Page 34 of Ensnared
In the fond silence following their shared memory, I ask, “What about your mom?”
Ty’s shoulders stiffen, and I’m instantly sorry I spoke. He has shown me consideration and not poked at my emotional scars, yet here I am, tearing at his. But if we’re to have the slightest chance of making this work, I can’t be left out. I’m new here, and I keep accidentally stumbling over resentments years, or even decades in the making.
“My mom left,” he replies at last, his voice hoarse. “About a year after Dad left for good. I guess I reminded her too much of him.” He points a finger at his own face and draws a circle in the air. “I look a lot like him, only I’m taller. So she said she was going to visit her family in Iceland, and then she just never…” His voice fails him, and he clenches his jaw, swallowing hard.
“Oh, Ty.” I climb into his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry.”
His arms close around me, hesitant at first, then he buries his face in my neck and squeezes me hard. He doesn’t make a sound, doesn’t cry or sob, but his shoulders tremble, his big, lean body so tense beneath me.
I clutch him to me, hoping that I can offer some comfort. I catch Jack’s gaze over Ty’s shoulder, and he’s devastated, as though he had no idea his friend was still in so much pain. He puts the almost empty pan of cinnamon rolls away and wraps himself around Ty from behind. His breath warms my cheek, and we remain like that for minutes, hours—time loses meaning, because this is exactly where we were meant to be. Together, sharing the pain and the warmth.
Finally, Ty shudders with a long exhale and lifts his head. His eyes are dark, his long eyelashes damp. “Thanks for listening,” he says, gruff. “I hope, uh, that this makes it a little clearer why I…”
“Freaked out?” Jack murmurs against his ear.
Ty shivers again, though I don’t think it’s entirely from discomfort this time. “Yeah, that.”
“I get it,” I murmur. “But Ty?”
He finally focuses on my face. “Hmm?”
“I won’t leave you. Not unless you ask me to.”
Thirteen
Skye
A beat passes,then Ty takes my mouth in a deep, desperate kiss. I’m so startled by his sudden move that my eyes remain open at first, and I see Jack’s surprise. His gray eyes grow wide, then heat sparks in them. Ty slants his head to the side, licking against my tongue, and my eyelids flutter closed with pleasure.
This kiss feels like coming home.
I cling to Ty, my hands at the nape of his neck, and kiss him back with all I’ve got. I need him to know how serious I am. There’s no force on this earth that could make me leave the men who have opened themselves up to me and accepted me as I am.
“Fuuuuck,” Jack groans from beside us. “This is so hot.”
I grin through the kiss, then pepper light, teasing pecks over Ty’s stubbled jaw. He hasn’t shaved today, and it’s different from what I’ve become used to with him. I like it, though. It’s a rougher side of him that doesn’t come out often from beneath all the jokes and the smooth-talking.
His hands heat the skin of my back as he pushes them under my thermal t-shirt. “Can I…?”
“Mm?” I mumble, busy kissing that sexy hollow at the base of his neck.
He swallows, and his Adam’s apple bobs. “I want to take this off you.”
In answer, I lift my hands, giving him access. He grins at me, then pushes his palms up slowly, so slowly, passing over my sides, where I’m ticklish. I squirm and giggle, and the intense moment takes on a playful vibe, one I will always associate with Ty. He pulls the t-shirt over my head, and I’m suddenly left in my sports bra, practical but not very sexy.
I want to just tug it off and throw it to the floor, but Jack clicks his tongue and gets behind me.
“Let me,” he murmurs, his breath brushing over the skin on my shoulders.
He unhooks the clasp and takes the bra off me, grazing the sides of my breasts with his warm fingertips. My nipples tighten, and I shift in Ty’s lap, restless.
“You guys are still fully dressed,” I complain.
I’m looking at Ty, so I see the change in his expression when he glances over my shoulder at Jack. Understanding passes between them, and Ty’s eyes smolder with heat.
Uh-oh.
Jack caresses my arms, from shoulder to wrist, where my bracelets catch the light still streaming through the window. He tugs lightly at the silver bands.
