactly like you are.” His grin practically rang through his voice. “Unless you’re waxing your legs or some shit tonight.”
Ah, crap. She had to remember to shave, too?
This intimacy thing was harder than she remembered.
“Very funny,” she sniffed. “Goodnight, Tommy.”
“Sleep well, Willie.”
Somehow she knew she wouldn’t doze even half as well as when he was by her side. Maybe that was the last shred of proof she needed to dive into a relationship with him.
Who was she kidding? They’d been dating for months already.
Hours later, as she tossed and turned, she was one-hundred-percent certain this was no longer her place in the world. Whether she’d intended to or not, she’d moved on…and into Tom London’s life.
She hoped they were both ready for what came next.
*
Before the sun had risen the following morning, she turned off the lights, smiled at the empty interior of her house, and headed back to Hot Rods. It felt as if she was going in the right direction. The night alone had given her plenty of time to think and gain perspective. This was the best thing to do.
When she got there, she knocked on the door to Tom’s house, although she had a key in her purse. It still seemed polite. To her surprise, it was Quinn who answered.
“Sorry, Ms. Brown,” he said. “Tom’s not home.”
“Oh.” She hated the disappointment zinging through her. She’d only been away for a single evening and already she was having withdrawals. What would it do to her if something—heaven forbid—happened to him? How would she cope again?
“He went for a jog with Carver.” Quinn grinned. “He was mumbling about having to get in better shape when he left.”
“If that man was any more ripped…” She trailed off, realizing just how inappropriate her audible thoughts had been about to get. It would have been impossible to miss the hardness of his body when he’d held her the other night or when he’d hovered over her, kissing the stuffing out of her afterward.
“I gotta get ready for school,” Quinn shouted as he ran upstairs, probably to claim his backpack. He’d been very diligent about his homework and grades since Alanso had promised to teach him more about tuning bikes while working part-time at Hot Rides if he did well in his classes. “Gavyn is taking me on his motorcycle!”
Each of the Hot Rods had pitched in to welcome Quinn and give him every opportunity they’d missed out on until coming there themselves. How could she not love every single one of them?
“Did you eat breakfast?” she called to him.
“Yep, cereal with some of the fresh fruit you cut up mixed in.” He smiled. “I even packed myself a sandwich for lunch. Tom offered me the leftover spaghetti. I was really generous. I told him we’d better save it for you since you missed out last night.”
Willie clutched her stomach as she laughed. “You stinker.”
“Hey, I took one for the team last night. Your turn.” He hugged her quickly then said, “See you later.”
When he hesitated at the door, she asked, “Everything okay?”
“You are going to be here when I get home today, right?”
“Absolutely.” She crossed to the teenager and squeezed him tight. Only for a moment, though hopefully enough to reassure him. He seemed so tough, but he was still finding his way here.
“Okay, good. Gotta go!”
Willie washed the few dishes left in the sink, dried them, and put them away. She peeked into the cabinets and drew up a shopping list. She could swing by and pick up the rest of what she needed for dinner after her doctor’s appointment.
When eight o’clock rolled around and Tom still wasn’t home, she tried not to panic.
On a piece of paper, she wrote a note.
I’m over with the girls. Nola’s going out this morning. Probably will be done babysitting around lunchtime. ~Willie
She’d crossed to the door before something came over her and she rushed back, adding a couple hearts to the note. Beneath her name, she put, PS… I shaved more than my legs, and I’m wearing fancy underpants. Want to see?
Before she could change her mind and rip up the proof of her insanity, she dashed out the door and across the lot to the metal stairway leading to the expansive apartment over the Hot Rods garage. It had to be huge to house the eight mechanics as well as their significant others, with room to spare for a nursery.
She knocked and waited for Nola to open the door, just in case there were any last-minute shenanigans going on before the mechanics went to work at their famous restoration shop downstairs. Instead, it was her other daughter, Amber, who greeted her.
“Hey, baby.” Willie hugged her tight. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. This is a nice surprise.”
“I figured I’d keep Nola company while she’s relaxing at the spa.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Actually, Gavyn kind of insisted. We’ve been going nuts with the planning for Hot Rides’ grand opening on top of my regular events. He wants me to take some time off and chill out.”
