Seducing Lauren

  My heart stutters at the mention of love. It’s too soon for love. Isn’t it? I know that what I feel as he begins to move is bigger than anything else I’ve ever felt for anyone in my life.

  Ty’s nose drags down my neck as he begins to move in long, slow thrusts. He pushes his pubic bone against my clit, then pulls back slowly and repeats the motion over and over. My legs hitch up around his hips. He reaches down and pulls my left leg up over his shoulder, spreading me wider, and pushes in even farther, stealing the breath from my lungs.

  “God, Ty, you feel so good.”

  “This is all you, beautiful.” He moves just a little faster, increasing the friction. My body tightens around him, and I can’t stop the wave of ecstasy that moves through me, settles in my belly, and shoots out in all directions.

  “That’s it, love, let go.”

  There’s that word again. My back arches off the bed as another wave moves through me. Ty pulls my nipple into his mouth and tugs, watching me intently as he moves over me, making love to me more tenderly than he ever has before. His eyes clench shut as he pushes in as far as he can go and comes silently, shaking with the force of his climax.

  “I—” He buries his face in my neck.

  “What?” I ask breathlessly, stroking his back with my fingertips.

  “You’re just—”

  I chuckle and kiss his cheek, not caring in the least that the bulk of his weight is on me. “I need pie,” I whisper into his ear.

  He pulls up onto his elbows and watches me, his eyes serious and mouth grim.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He shakes his head and kisses me softly. “Not a damn thing.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He pulls out and rolls us over so I’m lying on top of him. “I’m sure.”

  I sit up and begin to roll off him, but he pulls me back into his arms.

  “What’s wrong?” I try again.

  “I like having you in my arms.” He pushes my hair over my shoulder and kisses my arm.

  “It’s definitely one of my favorite places to be.” I grin and kiss his chin. “It feels safe here.”

  “You are safe here, Lo.” He reverses us again, so he’s leaning over me and looking down into my eyes. “I promise.”

  “You’re good to me.”

  “That’ll never change.”

  I grin up at him and rub my palm over his cheek, enjoying the way the short stubble there feels against my skin.

  He turns his face and plants a kiss in the center of my hand before pulling away and helping me to my feet. “Now, about that pie.”

  “The last one downstairs has to sweep up the flour mess!” I sprint ahead of him, giggling like a maniac as I fly down the stairs with Ty hot on my heels.

  “You’re a cheater! You got a head start!”

  I beat him to the kitchen, panting and laughing as I hand him a broom. “You sweep and I’ll cut the pie.”

  Rather than take the broom from my hands, he pulls me against him and kisses me long and hard, then lets go just as quickly and turns toward the mess on the floor as he pulls the broom from my grasp. “I want ice cream with mine.”

  The weekend has been the perfect combination of work and relaxation, especially after the disaster of a week we just had. Ty stayed at my place and was content to catch up on his own work while I dove into mine. Now, all too soon, we are driving out to the Lazy K Ranch for Sunday football.

  “You know, you could have just come spent some time with the guys. You didn’t have to bring me,” I say as Ty turns onto the driveway that leads down to the ranch.

  “Cara and Jill are there.” He shrugs. “It’s not really a guys’ night out, and besides, I want you there.” He steers us down the windy, tree-lined driveway. “I spend a lot of time with these people, and I want you to be comfortable with them too.”

  “I am comfortable with them.” I smile. “I like them.”

  “Good.”

  He parks, and as we approach the front door, it flings open and a barking, excited Thor comes racing out of the house, stops to sniff us and get a pat on the head, then races to the side of the house.

  “He has to pee!” Seth announces as he runs out after his dog, wearing a Seattle football jersey. “Hi, Ty! Hi, Lauren!”

  “Hey, buddy,” Ty replies, and leads me into Josh’s home.

  “Oh, good! They’re here!” Cara claps happily from the kitchen where she and Jill are bustling about. “Lo, come back here with us. The living room is full of testosterone.”

