8. Dolly
DOLLY
I sound all confident, but inside I’m shaking like a leaf. Tucker could have been killed tonight. I want to curl up in a ball and cry, but I’m going to let myself do that later. Right now, I need to help him get comfortable.
He points at me. “You’re going to help me shower?”
I roll my eyes. “Well, it’s not like you can do it on your own.”
He shakes his head. “Nope. No way, not going to happen.”
I point at him. “Okay, cowboy, let’s see. Can you take your clothes off?”
He easily undoes the buttons on his shirt, but when he tries to take the shirt off, his face is etched in pain, and it kills me to see him that way. “Look, just let me help you.”
I reach for him, and he grabs my wrists. “Dolly…”
We stand here facing each other, his hand wrapped around my wrists. “You’re being ridiculous.”
He’s gruff, and his voice is strained. “I’ve dreamt of having your hands on me, and I don’t want the first time it happens to be because you have to.”
I pull from his grasp. “Look, Tucker, I get it. We obviously have a lot we need to talk about, but right now, we need to focus on you. I’m going to help you get cleaned up, feed you, and then put you in bed. We’ll deal with the rest another day.”
He turns away and starts walking through the house.
I follow behind him, and when he walks into the bathroom, I don’t even hesitate.
He’s gritting his teeth as I reach for his shirt.
I help him out of it and then take off his T-shirt.
I’m scanning his abdomen and gasp when I see the huge bruise. “Oh, Tuck.”
He shakes his head. “It looks worse than it feels, I promise, honey.” A tear escapes my eye and rolls down my cheek. “No, baby. None of that. Don’t cry.”
I sniff loudly, and it echoes in the large bathroom. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to think about what could have happened to you.”
He pulls me in, and I’m plastered against his bare chest. The warmth of his body envelops me, and I audibly sigh as I lean into him.
His chest rumbles under my cheek as he speaks.
“Honey, bull riding is my job. It’s what I do, and I can’t give that up.
But I promise, no more barrel racing. I was foolish to even attempt it, and I promise I won’t make stupid mistakes like that again. ”
I sniff again. “Okay.”
I pull back and reach for his belt buckle.
He sucks in a breath as I undo the belt, the button, and then slowly lower the zipper.
His hands fist at his sides, and he hisses a breath as I pull the denim down his thighs.
His hard manhood is tented under his shorts, and I do my best not to ogle him, but he’s pretty impressive.
He steps out of the jeans, and then I reach for his shorts.
His hands stops me. “Dolly, I’ll come right here and now if you have your hands on me.
” He’s shaking his head. “Fuck, I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t talk to you like this, but with you bent down in front of me, I only have one thing on my mind, and now is not the time. ”
I stand up with a huff, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “Well, how exactly do you plan on getting these off?”
He gestures to the shower. “Turn the water on, will you, honey?”
I do what he asks, and I hear him jostling around behind me.
When I turn around, his shorts are off, he’s fully hard, and he’s walking toward the shower.
I sidestep him, but there’s no looking away.
He’s magnificent. He stands under the water, and I’m not lying, I think his dick twitches as I stare at him.
I force my mouth closed and shake my head. He’s watching me stare at him. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t…”
He grabs a sponge and squirts some soap on it before running it across his abdomen. “Don’t apologize. I like it when you watch me.”
His hand travels down his chest, his abdomen and lower belly, and when he gets to his fully erect manhood, a whimper escapes me. “Uh, I’m going to be standing right by the door. Unless you need my help… I mean of course you don’t. You got this. I’ll be right here.”
I practically choke on the words, and as soon as I step out of the bathroom, I lean against the wall and try to catch my breath.
Only a few minutes go by and I hear the shower go off. I warn him, “I’m coming in.”
I walk into the bathroom as he’s wrapping a towel around his waist. I pick up the dirty clothes and drop them in the laundry basket and then follow him into the bedroom. “Where’s your pajamas?”
He chuckles. “I don’t wear pajamas.”
I gulp. “Uh, okay. Underwear?”
He nods. “Second drawer.”
I grab the shorts from the drawer and walk over to him. I can do this, and I won’t ogle him this time. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. I stop and bend down in front of him. “Lift.”
He grunts and lifts a foot, stepping into the leg of his shorts.
He does the other one, and I slowly stand, lifting the material up his legs.
He grabs them when I get to his thighs and finishes the job.
He pulls the towel off once he’s clothed, and I try not to let my disappointment show because yes, I was hoping for another peek.
I grab his arm and lead him over to the bed. I gently push him down, put the TV remote in his hand, and then point at him. “Can I trust you to sit right here until I get back? I’m going to go heat up some food for you.”
He sets the remote down. “I’ll go with you.”
I put a hand on his bare chest. “You should be resting.”
He gives me a look. “Dolly, you’re in my house. I’m going to take full advantage and spend as much time with you as I can. So you’re sorta stuck with me.”
I swear my heart does a little flip in my chest. If this man keeps saying sweet things to me, I’m going to get naked and make a fool of myself.
