He decided to ignore her bullshit and cut to the chase. “So you’re Lavender’s cousin?”
“First cousin.” She pressed her lips tight and regarded him with suspicion, reluctant to give too much information. Obviously, she didn’t consider him trustworthy.
“Mother’s side or father’s side?”
“Father’s.”
Ah, pay dirt. Tyler sized up the defense and did an end run. He wanted more information. “So what’s the deal with her dad? What did he do?” Lavender’s entire dysfunctional family seemed to thrive on emotional responses, rather than discussing their problems in a forthright, logical manner. Perhaps, he’d find out the truth from her dad’s side of the family.
“What didn’t he do? We don’t like him.”
Okaaay. Well. “We?” Puzzled, Tyler tried to make sense of it all.
“My parents, me, the rest of the family.”
So much for pay dirt. Hell, even the coach’s own family had turned against him.
“Was he abusive?” Tyler braced himself for the truth he may not want to hear. To generate such dislike among people who should love you indicated some form of severe abuse, maybe even sexual abuse. Yet, he had to know what his once-revered coach had done to deserve these people’s obsessive hatred.
“Abusive?” She blinked, as if she couldn’t comprehend the question.
“Yeah, all of you have such strong feelings about him I figured he’d beaten her or Lavender or both.” Tyler held his breath and waited for the answer. He’d take the bastard out himself if Coach had laid a hand on his daughter.
“Oh, no, nothing like that.” Xandra studied him like he was fu—flipping crazy.
Relief flooded him even as confusion set in. “Then I don’t get it.”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this. It’s really Vinnie’s place to tell you what she wants you to know.”
“So give me a clue.”
She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “He wasn’t there.”
“He wasn’t where?” Tyler didn’t have much patience for evasiveness. In his mind, the crime didn’t match the punishment. There had to be more.
“You know, he wasn’t around. He was never there for Vinnie. He didn’t even attend her high school graduation. Never called her on birthdays or Christmas, never even sent a card. He missed every important moment in her life.”
“That’s it? He wasn’t there? I mean it sucks, but it could be worse.” He wanted to knock his head against the wall. None of this made sense. The animosity generated by Doris and her followers seemed out of proportion. Not that he could excuse his coach’s actions, but damn, he’d heard a hell of a lot worse.
“Isn’t that bad enough?”
“The way the family carries on, I figured he was a child molester or a rapist or an abuser.”
Xandra sighed, as if he was too dense to get it. “Are your parents divorced, Tyler?”
Tyler snorted at the ludicrous thought, even as he sought to swallow around the lump forming in his throat. “Heck no, not them. My dad died a few years ago when I was in college. Suddenly. Heart attack. He’d been as healthy as a horse.” Why he told her this stuff, he’d never know.
“I’m sorry.” Her words rang true, not the shallow words most people spoke which meant nothing.
“Up until the day he died, they were as disgustingly in love as they were when they married years ago. High school sweethearts and all that crap. Totally devoted to each other. My mom says she’ll never find another man like him, and she’s not going to look.”
“I think that’s incredible. You were very lucky to have a family like that.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Try living up to their standards. I don’t even attempt it.”
Xandra stared at him to the point where he started to squirm. He’d given away too much of what went on inside his head. “You’re very proud of them.”
Tyler scrambled to steer the conversation away from his personal life. “How long has it been since Coach has seen Lavender?”
“After the divorce about twelve years ago, Uncle Brian took the assistant coach job across state at WSU. A month later Lavender’s mom died in a car accident. Uncle Brian left them with the grandparents for the summer. He never came back for them. After that, he made a few feeble attempts to see the kids. Eventually, he never called, never sent them any cards. He just went away. He didn’t pay a penny of child support. Poor Doris and Larry struggled to raise two teenagers. Lavender acted out. She was a handful. Her brother, Andy, just retreated into himself. Football became his life.”
