The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Bridget

  My heart full of him, a thoroughly unfamiliar contentment coursing through me, I tucked my chilled hands into my hoodie pockets and swung my legs setting the porch swing in motion again.

  After we’d spent the entire night together, I’d snuck back into my room just as the sun had begun to creep over the horizon. Justin had been right behind me. Fully dressed for the morning, he had stood over Carter’s bed, waiting until I was safely under the covers in mine before he had gently shaken my son awake.

  My body flushed with heat remembering everything we had done. There’d been no sleeping. We’d been awake, talking, touching, and kissing. He had even made love to me one more time, right before he’d escorted me back across the hall.

  Carter’s appealing laughter ringing out across the front lawn brought my thoughts back to the present. My son’s nose and cheeks were rosy from the cold, his eyes sparkling in the mid-morning sunlight. He’d been lit up from within like that all morning. He loved it out here. He loved helping, being near the animals, and loved being a part of a family.

  So did I.

  He threw the ball again, and Sam, barking and tail wagging, tore off after it.

  “Can I join you?”

  “Sure.” I looked up to take the mug Rheta offered me before she took the seat beside me. My eyes returned to Carter as I blew over the top of the steaming tea.

  “It’s been nice to hear the sound of a child’s laughter,” Rheta shared quietly, her eyes straight ahead. “It seems like only yesterday that my boys were his age.”

  “Thank you for having us. We’ve loved being here. You have a beautiful home and made us feel like family.”

  “Thank you, but I’d be willing to bet that has more to do with Justin than with me.” She patted my knee and cleared her throat. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.” There was no point denying it.

  “He’s a good man. Did he tell you how it was for him and Avery growing up?” She took another sip before fixing me with a searching gaze.

  I nodded. “A little.”

  “He’s always looked out for her. He’s made some mistakes, no doubt, but one thing is sure about him he protects the ones he loves.”

  I took another sip of my tea, mulling over her remarks and wishing we could prolong our stay. This had been such an idyllic weekend, a beautiful romantic beginning for Justin and me, but realistically I knew that there was work to be done if what we had started was going to last.

  I heard the front door creak open behind me. Justin walked over; our duffles slung over his shoulders, looking fantastic in a grey Henley and faded jeans, his eyes twinkling as they met mine.

  “I was just telling Bridget how much we enjoyed her visit.” Rheta rose and kissed his cheek. “I want you to bring them back soon.” She turned back to me, framed my face, and kissed my forehead. “Remember you and Carter are always welcome.” I imagine that she meant even if things didn’t work out with Justin. Which was sweet, but a tiny thread of trepidation tickled my spine.

  On the trip back, my mood became progressively more somber. What would happen when we were back to our busy lives? I had pushed aside a lot of concerns this weekend, but making this work in the real world was going to be difficult. Justin had his life as the front man for a rock band soon to be on tour, and I was a single mom struggling to reestablish myself in a new city.

  Back at the hotel, Carter and I shuffled out of the elevator ahead of Justin. I went straight to our door inserting the key card without looking back at him. I didn’t know what he expected from me. I didn’t want to make things awkward, but my chest burned with anxiety.

  “Bridget.” Justin put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from going in. I felt his body and his heat behind me, and there was nothing in the world I wanted more than to rewind back to last night. It would be so easy to lay my head back and lean on him.

  “We need to talk.”

  That sounded ominous. The anxious burn turned into consuming blaze. I could barely breathe, but somehow I managed to whisper, “Ok.”

  Don’t look at him, I told myself. If this is over, it’s better to get it done quickly. “Carter,” I called.

  Already inside, he turned to look at me.

  I set our duffles down in the entryway. “I’ll be in in a minute. I need to talk to Justin first.”

  “Ok, Mom.” He stared up at me for a beat, frowned, and gave my hand a squeeze

  I closed the door behind him. I didn’t want Carter to see or hear me if I broke down. Arms stiff at my sides, fingernails digging into my palms, I turned to face Justin.

