Jace came in early for dinner and I got to use my social skills on one more familiar person now that I had met him.
“Hey there, Jace. What can I get you?”
“Hey there, Miss Natalie. I’ll just take the pot roast dinner and a glass of lemonade.”
“No problem.”
I turned to put in his order when he stopped me. “Hey. I just wanted to say thanks again for yesterday. Means a lot you helpin’ out like that. It was good for Tuck, too.”
I didn’t know what people meant when they said stuff like that. Tuck was always fun. He didn’t need me to have a good time. So I just avoided that and answered the rest. “It was no trouble, seriously. I had a great time. I’m hoping I’ll get to help out again sometime.”
Jace tipped his chin to me and noted, “I’m sure I’ll be seein’ a lot of you.”
Done with this conversation, I smiled and spoke cheerily. “Ok, great! Well, I’ll just go put your order in then. Let me know if you need something else.”
I managed to serve his food and finish waiting on him without having any more awkward conversations. When he left, I had a little lull so I caught Ruthie in between a couple of her tables.
“Oh, Ruthie, by the way, I wanted to say thanks for the phone. Tuck gave it to me yesterday.”
Ruthie looked confused and said, “What are you talkin’ about Nattie?”
I continued talking, not even acknowledging what she said. “I know I shouldn’t have been wandering around this long by myself without a phone, even in a relatively safe place like this. And I get that you were worried and all but I’ll pay you back-”
She cut me off by saying, “Geez, Nattie. For somebody so smart, you can be really dense sometimes.”
Okay. Now I was really confused. How had I offended her? I started to shake my head when she said, “Nattie, I didn’t get you that phone.”
“What do you mean you didn’t get it for me? Tuck said-”
“Yeah, Tuck said. Nattie. Tuck got you that phone. Tuck’s gotten you everything. The apartment, the furniture, the phone, everything. I can’t believe you didn’t figure this out by now.”
“But, I don’t get it. Tuck doesn’t like me. I annoy him every time he comes in here. Sure we play with each other, but we’re just messing around. Why would he do all that for me? He just met me for God’s sake.”
She rolled her eyes. “You think that’s Tuck not likin’ you girl? You’re crazy. You see him payin’ that much attention to anyone else?”
Actually, no. Tuck never paid attention to anyone else. He always sat in my section and always seemed to enjoy goading me thoroughly. He also spent the day with me yesterday, getting to know me but not pushing me too far. All the conversations we’d had started to flash through my head like a slideshow.
Natalie Jenkins. I’ll be sure to remember that.
It’s just that you’re awful cute when you get on a tear.
Always make time to come see you, Babe.
Though, I’ll say, whether you’re wearin’ those shorts or not, guys are starin’ at your ass. I know I am.
Well, I missed you, Talie.
As long as you weren’t lookin’ for me and thinkin’ I stood you up.
Ah, a man after my own heart. You have no idea.
Well, I’ve gotta go around to a few different spots helpin’ people with stuff I promised I’d help ‘em with, but I thought maybe you’d wanna go with me.
Looks like you met your match, honey. She took your shit and fed it right back to you. Get over it.
I think I might’a underestimated you a little bit. I like it.
This is Hatch. He’s a gelding, he’s not too temperamental, and we had a talk about him bein’ real careful with you.
No problem, Babe. I don’t ever wanna do anythin’ that’s gonna make you react like that.
Oh my God. Tuck liked me?
“I see the light’s starting to dawn. I tried to talk to you about this the first time you met him, but you kept brushing me off. Tuck used to be playful all the time. Always bustin’ on people and havin’ a good time, until his sister left. I hadn’t seen him like that until the day you walked in here.”
Wow. That was huge. I probably should have listened to Ruthie a long time ago. Oh well, wouldn’t do me any good to dwell.
“He comes in here almost everyday-”
She nodded. “He comes in here for you.”
I had to see him. I didn’t even know what I would say, but I knew I needed to see him. “Where is he? Where would he be right now?”