“Sounds like a good idea. A few hours won’t kill you, and you’ll be even more effective once you’re refreshed.” Her daughter was helping her boyfriend launch a sister-shop to Hot Rods. It would focus on building c
ustom choppers like the one he rode. Between the notoriety of the restomod business downstairs, Gavyn’s expertise, exposure on the reality TV show that featured the mechanics, and her daughter’s business sense, Willie knew they’d be a smashing success.
“Besides…” Nola motioned her over to the couch, where she was nursing Ambrose. “We kind of wanted to talk to you about something.”
The hair on Willie’s neck rose as she realized they’d conned her.
“Is this some kind of intervention?” She knew her daughters well.
“Not exactly,” Amber said, though she looked awfully guilty.
“Start talking then.” She tapped her lips with her index finger.
“I guess we were surprised to hear the guys joking around with Eli yesterday. They said that you and Tom haven’t…you know.” Nola peeked up at her mom. “Is that true?”
“Not that it’s your concern, but, yes. That’s right.” Willie attempted to act as if it was no big deal. Inside she was freaking out. Honestly, her girls had a hell of a lot more experience than she did recently in the bedroom department.
“Well, I guess we wanted to say that if it was us balking like that, you’d slap some sense into us.” Amber huffed. “What was all that, ‘it’s okay to be scared, Amber’ nonsense you preached to me when I was afraid to commit to Gavyn? You told me I had to have faith in the people I loved. Did you mean any of that?”
“For you, yes.” She crossed her arms.
“What’s good for the Amber is good for the Willie,” Nola said then wrinkled her nose. “That didn’t come out how I meant it.”
“Ack,” Amber agreed. “This is hard enough without thinking about…willies.”
“Why don’t you save us some prolonged discussion then? Say what you want to say.” Willie had always been open and honest with her daughters. Especially about their bodies as they matured. She never wanted them to be ashamed or make ignorant decisions. Looked like she might have excelled there, since Nola had chosen a polyamorous lifestyle.
“Fine.” Nola, always the less patient of the two, blurted, “Have you done it since Daddy died?”
“Child, hush!” she gasped. Had her own daughter just asked her if she was practically a born-again virgin?
“Oh my God! You’re right, Nola.” Amber’s eyes widened as she glanced to her sister then back to Willie. “She hasn’t.
“Is that why you’re freaking out so much? Is that why you hid at home last night?” Nola didn’t relent. “Because you’re scared of having sex again?”
Why the hell hadn’t she gotten that prescription refilled sooner, Willie wondered as she tried—only partially successfully—not to hyperventilate.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Momma.” Amber tried to calm her down.
“Yeah. You’re for sure a MILF,” Nola declared. “Or GILF, I guess.”
“Do I even want to know what that means?” she asked ruefully.
“Uh, probably not.” Amber cut her sister off. “Don’t worry. It’s a good thing. It means you’re hot. This isn’t going to be an issue for you. Tom is one of the sexiest older guys I’ve ever seen, and he’s totally into you. Do what comes naturally, that’s all.”
“Just do it.” Nola nodded. “Him. Do him. Put the man out of his misery already, would you?”
“It’s got to be like riding a bike, right?” Willie speculated aloud when she finally found her voice again.
Both of her daughters cracked up so hard that Ambrose fidgeted in her post-milk slumber.
“What?” Willie shrugged.
“I think riding Tom London will be a hell of a lot more exciting!” Nola cried.
Amber snorted. “Now all I can think of is Maria Von Trapp and her huge bicycle getting it on with him. Thanks a lot.”
“I’d cut that bitch if she dared,” Willie said just to make the pair of them laugh some more. Her heart soared, seeing them happy, sharing in their delight.
There’d been too many times in her younger years when she hadn’t been able to enjoy the simple pleasures, either because there’d been nothing to laugh about or because she hadn’t escaped the fog of depression long enough to join in.
“So you’re going for it?” Nola’s eyes sparkled.
“I think so.” She tried not to wince when they gave each other a high-five. “For your information, I’d already decided that last night. Thanks for the pep talk, anyway.”
Amber rushed over to hug her, only letting go when Nola butted in for a squeeze of her own, transferring Ambrose to her in the process. “We’re happy for you, Momma.”
“You deserve this,” Amber added. The sheen of tears in their eyes would have Willie bawling if she didn’t shoo them soon.
