Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Sydney
It’s been two weeks since the incident at the clubhouse.
Tucker is always at my house or we’re always together.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and normally I don’t do anything, especially since it’s a Sunday, but Tucker and my mom made arrangements for a date night.
I tried to tell him it was just a Hallmark holiday, but he got me with the “I never wanted to celebrate until this year” line.
Wrenn and Aries just had their baby a couple of days ago and got home yesterday. I’m excited to go see them, but I remember those first few days and give them time.
My nightmares are still recurrent, but I’m seeing a counselor now. She understands my predicament and assured me she can’t share any of my information. I’m still trying to open up to her. It’s going to be a long process.
I stand in front of my closet, looking for something to wear.
Most of my dresses are from before I moved here, but I settle on a sleeveless tank Bohemian maxi dress in a taupe color.
It has a side slit and I’ll wear low-heeled shoes.
I go a bit lighter with my makeup, mostly bronzer and some concealer under my eyes, no foundation.
My hair is in loose waves, and I have a pale color on my lips.
I step out of my room as my cell phone rings.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Where the fuck are my wife and kids, Sydney?” Colton shouts through the phone line.
“I don’t know.”
“Liar. I know you helped her.”
“You just got home? Are you sure she and the kids are so important to you? What’s it been, a couple weeks now?” I bait him.
“I will take those kids away from her for this. She can’t go off with them without my permission,” he growls.
A chill runs up my spine in fear. I’ve always thought he was a passive kind of person, but here he’s showing how angry he can be.
My doorbell rings, and I go answer it. Tucker steps in as Colton raises his voice again.
“I will find them, Sydney. You and your bitch mother can’t hide them from me.”
I’m about to respond when my phone is ripped from my hand. I turn in surprise toward Tucker.
“Are you threatening my woman, asshole?” His voice is calm but full of steel.
I’ve never seen this side of Tucker. His body is tight and he’s on alert.
I can’t hear what Colton says, but he isn’t raising his voice anymore.
“You want to talk to her, you’re going to have to go through me, asswipe.
” Tucker pulls the phone away from his ear and stabs the disconnect button.
“I could’ve handled him.” I stand before him with my hands on my hips.
“No man talks to you like that.” I watch his eyes move down my body and heat when he takes in my outfit. “Now come here and give me those sexy as fuck lips,” he demands, and like every other time he orders me around, I move toward him, forgetting I’m mad at him.
I lean up and he leans down, our lips meeting. His warm lips and scruff cause my nipples to pebble behind my bra and dress. True to his word, we still haven’t had sex, but we’ve fooled around. If I get my way tonight, I’m going to go further with this hot as fuck man.
He pulls away, and I take him in. He’s dressed in newer dark blue jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt with a few buttons left undone. The sleeves are rolled up, showing his sexy forearms and tattoos. He has a blue T-shirt on beneath it.
“Don’t look at me like that, baby. I tell you all the time I’m a moment from taking you the way you need to be.”
“Please,” I beg and lean back against the wall behind me. The same wall he had me pressed against the first time he kissed me.
He shakes his head and moves into the living room. How is he so strong with this? I’ve begged him. I know he wants me, but the doubt is still there.
“Why not? Do you not want me like that?”
He turns back to me and pins me with his eyes.
He moves across the room to me. One of his hands lands on my hip and the other is pressed into the wall above my head.
I tip back my chin to look up at him. The blue and green in his eyes swirl together, making them look like the sky before a tornado strikes.
My body fidgets, and I press my legs together, trying to put pressure on my clit as it throbs.
“Baby, I want you so much I have to go home every night and take care of myself. Every morning I wake up needing you, but I’m not going to take you until you realize that I’m forever. I’m not just here for the moment. You and I are going to have a long time together.”
I moan at his words. My heart clenching. I want forever with him, but it scares me still.
“I can’t—”
He leans down and takes my lips again. His tongue thrusts into my mouth like I want his cock to do to my body. He pulls away before I can pull him close.
“Don’t say it, because you will want it soon enough. As soon as you realize I’m not going anywhere. As soon as you realize I’m not like your old man or Mari’s father.” He moves away from me, and I stand there taking in his words.
I told him about how my father left me, and how I feel about that. How I felt about both my parents choosing their careers over me. I told him even Mari’s father chose something else over me. I don’t explain that I’m the one who ended her father, permanently.