“Are you sure he never paid child support?” Tyler scratched his head. He didn’t know much about child support, but he couldn’t believe it was that easy to just walk away and not pay anything, especially when the person earned a state salary.
“Doris told me so. The woman is a good, honest person. Very devout. She’d never lie.”
Tyler wasn’t so certain about that. The bitch oozed with manipulative dishonesty.
“My Uncle Brian deserted his kids. My mom and dad don’t speak to him. No one in the family does, not after what he did to the kids.”
“What about the brother? Andy?”
“After he graduated from high school, he went to WSU against his grandmother’s wishes, walked on the team and made it. Doris was so furious, she hasn’t spoken to him since.”
“That’s nice of her.”
Zan ignored the dig. “She sacrificed everything for her kids. She was always there for them. Always. The first chance Andy got, he betrayed her.”
“I wouldn’t call wanting to have a relationship with your father betrayal exactly.” But what the hell did Tyler know? His family came straight out of 1950s sitcom, except his mother actually worked. He’d lived a perfect life growing up, yet he was majorly fucked up. Big time. He had no right to judge anyone else’s family dynamics.
“Doris won’t compromise when it comes to Uncle Brian. You’re either with her or you’re not.”
“That’s too bad.” Tyler shut his mouth and dropped the subject. This entire situation didn’t add up, and he’d be damned if he’d navigate that emotional powder keg. It was none of his effing business. His relationship with Lavender amounted to sex and nothing else.
Assholes didn’t have relationships with meaning. Nor did they get involved in the family affairs of others.
* * * * *
Tyler strode into the bar, and Lavender recognized a man on a mission. By the set of Tyler’s jaw, she suspected she wouldn’t appreciate this particular mission. She gave him the silent treatment and ignored him as much as possible.
Tyler stayed close all evening, though he made no attempt to carry on a conversation beyond grunting for another beer. Ever since he discovered her father’s identity coupled with the debacle with her grandmother, he eyed her with wariness in his blue eyes. Meanwhile, Lavender brimmed with nervous energy during the day and tossed and turned in her bed at night. Ten days of celibacy combined with a hot man next door was a lousy cure for insomnia. Beyond the dark circles under her eyes lurked the fear she just might be missing more than the man’s body despite how furious he made her.
Tyler didn’t goad her into an argument or make lurid remarks. Nor did he swear up a storm and fill the cuss-jar coffers. Instead, he stayed silent and brooding, not one sign of the asshole persona she’d come to expect and, in a dysfunctional way, appreciate. Except for the day he’d met her grandparents. He’d stepped over the line and sent her grandmother into major control mode.
Tyler emptied his beer, and signaled for another. She poured it and slid it across the counter. His blue eyes drilled into hers, physically stripping away each protective layer. She’d rather he stripped off her clothes than study her as if he knew all her secrets.
This crap needed to stop.
Putting her hands on the counter, Lavender went on offense before his odd behavior put her on defense. “Quit staring at me like that.”
“Like
what? How am I staring at you?”
“You know.”
Tyler rubbed the back of his neck and stretched, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He picked up his beer and took a sip, regarding her over the rim of his glass. “Can’t you at least get back to hating me? This silent treatment is making me crazy.”
“What makes you think I stopped hating you?”
“You didn’t?” He almost smiled for the first time since his close encounter of the controlling kind with her grandmother. He sat back and rested his large hands on his belt buckle, drawing Lavender’s gaze downward. She licked her lips as she noticed a tell-tale bulge.
“What do you think? I’m pissed as hell at you for that stunt you pulled with my grandmother.”
“But you miss the sex.” He tugged on a lock of her hair.
“Now there’s the asshole I’ve grown to know and despise.” She ran a finger across his stubbled chin and resisted the strong urge to follow the caress with her tongue.
He worked his jaw, as if considering his next words carefully. “I’m sorry. I was a real ass, even for me.”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s about the sex with us. Just stay out of my family’s business from now on.”
