Truly Mine (7 page)

“We weren’t exactly teenagers the last time.”

She blows a heavy breath out and points her finger at me. “True. That is very true.”

The waitress returns to check on us. I order water, in an effort to remain sober, and another shot for Truly.

After having a few drinks, she’s dropped her pretentious attitude. I like where this is headed.

At this point, I’m enjoying her new disposition so much that I’m perfectly content to sit here all night. With my elbows propped on the table, I clasp my hands and rest my chin on them as I listen to Truly while she talks up a storm. It’s nothing personal about herself, but just like the last time, she’s asking about our friends. Some are divorced, and some are even remarried. Right now though, I get the distinct feeling that she’s trying to talk herself out of leaving here with me. So, of course, I’m going to do whatever I can to convince her to do just that.

The entire time we’ve been sitting here, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to touch her. If I don’t soon, I’m going to drag her out of here, caveman-style.

“But in my defense, I had an excuse for my behavior last time. I was going through some rough shit then.” She digs through her purse for a minute and produces a round container of mints. She pops it open and dumps several in the palm of her hand. She takes a few into her mouth and then holds her hand out, offering me one.

I only open my mouth and wait to see if she’ll take the bait. I’m dying for a little physical contact. She smiles shyly and then holds the mint to my lips. Leaning in, I take it and her fingers, too. I hold them between my teeth for a second. She laughs and pulls out of my grasp. Before she’s able to get out of my reach, I grab her hand.

“I’m sorry. I hope you felt better when you left.” I hold her hand between mine and trace each of her fingers.

“Yeah. But we are grown, Tyler. We can’t keep doing this.”

“Sure we can. Right now, we could blame it on that whiskey.” I nod toward the empty shot glasses on our table. Most of them are hers since I quit drinking some time ago in hopes of getting the opportunity to drive her back to my house.

She throws her head back and laughs at my suggestion. “Fucking whiskey,” she says, amused.

We both laugh.

“So, what do you say?” I let go of her hand and stand. “Are you going to be lonely tonight or”—I hold my hand out for her to take—“are you going to blame it on the whiskey?”

pronunciation
uh-mal-guh-meyt

(v.)
to blend, combine, or unite

J
ust in the twelve hours that I’ve been in Fallport, I’ve managed to throw a tantrum worthy of an Oscar nomination, offend the local bar whore, and allow Tyler to coax me into doing one too many birthday shots, which has now led to me staying the night with him.

Being here, in this town where we spent so much time, has sent me into an emotional tailspin. I’m on sensory overload. Too much of my life is spent numbing myself that just being here has been like a dam breaking.

Every word that Tyler says has me hanging on for the next, and his touch has too much of an effect on me to ignore. I tried this afternoon at my mother’s but to no avail. He’s too handsome for his own good, and you’d better believe that he uses it to his advantage. There’s so much history and such an easy friendship between us that, even all these years later, it feels almost as if no time at all has passed.

Tyler’s truck is not the smooth ride I’m used to in my Lexus. I’m hugging my purse as I bounce around like a rag doll. I keep feeling the vibrations of a missed call. No doubt, it’s Scott again. The concern in Lissa’s voice rings in my ears and has me a little on edge. It takes away any guilt I have about going home with Tyler. The shots I did earlier aren’t helping matters. I get so emotional when I drink.

“Damn, Tyler, you’re going to give me a neck injury before we get there.”

“I’m sorry. These roads suck. Scoot over here next to me.” His blue eyes are like a magnet, pulling me in.

I think for only a moment. Then, just as I always have, I do as he said. I slide across the seat, placing my purse in the passenger seat, and buckle the lap belt.

His hand slides around my waist, and he pulls me to his side. “Hold on to me like you used to.”

“We’re not seventeen anymore, Tyler,” I mumble.

“We’re not eighty either. One night, Tru. Let’s enjoy one night like we used to. Then, you can leave and never think of me again,” Tyler says, reminding me yet again of how things work with us.

“Have you ever noticed that we seem to be forever stuck at eighteen years old? No matter how old we are when our paths cross, we pick up where we left off.”

“And? Age is just a number, Truly. I do feel like that young excited boy when I’m with you.”

Why the hell not?
I’m here, and I’ve had enough to drink that I’m feeling no pain.
What do I have to lose?

As he pulls me closer yet, I slide my hand over his stomach and under the hem of his shirt, hooking my fingers through his belt loop. I catch a glimpse of our reflection in his driver’s side window. I see that small-town boy who never knew he was my first…everything, and he has the same grin on his face as he did back then. To my surprise, in my reflection, I see that young girl by his side, and I still find myself wondering who the hell I am at this point in my life.

I hurry to clear those thoughts by burying my face in Tyler’s neck. He brings his arm over my shoulders to fall at my waist where his fingers immediately find my bare skin, and he begins to trace the curve of my hip, nearly putting me to sleep.

“What motel are you staying at, Tru?” He kisses the top of my head.

I must admit, I’m enjoying this game. Surprisingly, I feel relaxed and safe, which are two things I haven’t felt this week. “The little motel on the edge of town,” I say, cringing.

Taking his hand off my hip, Tyler grasps my chin and pulls my face up so that I am looking at him. “Why are you staying at that dive?”

“Um…it was the only place that had a vacancy.”

His puzzled look and frown tell me he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t push the issue.

Without another word between us, he drives across town and pulls into the parking lot of the dilapidated building.

Upon entering the room, I wonder what the hell I was thinking when booking a room here. This place is awful. It smells musty, and the walls are dingy. I fear what might be lying beneath the ugly brown comforter on the bed that I haven’t yet been brave enough to touch. My clothes are still in the open suitcase lying on the floor. I only hung up my outfit for tomorrow and took out a few toiletries I used earlier in the day to freshen up. While I gather those, Tyler fetches my hanging clothes and zips my suitcase closed. We’re only here for a few minutes, and I leave the key card on the nightstand before following Tyler to his truck.