John, who had obviously been listening in on our conversation (and so had everyone else, I noticed when I took in the room) answered, “Heard one of his horses broke through the fence, so I reckon he’s out fixin’ it.”
I looked out the window and then back at John. “But it’s pouring outside.”
He shrugged and said, “Don’t matter. Had to get done.”
I looked to the window and back at him again. He must have read what was on my face because he answered my unspoken question. “Go. The other girls’ll cover the rest of your shift.”
That was all I needed to hear. I ripped my apron off and headed for the door. Luckily, Ruthie had pointed out the way to his farm when I went to Zumba with her, so I knew where I was going. As soon as I was out the door, I was instantly soaked, but I didn’t care. I turned right and ran down Main Street. Once I got to the end where the The Goods was, I just had to turn left then an almost immediate right and go up the road about half a mile. It really wasn’t that far but considering that my emotions had my heart beating a mile a minute, it was a good thing I was in decent shape.
********
Not really sure where I would find him, I just ran straight up his driveway.
Fortunately, I spotted him almost immediately, and it looked like he was just finishing nailing the top board on a section of four-panel fence along the driveway close to the house.
Looking to get his attention over the pouring rain, I screamed, “Tuck!”
His head whipped around in my direction and as soon as it registered that I was rushing towards him and soaking wet, he dropped everything, and took off running to meet me.
“Talie, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Is someone hurt? Did you run all the way here?”
Forcing him into further panic, I stood silent taking in all of his beauty that I hadn’t even allowed myself to fully take in until this moment. His dark blue t-shirt was plastered to his body, highlighting everything good about a man’s body. His jeans were soaked too, and stuck to his muscular thighs like a second skin. He had on a ratty black baseball cap to keep the rain out of his eyes while he worked, I presumed. He was beautiful.
His scream brought me back into the present. “Natalie!”
“You did everything for me?”
His beautiful eyes widened at my question. It only took him a few seconds to understand what I meant. He gave me one nod.
“The apartment, the flowers, the furniture, the phone? You did all of that for me?”
Another nod.
“Why?”
“Because you needed it.” Simple as that. Because I needed it.
“But, I don’t understand. The way you’ve acted around me...it just doesn’t make sense.”
A smirk settling on his rain-soaked face, he answered, “You’re special, Talie. I’ve know for a long time. The way I’ve been acting is me. I’m a smart-ass. I’m bossy, possessive, and a dick sometimes, but only in the ways that you’ll like it. But you weren’t ready to know the rest of me.”
I didn’t understand. None of this was making sense to me. “How could I not be ready?”
He stepped forward and cupped my cheek with one hand while the other went to my hip and pulled our bodies close. He looked right into my eyes and whispered, “Because, Baby. All the time, I watched you. You were so deep in your own head, livin’ your past, that you would’a run from somebody if they had tried to get close to you. I know you were runn
in’ from somebody when you came here. I could see it in your eyes. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you were scared, timid, even offended after I first talked to you. But not you. You had such a fire in you that you were liable to lash out and burn anybody if they got too close. You needed time. Time to accept love without conditions. Time to adjust to bein’ takin’ care of like you should’a been every goddamn day of your life. When I showed you I would give you the world, you had to be ready to take it.”
I gasped my surprise, and the next thing I knew, his mouth was on mine. He took my open mouth as the opportunity to slide his tongue inside. And Jesus, was I glad he did. Standing there in the rain, our wet bodies plastered together and his lips sealed over mine with his tongue stroking the inside of my mouth, I was pretty sure I’d found heaven.
We must have stood out there in the rain for minutes just exploring, tasting each other. He moved his other hand from my face, turned his hat around backwards so it was out of the way, and then continued down with it to join his other at my hips. He skimmed the edge of my shirt with his fingers looking for skin. I followed his lead and shoved my hands up his shirt to do the same. When my hands made contact with his warm, firm skin, a groan vibrated in my mouth from deep in his throat. His hands reached around and grabbed my ass lifting at the same time that I jumped twining my legs around his waist.