  Justin took one look at me, dropped his duffle, and yanked me into him. “No, dammit,” he said, his voice gruff near my ear. “Not that kind of talk.” He eased back to look at me, his eyes glittery, his mouth tight and his hands firm on my upper arms. “You’re gonna give me a complex with shit like this. Didn’t you believe me when I told you that I love you? I’m not like that asshole who abandoned you and Carter. I only wanted to talk to you about us moving forward.”

  I nodded numbly. What else could I do? I’d taken the big plummet on the rollercoaster and my stomach and my emotions hadn’t caught back up with me just yet.

  His expression darkened when I didn’t speak. “Are you having regrets?”

  “No.” I shook my head, and I really wasn’t. Not about him. Though I was scared, I knew I had to take a chance with him or spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been.

  “Good. Neither am I.” He touched his lips to mine and lifted his head. His eyes gentling he put his thumb on my wet bottom lip and gave it a tug. My mouth parted and my pulse started to roar in my ears. I wanted a real kiss, a kiss like last night with his tongue in between my lips. His thumb slid across the open seam. His eyes were nearly swallowed by black when they came back to mine. “I love you both you know.”

  He hadn’t given me the kiss that I’d wanted. He’d given me more, exactly what I needed right then. My heart almost stopped, shocked, and restarted by those devastatingly beautiful words.

  “I know you’ll want to be careful how you tell Carter about us, but do it soon, babe. I don’t like the idea of waiting. I want to be with you and not being able to doesn’t make me happy. You and I need to figure out how to make that happen in the short term.”

  “Yes,” I admitted breathlessly. “I want that, too.”

  He nodded. “Then I’ll tell you some other things I’d like to have happen. I’d like you to let me take Carter to school in the mornings. I’d like you to let me pick you up at work in the afternoons. You have an hour before you have to pick Carter up from school, and that hour’s going to be mine. I’d like to continue to have guy time with just me and Carter on Wednesday evenings and Friday afternoons. That’ll give you a chance to spend time with Lace, take a walk, take a nap, swim in the pool, whatever you want.” He pulled me into his body, cradling my head to his chest. He’d obviously done a lot of thinking about this. My head was spinning. I felt his lips touch my hair. “Now for the really important stuff.”

  That other stuff wasn’t important?

  “I want you to keep the door wide open between us at all times. No more doubting my intentions. There’s nothing casual about what we’ve got building between us. I want you to be honest with me. Tell me how you feel. When you’re tired, tell me so I can help you. When I do something wrong, tell me so I can fix it.” His voice was so deep it rumbled in my ear. “No more barriers, Bridget. I want it all with you. Everything.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Justin

  The first couple of days back in Vancouver went better than I expected. Though not nearly ideal, we’d established a routine that worked for us. First thing every morning, I went to Lace’s and let myself in. I had my own key now. I liked seeing Bridget as soon as she rolled out of bed, her hair messy and her eyes unfocused. I only wished I could go to bed with her at night and wake up ri
ght beside her.

  In other words at the moment I was settling for good and in a holding pattern on completely awesome.

  “Good morning,” she mumbled, shuffling directly to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I hugged her back thinking maybe settling wasn’t so bad.

  I kissed the top of her head and let her go, knowing how badly she needed that first cup of java. She poured some, took a long slip, and sighed blissfully. Unfortunately that sigh was a potent stimulant for me after days of deprivation. Remembering how she’d looked naked had me wanting to sigh too…from frustration.

  I moved behind her and pulled her into the cradle of my thighs. Even through her thick terrycloth robe I’m sure she could feel what she did to me. I brushed her hair to the side so I could kiss her shoulder. She sighed again, more like a moan this time, rested her head back on my chest, and rocked her ass over me. “Babe,” I warned watching the front of her robe come open. Not one to waste an opportunity, I started to reach my hand inside when Carter wandered in.

