Chapter 15
Haylee’s eyes burned as she walked away from Tyson. She gripped her hands at her sides as she fought to hold back more tears. Her mouth had gone dry.
The disorder around the bank lobby didn’t compare to the tumult that churned inside of her. How could Tyson take such chances with his life? What made him so reckless that he could have gotten himself killed?
Was that thrill what drove him? She shook her head, her thoughts rattling around her skull. Being honest with herself, she knew he did it out of a sense of right and wrong and genuinely caring about her and others.
But he could have been killed. That made it three times that he’d put himself in danger—two times where he’d ended up at the wrong end of a gun. How many more times would he do the same? Her heart couldn’t take it if he got killed.
Like Danny. He had risked his life to save others, and he had died because of it.
An image of Tyson on the floor came to her, blood pooling around his body. Even though it hadn’t happened that way, the mere thought of him lying there, lifeless, made her stomach churn.
Haylee shouldered her way through the crowd and walked toward Officer Henry Benson, a longtime friend of the family, who had been the one to interview her.
She tried to pull herself together, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands before she stopped in front of him.
He turned and gave her a gentle smile. “How’re you holding up, Haylee?”
She swallowed back the lump that had been lodged in her throat. “I’m just glad everyone is okay.”
Benson scratched the top of his head. “Tyson’s quick thinking and actions ended the situation without anyone getting hurt.”
Yes, that was true, and she knew it. But the stubborn thought in her head was that Tyson could have gotten himself killed by his actions.
Benson said, “His training as a Military Police Officer in the service made the difference.”
She tried for a smile but knew she failed miserably. “Am I free to go?” All she wanted was to be alone, to be far away from everything about this whole ordeal.
He patted her shoulder. “Go home and take it easy, Haylee.”
She nodded and headed for the revolving glass doors and saw that there was no longer a downpour. As she stepped outside, she breathed in the cool, rain-washed air, trying to calm herself.
Was she being unreasonable? Maybe. But she couldn’t help feeling like her world had come crashing down—the thought of losing Tyson, of losing the man she had let inside her heart, scared her more than anything.
Instead of going to her truck, she headed to the park across and down the street from the bank. She needed to be alone with her thoughts.
Wind gusted in her face, blowing the long strands around her cheeks. Her shoes hit the sidewalk with soft pats, and one heel squeaked. The earlier surge of adrenaline had dissipated, and she was coming down from it.
A dog barked in the distance as Haylee reached the park and walked over the still-green grass. It wouldn’t go brown until later in the fall, and then it would be seeded with winter grass that would keep it looking nice until the spring when the lawn came back from bleaker days.
What would her life be like without Tyson being in it? Her chest ached with the feeling of loneliness that slid through her.
She passed by a stand of trees and heard the leaves rustle in the wind. The sun peeked between the rain clouds and through the tree leaves, its light dappling the muddy ground.
Her pulse throbbed rapidly in her veins. She shuffled to the park bench and plopped down. The cold metal bit her skin through her jeans, and she hugged her arms around her.
The fresh air brought the scent of fall, and she caught the scent of wood burning in hearths from the chimneys of nearby homes. The breeze chilled her, and she regretted not having a jacket.
“Is this seat taken?” The low male voice she recognized at once startled her, and she looked up to see Tyson looking down at her, his face etched with concern.
Haylee caught her breath, at a loss for words. Her blood rushed in her veins from him being so close again. She’d thought she’d have time to pull herself together before seeing him again.
He eased onto the bench beside her, not waiting for an invitation. His scent, warm, earthy, and masculine, swept over her.
She tasted the coolness of the air as she tried to keep her voice steady. “You followed me.”
He gave a slow nod. “I need to talk with you. I couldn’t let you leave, upset and hurting.”
“Why do you think I feel that way?” Haylee stiffened. “You make a habit of putting yourself in danger, just like you did the night you got in the middle of that couple’s fight. You could have been killed then, and you could have been killed in the bank. My heart can’t take that kind of stress.”
Tyson raised his hand as if to reach for her, then thought better of it and rested his palm on the bench seat between them, his expression serious. “When I was a boy, and my mom died from cancer, I made a promise to help others because I hadn’t been able to help her.” He sighed. “So, I feel a tremendous sense of duty and the desire to protect others, especially those I care about. That includes you more than anyone else in the world.”
Her chest seized at his words, the pain of his mother’s death and the depth of his concern for her clear in his voice.
She spread her hands on her lap, staring at the pink polish on her nails. “You scare me, Tyson.”
“Tell me what happened,” he said quietly. “What happened that makes all of this worse for you?”