“Well, now that you got me psyched, you’d better hurry the hell up so that you get back here on time!” she whisper-shouted at the girls as they gathered their purses and car keys to keep from startling her precious granddaughter. “I’m not getting any younger, you know?”
“Ew, Momma. Gross.” Amber winked at her.
Chapter Four
Willie spent the next four hours doting on Ambrose, folding laundry, and baking cookies while thinking of the young couples hard at work building their futures in the garage beneath her. Anticipation began to outweigh the nervous flutters in her tummy as her speculation drifted repeatedly to the man who’d started it all, and what he’d be like in bed.
Somehow she figured he’d be less polite and rawer than Steven had ever been with her. She hoped he didn’t filter his primal side, leaving her with a shadow of the things she adored about him. His fierceness reassured her that he could, and would, protect his family at any cost. It was maybe the single most attractive thing about the man.
No longer delicate, she didn’t want to be treated like she was.
Surprisingly, when noon rolled around and the girls returned, looking more gorgeous than ever with their hair and nails done, Tom hadn’t made an appearance.
Was he waiting for her to come to him?
Probably, considering how she’d fled from him yesterday.
Nola rushed over to her and scooped Ambrose to her bosom. For her first time away from the baby, she’d done great. Willie remembered too well how hard it was to let go. Almost as hard as it was to let someone in again.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” They practically shoved her out the door.
She wished she’d taken the time for some beauty appointments of her own when hugging each of her children goodbye and thanking them silently for the kick in the pants. Tom would have to take her as she was. Or not.
The possibility of rejection hadn’t even entered her imagination until then.
He wouldn’t do that to her, would he?
Everyone was entitled to change their mind. Still, it might kill her if he did now.
Willie darted across the lawn and rushed into his house without knocking. She wasn’t sure when it had started to feel like her home too, but she could no longer deny that it did.
Tom sat at the table, reading the paper.
He took one look at her bright eyes and the shadows her hard nipples cast on her floral sundress then grinned. Carefully, he folded the newsprint then set it aside before crossing to her in a couple of his superhuman strides. “I like this look on you, Willie.”
“Desperation?”
“If that’s what you want to call it, sure.” He didn’t mess around, lowering his head and planting a juicy welcome kiss on her lips. His hands cupped her hips, keeping her still as he plundered. “I prefer primed. Seductive.”
She thought that implied a lot more grace than she possessed at the moment, but she didn’t feel like wasting time to discuss it. Not anymore.
Ready for action, she flung her arms around him and practically climbed his body as she tried to return his kiss.
“Give me five seconds, honey.” He breathed hard as he separated them. “I don’t want anyone ruining our fun this time.”
A flick of his wrist shu
t the door behind her and locked it. Then he jammed a chair beneath the door handle and even drew the curtains. “Just in case.”
Willie appreciated the insurance. She certainly didn’t need an audience for her artless fumbling. It would be humiliating enough when he discovered her limited experience.
Tom stalked closer, backing her against the kitchen wall. He gathered her hair in one hand then began to feast on the column of her neck, making her purr.
“Tommy?” she whispered.
“Yeah.” He didn’t stop his maddening kisses, licks, and love bites. The sparkling desire he infused into her bloodstream with every passing second distracted her, eroding her ability to do anything except say it like it was.
“I’m nervous.”
“Me too, honey.” He collected her, drawing her close enough that she couldn’t deny how damn hard he was for her. “Why don’t we take the edge off? So we’re both more relaxed.”
“Can I touch you?” she asked softly.
He groaned. “Anytime you want.”
“Will you tell me if I’m doing it right?” She bit her lip at how untested she sounded…because she was.
“I’m pretty sure it will be obvious.” He licked along her collarbone with sweeps of his warm, skilled tongue.
“Time out.” She wasn’t sure which of them was more disappointed when he lifted his head to meet her stare. “What I’m trying to say here…”
“You’re going to have to spell it out for me, Willie.” He grinned. “My brain is a few pints low on blood at the moment.”
“I haven’t been with a man in twenty-one years. And then only Steven. We were both young. Exclusive. Virgins when we met as kids.” She shook her head, scrunching her eyes closed. “I have pretty much no experience that counts. If I had to fill out a sex resume to make love with you, I’d be unhireable.”
“Good thing you never secretly aspired to be a prostitute then, huh?” He peppered her parted lips with soft kisses. “I’m more than willing to train you for the job, Willie.”
