by Elle Linder
His jaw ticked as he ran his hand over his beard. “Are you finished?”
She pinched her brows together. “Yes, yes, I am.” She turned back to the closet and reached for her coat. She was stopped when his hand wrapped around her wrist.
“It’s my turn to talk.” He pulled her away from the closet and closed the door. Rex stalked out of the foyer, tugging her with him. She had no choice but to follow as he led her toward the back of the house with her wrist firmly in his grasp.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, but he didn’t say a word. Tori’s heart raced as confusion swept through her. Suddenly he stopped at the threshold of another room with double doors.
Rex exhaled a breath and dropped his gaze to hers. “Do you like it?” He released her.
She took in the small room with a stacked stone fireplace, a cozy tan sofa, a leather chair, and a large flatscreen on the wall. The colors were warm and earthy. Pictures of horses were arranged on the walls and above the fireplace mantel. A child’s rocking chair was beside the hearth—Lyla’s, she assumed. It was a rustic space, a comfortable one she liked, and nothing like the rest of the house.
“Well?” Rex asked.
“I’m a little confused,” she said honestly. “It doesn’t look like the rest of the house.”
“That was intentional. This is my space. Do you like it?”
“Yes but—”
“Tori…” His hand cupped the back of her neck, and he lowered his mouth. She knew by now he was about to kiss her, so she put her hand to his chest and stopped him.
“I won’t be your rebound girl. As much as I like you and am attracted to you, I won’t.”
He screwed up his face. “What makes you think I’m looking for a rebound girl?”
“I know what Raquel looks like. I’m not your type. I just tried to explain the differences. I’m not like—”
His mouth cut her off and stole her breath away. Tori pushed at his biceps, but he was infuriatingly irresistible. Powerless against him, she kissed him back.
If this were a dream or movie, fireworks would’ve been lighting up the sky. A romantic melody would play as they desperately made out, and Tori’s leg would have popped to illustrate how his delicious kisses numbed her mind.
This was turning out to be the best kiss of her life.
Every cell in Tori’s body was sparking with a need for more. She hadn’t been with a lot of men. When she was in high school, boys steered clear of her, fearing for their life with Dawson and Tanner around. The Hart boys had a reputation in Piper Ridge that carried over from their father. Locals respected her family immensely, so few boys and even fewer men had shown her interest.
Rex moved her backward, not letting go of her neck as his tongue curled with hers and his other hand gripped her waist. He turned her as he eased down onto the sofa, taking her with him and guiding her onto his lap. Not once did his lips leave hers. He cradled her in his arms, and she hooked her arm around his neck.
She was in heaven as his hands roamed over her back, down her hips, and up again. He repeated the motion over and over as they ravaged each other. She wanted him to touch her in other places, but his hand never went past her waist.
He drove her crazy with need. Crazy with desire.
Was she foolish for letting him distract her from leaving? Maybe. The draw to him was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. As much as she might want to resist him, she couldn’t, nor did she want to.
But what about his wife?
Abruptly she broke the kiss, gasping for air. “We need… to stop,” she said panting. A picture of Raquel on the end table caught her eye. He did still love his wife—his wife. Maybe they were only separated and not divorced. “Oh my God!” She wiggled violently, trying to get off his lap.
“Tori, stop. What is it? Why do you keep trying to get away from me?” He held her firmly, restraining her movement.
“Please just let me go. I won’t be the other woman.” Her parents raised her right, and having an affair with a married man was the pinnacle sin in her parents’ mind.
He growled low in his throat. “Why would you say that?”
“It’s obvious you still love your wife.”
“Ex-wife,” he said through gritted teeth. “Ex,” he repeated as anger crossed over his face. “We’ve been divorced for two years. I do not love her.” Tears pricked her eyes at the disgust in his tone. “I can’t stand her.”
She dropped her chin to her chest as shame washed over her. “You must think I’m immature and ridiculous,” she whispered while blinking back her tears. She couldn’t let him see her emotionally unhinged.
“I don’t think anything like that. But it concerns me why you would think you’re the rebound or not my type. You hardly know me, darlin’.”
“But I know of you and your wife.”
“Ex-wife.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “Say it with me, ex-wife.” He winked.
“Ex-wife,” she said in a soft voice.
“That’s my girl.” He dropped a kiss on her lips.
“She’s gorgeous, Rex. She could be a model. I can’t compete with that. Maybe my age is showing through right now, but I couldn’t stand to be compared to her. I’m nothing like her.”
His finger touched her lips. “Shh… Baby, listen to me. Are you listening?”
She nodded. She couldn’t speak even if she wanted to. The way he called her baby calmed the fight in her. Fool or not, Tori didn’t want to leave him now.
“Marrying Raquel was the biggest mistake of my life. I thought I loved her, and on some level, I’d like to believe I did. The only good to come out of our marriage was Lyla. I’ll never regret the three years we were together because they gave me my daughter.” He stared into her eyes. “Since last month, I have felt things I’ve never experienced with another woman. I can’t stop thinking about you. I wake up anxious to take Lyla to school, and I’m counting the seconds until I pick her up, all because I want to see you and hear your voice. The weekends have been hell, which is why I invited you to go riding with me last weekend.”
