Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Reagan
The instant my brain came online, I knew I was in an unfamiliar bed, an unfamiliar house.
I inhaled and the scent of coffee drifted in from somewhere.
I was reminded of my grandfather’s house.
Waking up there each morning before school, the smell of coffee and bacon drifting up from the kitchen.
Sometimes I missed those days. Being a kid, not having to adult all the damn time. Those were simpler times.
Forcing my eyes open, I squinted against the sun shining into the room and rolled over.
“Oh,” I exhaled sharply, my eyes locking on a familiar face. “Mornin’, Copenhagen.”
The giant dog shifted closer, and I found myself smiling as I reached over and rubbed his head.
“Not used to wakin’ up with strange boys in my bed,” I murmured.
As soon as the words left my mouth, last night came back to me in a rush, and I sighed heavily.
What the hell was I going to do now?
Well, the first thing I needed to do was call the insurance company.
That would have to take place after I got out of bed, though.
Or rather, tomorrow, since it was Sunday.
I doubted they were open to take my call.
Not that I wouldn’t try. The sooner I got that claim filed, the faster I could find a way to rebuild.
Sure, I could probably sit around, whine and cry about all that I'd lost, but that wasn’t going to help. And I'd never been that kind of girl. I was the take-the-bull-by-the-horns type. Responsible for myself. As it should be.
Forcing myself to sit up, I felt the aches and pains from last night return with a vengeance. My head was pounding from where I'd hit it on the wall, and I doubled over, clutching my skull with both hands, fighting the wave of nausea that hit me suddenly.
“What do you think you’re doin’?”
The gruff, raspy voice came from behind me, but I didn’t move. “Right now? I’m tryin’ not to puke my guts up on your pretty wood floor. When that passes, I’m gonna take another shower.”
There was a soft grunt that sounded closer. I managed to sit up straight, take several deep breaths, and get the world to stop spinning.
“Here.”
I looked up to see Lynx holding a couple of pills and a glass of water.
“Ibuprofen,” he added.
“Thanks.” Doing my best not to touch him, I took the two pills from his hand and tossed them in my mouth before taking the water glass. Once those were down, I took a deep breath.
“You hungry?”
My stomach lurched at the mere thought of food. “No. Thanks.”
“When you’re outta the shower and feelin’ better, we’ll head into town. Rhys took your truck to the station. We can pick it up there.”
I nodded but kept my eyes on his legs as they moved out of my line of sight.
Lynx clicked his tongue twice. “C’mon, Cope. Let’s get you some food.”
I managed to breathe a little easier when Lynx was out of the room. He seemed to overwhelm me with his presence, not to mention his kindness. Yesterday I'd been a total bitch to him and today he was taking care of me. Honestly, I had no idea why, either.
Twenty minutes later, I was showered and dressed.
I had managed to finger-comb my wet hair, and I'd used Lynx’s toothpaste—my finger sufficed as a toothbrush—to bring myself to a relative state of normal.
My head didn’t hurt nearly as bad, nor did my body, which I considered a good thing.
I had too damn much to do to deal with that shit right now.
The second I walked out of the bedroom, there was a knock on the front door. I stopped, glanced at it, then over at Lynx, who was standing in the kitchen. He shrugged, as though to say he had no idea who could possibly be there. Since I was closer, I headed that way.
Figuring it was my brother coming to check on me, I pulled it open and came face-to-face with…
“Who are you?” the woman hissed, glaring back at me.
Oh, what a way to start the day. With Lynx’s wife standing on the front porch.
I gave a small smirk. “The fuckin’ maid. Who’re you?”
Without waiting for a response, I spun on my heel and headed for the kitchen, rolling my eyes at Lynx as I passed.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” Lynx growled, moving toward the door.
“I heard what happened,” Tammy said, her tone sugary-sweet. “I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were all right.”
Right.
“You shouldn’t be here, Tammy,” he snapped.
I turned to face the door, noticing how Tammy tried to peek into the house.
One thing I never wanted to be was the other woman.
Damn good thing I hadn’t acted on my impulses last night.
Lying in bed with Lynx, I'd been slammed with a desire so powerful it was a surprise I'd slept at all.
However, I'd managed to refrain from jumping him.
And the woman standing at the front door was proof I had no business being here with this man. The guy had a wife, for fuck’s sake.
Granted, their divorce would be final in… I had to think on that a minute, counting the days off on my fingers. Today? Or was it tomorrow? It was Sunday, right?
Shit. I had no freaking clue and it didn’t even matter.
“Why is the maid here on a Sunday, Lynx?”
I had to slam my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“She’s not the maid,” Lynx informed me.
My breath lodged in my chest as I waited to hear him explain who I was. More than likely, he’d launch into a long story about how I was a friend, or even Rhys’s sister, and he was just helping out.
“Who the fuck is she?” Tammy snarled, sounding more like she did when I opened the door.
“She’s my goddamn girlfriend, Tammy. Fuck.”
My eyes flew open and I stared at Lynx’s back.
