Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
TALLY
I t’s raining when I finally step out, my hand buried in my back pocket in an attempt to hide the fact my ring isn’t on my finger. It’s not a comfortable position at all, but it’s all I got, at least until I’m able to better gauge Tynan’s mood.
The blank stare I get as I make my way over to where he’s waiting is pretty much what I thought I would get.
“Tynan…”
“Save it.” He doesn’t look at me, but he does wait until I’m closer before he walks past the pub and turns down the side street.
I get he’s pissed, and I’m trying to put some distance between us, but I have to grab his hand.
“A bike? You dirty dog. You’ve been holding out on me.”
I get a tiny smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He hands over a helmet and a leather jacket, both in my size. And then he steps close and brushes my hands away to do up the helmet strap under my chin before taking my bag so he can help me put on the jacket.
Still no words from him, which is fine, but I grab the back of his jeans when he turns away to swing his leg over his bike. “Hey, thank you for picking me up. And getting me all this gear too.”
And then I let go of his hand, releasing him. He kicks his leg over and reaches down for my bag, so he can loop it over his body, twisting when it’s time for me to climb on.
Settling behind him, I wrap my hands around his waist. Almost immediately, his Ducati Panigale comes to life, the powerful engine purring under me.
He grabs my left hand from off his waist, making a point of pulling it into his line of sight.
He draws the moment out, making it impossible for me to lie that my wedding ring was actually there.
And then he places my hand gently into position around his middle.
He revs the Panigale once in warning before he guns it.
It’s lucky I know how to ride a bike, because Tynan weaves through the late-night traffic like people are chasing us. It’s exhilarating, and I feel free for the first time in a while.
Time becomes irrelevant. Every corner we take, I lean with him, each straight section when he opens up the throttle, we both dip down low. We move like we’re one.
And I get his message.
Eventually, our loop into the night comes to an end, but my night isn’t over. He pulls up to the gym and turns off his bike. Under me, he releases a big sigh, one I read as both relief and readiness.
Peeling his helmet off, he hangs it over the handle, his hand reaching back for mine. The night air, plus the ride, has cleared by senses, and his subtle lemon scent fills my lungs. Like always, Tynan’s unique smell settles my nerves and brings comfort. Which I need, right now.
Swinging my leg off, I rest my hand on his thigh, effectively stopping him from leaving the conversation we’re about to have. Although, with Tynan, I suspect it will be a one-sided thing.
“I know I upset you because I broke a promise. And yeah, taking off my wedding ring was intentional. I had safety concerns about wearing it while working. And those concerns are if it got caught on something and ripped my finger off, but also about who sees it, and what that would mean. It’s also very new to me, this whole we’re married thing.
I can’t think at all when I’m around you.
Any of you. I lose my brains, Tynan. Completely.
Perhaps you think that’s okay, but it’s not okay to me.
I don’t feel like myself and I hate the feeling. You need to give me space. And time.”
He keeps staring at me without saying a word. I want to say I can read his emotions, and in the past, I’ve been able to, but tonight, much like his words, he’s shut himself away.
“Please. I can’t go back to the apartment, and I can’t live with these vows of ours hanging over my head.
For sure, I feel a connection to each of you, but I need to get to know who you are before we go any further, or I’ll always wonder if it’s me, or the idea of me, that’s got you all so focused on us being together.
” I take a hurried breath, and he doesn’t stop me from speaking.
“I understand you’re bound by a promise you made to a beautiful little girl, and of course, I get you want to honor her memory, but this needs to be about us too.
And to do that, I need to have all the in-between time, the getting to know each other, small moments of discovery while I keep working. ”
The rest of my argument that I’d spent figuring out at work disappears out of my thoughts. Which only proves my point that he, and they, make me lose myself.
“I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you, and your pack, Tynan. I am saying we need to do things differently.”
After dropping as much truth as I can, I walk off, giving him what I want him to give me—the time and space to work through my outpouring.
I make it to the change room before realizing I don’t have any gear, but laid out on the bench are my workout clothes. Tynan is one step ahead of me again, caring for me on his terms.
By the time I’ve outrun my demons on the treadmill, he’s ready and waiting for me in the ring. I can’t help the thrill of my heart or the stupid smile that is impossible to hide as I climb under the ropes to meet him.
“We’ll do it your way, Tally.” That’s all he says.
He’s laid out everything we need for a hard session; he was clearly intending to teach me a lesson.
The gorgeous schmuck has changed out of his black jeans and hoodie into professional boxing shorts.
The black silk hugs his tight, fit thighs and sits low enough on his hips to let me know he’s naked under them.
If that wasn’t enough of a distraction, his well, defined chest is a tapestry of color as ink covers his skin with the same tattoo that Ronin and Keegan has.
Walking closer, he scratches his head, but it’s a ruse. He’s merely peacocking, and the glitter of trouble in his eyes confirms it.
