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Almost two hours later, I pull up to the house the GPS took me from Ivie’s information. I spot her car and a sense of relief washes over me. I see a warm glow from lights inside. I shoot a quick text to both Sterling and Hawk to let them know I had to leave town and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. They both replied and let me know they’d handle the ranch until then.
With that done, I open my truck door and wait for Rocky to get out before shutting it. Suddenly, I’m on her doorstep and my heart is about to explode from my chest. Rocky nudges my leg as if sensing my hesitation. “Okay, boy. Here goes.” I take a deep breath and knock on the door.
I can hear the television go silent from inside. The door opens and she’s standing there in a long-sleeved shirt and shorts showing off her perfectly toned legs while sporting a messy bun and looking more beautiful than I remembered.
“Tate, what are you doing here? How did you find me?” she almost stammers as Rocky nudges her waiting to be loved on. “And Rocky? Hey boy!” she drops to her knee to love on him. Once he’s satisfied, he trots in without invitation. She stands and her focus sobers as she looks back at me.
“Can I come in?” I ask over the beating of my heart.
She stands to the side, inviting me in. I take in the small living room with its cozy, oversized couch and chair. She has popcorn on the coffee table, and it looks like she’s watching one of those romantic movies she says she likes. I smile before turning to face her because even though I’ve never been in this house, I already feel like I’m home.Home is where the heart isruns through my head. Home is where Lucy is, because sheismy heart. If I had any doubts, the last few weeks have squashed them along with the way I feel in this moment right now.
She clears her throat as she waits for me to answer her.
“I’m not sure I should reveal all my secrets just yet,” I smile at her. She pierces me with her punishing stare.
“Ivie. It had to be her because I can’t see you asking my parents.” She touches her fingers to her temples as if warding off a headache while closing her eyes.
“Don’t be mad at her. She had her reasons for telling me and I can be pretty persuasive.” I step closer to her. She doesn’t retreat but there’s hesitation in her body language. I look over to see Rocky has taken up residence in the chair in the corner of the room. I laugh. “He looks like he’s at home.”
She doesn’t laugh. “I knowhowyou found me.Whydid you come and find me after I asked you not to? Besides, you sounded pretty busy earlier when I called.” I see a different color fill her cheeks, only this time it’s not a blush, it’s anger.Shit. I knew she thought I was with another woman. She probably thinks I have been all this time she’s been gone but that’s not true. On the other hand, her seeming upset hopefully means I’m not too late to tell her how I feel…she still cares.
“I wasn’t busy. I was with my family. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. We need to talk. There’s so much I need to tell you.” I start edging closer to her. She crosses her arms under her breasts, unknowingly lifting them, showing me she isn’t wearing a bra. The thought alone ignites a fire in my blood I’ve been needing her to tame since she left.
“Can we sit?” I wave toward the couch. She goes and sits down, and I sit beside her. I turn so I’m looking at her, but she faces the television. “Lucy, please look at me. I’m sorry I came after you, but I couldn’t take it anymore.”
She turns on me then. “Take what exactly? Me giving you back your old life so you can do as you please? Tate, my heart can’t take your kind of love. I want it all. Don’t get me wrong, being with you is amazing but I can’t just be friends with benefits. So, if you came to scratch an itch, you can get back in your truck and drive home. I’m sure you can find a willing body to help you out.”
“Damn, Lucy.” I stand and move to where I’m directly in front of her. I knew telling her how I felt would be hard, but I wasn’t expecting the last few weeks I’ve been away from her to make her so cynical.
“I came because I missed you, yes, but not only your body…I miss you—all of you.” I run my hand down my face along the stubble of my jaw. “I came because I…”
She stands with me, refusing to back down. “Because you what?”
“Because I’m in love with you. Before you left, I knew I was, but I was too scared to tell you. I knew I had a lot to work on before I could ever be the man you deserved…before I could be worthy ofyourlove.”
She takes a step forward so she’s almost touching me. Tears shimmer in her startling green eyes. “You don’t get to decide who I give my love to. You already have it. That’s one reason I left. I couldn’t let myself fall any harder for you because you said you didn’t want a real relationship…that you weren’t capable of one. I left to save us both heartache based on what I thought you needed, not because you’re unworthy of my love. But being away from you has only made me realize I wasn’t falling for you, I did…completely. But how can you expect me to believe because I left, you had an epiphany and now you’re magically ready to love?” Her chest heaves with emotion as the tears start dropping.
“You told me you were messed up, but you wouldn’t tell me why and now suddenly I’m worth fighting for?” she points to her chest and then adds, “Suddenly, your issues with love have disappeared?”
I can’t take it a second longer. My chest has been heaving right along with hers because she has valid points and they’re gutting me but she’s wrong. When she left, I realized I would risk any amount of heartache to love her…to be able to call her mine.
I close the few inches separating us and my lips crash over hers as I take her face in my hands. I almost feel my heart breaking and being put back together at once. My heart is breaking from the shell of old pain I’m finally shedding only to be healed by the strength and love of this woman in my arms.She broke my heart out of its chains.
My tongue licks her lips, and she parts them for me as I find her tongue and caress it with mine. After a few minutes, we break the kiss to catch our breath and she gazes at me with hope and fear battling for dominance…hope that I’m telling the truth and fear that I’ll break her anyway.
Her lips are swollen with from my kiss, and I go back for more. This time she winds her arms around my neck and into my hair, knocking off my hat. I slide my hands down to her legs and lift her up so she can wrap them around my waist.
She breaks the kiss again, holding my face in both hands as she searches the depths of my soul and says, “Show me, Tate. Show me you love me.”
I turn in search of her room, and she points to the one on the right. I go in, kicking the door shut behind us before falling down with her but careful to keep my weight from crushing her. She keeps her legs around me as I kiss her lips and trail down her neck as she offers it to me.
“I hope you’re ready for what I’m going to show you, love, because I intend on telling your heart, your soul, and your body…all night long exactly how I feel about you.”
Ican’t stop the tears from rolling down my face.Can this be real?My heart says it is and he says he’s going to show me just how real it is. He notices my tears and kisses them away before tugging my shirt up over my head, leaving me in my shorts. I feel his rough hands caress my bare breasts as he continues to kiss my lips. He rubs his fingers over my nipples which harden under his touch. I feel his hard length pressing into me as he takes his time kissing me everywhere… my lips and my neck and down to my breasts, finally taking one in his mouth and then the other.
My blood heats as he ignites the fire in me I thought had burned to ash so long ago. He’s going to show me…I’m going to show him too. I lift up and gently push on his chest. He pulls himself off me and stands, confusion and panic on his handsome face. I stand and push my shorts and panties down, baring myself to him completely.
Flames of desire flicker in his eyes as his tongue slips out and wets his lips while he takes in every inch of me. Before, I might’ve felt uncomfortable or self-conscious like this. But he wants to show me he loves me. I’m showing him I’m open to his love.