What.
The.
Fuck?
Lynx
It took everything in me not to turn around and look at Reagan. I wanted to know what her response was to that declaration, but I had to consider my priorities here. And the first on my list was to get Tammy off my fucking property.
ASAP.
“You need to go,” I told her roughly, stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind me.
“You’re still married, Lynx Caine.”
I cocked one eyebrow lazily. She knew that wasn’t true.
Sure, there were a few measly hours left until it was all said and done, but so fucking what.
Tammy had gotten what she wanted; I'd practically given her every-damn-thing just to get her out of my life.
The only thing left was for the waiting period to be over.
Then, I'd be free and clear to move on with my life.
And if Reagan had an issue with me calling her my girlfriend, so fucking what. If she wasn’t yet, she would be soon, and I didn’t give a shit if Tammy wanted to go and shout that to anyone who would listen.
Tammy’s face softened somewhat. “So, you’re really okay?”
I nodded. “I’m fine. I wasn’t at the bar last night.”
“Oh. Where were you?”
“Here. Asleep.”
“With your girlfriend?”
“No,” I told her. Partly because it was the truth and partly because it would get her off my back.
“Lynx…” She took a step closer. “I really am sorry about … what happened. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have … done what I did.”
“What? Fuck some guy in the bed of my fucking truck?” I took a breath. “Or are you sorry for lyin’ to me about bein’ pregnant?”
Her gaze dropped to the ground.
I took a breath, let it out roughly. “It’s done, Tammy. Over. I’m not losin’ sleep over it, so you shouldn’t, either.”
I heard the door open behind me, then glanced over my shoulder to see Reagan leaning against the doorjamb. She was smiling, but the action didn’t reach her eyes. This was the very reason she was keeping me at arm’s length, and Tammy showing up wasn’t going to help matters.
“I have shit to do,” I finally told Tammy. “Seriously.”
My phone chose that moment to ring. I tugged it from my pocket and glanced at the screen.
“What’s up?” I greeted Wolfe, turning my back on Tammy.
“Travis and Gage are on their way here and they want to meet us at the diner in a few. They’re bringin’ a lawyer with them.”
“A lawyer?” I frowned.
“Yeah. And this lawyer…” Wolfe chuckled. “I think she’s gonna be the key to bringin’ this bastard to his knees.”
“That so?” I wasn’t sure how a lawyer was going to do that, but hey, I didn’t care how it happened. Just as long as it happened.
And the sooner the fucking better.
“Yeah,” I told Wolfe. “Reagan and I’ll be there in a few.”
“Thanks.”
The call disconnected and I met Reagan’s eyes. She still didn’t look amused, but I couldn’t very well blame her.
“That’s … Reagan?”
I closed my eyes momentarily.
“The girl who owns the bar?”
I didn’t respond.
“The one whose name is…”
“You need to go, Tammy,” I snapped, my eyes still locked with Reagan’s.
She didn’t say anything more, but I heard the shift of her feet as she moved. I didn’t know if she was coming closer or actually leaving, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t look away from Reagan.
Seeing her standing there in the doorway of my house…
Every possessive instinct in my entire body roared to life. She was right where I wanted her to be, but I could tell by her expression that she didn’t care to be there.
To my relief, a car started behind me, then the sound of tires moved down the gravel path.
I waited, still not moving.
“Is she gone?” I asked Reagan.
She nodded.
I took one step, then another. I moved up the stairs to the house, and Reagan remained right there, not moving.
“Your girlfriend?” she asked, her eyes rolling slightly.
Unable to resist, I stepped right into her personal space and put my hands on her hips. She tilted her head back, keeping her eyes on my face.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
“I’m not—”
I shut her up by crushing my mouth to hers, thrusting my tongue past her lips when she gasped in surprise. Without hesitation, Reagan kissed me back, and I knew right then, without a doubt, this woman belonged to me. Now and forever.
And if it meant turning the town upside down to prove that to her…
Goddamn, I was up for that challenge, too.
Reluctantly, I pulled back. It wasn’t easy, considering I wanted to pick her up and carry her back to my bed, only this time I'd be there with her and she’d be naked beneath me, her thighs cradling my hips while I…
Yeah. Not fucking helping.
“We have to go to the diner,” I whispered, my voice rougher than usual.
“For?” I liked that she was as breathless as I was.
Taking a deep breath, I stood tall and stared down at her. “Wolfe called. We have to meet Travis and Gage. Apparently they’re bringin’ a lawyer.”
“A lawyer?”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah. I have no idea, but he wants us there.”
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
“We gotta take Cope over to the store first.”
Another nod.
I didn’t want to move from there, but I knew I had to. They had shit to do, and as much as I wanted her, the incident with Tammy was still fresh in Reagan’s mind, and I knew she wasn’t ready for what I wanted.
And no matter what, I wasn’t about to take the next step until she trusted me completely.
For that to happen, I had to prove myself.
Which I would do.
A million times over if that was what it took.