The night she’d learned of her boyfriend’s death came rushing back to her, and her words trembled. “His name was Danny. He was a Phoenix firefighter I met at an event I put on in that city. We dated for several months, and I cared for him—I was starting to fall for him hard.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “One night, he died in a fire while rescuing people trapped in the house.”
For a moment, there was silence between them. “I’m sorry,” Tyson said quietly. “That must have been difficult to get through.”
She shrugged, but it wasn’t casual.
“I don’t know how to reassure you.” He brushed the teardrop away with his thumb, the movement tickling her skin. “I’ll do everything I can to never put myself in a dangerous situation. But it comes down to this: if you’re in danger, nothing can stop me from doing everything I can to save you. I hope you can understand that.”
She remained quiet, processing his words. If they ended up together, would she be like a policeman’s wife, afraid he wouldn’t come home to her one night?
No, how could she even think this was close to being the same? These were the kinds of instances that were normally rare and not things that were likely to happen frequently. Being a firefighter is different—one could end up putting his or her life on the line every time they went to work.
He rested his arm on the bench behind her. “I care too much about you to risk losing you.” He lowered his voice and spoke more quietly. “Now that I’ve expressed how I feel about protecting you tell me what you want me to do.”
She met his gaze as tears brimmed in her eyes. “Losing you would be more than I could bear.” Her voice felt rough as she fought not to cry. “You are—” She fought to compose herself. “You are more important to me than I could ever have imagined.”
He leaned in closer, resting his forehead on hers. “I love you, Haylee. I’ll do everything I can not to jeopardize my life, I promise.”
She bit her lower lip, and a tear rolled down her face.
Tyson raised his head and looked into her eyes again. He brushed away the tear with his thumb, his callused skin rough against her cheek. “I know you’re a strong, independent, and capable woman, and I respect that. At the same time, I’ll keep you safe if I ever feel you’re in danger. I love you too much to tell you otherwise.”
His words turned over and over in her mind. The one thing that stood out was that he had just told her he loved her, not once but twice.
More tears tracked Haylee’s face as she looked into his eyes. “I love you with everything I have, Tyson. I can’t help it.” She swallowed hard as his features started to shift from concern to surprise. “I understand better now that you’ve shared all that with me. I’m just—I’m just afraid.”
“Aw, hon.” He gathered her into his arms and held her securely in his embrace. “You are my treasure, more precious to me than anything.”
Despite her sense of independence and insistence that she was a strong woman, it still felt good to feel protected and loved as she did at that moment.
Haylee shifted in Tyson’s arms and tipped her face up to his. He brought his mouth to hers and kissed her so sweet it took her breath away. She responded with soft kisses of her own.
She snuggled up to him, the top of her head tucked beneath his chin, the side of her face against his chest. His heart pounded beneath her ear, and she felt it beat in time with her own.
He hugged her tight for a long moment, but then she started shivering against him despite the warmth of his embrace.
“Come on, let me get you out of the wind and cold.” He shifted her so that he could stand and draw her up beside him. He smiled down at her. “Where would you like to go? To the diner for something warm to eat?”
She shook her head and gave him a little grin. “Let’s go have Spam sandwiches at your place.”
He laughed and wrapped one arm around her, and they walked back to the bank, where they’d left their parked vehicles.
After cleaning up from their dinner of Spam sandwiches and beer, Freya and Zoey curled up on the beds by the hat rack.
Tyson took Haylee by the hand and led her to the hall. She’d only ever been in the kitchen and the living room. She felt a twinge of excitement as he led her along a short hallway, the floor the same patterned tile as the parts of the house she’d seen.
They passed a study on the right, sunlight spilling in through partially opened blinds. The glow highlighted dark oak bookshelves lining the walls and a large old-fashioned oak desk that looked like an antique, with a brass reading lamp on its surface. Two sturdy chairs sat in front of the desk.
Her belly fluttered as they reached a door at the end of the hallway. Tyson looked down at her, then opened the door.
Haylee walked ahead of him into what was the master bedroom. It had vaulted ceilings like the parts of the house she’d seen. A massive king-sized bed of rough-hewn wood crouched in the center of the room, a colorful patchwork quilt covering the mattress, with ample pillows covered in deep red shams against the headboard.
Matching nightstands sat on either side of the bed. A tall dresser of the same rough wood was against one wall, and an antique trunk at the base of the bed’s footboard. The painting he had purchased at the gallery the night of her showing was mounted on the wall opposite the door.
It was a masculine room without much decor, but she liked it. She turned to look up at him, and he smiled.
He caught her face in his warm, callused hands. “You are the most important thing in my life, and I never want to let you go.”
“I feel the same way.” Her heart felt near to bursting. “I love you so much, Tyson.”
He lowered his head and brought his mouth to hers. His lips were firm but gentle as he kissed her slowly and luxuriously.