“Then why didn’t you ask for my number or to go out for coffee? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed riding with you, but we didn’t really talk or do anything else.”
“Because you’re Conway Hart’s daughter. You’re young, and he’ll kill me if he finds out I’ve laid a hand on you.”
She giggled nervously. She really didn’t know the extent her father would go to when he learned of them. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
“I hope I’m over-exaggerating. I have Lyla to think about. She’s already lost her mother. I can’t be stupid and get myself killed.” Amusement danced across his handsome face. She was relieved he didn’t really believe her father would take his life. Rex pressed his forehead to hers, holding her face in his large hands. She liked it when he did this. “Is it too soon to say I like everything I know about you?”
“I guess not.” Her cheeks heated, and her breathing deepened.
He took a lock of her hair and wrapped it around his finger. “I like it when you have paint in your hair, especially green to match your eyes.” With his free hand, he took hers and studied her nails. “I like a woman who isn’t afraid to get dirty.” He kissed her palm, then the top of her hand, causing her to inhale a breath. “You’re beautiful, Tori. On the inside and out. And my daughter adores you.”
Her eyes flashed to his. “Is that why you want to be with me, because of Lyla? Are you looking for a mother?”
“Jesus...” he hissed. “I want you because I want you. Not because of Lyla, but knowing she loves you helps. From what little I know of you, you’re the kind of woman I should have been dating all along.” He kissed her hand again and released her hair in the other. He caressed her face and pulled her in for another kiss. “I want you, Tori. Say you’ll give us a chance.” He licked her bottom lip. “Come on, baby, gimme the words.” He nibbled and licked, lulling her into submission. “Say it.”
“I’ll give us a chance. I want you too.”
“That’s my girl.”
And like before, they were lost in each other, kissing and touching frantically.
Three
“DADDY! DADDY! POTTY!”
Rex groaned and removed his hand from under Tori’s blouse. What horrible timing. He’d been hoping to make it to at least third base tonight. Since he’d calmed Tori’s uneasiness, they’d been going at it like teenagers in the backseat of a car. His heart hadn’t raced so much since he’d been in high school either.
Tori made him feel alive and young again. It likely had to do with her age, but he didn’t care; she had awakened something in him. He never wanted to stop feeling this way.
He’d been holding back as best he could, but the firm bulge in his pants couldn’t be missed, he was sure. Right before Lyla called out, he was about to put Tori on her back and dry hump her. Any release he got without being in the shower and by his own hand would be spectacular.
Rex felt like a horny dog again for wanting to hit a home run. But he wouldn’t go there tonight. Being with Tori wasn’t about sex, though he’d love to strip her naked. Her sweetness and calm spirit soothed something inside, a pang he’d had in his soul since his mother left.
“I need to help the little miss. I won’t be too long.” He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb, reluctant to leave her. What if when he returned, all the magic evaporated?
Tori climbed off his lap. Her lips were red and slightly swollen, and her eyes were dilated, giving away her arousal. “Maybe I should go. It’s late.”
He took her hand as panic speared through his chest. “No. Wait for me.” He kissed her again. “Wait for me.”
“Okay…”
Rex made his way down the dark hallway to Lyla’s bedroom. The soft glow of her night-light filled her room, and there she was sitting upright on the bed, bouncing with her face scrunched, eyes closed. Her honey-colored hair was messy along with her blankets, both clear signs she’d been restless, a typical night. It hurt his heart that her spirit had been broken after Raquel left. Much like his own after his mother abandoned him, his brothers, and father. Those kinds of wounds never heal.
He gritted his teeth, pushing down the smoldering fire in his belly. It never completely went away and was ready in a snap to ignite into an inferno of hate.
“I’m here, sweetpea,” he whispered and collected her into his arms. Lyla’s little legs went around his waist. Rex carried her into the bathroom, set her on the toilet, and patiently waited until she finished. Like every other night, he filled a yellow plastic cup on the counter a quarter full of water.
Lyla flushed the toilet and washed her hands, all while keeping her eyes closed. Rex passed the cup to her, and she drank it and returned it to its spot, all by motor memory. He picked her up again and carried her back to bed.
No words were usually spoken during this nighttime routine, which had been ongoing since she was fully potty trained seventeen months ago. It’d taken her a little longer than some children to not wet the bed. Rex blamed Raquel for it. Lyla had just turned two when Raquel moved out, and the progress Lyla had made with potty training not only halted. She had regressed back to wearing diapers.
He pressed his lips to her forehead and tucked her into bed snuggly. She was the only person in the world who mattered to him more than life itself. He would die if he ever lost her.
Rex even thanked the big guy upstairs daily that Raquel didn’t want her. As painful as it was for Lyla to have her mother walk out of her life, there was no way Rex would have let his daughter leave with his ex-wife.
He softly ran his fingers over her head, feeling his chest tighten as Tori entered his mind. On several occasions, he’d caught her holding Lyla on her lap or holding her hand and whispering softly to her. The smile on his little girl’s face when around Tori was one of sheer delight.
