Chapter Twenty-Five
WARM LIPS COASTED over her shoulder and up her neck. Shivers raced down her spine with each arousing kiss. Her brain registered the pleasure before it fully awoke.
“Mmm, Ty?” She blinked against the sharp glare of the early morning light.
“I’ll fucking kill any other man who tries to touch you like this.” He continued attacking her neck with the kind of kisses that made her want him inside her, even after he’d spent most of the night that way.
“I like that,” she said, arching her neck to give him more skin to access.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, it makes me feel safe knowing you’d go so far to protect me.”
He captured her earlobe between his teeth and then growled. “You’re sexy when you’re bloodthirsty.”
Kelsie laughed. She felt so good right then—warm, soft, sleepy, and so damn happy.
“Sorry I’m waking you so early. I have to head to work already so I can get some inventory done before we open. Didn’t want you to worry if you woke, and I wasn’t here.”
“I don’t mind.” She rolled to her back and stared up at his sleep-creased face. “I’d rather be awake with you than sleeping.”
He smoothed her bed-crazy hair out of her face. “You’re too fucking sweet for me.”
“It’s all the orgasms. They sugar me up.” She waggled her eyebrows. With each passing day, she grew more and more comfortable with her sexuality. It felt wonderful to make jokes, tease, talk dirty, and demand he fuck her when she needed him. She owed her newfound confidence to him and how secure he made her feel.
Ty laughed. “Then I guess I’ll keep them coming. Pardon the pun.”
With a roll of her eyes, Kelsie chuckled. “Let me make you some coffee while you shower.”
“See, too sweet? Don’t get up, baby. I’m a big boy and can make my own coffee.”
A sudden bout of shyness had her lowering her gaze from his face to his tattooed chest. “I want to. One of my favorite parts of the day is waking up and having coffee together.” They typically sat in his backyard, tangled up on a lounge chair, kissing, touching, and sharing a huge mug of coffee as they absorbed the morning’s peace.
Whether it was Ty’s age or his inherent personality, she loved how he spent his free time simply and quietly. Aside from going to the clubhouse, which did get quite rowdy, Ty preferred to spend his downtime at home, relaxing. The few times in the past Kelsie tried dating men her age, they had wanted to go to clubs, bars, parties, and spend time out in public with crowds.
Kelsie lived a quiet life for so many years as she tried to stay off her father’s and the media’s radar. Some might expect she’d be ready to burst out of her shell and make up for lost time, but after the kidnapping and trauma she went through, she was more than happy to spend her evenings with Ty in his home. In the week and a half since they’d fled her father’s house, they’d cooked, used his hot tub nearly every night, sat in front of the fire, and enjoyed the peace of each other’s company.
She couldn’t be happier and made sure to shut down Ty’s concerns the few times he’d wondered if she’d grow bored with her older man, ol’ man.
It would never happen.
“Well then, thank you.” He kissed her before climbing out of bed. “Feel free to make it extra sweet like you like it. It’s growing on me.” He winked and then disappeared into the bathroom. His jaw dropped the first time he watched her dump a pound of sugar and a gallon of creamer into her coffee, but he’d still shared it instead of making his own. He’d claimed he’d take a few cavities to drink from her cup.
Kelsie stretched as she smiled at the memory. God, she loved that man.
Time was ticking, so she hopped out of bed and padded down the hall into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she had her favorite vat-sized mug full of sweet, steaming coffee. She returned to Ty’s bedroom and into his luxurious bathroom. He’d told her Curly helped him remodel much of the house the previous year. They’d done a beautiful job. She loved the large shower with multiple shower heads, especially when Ty was in there with her.
The glass doors had fogged up with steam, but she could still make out the outline of the man she’d fallen head over heels in love with. As he washed himself with quick, efficient movements, she sat on the counter’s edge and watched while sipping her coffee. He finished within a few minutes, shutting off the water before he exited the shower.
His face lit with surprise as he realized she was sitting there. “Enjoy the show?” he asked, reaching for a towel.
Kelsie nodded. “Still am.”
