AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tiffany knew she’d have to play more than the innocent fool to get him to play ball. Schooling her expression, she lifted her eyes to look at him through her long lashes. “I’m not the same innocent little teen that fell in love with you, Stuart. I’ve spent years learning to miss all the special things you had to offer.”
His eyes were riveted on her. “What kind of things, kitten?”
Leaning toward him, she waited for him to move closer before whispering, “You have a nice touch, and I miss having your hands on me. You know just how to please a woman and just how to apply a little bite of pain to accentuate the moment. No man really comes close to you, and this little kitten misses her big tom cat.”
Pulling back, she watched his nostrils flare, and a look of pure lust jumped onto his face. “You’re playing with fire, kitten. Are you sure you can handle me?”
Dropping her gaze again, she murmured, “I honestly don’t know. You were heavy-handed with me, and a lot of that wasn’t really necessary. I miss being with you, and some of the games we played were really nice. Others kind of scared me. You’re so big and strong, Stuart. I think sometimes you underestimate your strength.”
Appearing conflicted, his voice shook when he spoke. “We were too young when we first got together, sweet kitten. I wasn’t a good master…I mean husband. I know that now. I had a lot of stress in my life, compartmentalized too many things, and some of my insecurity spilled out onto you. I won’t let that happen again.”
“I want to believe you, Stuart,” she said demurely.
“We can play only the games you like, kitten,” he insisted.
“Can I think about it?” she asked softly. “I want to make a good choice this time.”
Sliding her half-empty cup of coffee back in front of her, he smiled gently. “Sure, kitten. Take as much time as you need. Let’s just call a truce in the meanwhile, okay?”
Nodding, relief coursed through her body. Standing, Tiffany dropped a kiss onto his cheek again and murmured a goodbye and walked over to join her mother.
Stuart’s voice called out from the table. “I’m looking forward to having you back, kitten.”
Forcing a smile onto her face, Tiffany turned and blew him a kiss. Trying to seem as if they were strolling along together, she and her mother maintained a steady pace when Tiffany literally wanted to run back home to Ryder. Seeing Stuart up close and being called kitten again was triggering her in ways she scarcely understood. There was something truly sweet about the deranged man, and it was that quality that originally drew her to him.
Climbing into the passenger seat of her mother’s car, Tiffany hauled in one deep breath after another until she was on the verge of hyperventilating. Between breaths, she spoke. “That was all kinds of crazy. He apologized for beating me and said we got together too young. He actually admitted to being a shitty husband.”
Rubbing her shoulder, Sarah murmured soothingly, “It’s okay, honey. You got through it. Everyone heard him welcoming you back. I’m sorry I wasn’t more help. Hearing him call you kitty and knowing that he treated you like a high-class pet, well, it made me sick.”
Looking up into her mother’s clear blue eyes, Tiffany saw her regretful expression. “It’s okay, Mom. That conversation was always going to be shit. I’m glad it’s over.” Looking out the window, she said, “Let’s head to his place right away. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get those doors open, and I don’t want him getting off work and returning home before we can find out what’s behind them.”
“I’ll call Hickory and have them meet us there.”
Giving her mother a minute to get the car started and out of town, Tiffany watched her pull out her cell and talk sweetly to Hickory. Something about her voice was off. Cutting her gaze sideways, she saw the look on her mother’s face when she talked to the biker. It was almost adoring, as she hung on the line with him. Was she falling for Hickory? He was definitely single, but her father had only been gone about a year and a half. Was that too soon for her mother to move on?
When she finally slid the phone back into her purse, Tiffany asked, “What was it like with Dad after I left all those years ago?”
Speaking easily about it made Tiffany think she’d dealt with the situation relatively well. “Well, it was only five years ago,” her mom pointed out. “He was always searching for dirt on Stuart, and he became more and more obsessed with figuring out a way to hamstring him so you could come home.
“He began staying up late into the night, and before long he was sleeping on the sofa. That went on until he began to get sick. By that time, I insisted he sleep in an actual bed, but he was in a lot of pain and having a bed partner was out of the question. I slept in the spare room after that.”
“That must have been rough,” Tiffany said sympathetically. She couldn’t imagine sleeping without Ryder’s strong body beside her. “Taking care of someone with cancer can be exhausting. I wish that I’d been there to help you.”
Shooting her a tired smile, her mother said, “I always knew that if you could, you’d prefer to help out with him. Taking care of him gave me something productive to do with my time, though. Before, when he spent all his time focused on Stuart, I understood why he was doing what he was doing, but I was pretty lonely.”
Tiffany hated that she’d put her parents through that. They’d given up so much… “Have you ever thought about selling your house and moving to South Dakota? Ryder and I would love to have you live with us. He has a real nice, spacious place, so we have plenty of room.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a burden, dear.”
“I wish you’d think it over,” Tiffany said honestly. “Now that Dad’s gone, you don’t have much keeping you here, except your bridge club.”
Sarah laughed. “They’re a bunch of gossiping ninnies.”
Grinning at her mother, Tiffany quipped, “Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day.”
~ Ryder ~
Watching Tiffany climb out of her mother’s car looking like a fashion model was confusing. Ryder was all kinds of turned on, but at the same time, it drove home just how much above his class he was marrying. Her father had set the bar pretty high, in terms of providing. He’d just have to step up his game.