He looked down, then up again, seeming to weigh his options. “Fine. Just answer one question. What did your dad do that was so bad to make you hate him so much?” Tyler tensed, as if bracing himself for either an ass-chewing or the cold shoulder.
Lavender looked up from the wine bottle she was uncorking. Her face hardened into an emotionless mask which slipped into place every time her father was mentioned. “He was never there.”
“You people sure hold a grudge for a long time.”
“So you’re taking his side.” It just figured. Jocks stuck together.
Tyler held up his hand. “Hell, no, just seems weird to me to harbor a grudge for this long. Hell, even I forgive and move on, and I’m an—”
“—Asshole. I know. Listen Harris, my grandfather is the only father I have. He’s been there for me, while my real father hasn’t. Brian Gerloch is not welcome in my life.”
“Is that why you changed your last name?”
“Yes.”
Tyler frowned at her. Lavender twisted the ring on her finger. Hard. Any harder and she’d twist her finger off. He watched in fascination as it spun even faster on her hand. He looked up, and she realized she’d been caught. She slipped her hands behind her back and out of his line of sight. A knowing smile crooked the corner of his mouth.
“You do that when you’re upset. Really upset. At the risk of getting my head ripped off, tell me why you never call your grandfather ‘Dad’ if he’s the only father you have.” He raised one cocky eyebrow in a silent challenge, looking more like his asshole self.
“I—I—just because.” Anger rumbled through her like a thunderstorm through a wheat field. “Don’t go psycho-analyzing me, Harris.”
He snorted and pointed at his chest. “Me? I’m too stupid and shallow for something requiring insight into other people’s feelings.”
“Yeah, you’re just a dumb jock.” She volleyed his words back at him.
“It’s hard work being bitter.” He spiked the ball, almost laying her out on the court.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She came back at him, fearing she’d lost the battle.
“It means you and your grandmother put way too much energy into hating your father. If you really were indifferent, you wouldn’t give a shit about him or waste any energy on him.”
“You are so wrong.” Lavender backed away, needing a moment to regroup. Tyler’s words hit home. Hard. Too hard. She skirted around the opposite side of the bar. She didn’t like talking about her family. Unfortunately, she couldn’t steer clear of the quarterback when she went to pour a beer, since he was sitting right in front of the taps.
“Your grandmother is a control freak.” He just couldn’t seem to let it drop.
Lavender shrugged one shoulder. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“For example, you love animals, but you don’t have any pets in your house, not a dog, not a cat, not even a fish because of her.”
Lavender swallowed but couldn’t respond past the lump in her throat. She missed having an animal to keep her company on those endless lonely nights. Animals had always been her family, her comfort, her port in any storm. They loved her without condition and were always there.
“Don’t you think that’s weird?”
“It’s her house. I have to live by her rules if I want to rent it.”
“Aw, come on. She could cut you some slack. She’s your grandmother.”
“Stop it.” Lavender’s stomach churned. She threw the bar rag on the counter and made her rounds of the tables. Her grandmother might be a little obsessive, but she had a right to be. Maybe others found it odd that she and her grandparents didn’t have anything to do with her brother, but he’d betrayed them in the worst possible way.
Nobody understood. If they did, she wouldn’t get this kind of feedback from people. She loved her grandmother, and her grandmother loved her. Doris Mead had always been there for her. She couldn’t say the same for her father. Even when he’d still been with her mother, football consumed his every waking hour.
She hated all this talk about her father. It put her on the defensive, made her feel guilty for God knows what. She’d done nothing wrong. Brian Gerloch deserted them, left them almost destitute.
Tyler Harris did not fit that mold. Now he was asking too many questions, as if her family mattered to him. They didn’t. They couldn’t. She knew just the thing to stop this invasion of her personal affairs—another kind of affair. He’d forget his own name when presented with a warm, willing woman ready to engage in a little hard riding.