Water ran down his body and over the ink covering much of him. He didn’t have the extremely hard body of a man in his twenties, but Kelsie had no complaints. The man kept himself in excellent shape and was hard as hell in the place that mattered most. Much of his day was spent lifting heavy tires and doing physical labor, even as the shop’s owner. The activity kept him fit, along with the time he spent working out in the guest room he’d turned into a gym. Kelsie loved to join him in there, mostly to ogle his ass as he squatted.
She continued to stare without shame as he wrapped the towel around his waist and tucked in the corner. Once finished, he came straight to where she sat on his counter. Kelsie widened her legs, and Ty stepped between them. He removed the mug from her hands and took a long sip.
“If you tell any of the guys I like your chick coffee, I’ll deny it to my dying day.”
Kelsie laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“I’ve noticed something over the last week,” he said after another sip.
She accepted the mug and tilted her head, smiling at him. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“You like watching me when I shower, work out, and even mow the lawn.”
Her face burned. She couldn’t deny it. Watching him do just about anything had become one of her favorite activities. “Does it bother you?”
“Fuck no. I love your eyes on me. Almost as much as your hands.” He kissed her. “Watch away.”
Kelsie stayed in the bathroom as he finished his simple morning routine, then trailed him back into the room to watch as he got dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Once he arrived at the shop, he’d slip into his coveralls but never brought them home. He claimed they made the entire house stink of tire rubber and motor oil. She had a feeling she wouldn’t mind since both scents reminded her of him.
He finished dressing, and they made their way into the kitchen together. “You have that meeting at the community college today, right?”
“I do. I want to take some business and management classes. Brooke is giving me an amazing opportunity to work with her and the other ladies at the shelter. I want to make sure I have the tools to do the job right.”
Ty backed her against the counter with his hands planted on either side of her. “You’re incredible.”
“It’s just a few classes.” Silly man.
He tiled her chin up. “You. Are. Incredible.”
She gazed up at the love and heat swirling in his eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“You okay going on your own?”
Was she?
Probably not.
But she was going to try.
“I’m totally okay.”
Hopefully, he bought that. She’d made sure to schedule this meeting with a woman. It sounded as though it would be the two of them sitting in a room, discussing her education goals. In that case, sure, she could handle it with no problem. If they pulled a switch on her and she ended up shut in a room with a man she didn’t know, well, that might trigger some unpleasant feelings, but she’d cross that bridge when he got there.
“How about I have a prospect tail you? They can wait outside and be there just in case.”
Kelsie shook her head. “No. I can do this. I need to do this. I can’t have a prospect follow me everywhere I go for the rest of my life.”
Ty frowned but didn’t push the issue. If he had, she’d have relented, but every outing she survived on her own without panicking was one step closer to normalcy.
Another reason to love him.
“All right,” he said as he scooped his phone off the counter. “But I want you to promise you’ll call me if you have even a hint of discomfort, okay?”
“Yes, sir.” She snapped out a sassy salute.
“Trouble,” Ty said, chuckling. He glanced at his phone. “Holy shit.”
Her stomach soured. “What?”
“Turn on the news, babe.”
Kelsie hopped off the counter and ran for the television. The last thing they’d watched was the news yesterday evening after dinner, so the media channel came right up.
The morning announcer’s face filled the screen. “We come to you this morning with breaking news out of Alabama. As of twenty minutes ago, Carver Industries has declared bankruptcy.”
Kelsie gasped and dropped down onto the couch, clutching the remote. “Holy crap.” They’d been glued to the news for the past week and a half, waiting for any tidbit of information about her father. Acer had assured Curly his virus worked, and Carver’s financial demise would be imminent.
But so far, it’d been crickets. Not a peep out of her father or a hint of what was happening behind the scenes. All they’d known was that her brother withdrew his proposal to purchase the building Ty had his eye on. No matter how hard Acer searched, he hadn’t been able to report any new information over the past few days. Her father and brother had gone dark and silent.
Until now.
“Reports of massive, companywide fraud and embezzlement have been hitting the airwaves all morning. They appear to have been leaked by someone with inside knowledge of Carver Industries” financials. McCarthy Carver, serving a three-year house arrest sentence, is no stranger to legal troubles regarding his business practices. Numerous accusations of fraud have been tried over the years, but few have stuck. Even while under house arrest, he has been allowed to continue running his multi-billion-dollar corporation.