I noticed he was moving, carrying me while still making out with me. And he was moving quickly. I subconsciously noticed that he must have been headed for his house. He ate up the distance quickly and before I knew it he bounded up the front steps onto his porch, all without removing his mouth from mine.
He opened the door, kicked it shut behind him, and carried me down the hall, up the stairs, and to his bedroom, but I didn’t notice much more than that. I was a little too busy to notice any design details that his house might have had to offer. I would have to pay attention after, when my body wasn’t tingling all over, with a special tingle centered between my legs.
Setting me down on my feet, he grabbed the bottom hem of my shirt to pull it over my head. Our mouths separated for just a second in order to let my shirt clear my face, but when he caught sight of my bra he pulled back to take it in. I had finally gotten around to shopping for new undergarments and was wearing my completely see-through lace black bra. The look on his face was absolutely carnal.
Unable to control himself he leaned down and took my nipple into his mouth through the rain-soaked lace.
My head fell back in ecstasy. “Oh my God, Tuck.”
Fueled by my words and actions, he continued, even more aggressively. Switching to my other nipple and sucking it deep, he used his finger and his thumb to roll the original nipple and keep it at attention. I couldn’t stop the moans that were escaping my throat. There was no time to rethink any of this or wonder if I was ready for the next step. I was too far gone in my desire. And from the looks of it, so was he.
Using his free hand, he reached down to start unbuttoning my shorts. Everything felt so good, but I was nervous. But nervous in a totally good way. It was kind of backwards thinking, but I was nervous because everything felt so right. The main part of that being that it felt. When I was with Andrew, I turned everything off. I had to protect myself somehow, and for me, making myself numb was the only way. So, I hadn’t had a sexual encounter where I actually felt something in over a year. And quite frankly, my normal relationships before Andrew weren’t even that great. I was too stubborn and strong-willed for most men. They usually cracked under my pressure because as it turns out, most men don’t like feeling weaker than a woman. With Tuck, it was like he knew that I was just as strong as him, but he was man enough to still take charge and protect me whether I knew I needed it or not. In that moment, plastered together with Tuck, I thought I would probably do just about anything to keep that feeling. And that scared the shit out of me.
Tuck pulled back and gave me a gentle shove to make me fall back onto the bed. I reached around and unhooked my bra while he crooked his fingers into the side of my shorts and pulled them and my panties down all in one swoop, taking my shoes with them.
I could hear our ragged breaths filling the room, and there was a steamy quality to the air from our soaking wet clothes and passionately heated bodies.
As Tuck stood back and took in my completely naked body and made short work of his clothes, he spoke. “Fuck, baby. Worth the wait. You’re even more beautiful than I imagined you would be. And I imagined. A lot.”
A startled laugh bubbled out of my throat, and I was beyond thankful to Tuck for lightening the moment while still making me feel beautiful and appreciated. I also made a mental note to inform Ruthie that I had changed my mind. Boxer-briefs were definitely my favorite underwear now. Definitely.
Before I knew it, Tuck’s clothes were gone and he was covering my body with his. I didn’t have much time to admire his body, but I would be sure to do it later. God, this felt perfect. So right. The rest of the world ceased to exist and it was just me and Tuck. Overwhelmed by the emotion I was feeling, I started to shake. I tried desperately to cover it up, but Tuck noticed.
“Talie, what’s wrong, Babe? You’re shakin’.”
Temporarily thrown off my secret keeping game by the beautiful, naked man on top of me, I whispered, “I’m sorry. I just haven’t done this because I wanted to in a long time.”
Tuck’s body locked and his face turned to stone, and I immediately realized my mistake.
“What do you mean because you wanted to?”
Trying to deflect him I said, “Tuck, I didn’t mean anything sweetheart,” and went to kiss him again.