Casting a sultry look his way, Lavender sashayed closer. Tyler met her halfway, stepping into her space.
“This isn’t supposed to get personal, jock boy.” She lowered her voice a sexy octave and watched his eyes go from sky blue to midnight blue. Tyler leaned into her and licked his lips. He didn’t touch her, allowing her to take the lead.
“Hey, get a room you two,” Homer yelled from across the room.
Lavender jumped back. Her pale skin burned as red as a fire engine. Tyler took longer to recover. Finally, he shook his dark head and tipped back on the heels of his well-worn cowboy boots. “Tonight, after everyone’s gone, you’re at my mercy.”
“No, you’re at my mercy,” she countered, salivating at the thought of being in control of this powerful, muscular hunk of testosterone.
“Is that a promise?” Tyler didn’t even blink, instead he looked intrigued.
“For once I’m going to run the show.”
“Looking forward to it, sweetheart.” He ran a finger over her lips, and she shuddered. With a wink, he sauntered off to join the Brotherhood at a table across the room.
* * * * *
Despite being past their bedtime, the old codgers stuck around long enough to beat Tyler at three hands of pinochle before they finally tottered out the door. Once the door clicked shut behind the final geriatric, Tyler tipped his chair back on two legs, crossed his arms over his chest, and enjoyed the view. Lavender sped around the room, vacuuming, wiping tables, cleaning the counter, essentially putting everything in order for the night. Her ponytail swung as she walked, keeping rhythm with the swaying of her fine ass. Pretty soon Tyler would be grasping two handfuls of that ass as he buried himself deep inside Vinnie’s soft heaven. His cock hardened in response. He leaned forward and the chair legs clunked as they hit the floor. He tapped his foot impatiently on the worn hardwood floor.
Lavender finished the last of her closing chores and headed for the door with Tyler on her heels. He held the door open for her but blocked the doorway. She pushed on his chest. He didn’t budge.
“It’s been too long, purple lady.” Tyler leaned in, caught a whiff of lavender, and leaned closer. He slid his hands d
own her sides and rested them on her hips. Damn, but she felt so fu—flipping good. Everything he’d ever dreamed of wrapped up in one fiery little package. He pulled her against his body, cupping her ass in the palms of his hands. He picked her up, sliding her along his length until her face came level with his. Her red lips parted, revealing a glimpse of white teeth. Her pink tongue flicked out and moistened her lips.
Tyler groaned and bent his head to sample those lips and tongue for himself. He’d always loved kissing as foreplay, but kissing Lavender took the act to an entirely different level. He gave her more than he ever gave with other women, even Cass. At first it might have been the challenge, the mutual dislike, the great chemistry. Maybe it still was all that and more. She drove him wild with an irrational need he couldn’t explain, nor did he want to. She made him feel. And for a man who’d been buried in smothering apathy this past year, he embraced feelings of any kind, especially those which awakened his passion for life.
Slave to a different type of passion, Tyler backed Lavender against the doorframe. Her mouth opened for his tongue as she sucked on it. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the feelings rampaging through his body, his head, hell, even his big toenail. His brain shut down for the night since he wouldn’t be needing it. He had all he needed right here wrapped up in this little red-headed dynamo.
Fingers digging into his scalp, she pulled him closer, held his mouth to hers. Their bruising kisses only sent the flames higher. Tyler resuscitated a miniscule portion of his common sense and dragged his hungry mouth away from his purple lady’s equally hungry mouth. Panting and turned on beyond sanity, he slid her body back down his until her feet touched the ground. His cock demanded immediate satisfaction, nothing new there. His boy was legendary for its impatience, but it’d have to hold out a little longer. Wrapping an arm around Lavender’s shoulders, Tyler waited while she shakily locked the door. She fumbled with the keys twice. He swallowed a smirk, smugly satisfied with his power to rattle her.
Forward Passes (Seattle Lumberjacks) Page 13