When Rex dropped Lyla off at school, she would run straight for Tori, and without fail, Tori would crouch down to Lyla’s level and hug her tenderly. A similar scene took place when he picked Lyla up, except he always had to coax her away from Miss Hart. Rex understood his little girl’s pull toward Tori; he felt it too.
Until this evening, he’d only imagined what Tori would feel like in his arms. Now that he’d experienced her body against his, her soft lips, and sweet taste, he didn’t want her to leave.
Placing a final kiss on Lyla’s cheek, Rex returned to the den.
Tori’s gorgeous emerald-green eyes flashed his way, and a small smile graced her beautiful face. “Is she okay?”
“She’s perfect.” He sat beside her and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers. The gesture felt a lot more intimate to him than it should. Oddly, everything with Tori felt more meaningful.
“What happened to her mother?”
Rex snorted bitterly. “Her mother? I wouldn’t call Raquel a mother. Mothers don’t abandon their children. Although, if Raquel had wanted her, I wouldn’t have let Lyla go with her.” His breaths deepened as the fire in him grew more robust. “We divorced two years ago. It’s for the better. We were all wrong for each other.”
Tori scooted closer to him on her knees and placed her hand on his cheek. The other squeezed his hand. “I’m a great listener,” she told him. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m here.” Her lips pressed to his. “I’m here…”
“I don’t want to talk about Raquel. I only want to focus on you.”
“Then focus on me.” She climbed back onto his lap with glimmering eyes. He liked her assertiveness. “I just have two requests.”
“And those are?” He hiked an eyebrow.
“If tonight develops into more than making out, into dating, I need to know more about what happened with you and your ex-wife. And, I’m not ready for sex.”
He considered her a long second. She was more mature and sensible than he realized. Maybe age didn’t really make a difference.
“Okay,” he replied simply.
She tilted her head. “Just okay?”
“If tonight develops into more, we’ll talk about our past relationships. I can wait for sex.” At least he hoped he could. “How do you think your family will feel about us dating?”
She worried her lower lip between her teeth and swooped her gaze toward the fireplace. A small wrinkle on her forehead told him she was unsure about telling her family.
“You will tell them about us, won’t you?”
Tori inhaled and nodded. “Yes, if there’s anything to tell.”
He turned her face, so they were nearly nose to nose. “There’s something to tell…”
“There’s something to tell…” Rex kissed her nose.
Tori closed her eyes as his hands began roaming her body. Telling her family that she was dating Rex Knolls was not something she looked forward to. She wouldn’t breathe a word of it unless she felt they were getting serious. Why upend her family and possibly break her father’s heart if nothing became of her and Rex?
“Just kiss me,” she said softly.
“You’ll tell them, right? I don’t want us going behind Conway’s back. He hates me enough as it is.”
“I’d like to hear your side of the story.” Tori only knew her father’s version. But every story had two sides, and she wanted to know Rex’s take on what happened.
“Another time. Right now, I have other things in mind.” His lips pressed to hers, and all was forgotten. They made out like wild teenagers, something Tori rarely experienced, thanks to her overprotective brothers.
She meant what she’d said about not being ready for sex. At this stage of her life, Tori wasn’t willing to give her body to just any man. She’d done that once before in college. The guy who’d taken her virginity had pursued her for months. He was charming and sweet until he got her into his bed. Her first and only sexual experience had been a nightmare. Tori couldn’t even tell her mom about it out of fear she’d tell her father, who would then tell he
r brothers, and they’d end up in jail for killing Grant Bishop.
Before Tori gave her body to Rex, she needed to be absolutely sure he was the one, her forever man, and he didn’t only want sex from her. After Grant, no man had made her think about sex as Rex did. It had to be a good thing and mean something, she hoped.
Four
IT WAS WELL past one in the morning when Tori tiptoed into the house. She never came home this late, had never had a reason to. At least her parents would be in bed. They wouldn’t wait up for her, and Dylan was good about minding his own business.
Had Tanner still lived at home, he would’ve been blowing up her phone and waiting up for her. But now he was too preoccupied with his pregnant fiancée to be bothered. And was Tori ever glad. She loved her twin dearly, but Tanner could be more of a controlling brute than her father at times.
Tori made it to her bedroom without incident and blew out a relieved breath. She backed into it, watching for activity from her parents’ room, and gently closed the door, making sure the latch didn’t click too loud. Once securely inside, she reached for the light switch and turned around.
“Ah!” She jumped and covered her mouth. “Dad, what… What are you doing in here?” she whispered.
Her dad yawned dramatically, uncrossed his legs at the ankle, and sat up on her bed, putting his feet on the ground. “Just waiting for you, sugar. It’s not like you to be out past eleven. The dance ended at ten. Where’ve you been the last…” He looked at the clock on her nightstand. “Three hours?”
She waved him off as if he were being silly. Conway Hart was anything but silly. “Dad, honestly. I’m a grown woman. You didn’t need to wait up for me.” She slipped out of her coat and hung it in her closet. She removed her boots, not once looking in her dad’s direction.