He stands up and walks beside me. “Come with me to check in on Ace first.”
I would tell him no, but the way he grabs my hand and laces our fingers together, I know I’d follow him anywhere.
We walk silently through the house, up the stairs and down the hallway to Ace’s room.
The door is ajar, and Tucker pushes it open.
We walk into the room, and Ace is softly snoring.
Tucker gets a big smile on his face watching his son, and my heart melts a little.
Quietly, we leave the room and follow the same path down into the kitchen. I push him gently into a stool at the island. “Sit.”
I pull out a container from the Italian restaurant that Ace and I picked up dinner from. I put it in the microwave.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
I fill up a glass with water from a carafe in the fridge and set it down in front of him. He chugs the whole glass, and I laugh.
I grab the carafe from the fridge, pour some more water, and then set it down in front of him.
He sniffs the air. “Is that lasagna from Gino’s?”
I nod. “Yeah. It’s your favorite, right?”
He looks surprised, but before he says anything, the microwave dings. I take it out and carry it over to him with a fork and napkin.
He thanks me. “You shouldn’t be waiting on me, Dolly.”
I shrug. “You’re hurt. Are you telling me if I was hurt you wouldn’t help me out a little bit?”
He scrunches his nose up. “You wouldn’t lift a fuckin’ finger.”
I laugh out loud and then lean against the counter. “Ace was worried about you, ya know.” I shrug. “I was worried too.”
He reaches across the counter and holds my hand. “I know. I promise I’m not going to make decisions like that anymore. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but it was a bad idea.”
I gesture to our hands as he takes another bite. “You going to hold my hand while you eat?”
He shrugs. “You okay with it?”
I don’t even have to think about it. “Yeah, I’m okay with it.”
He does a nod and continues to eat. He insists on cleaning up, and I go through the house, making sure it’s locked up and then follow him down the hall to his bedroom. When he climbs into bed, I sit on the chair across the room.
His forehead creases. “What are you doing?”
“Oh!” I look around us. “I’m going to sleep here so I can make sure you’re okay. Is that all right with you?”
He pats the bed beside him. “No way. You’re sleeping here.”
I stare at him, my mouth dropped open. “Uh, I’m not supposed to be sleeping at all.”
He pats the bed again. “Come on. I’ll set alarms, and we can wake up together.”
When I don’t budge, he leans forward. “Come on, there’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep with you curled up in that tiny chair. This way you can stretch out next to me, and you won’t have to get up to make sure I’m awake.”
He is making a point, but when I get up to walk over to him, I make a joke. “Are you just trying to get me into your bed, Tuck?”
He pulls the covers back and smiles at me. “Honey, I’ve been thinking about getting you into my bed for a while.”
I lie down gently next to him. I’m on my side, hands curled under my cheek. “When did you become a flirt?”
“I’ve never flirted a day in my life.”
I giggle. “Oh yeah? What do you call it then?”
He slides his hand across the bed and puts it on my arm. I suck in a breath, and he asks, “Is this okay?”
I nod, and he says, “It’s not flirting, it’s just telling you what I’m thinking. I feel like I need to break you in slow.”
I want to talk to him about us and about Ace, but I know now is not the time, so I change the subject. “So what did the doctor say?”
He’s quick to respond. “Concussion and bruised ribs.”
I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean. I may not know a lot about concussions, but I do know that you’re supposed to rest your brain. Like no bright lights, no reading, no driving, and?—”
“I have to drive.”
I raise up on my elbow to look at him. “Tuck, you just told me downstairs you’re going to start being safe. If a doctor tells you not to drive, you don’t drive.”
He growls. “The doctor said no driving for two weeks. He’s going to reevaluate me then, and we’ll go from there.”
“And bull riding?”
It’s obvious he’s unhappy. “No bull riding. My manager already pulled me out of the next few rodeos.”
I nod. “Okay, so I’ll drive you around where you need to go the next two weeks.”
He squeezes my arm. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I want to.”
“I’ll pay you?—”
I cut him off, unable to hide the anger in my voice. “You will not pay me, Tucker Yates. We’re friends, that’s what friends do for each other. I will not be taking your money.”
He holds his hand up. “Whoa, whoa, okay, okay. I just hate to burden you with all this.”
My voice softens. “You and Ace are never a burden. I like…” I hate being vulnerable, but I know I need to say it. “I like spending time with you guys.”
He reaches over and puts his hand on my cheek. “We like it too, honey. Probably too much.”
He yawns, and I shake my head. “You should be resting. Go to sleep, and I’ll check on you every hour.”
“I want to sleep, but I don’t want to miss this.”
Confused, I ask, “Miss what?”
He smiles at me. “You in my bed.”
I roll my eyes, but he’s not done yet. “Come over here. I want to hold you while I sleep.”
I scoot toward him, expecting us to just sleep closer, but he surprises me when he rolls onto his back and pulls me half on top of him.
His legs go around mine, his arms wrap around my back, and when we’re settled, I swear he lets out the biggest sigh of contentment. I match his sigh. “Good night, Tuck.”
“Good night, honey.”