“We’ve been told investors have been pulling out left and right. Over the past week, partner corporations have dropped their combined projects, taking hits into the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“Holy fuck.” Ty breathed out as he came to sit next to her. “It worked. It fucking worked.”
“That’s right, John,” a female commentator added. “Now, much of what we are reporting this morning is still unsubstantiated, but we’ll be working to verify every report we receive to bring you the most accurate and up-to-date information. If you have a job with Carver Industries, don’t panic. Often, a buyer will swoop in and purchase the failing company in these situations. What we do know is that McCarthy Carver is persona non grata right now, and everyone can’t get away from him fast enough.”
“Yeah, Barb, it’s hard to see him coming back from this one. Dare we say McCarthy Carver is ruined?”
“I don’t know, John. It sure seems that way. Let’s take a look at this clip from a press conference given a few moments ago by Speaker of the House Tinsley, who was rumored to be preparing to throw his support behind Carver in a bid for Alabama governorship.”
“This is insane,” Kelsie whispered. She’d seen her family in the news countless times, but usually, the reports were of her slippery father evading major consequences for his criminal activity.
It was hard to breathe. She felt like she was floating above her body, watching two people respond to a shocking news story, but the fact it was happening to her family didn’t fully register.
Congressman Tinsley’s face filled the screen. She stiffened. The man bore a remarkable resemblance to his pariah of a son.
Ty scooped her up and settled her on his lap. “You okay, baby?” he said as he wrapped those strong arms around her.
“Better now.” She settled back against his chest and quieted to hear what Tinsley had to say.
“It is with deepest regret that I have learned what has been happening behind the scenes at Carver Industries.” Tinsley compressed his lips and shook his head. “For all of you hurt by McCarthy Carver’s actions, I see you and feel your pain and disappointment.”
“What a crock of shit,” Ty mumbled.
“Shh…” she patted his arm, “… but you”re right. This couldn’t smell worse if it were made of dog poop.”
Ty chuckled and kissed her head.
“Carver Industries had several government contracts and collaborations. Rest assured, the Justice Department is aware of the situation. McCarthy Carver will be investigated with the full backing and power of the United States Government. Thank you.”
Ty picked up the remote and shut off the television.
Kelsie blinked. A million thoughts ran through her head. They came so fast and from all angles that she couldn’t begin to process the barrage, so she shrugged. “Well, I guess that’s it then. You should get going. You’re already so late.” She tried to rise from his lap, but he tightened his hold. “Ty…”
“Babe.” He kissed her cheek. “Talk to me.”
She wanted to—she really did—but what the hell would she say? Her family was destroyed at her hands, and she was, what?
Happy?
Sad?
Scared?
Confused?
Or, E, all of the above?
She couldn’t deny feeling some guilt amid the relief. Would this change her life in any measurable way?
Would the media and social media warriors search her out?
She didn’t want this to ruin the fragile happiness she’d built with the new people in her life.
An ache formed between her eyes. She couldn’t think about it all now, not while she was keeping Ty from work and had her own meeting to prepare for. So, she plastered on a smile and patted his arms where they crossed in front of her.
“I’m good, Ty. Don’t worry.”
He slackened his arms, and she took advantage, slipping off his lap. When she turned to face him, she found him frowning at her.
“Really, Ty, don’t look at me like that. I’m fine. And you have to get to work.”
He glanced at the time on his phone with a harsh curse.
“See, go. I’m great.” Her smile felt as fake as it could be. There was no way he’d buy it.
And he didn’t. “Kels, you’re not great. And that’s okay.”
“Ty, go to work.” She refused to be responsible for him losing money.
“Fuck work. I don’t give a shit about work. I have competent employees so that I can be fucking late.”
“But you don’t have to be,” she said with a false cheer. “Because I’m great. End of discussion. You go to work, and I’m going to shower.”
With that, she turned and strode to the bathroom, locking the door for the first time since she started staying at Ty’s. It was a shitty, cowardly move, but she was about to unravel and didn’t want him to see her that way. The warm water wrapped around her like a blanket, and the rushing helped block out her screaming thoughts. But without the noise in her head, her emotions came bubbling to the surface, and she sank to the floor sobbing.
What was she supposed to do now?