Chapter 9 #2
I open the back seat and get Mari out. My cell pings from my bag.
I make my way into the house and set Mari down in her playpen before grabbing my phone.
I look at the text and worry that after last night, maybe I should pump the brakes on this relationship.
Today is proof that my life is too crazy for him.
Tucker
Dinner tonight?
Me
I’m having dinner at Mom’s. I can’t.
Tucker
I’ll come over afterward.
Me
Tonight isn’t good for me.
I silence my phone and drop it in my bag. I don’t want him to try to talk me into anything. I need the night to myself. I need to think about everything and figure out what my next step is going to be. What my options are going to be with the zoo now.
Poseidon
Spitfire
Tonight isn’t good for me.
Her words stop me. Last night she wanted me to take her and move us to that next stage, and today she wants to run from me. Well, that ain’t going to fucking happen. I dial her number, but it goes straight to voicemail.
“Fuck,” I growl, and Jayden looks over at me as I try not to throw a tool through the drywall I just hung.
“Everything okay over there?” he asks, and I nod and get back to work. I hit the nail and pound it through the drywall instead of making it just go in. “I’d say everything isn’t okay.” He chuckles. “That’s going to take a bit to cover up.”
“Sorry.” I put the hammer down and move away from him. My hands go into my hair and pull.
“Your girl?” he asks, and I turn back to him.
“How did you know?” I raise an eyebrow and tip my head to the side.
He scoffs. “Only a woman you haven’t locked down can do that to you.”
“I thought I had her locked down. Shit, I thought we were ready to move on to the next stage, and now she’s pulling the ‘tonight’s not a good night.’”
“Is she yours?” he asks.
I’ve heard the stories from all the guys.
Aries told me how it was when he first saw Wrenn.
Just like several of the other couples. It was just one look.
That’s all it took. One look, and they knew that was their woman.
My own best friend had threatened to kill me when he saw Wrenn hugging me one time.
It meant nothing, but not to him. I get that feeling.
Just the thought of another man around my woman makes me want to draw blood.
I still need to make an appearance at the zoo to let that fucker who asked her out know who she belongs to.
“First time I saw her, everything shifted in my world. I haven’t had any side projects. I don’t drive around aimlessly. It’s all her. I want every moment with her and Mari.”
“Then you need to get your woman under control, son.” He moves away from me, and I look after him.
He turns back for a moment and looks at me.
“I locked Autumn down as soon as I could. She wasn’t getting away from me.
Even put my baby in her. I’m not saying you need to do that to Sydney, but you need to make sure she knows she’s yours and lock her down.
” He looks down at his watch. “Why don’t you take off and go get your girl. ” He chuckles.
I clean up my tools before I head out. I love my job, working with Jayden and his crew.
His family took my brothers and me in when they found out my father lived so far away.
Now with him getting settled in with Zeus to help with Hot Head, it might tone down the kid.
It’s nice to have him here, but Jayden and Autumn invite him over as if he’s a part of their extended family too.
I park down the road from her house and wait for her to come home.
I didn’t want to make a scene at her mom’s place, and I’m not going to disturb Aries and Wrenn.
I’ve been here for an hour, and I’m getting frustrated when her car finally pulls into the driveway and parks in the garage.
She gets out, still dressed in her work uniform.
The khaki pants pull across her ass when she bends into the car to get Mari out.
I watch her as she talks to her little girl.
I can’t imagine my life without either of them.
They are everything to me. I move and park in her driveway.
She turns and then sags in relief. She holds Mari tighter, and I move toward them.
“We are going to get little one into bed and then we are talking.” I don’t give her room to argue with me.
After Mari is in her crib asleep, I watch as Sydney moves around her living room, picking up things and trying to avoid me. She finally stops and looks at where I’m standing with my back against the kitchen island, watching her.
“I’m sorry I had a really crappy day and took it out on you.
It wasn’t fair. I don’t regret us. I want to be in a relationship with you.
I don’t want you to leave me. I want you to hold me and wait while I work through all this shit from my past. I want you to get to know me.
You already know me more than Marinda’s father ever knew of me.
I didn’t really know him either. That’s what I’m scared of.
I’ve always tied my feelings around sex as a way to keep men at a distance. But you don’t want just sex with me.”
“I’m not leaving. You can push all you want, but I’m not leaving you again. I’m tired of giving you space. And for the record, I want to make love to you. This isn’t a quick, dirty fuck.” I keep my distance when all I want to do is drag her body into mine and show her how much I want her.
“I’m so broken, Tucker. I worry that you want to fix me and even though…” She pauses, and I move over to her.
“You are beautiful just the way you are. Soon you’ll tell me what happened to break you, but right now it’s time for you to understand that we have a lifetime to just be us.”
I lean down and pick her up with my hands under her ass. She wraps around me, her ankles locking at my back. I carry her to her room and set her on the bed. She kneels on the bed and watches me as I take my shirt off.
“You have five minutes to get naked before I rip your clothes off you,” I demand.
She pulls her polo shirt over her head and throws it across the room.
Next goes her bra, flying in the direction of her shirt.
She unfastens her pants and slides them down to her knees along with her thong.
She sits back on her ass and slips the pants the rest of the way off. They fly across the room too.
I unbuckle my belt and slide it out of the loops, then drop it to the floor.
She sits before me, fidgeting but watching me.
I’ve made her wait for a kiss, and I’m done with the waiting.
I move over to the side of the bed and lean down to kiss her lips.
She opens for me, and I hold her head with one hand as the other cups her sexy ass.
I pull her up to feel my cock through my jeans.
Tonight I’m going to finally give her what we both have needed.
I push her back onto the bed and lie over her.
I kiss her chin and slightly bite it. I move down her neck, kissing and licking.
Marking it gently as I suck it a bit. I want every man who sees her to know she’s taken.
She moans, her hands moving across my back, her little nails digging in.
The bite and edge of pain makes my cock jump in my jeans.
I get to the tops of her breasts and continue to lick and bite her. Her hands moving over me are driving me crazy.
“Baby, hands up. I can’t take you touching me yet.”
She obeys and moves her hands over her head, causing her breasts to lift. I take one turgid nipple in my mouth while my hand teases the other. I slide my free hand down her body to her core and slowly glide a finger through her folds to her slickness. She’s soaked for me.
“You’re so wet.”
“I want you, Tucker.” Her voice has a whine to it.
“You got me. I’m going to take my time with you. I want you to know you are all I ever want.”
“Yes, please. I only want you too, Tucker.”
I switch breasts and love on it as I make tight circles around her clit.
Her hips lift, trying to get me to enter her, but I take my time building her up.
I suck the underside of each breast before I graze my teeth along her ribs and down her belly.
I nip her skin and see the proof of her carrying Marinda in her body.
I kiss the scar on her side and lick the length of it.
I want to ask if she got this before she had Mari or after, but I don’t because I want to keep her turned on. I don’t want her to go into her head.
I pull my hand away from her clit that has emerged and is ready for me to taste her.
I can’t wait. My mouth waters with need for her.
I’ve wanted to do this for so long, but I’ve stayed away because I knew as soon as I got her taste on my tongue, I would need to take her.
I push her legs apart and settle between them.