AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Toya parked the car and got out. A dirt drive led up to the barn, and around the outside of the building was overrun with weeds. The barn itself needed a paint job bad. Other than that, the place seemed sturdy. No one had been around in forever if she had to guess.
A car engine sounded in the distance, and then Tripp’s police car turned in between rows of corn lining the drive. Her heartbeat picked up, and she tried not to be glad to see him even though it had been just a few hours since they’d left his house. He cut the engine and stepped out of the car. She schooled her face to appear indifferent.
“What’s going on, baby?” He took her hand and pulled her close. Toya couldn’t breathe, and tears welled up in her eyes. No, you’re stronger than this. Get a freaking grip! “I thought we were good. Better than good, Toya. That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
She broke from his hold and walked a few steps away. “I’m done. I…” She closed her eyes and just blurted it out. “I know about your son. I know you lied. You didn’t have a reason to. Shoot, everybody has a past. It’s so not a big deal. But when you tell me your ex is—”
“Hold it right there.” The command was as harsh as anything he must have said to a perpetrator because it went through her and made her clamp her lips together. He caught her shoulder and turned her to face him. His touch wasn’t painful, but it brooked no arguments. “First, I do not have a child. I don’t know why you think so.”
She glared at him. “I saw the picture, Tripp. He looks just like you. Same eyes. I’d know them anywhere.”
“You’re right. Now tell me who showed you the picture.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Your brother. He came by and…” Her mouth fell open. “Oh damn.” She’d never considered that the father might be his brother, and John obviously didn’t like her. Of course he knew what she would think. That’s what he wanted. He hoped she’d tell Tripp to kiss her ass and just walk away from him.
“Tell me everything he said,” Tripp ordered.
He towered above her, more imposing in his policeman’s uniform and the heavy gun at his hip. She tried getting some space, but he held on. In fact, he marched her in reverse so that she bumped the squad car, keeping her from escape. She told him everything.
“And you believed that?”
“How could I not, Tripp? We’re lovers, nothing more. We talk and stuff but nothing deep. It’s all about sex with us, and that’s what we agreed on from the beginning. Hell, I’m surprised we lasted this long.”
“Even if this was all about sex, from what you do know about me, you think I’m the kind of man who would fuck one woman while trying to patch it up with another?”
“I—”
“How can you be so worldly on one hand and be so ignorant on the other?” The wonder and confusion in his expression was just like it had been when he first met her. She felt like they’d gone full circle. He kissed her, and she couldn’t help but give into it, enjoying the touch of his lips. “Now I’ll talk.”
She nodded her consent but knew he wasn’t asking for it.
“I admit that I was ashamed to tell you the full truth, that the man I walked in on with my wife was my own brother. We didn’t speak for two years. But when I started getting to know my nephew, I wanted to make amends with my brother, if only so that he could have a relationship with his father. I figured I could nudge him to do the right thing by his son and be a part of his life. I thought he and I could move forward, but this incident shows me it may never happen. If he causes me to lose you, I will kill him.”
She shook from head to toe and forced herself to address what it sounded like he was saying. “You make it sound like you care about me.”
“Foolish woman, I love you.” He pressed her tight to the car, his hard-on obvious against her stomach. “Only you. I don’t want another woman, least of all my ex. I wanted to talk to you tonight about becoming a more permanent part of my life. Not as lovers only, but with a commitment.”
“I never thought you’d want that.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she swiped at them. “You said right at the start that you would never get serious about a woman. Not after what she did.”
He stroked her cheek, and she nuzzled into his palm. “I said that from habit. Even then I knew you were different and that I had fallen hard for you. My sweet Toya.” He lifted her off her feet and crushed her to him. “Tell me, please, that you love me too. I thought I saw it in your eyes while we made love, but couldn’t let myself believe it.”
“I do. I love you too, Tripp. I was so busy being careful with my heart that I couldn’t accept what I saw, that you were starting to fall in love with me. I rethought it back when you didn’t react to how my boss and I interact with each other.”
He frowned. “Trust me, I wanted to belt him in the mouth, but I didn’t have the right yet. Now is different. If he so much as lays a finger on you, I’ll break his arm off and beat him with it.”
She squeaked and cleared her throat. “Yes, sir!”
Tripp set her on her feet and laced his fingers with hers. He led her over to the barn door and opened it.
“Why are we going in here?” she asked.
He grinned at her over his shoulder. “Because there’s no way I can go back to work for a few more hours and not first claim my woman. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate all day.”
“Oh.”
They stood just inside, and Toya felt a chill at the spooky darkness, but from the moment Tripp laid his hands on her hips and pulled her in close, she forgot everything but him. His uniform shirt lay under her fingers, and though she couldn’t feel more than his belt at his midsection, she knew his gun was holstered at his side. There was something about a man in uniform with a weapon that was a real turn-on. Moisture pooled in her pussy, and she ran her hands up his chest and around his neck.
“Won’t you get into trouble?” she murmured between his kisses.