“Like that, is it?” I ask, holding my hands out for him to tape my gloves on.
He shrugs.
As he gets me ready, he doesn’t talk, but he keeps looking at me. Not glances, but deep into my soul.
“Warm up like you did last time.”
And exactly like the first time in the ring, he sits on the mat and watches me with an intensity that brings color to my cheeks.
What feels like a hundred burpees and push-ups later, he climbs to his feet and passes over a bottle.
I take a sip, and it’s not until after I swallow it down that I look at him in question.
“Aye. I would do it again in a flash. If I thought you needed it.”
“Yeah, well, word for the wise—don’t drug me again.”
“Don’t be stubborn, and there’s no need, is there? Let’s go, firecracker.” He flicks his chin up, and I have to roll the tension out of my neck before I can lift my gloves up.
Of course, that only makes his head dip as he tries to hide his smile, but I don’t try to argue the fact he has this ability to wind me up so effortlessly. In the next second, Tynan shuts down on me and becomes my trainer.
By the time he’s put me through my paces, my side aches, but there’s a stillness in my anxiety.
“Grappling, then you’re done.”
His voice cuts through the quiet. It’s deep and intimate or, in my quietness, I’m just more susceptible to him.
While I steady my breathing, I completely check him out.
There was never any doubt I found him attractive—for the record, he’s drop-dead-fucking-stunning, but tonight I seriously wonder if he and Rafferty are twins, because to me, there’s so many differences between them. Too many to list.
He shuffles his feet, and I realize, a little too late, that instead of perving on him, I should have been preparing.
Tynan rockets over the distance, coming straight at me, and I go to step out of the way, but he’s way ahead of me and my bum hits the mat.
Then, slowly, while I’m still in awe and shock at how fast he moved, he dips and lies down, pinning me to the mat.
“One.”
And then he springs to his feet.
“One what?”
“I pin you three times, and you agree to go on a date with me.”
My mouth hangs open as I do a snort, huff, laugh rolled into one. The half of me that isn’t winded from that fancy maneuver is swooning like I’m watching a sappy movie, and it’s getting to the good part.
I squat down in preparation for his next attack, watching the position of his body closer this time. His eyes are on my face, so I employ some devious distraction techniques and throw off my T-shirt, so I’m only in gym shorts and my bra. “I would have gone, anyway.”
The words are barely out of my mouth, and I’m on my back again, staring up at his face.
“Two. Oddly enough, I have issues believing what you say at the moment.” He pulls my hand out from where it’s trapped between us, twisting and turning it, making it obvious he’s looking for my wedding ring again.
Then it’s my turn to shock him. I shove him off at the same time I roll over and straddle him, trapping him under me.
His blue eyes blaze and my nipples harden, which he doesn’t miss.
I lean down, running my nose over his sweaty cheeks.
“Good. You shouldn’t trust me. I might be here to rip this town apart, for all you know. ”
And then he’s gone again, standing in place, waiting for me to peel myself up off the floor.
I go to climb to my feet, but Tynan’s done playing games.
He’s behind me, one hand on my lower back, pressing me down, the other between my shoulder blades, pinning me.
With the gentlest touch, he rocks forward, rubbing his erection over my arse cheek.
“And three. I win.” He bends over me, and every part of me lights up. His mouth is near my ear. “I’ll always fucking win, too, firecracker.”
Another small nudge of his cock, and he’s gone. This time, he’s gone, gone. He’s vaulted over the ropes of the ring sauntering off with a dangerous swagger.
I stay arse up, face down until my skin cools, but I’m so thrown and turned on by Tynan, it isn’t funny.
I only manage to sit back up straight before he’s walking out the change room in his jeans and hoodie.
My legs are wobbly, for so many goddamn reasons, as I pass him on my way to change, and I just pull on my work clothes over the top of my gym gear to save time.
He’s standing at the front door, texting when I get to him. Swinging the door open, I half expect an SUV full of surly Alphas and an Omega, but the parking area is empty, except for his bike.
Like before, we don’t talk much as we race out of the city. The buildings change the further from the city we go, but at the same time, it’s not like we ride for an hour or anything. Fifteen minutes later, he turns down an alleyway before pulling to a stop at a terrace home.
When he talks through his helmet, I realize a little too late that we’ve been Bluetooth connected the whole time. Although, even if he’d said something, I doubt we would have talked.
“The house has got the same security set up as the apartment. You’re already in the system. Keegan came and stocked the fridge and put the heater on, and Raff dropped off plenty of supplies for you.”
He stops talking and doesn’t turn around when he passes my bag over. The moment I’m not on the bike, he takes off, leaving me standing with the helmet still on my head and a sudden urge to cry.
“You drive me crazy, firecracker. Get your cute butt inside and get some rest. We’re coming for breakfast at eight.”