  Bridget stepped to the side. I stepped back. Disappointed vibes filled the air.

  By the afternoon, I’d made my decision. Things were going to change.

  The hustle bustle sounds of downtown surrounding me, I leaned against my bike and pulled back the sleeve on my leather jacket, checking the time on my watch again. Bridget was ten minutes past the end of her shift. Impatient, I ran a hand through my hair and was just about to go in the coffeehouse to get her myself, when she emerged, the afternoon sun glinting off of her platinum tresses. She paused on the steps to undo her hair.

  Beautiful.

  I watched transfixed as she shook it down around her shoulders. A couple of guys on the sidewalk stopped to enjoy the show with me. I knew how they felt. I knew what they were thinking, too. But even though I understood the fascination, I wasn’t happy about it.

  When Bridget spotted me, she smiled and zigzagged across the crowded sidewalk straight to me. She grabbed the edges of my jacket and tugged me toward her. I dug my hands into that silky hair, cradled the back of her head, and crushed my lips to hers.

  I immediately swept my tongue inside to taste. She’d had an afternoon cup of coffee. That was good. She didn’t usually, but she was going to need that extra energy. I had an ambitious itinerary planned. I lifted my head and ended the kiss way before I wanted to. Just when it was starting to get interesting. Just after she’d moaned into my mouth and gotten all soft in my arms.

  I moved the collar of her t-shirt aside, dipped my head, and ran the tip of my tongue along the skin at the hollow of her shoulder. That would have to be enough to tide me over until later. Stroking a gloved finger down her cheek, my voice was gruff when I looked into her dreamy eyes. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too,” she replied, cheeks charmingly flushed. “How was work?”

  “Same ole, same ole.” I handed her the helmet. She took it without fussing at me today. Usually she gave me grief about not wearing one myself. “We made some progress on the new song.” There was still something missing though. We all felt it, and it wasn’t just with the music. I should’ve probably been working harder at fitting in with the guys, too, but lately, I only wanted to spend any free time I had with her or Carter.

  She threw her leg over the bike and settled in behind me, cheek on my shoulder, arms threaded under my shirt and around my waist.

  Yeah, this was my favorite part of the day.

  I turned my head. “We’re spending the rest of the day together. Just you and I babe.”

  “But what about Carter…” she protested, lifting her head to look at me.

  “All arranged,” I finished. “Lace is picking him up after school and they’re having dinner together. Don’t worry. I’ll have you home in time to tuck him in.”

  “Ok.” She licked her lips. I wanted to swivel around and have another taste of her, but I gripped the handles and kicked the stand up instead. She snuggled in close again as I entered the flow of traffic. I drove us around the museum and down a couple of blocks before I turned back onto Robson Street and parked.

  She took off the helmet and shook out her hair. I don’t think she had any idea how provocative those subtle feminine gestures were. All part of her understated appeal. But I had it in mind to accentuate that inner beauty with a few things.

  I tucked my gloves in my pocket and grabbed for her hand. When she saw where we were going, she stopped and shook her head.

  “No, Justin.” Her chin dipped. “I don’t need to go in there. I’ve got plenty of clothes already.”

  I put my finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “I’m buying.”

  “I can’t let you do that.” She tried to pull away, but I held onto her. “I’m sorry if my clothes embarrass you.” Her eyes glossed up.

  “Babe.” I slid my hands to her shoulders. “It’s not that at all. I love you. Whatever you wear, you’re beautiful to me. It’s just that I love to look at you. So you see it’s really a gift for me. Let me do this. It makes me happy, ok? Just a couple of things.”

  She bit her lip.

  “Don’t make me give you the Carter eyes. He’s been giving me pointers on the fine art of persuasion.”

  “Oh, no.” She put her hand to her chest and rolled her eyes. “Like you need any pointers in that area.”