“Hello, my sweet little girl,” he says, cooing to Mari, who kicks from her blanket on the floor.
She’s rolling and trying to push herself up on her hands and knees. I move to her bag when my legs finally stop trembling, and we get ready to head out.
“We don’t need that,” Tucker says when I reach down to pick up the car seat I removed from my car earlier.
“Oh yes, we do. She can’t ride on our laps.” I swing around to look at him as he chuckles.
“I got a car seat in my truck for her.”
“A rear-facing one?” I can’t believe he knows what she needs.
“Yep. Come on, spitfire, because you’re cruising for a spanking with your attitude.” His words make my breath catch again, and I bite my bottom lip. “Oh no, you don’t. Come on.” He lifts Mari and grabs my hand with his free one, dragging me from the house.
We pull up to Chapelville Steakhouse after dropping Mari off at my mom’s. I turn to him and smile. “I haven’t been here in forever. This is the best restaurant in town.”
“Your mom told me how much you loved this place, and Jayden helped me get a reservation.”
“It’s Valentine’s. This place has had to have been booked for at least a month.”
“Don’t worry about it. Come on.” He gets out of the truck and moves around to my side to open the door for me.
We make our way inside and are seated at a table right away.
I can’t believe we are really here. My gram used to bring me here.
After a wonderful steak dinner and a couple glasses of wine, this whole night has been one surprise after another.
It helps to close the coffin of doubt I had about him.
I know he’s proving to me that I’m his focus.
Me and Mari. Buying her a car seat. Always being there for me.
He leads me out of the restaurant with his hand against my back, and I feel his touch all over my body. When we reach his truck, I twist around and lean up against it as I pull him toward me.
“Tucker, I want to go home before we pick up Mari. I want to spend time just you and me.”
“Spitfire, do you know what you’re asking me?” I nod. He opens the door and reaches for my hand. He lifts me up and turns me to face him. “I want you so damn much, but we are only going to play because you still don’t get it if you can’t say it.” He pulls away before I can drag him against me.
The whole way back to my house I try to figure out what he wants me to say to get him to finally give in and take me.
Usually, it’s the other way around. The guy wants to go all the way, and the girl is asking for more time.
We pull into my driveway and walk to the door.
As I’m unlocking the door, I hear a car door slam and turn to see Colton coming toward us.
“Shit,” I say under my breath.
“Who is this?” Tucker asks.
“You think you’re big, bad, and tough on the phone, don’t you, asshole, calling me an asswipe. Well, who’s the asswipe now. Where is my family?” Colton yells at us.
I try to move around Tucker, but he presses me back. I hear another door slam and see Aries moving across the lawn toward us.
“Syd, go stay with Wrenn and Jori,” Aries orders, but I try to stay.
“Baby, go,” Tucker says, his voice leaving no room for argument.
“Poseidon, you got this?” Aries asks as I move to his porch.
I don’t hear anything because Wrenn ushers me inside and closes the door.
“Why can’t I be out there? I’m the one he wants to talk to.”
“That man doesn’t want to talk, he wants to intimidate you, Syd,” Wrenn says.
We watch from the window as Colton’s arms wave around in anger. Tucker’s body is tight, and I can see his muscles ripple from here. A few minutes later a cop car pulls up to the curb and Colton leaves. Tucker and Aries walk back over, and I watch in shock as they laugh and chuckle.
“What’s so funny? That man was angry and could’ve hurt you,” I demand as I step outside and advance on Tucker.
“Poseidon, man, she cares for you.” Aries laughs. “Fucking one look.” He moves over to Wrenn and kisses her temple. “Jori still sleeping?”
I realize in the whole time I didn’t even check out the new baby.
“Yep, she does,” I hear Tucker say as I move to his truck instead of my house and reach for the passenger door. “Where you going, spitfire?” He laughs as he walks up to me.
“I want to go get my daughter. The date is over.” I’m so angry with him for stepping in and taking over.
“Baby, I told you no man is going to talk to my woman that way.” He stands next to me.
“I could have handled it myself. What if he hurt you?”
“Exactly. What if he hurt you?” he argues back.
I know he has a point, but I’m still just so angry with him. All I see is Tucker’s body on the ground, dead, like my former teammates.
“Please. I want to go get Mari.”
He nods and helps me into the truck so we can head off to my mom’s place.
When we arrive, I tell her what happened with Colton. She says she’s going to get a restraining order to help protect me.