Until You (The Redemption, #1)(45)

Never married.

Was I hoping that she had been? That there was an ex-husband I could look up so I could make his life miserable for whatever damage has been done to Tenny? So I had someone to place the blame on?

But then that would mean she’d had a husband. That she’d loved someone else enough to take their name and promise her future with.

You’re talking crazy shit, Crew.

You have a past. One with a shit ton of baggage. Clearly, she has one too.

And why am I even thinking any of this? You had sex. She’s a great person. You enjoy her company.

That’s it.

My cell rings with the girls’ specific ringtone. “How was the movie?” I ask.

“Awesome. The wizard won in the end but . . .” Addy drones on and gives me the entire plot in the way kids do even though I lost track of everything after the first minute.

“Sounds great,” I say.

“So we have a question.”

“Go on.”

“Phoebe asked us if we could spend the night at her house. Her mom said it’s okay, and you can talk to her to make sure, but please, Dad? Can we?”

I chuckle. Of course, they ask after I’ve already left Tenny’s house. Seems perfectly accurate when it comes to the sex life of a single parent.

“Sure, you can stay. Do I need to run you over some clothes? Toothbrushes? That kind of thing?”

A muffled conversation takes place that I can’t make out. “No. We’re good. She has extra toothbrushes. We brought sweatshirts since the theater was cold and can wear those tomorrow.”

“You sure?” My parent mind goes to things like clean underwear and sports bras, hairbrushes, and deodorant.

“We’re sure.”

I spend the next few minutes playing cell phone tag as I talk to Phoebe’s mother, verifying the invitation, then to both Paige and Addy about being on their best behavior.

When I hang up, I look around the house a little lost. I can’t remember the last time I actually had an entire night to myself. Since the incident, the girls have been super clingy, always afraid to leave me alone.

There have been the few times that my mom or sister have talked them into staying over, but that came with several phone calls throughout the night to make sure that I was okay. To make sure I was still here.

This is progress. Wanting to stay away. Not fearing that I’m going to get hurt or leave them since they’ve had a lot of both things in the past eighteen months.

Maybe my decision to come here, to give them a change of scenery, and our family a chance to heal without any reminders of my ordeal or their mother picking up and leaving, was the right move. God knows I stressed over it.

But a few weeks here and they’re already fine with spending the night at someone’s house.

It’s one of the rare times as a parent that I actually feel like I made the right decision.

I know the feeling won’t last long, so I’ll soak it up while I can.

Well, Dusty did his deed for me. Since I have an empty house, it’s either sit and think about Tenny all night or return the favor.

I know which one I’d prefer.

The knock on the door is unexpected. Especially since I didn’t see any headlights come up the drive.

That means it should only be one person.

And I’m not disappointed when I swing open the door to find Tenny standing there with a sheepish smile. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and her lips are still slightly swollen from earlier. From me. The caveman in me loves seeing it and knowing I did that.

“Hi.” My grin is automatic. Having her on my porch is way more exciting than a deep dive into someone’s cyber activity.

“Hi.” That coy smile of hers has my balls drawing up. “It seems a pipe burst in my place, and I figured maybe I could come take a shower in yours.”

God. Damn.

“You did, did you?”

“I did.” She nods slowly and looks over my shoulder, presumably to see if the girls are around.

“Good thing I have all my showers free since I just found out the girls are spending the night at their new friend’s house.”

Her eyes fire, and her smile widens. “So your four hours just became twelve?”

I nod and take a step backwards. “They did indeed.”

She steps forward. “A lot can be done in twelve hours, you know.”

“It can.”

My eyes sweep up and down the length of her body as her sweatshirt slips off her bare shoulder sans any bra strap.

The strangled moan she emitted earlier when I closed my mouth over her nipple echoes in my head, and I’m already getting hard.

She runs a finger down the middle of my chest as she steps even closer. “I don’t mean to be forward, but . . .”

“Why stop now?” I pull her against me, our lips inches apart, our breaths mingling together. “I’m a strong man, Tenny, and I don’t get offended by a woman taking what she wants. In fact, I find it to be quite the turn-on.”

“In that case”—her lips brush over mine—“time’s a wasting.”





CHAPTER TWENTY


Tennyson




I study Crew in the early morning hours just before the gray sky puts on a show with its soft pastels and then bright oranges. He’s facing me, his head on the pillow, his body uncovered down to his hip, and his lips with the barest hint of a smile as he dreams whatever it is he’s dreaming.