Once we’re on the road to his house, the silence begins, and it’s awkward.

“Everything good?” I ask simply because his demeanor has changed so suddenly.

“Yes. You?” he responds in a flat tone, not looking at me.

“Yes, I’m good.”

Again, we sit in silence. I’m now regretting that I checked out of the motel, and I’m wondering what Tyler’s problem is.

We pull into the drive of a large brick ranch home. My anxiety is through the roof. I know nothing about this man. I can’t count on what I knew all those years ago.

What the hell am I doing here?

Quickly, he cuts off the engine, opens his car door, and slides out before slamming his door a little too hard. Before I even get my door open far enough so that I can begin climbing out of this beast of a truck, Tyler is in front of me. Taking hold of my hips, he forcefully pulls me to the edge of the seat. A gasp escapes me, and he covers my mouth with his. His kiss is hard and fast. I’m completely taken by surprise and a bit frightened. This aggression is something I wasn’t prepared for.

“Wait. Stop.” I pull away, trying to catch my breath. “You’ve barely spoken to me the past half an hour. What’s wrong with you?”

“Wrong? Nothing at all is wrong. Well, I was feeling a little tortured, I guess. I just want to have you now.”

In just a second, his mouth connects with the sensitive skin of my neck, and he’s sucking and nipping his way to my chest. I lean back, and my neck falls out of his reach. He takes each of my breasts in his hands and roughly massages them. I love every painful second of it. I continue to lean back, almost fully lying down on the bench seat.

Tyler pushes my shirt up and sucks on my stomach so hard that it’s almost painful. When he stops, I look down, and there’s a mark the size of a half-dollar. As I’m examining the mark he left, wondering if there is a matching one on my neck, he slides his hand between my legs. He unapologetically rubs me just the way he did my breasts. Within seconds, I’m lying flat on my back, and he’s between my legs, watching me squirm under his touch.

“I’m going to taste you—right here, right now.”

Somehow, I manage to articulate a sentence, “Shouldn’t…we go…inside?”

“I can’t wait that long.”He bends down and kisses my stomach. “May I?” He takes hold of the button on my jeans and waits for my answer before unfastening it.

The door is just yards from where we’re parked, but I don’t argue.

I nod. His eyes grow big, and his breath is rapid. It doesn’t take him a second to have my jeans around my ankles.

“I want you now. I wanted you at that awful motel, but it was disgusting. The drive here was painful enough.”

Ah, that explains his sudden change of demeanor.

We are acting like teenagers again, not forty-year-old adults.

He immediately buries his face between my legs. He digs his fingers into my ass as he pulls me to his face.

“Oh, Tyler!”

He’s warm and soft on my most tender place, licking me with only one purpose in mind. And it doesn’t take long for him to achieve his goal. I’m trying to keep quiet while I spin into pure ecstasy. I arch my back and reach for anything to hold on to so that I don’t get lost in this oblivion that he’s sent me to. He continues licking and sucking at my center until it’s nearly painful. I moan and squirm as I fall completely over the edge.

I am lost, blissfully lost. I close my eyes and enjoy as he lazily drags his tongue over me.

When I come down and become cognizant of my surroundings, I reach for him and fist my hands in his hair. My body jolts with the contact, and I can barely breathe, let alone speak, but he’s not going to stop if I don’t tell him to.

“Oh God, Tyler. St-stop!”

This man has me seeing stars. I squeeze his head with my thighs and try to push him away in hopes that he’ll have mercy on me. He exerts one final plea out of me.

“Tyler, I can’t take it.”

After a few slow strokes with his expert tongue, he kisses each of my thighs and my stomach. Finally, he lifts his head, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and pulls me to a sitting position. “You are as sweet as I remember.” He buries his face in my neck, breathing nearly as hard as I am.

“Oh my God, Tyler. That was amazing,” I compliment him.

It lasted just seconds, yet I can barely move.

“Now, we can go inside.” Pleased with himself, he smiles.

He takes my hand, pulling me up so that I am standing on the running board of his truck.

I try but can’t find the strength to pull my clothing on. “I just need a moment.”I sit down again.

By the look on his face, I can see that Tyler is finding great pleasure in my condition.

“Here, let me help.” He leans forward, and I wrap my arms around his neck. He then completely strips off my pants.

“What are you doing? The neighbors, Tyler!”

“You won’t be needing these tonight.”

He cradles me in his arms and carries me to his front door while I pull my shirt down, attempting to cover my naked ass.

“Hold my neck tight.”

Letting go of my back, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keys. His home is not the bachelor pad I expected. I’m only able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful leather furniture and dark wood accent pieces. He walks quickly down a hallway and through the door at the end.

Laying me on the center of the bed, he yanks his shirt over his head. The definition in his stomach from his muscles has me aching to touch him. I watch as he unbuttons his jeans and shoves them down. His hard cock falls out, and I gasp. He climbs up my body, stopping to plant soft kisses along the way. My shirt is off in seconds, and Tyler pulls my bra down, exposing my breasts.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Truly,” he speaks sweetly. With desperation, he massages my breasts and sucks each of my nipples, working me into a frenzy again. “I’m going to fuck you now. Okay?” he asks, as if I would be lying beneath him if it weren’t okay. He licks and nips his way to my ear. “Okay?” he whispers in my ear before sucking my earlobe.

I slide my hands from his hips up his sides, my fingers exploring every crevice. Stopping at his chest, I dig my nails into his pecs and ever so softly whisper in his ear, “Okay.”