  I grinned, sensing I was about to get my way without even really trying.

  “Ok.” She sighed and moved toward the entrance to Guess. “Let’s do this.”

  Just as I’d surmissed, the new ultra skinny jeans at Guess looked fantastic on her. I talked her into wearing a pair out of the shop. While she wasn’t looking, I paid for a couple of pairs of low rise leggings, and a pair of destructed jeans. I had them sent back to the hotel along with her old ones.

  On the way out the door, she stopped to admire a jean jacket that had stud detailing across the shoulders and lower cuffs. I glanced at the label and smiled. “You have to have it.”

  Her brows went up. “Why?”

  “It’s so Sgt. Pepper’s.” I ripped off the price tag and handed her the jacket before she could object. “Add it to the charge.” I waved to the woman who had been helping us and steered Bridget out the door.

  After that it was a whirlwind of stores. I kept her moving fast so she didn’t have time to total up what I spent. I loved clothes and shopping, and Bridget had a figure to showcase the latest fashion trends found in the hip shops along Robson Street.

  We purchased a couple of graphic tees and a fringe tote from Aritzia, lace up wet jeggings that looked like leather, four inch tall black pumps, a grey off the shoulder tunic from BCBG, a pink lemonade inspired sweater top from Banana Republic, and finally a pale pink exposed zipper moto inspired leather jacket that would keep her much warmer on the bike than that thin hoodie she’d worn on our first date.

  I had everything sent on ahead, except for the leather jacket. I zipped that on her myself. It was perfect for her. Madison Avenue ad. She looked straight out of a glossy. I dipped my hands into the back pockets of her new jeans, palmed her ass and pulled her forward, claiming her lips at last with a kiss that left us both wanting more. “Time to take this inside,” I insisted, my voice a low needy growl.

  She nodded, but stopped to look in the store window at the Armani Exchange. She pointed at a pale lavender button down on the male mannequin. “That color would look really good on you.”

  I squinted. “You think?” I had actually thought about trying that very one on a couple of weeks ago. But I was a little skeptical about the color. “You don’t think it’s too much.”

  “Not at all. Are you kidding? It’s totally you. Let’s go in. I want to get you something.”

  Knowing how frugal she was and that she wanted to do something like that for me made my chest get tight. I tugged on her arm and kissed her again to distract her from wasting money on me. “Another day, babe. You’re still mine for a couple more hours, and I’m suddenly not in the mood to shop anymore.
”

  I threw my arm around her shoulder, and steered her back the way we’d come. Within minutes of getting back on the bike, I had us parked inside the Sutton garage. I walked her backward once we got in the elevator. When her rear hit the back wall, I framed her face for another good one, but a blaring ring tone blasted through the tiny space, breaking my focus. It wasn’t my phone. It was hers, and it wasn’t the ring tone I was used to hearing for Carter.

  She reached in her back pocket and pulled out her cell. She looked at the display, and her face drained of all color. Her eyes wide, she swallowed nervously before speaking. “Hello?”

  After a listening pause, she spoke again.

  “Yes. It is. How did you get this number?” There was another long pause. She reached back for the bar to steady herself. I covered her hand with my own. Hers was ice cold. My heart slammed into my ribs.

  What the hell was going on?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Bridget

  “Who was that?” Justin insisted, the moment I hung up.

  “An attorney from my father’s company.” My eyes hit his concerned ones, and I didn’t even attempt to hide my fear. As if I could effectively keep anything from him anymore. “I have to fly back to Orlando tonight for a meeting first thing in the morning.”

  “It’s already eight. There’s no way you can get a flight this late.”

  “They’ve sent the corporate jet. It’s waiting for me at the airport.”

  “The corporate what?” Incredulousness lined his tone, and his brows disappeared beneath the hair that had slid forward. I wished I hadn’t answered the call. I wished for a different ending to this evening. One with me in his bed wrapped in his strong arms with nothing between us.