He slid his tongue into her mouth, tasting beer and warm masculinity. His scent filled her lungs, and she drank more of it in, more of him in.
She let out a blissful sigh at the wondrous kiss as she melted into his arms. He pushed his fingers into her hair and pressed his mouth more firmly against hers.
The passion burning between them flared even hotter. She ran her tongue along his lower lip, and he groaned with pleasure and need.
What they’d been through earlier intensified her desire for him. She could have lost him, and the fact that she was in his arms right now was a blessing.
Tyson eased his hands out of her hair, sliding his palms over her shoulders and down to her hips. He grasped her buttocks and pressed their bodies tightly together.
She sucked in her breath at the feel of his erection, a hard ridge against her flesh. Their kisses grew more frenzied, fueled by their emotions, and she felt like she’d gone up in flames.
Her breasts felt heavy, and the ache between her thighs made her squirm to have him inside her. She thought she might burst from the depth of her need for him.
She broke the kiss and met his heavy-lidded gaze. “Boots, off.”
He looked slightly amused at her bossy tone but sat on the edge of his mattress and toed off his boots.
With her eyes on his, she eased onto her knees, between his thighs, until she was at the level of his belt buckle. She reached for it, pulled the buckle back, then waited for him to slide the leather belt from the loops. He dropped it, and the buckle hit the tile with a clatter.
Fumbling a little, she grasped the metal button of his Wranglers and managed to release it. She slowly dragged down his zipper, then pushed the tough cloth over his hips and knees so that his jeans dropped to his ankles, leaving him in a pair of black boxer briefs.
She grasped the surprisingly silky fabric with her fingers, pulled it over his hips, and shoved it to the floor with his jeans.
His erection thrust out, but she ignored it, peeled off his socks one at a time, and tossed them over her shoulder.
She then wrapped her fingers around his hardness and brought her mouth to the head.
Haylee flicked her tongue against the softness pressed to her lips, and Tyson speared his fingers into her hair and cupped the back of her head.
She kept her eyes fixed on his as she sucked. A loud groan burst from his lips. “Damn, Haylee. Just,damn.”
His words made her smile around his cock, and she sucked him even harder. He moved his hips in time with her as she bobbed her head, her mouth sliding up and down his shaft.
She loved making him feel this way, loved the silky hardness of him in her mouth, loved the taste of his skin.
His fingers clenched tighter in her hair, but she didn’t mind the pressure against her scalp. She liked the thought of him losing control. It made her feel powerful to know the control was hers.
She grasped the globes of his ass and felt them tighten in her hands.
“Oh, shit, Haylee.” He bit out the words. “I’m going to come.”
She sucked harder and dug her nails into his hard flesh.
He shouted as he came, hard. He pressed his groin tight to her, and she tasted his fluid, swallowing it all.
She watched the rapid rise of his chest and saw the sweat rolling down the sides of his face.
When he relaxed, coming back to himself, he looked down at her. She grinned up at him. “Good thing there aren’t any nearby neighbors.”
“I think you’re right.” He gave a low laugh, grasped her upper arms, and stood. He dragged her up his sweat-slicked chest to her feet.
“You have far too many clothes on.” He grasped the hem of her blouse, pulled it over her head, and ditched it.
Her long hair fell down her back, tickling her skin. He reached around her and made short work of her bra, flinging it aside in the same direction the blouse had flown.
With a smoldering smile, he grasped her waist, and she squealed with surprise and laughter as he swept her off her feet and tossed her onto the bed.
She giggled, and he proceeded to relieve her of her shoes and socks before he hurried to strip off her jeans and panties.
The man was in a hurry, and so was she. She wanted him inside her, and she wanted him now.
Haylee lay naked on the bed, smiling up at him as he slid on a condom.
He looked down at her with hunger in his brilliant blue eyes.
She crooked her finger at him. “Come here, big boy.”
With a feral sound, he moved between her thighs, his eyes blazing with need. He grasped his erection and placed it against the entrance to her core.
His ferocity was contagious. She raised her hips. “Now, Tyson. Don’t make me wait.”
He thrust his cock deep, and she cried out at the feel of his thickness and fullness. He moved in and out, his breathing hard, droplets of sweat from his hair landing on her chest.
Her thoughts seemed to spin out of control as she charged closer to an orgasm. Closer, closer yet.
Tyson hooked his arms beneath her knees, driving even deeper.
She screamed as she hit her climax, her body vibrating, her core clamping down on his cock.
He thrust a few more times then shouted even louder than before.
Chest rising and falling like a racehorse, he pulled out and ditched the condom. He drew her into his arms and held her close.
“I love you, Haylee.” He sounded sated and exhausted.
She smiled, feeling herself drift away. “I love you.”