Never the idiot, Tuck realized my avoidance technique for what it was, an avoidance technique, and backed away from my kiss.
“Talie, Babe. I’m gonna ask you again. What do you mean because you wanted? Did somebody make you do it when you didn’t want to?” His voice was vibrating from trying to contain the anger that was starting to surface.
Silence.
“Talie.”
Silence.
“Babe.”
Silence.
But really, the continued silence said it all.
Tuck erupted and jumped from the bed. “Fuck!”
He turned violently and punched his hand straight through the wall. He punched his hand through the wall!
“Fuck!”
I jumped up, grabbing the cover and taking it with me to cover myself and yelled, “Tuck!”
Tuck misread my scream, pulled his shit together remarkably quickly, immediately came and eased me down on the bed, and squatted in front of me. “Natalie. I would never hurt you. I’m so sorry I scared you, but I was taken off guard. You mean a lot to me, Babe, and I hate that you’ve been through somethin’ like that.”
He ground his jaw to keep his anger in check and continued, “But I can promise you that nothin’ like that is ever gonna happen to you again. Nothin’ is ever gonna touch you. Nothin’.”
The look on his face was so pained and raw that I couldn’t wait a second longer to end his suffering. I reached down and cupped his cheeks, pulling him up so that he was between my legs and eye to eye with me.
“Tuck, baby, I’m fine. I’ve been through a lot, and to be honest, I hope to God you never know all the details of it. But I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I could tell that about you the first moment I met you. And I wasn’t even shaking because I was scared of what was about to happen. I was excited and overwhelmed. Overwhelmed because I was feeling so much emotion. Emotion that I turned off quite some time ago and didn’t know if I’d ever get back.”
The look on his face was unabashed, deep feeling. He was a completely open book in that moment and wanted me to see the depth of what he was experiencing. He stared right into my eyes and let me watch his blue-green ones get wet. He wanted me to have that. Of course, such openness made me feel nervous, so I kept talking to push through the moment. “Now let me look at your hand. You’re bleeding.”
I we
nt to grab his hand and pull it up for inspection but he brushed my hands away and cupped my jaws while stroking my cheeks with his thumbs.
He murmured in a soft, reverent voice, “Jesus. My Talie. So strong.”
He leaned forward and touched his mouth to mine softly.
Backing up again and looking into my eyes, he spoke again. “Right, Babe. Good news. You’re beautiful and you’re in my bed. Also, my hand is fine, only needs a little doctorin’. Bad news, the mood’s ruined. So, tonight, sleep. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
He got up, scooted me into the bed, and threw the covers over me. He walked into the bathroom to, I assumed, doctor his hand and returned a couple minutes later. Going around the bed and flicking out the light, he climbed in behind me and hooked an arm around my waist pulling me back into his hard, still naked body. Still naked. Geez. We were both still naked, actually. I chewed on this for a while not knowing whether I was completely comfortable with the non-sexual nudity at this early stage, and then decided to say something.
“Um, Tuck-”
“Sleep, Babe.”
“But, um, we’re naked.”
“Yeah.”
“We’re naked.”
“Yeah. It’s nice. And I’d be able to enjoy it if you’d shut up about it.”
Thinking about that, I took in the feel of him behind me. And I could feel all of him. I decided he was right, maybe I should shut up and enjoy it.
“Okay, I’ll shut up.”
“‘Preciate it.”
I smiled into the dark room, thinking maybe the struggles of life weren’t so bad after all if you ended up in bed with Tucker Cody after them.
“Night, Tuck.”
I felt him smile into my neck from behind me and murmur, “Goodnight, my Talie.”
********
I woke up the next morning to Tuck kissing my neck. “Wake up, Baby. You gotta get to work.”
I jumped up in a panic, my hands taking on a karate chop position. “What time is it?”
Tuck chuckled and answered, “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time. We don’t have time to have any fun, but you have plenty of time to get to work. I’ll drop you off.”
The One Place Page 7