  “This is where we part ways, babe,” I say to Ty, and kiss his cheek, but before I can walk away, he grips my arm and pulls me back against him for a long, hot, searing kiss, earning grumbles from both Zack and Josh, who suggest we get ourselves a room.

  “This is football,” Zack informs us as Seth and Thor storm back in from outside. “There is no kissing during football.”

  “Go watch your game,” I say, and pull out of Ty’s embrace. “I’ll be the tall one in the kitchen if you need me.” I wink and saunter away toward my friends. “I brought hot wings!”

  “Wow, you made wings?” Jill asks.

  “No, I brought them.” I laugh. “I picked them up from the Bulldog in town.”

  “They have the best wings.” Cara takes them from me to pop them in the oven to keep warm.

  “What’s the score?” Ty asks the guys as he hangs our coats, and settles in on the couch.

  “Seattle’s up, seven to nothing, still early in the first quarter,” Josh says.

  “So, how’s it going?” Jill pops a chip full of guacamole in her mouth.

  “Good.” I nod and then grin when they roll their eyes. “We just saw you Friday night. How are you?” I ask Cara.

  “I’m good.” She shrugs and stirs a Crock-Pot full of chili.

  “How are you adjusting to being so far out of town?” I ask.

  “It’s been . . .” She purses her lips, searching for the right word. “Interesting. Ranch life is new, that’s for sure. Oh! We have some fresh eggs to send home with you guys if you want them.”

  “Sure, we’ll take some,” I answer as Jill nods. “Thanks. Nothing like farm-fresh eggs.”

  “So true,” Jill agrees. “Are you still going to plant a garden in the spring?” she asks Cara.

  “Yes, look,” she says excitedly, and points out the kitchen window to the backyard. “Those four stakes mark the area that Josh is going to fence in when the ground dries up a bit in the spring.”

  “You have to fence it?” I ask.

  “If we don’t want deer and rabbits to eat the veggies before we do, yes.” Cara laughs.

  “Ah, makes sense.” I nod just as the guys shout from the living room.

  “That ref is fucking blind!” Josh exclaims. “The ball was in! Sorry, Seth.”

  “It’s okay.” Seth shrugs. “It’s football day.”

  “As I was saying”—Cara laughs—“I’m going to plant lots of veggies and herbs, and I’m sure there will be more than we can eat, so you guys are welcome to some of them too. Also, Josh has decided to expand to raising pigs for butchering too, so we’ll have eggs, chickens, pork, and beef, along with the veggies.”

  “Are you preparing for the zombie apocalypse?” Jill asks with a laugh.

  “No, grain-fed meat is so much healthier.” Cara giggles and then shrugs. “But we will be able to survive the zombies too.”

  “I’m so happy that you love it,” I murmur. “I don’t know if I could do it.”

  “We’re city dwellers,” Ty agrees as he joins us in the kitchen. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck before pulling away and opening the fridge.

  “Yes, Cunningham Falls is such a bustling metropolis.” Jill rolls her eyes at her brother.

  “It’s not fifteen miles from town in the middle of nowhere,” Ty reminds her, and kisses me one more time.

  “Dude!” Zack yells. “Stop kissing Lauren and bring us our beers!”

  Ty laughs and
returns to his friends.

  “How’s the real estate business?” Cara asks Jill.

  “It’s always good around here. Tourists move in and out. Winter’s always slow, but I’m doing fine.”

  “Holy fucking shit!” The men all jump from their seats, their arms raised above their heads. “Go! Go! Go!”

  “Montgomery’s running the ball!” Zack yells. “Holy fuck, an eighty-yard run for the touchdown!”

  “That’s right, baby!” Ty yells, high-fiving everyone, including Seth.

  “Did Josh and Zack just bump chests?” Jill asks, as we stare at the spectacle before us.

  “Yeah,” I reply, and giggle when Thor begins barking and jumping around the cheering men.

  “Montgomery is on fire today!” Josh cries. “Whew!”

  “Who is Montgomery?” Jill asks Cara.

  “I think he’s the quarterback.”

  “Huh,” Jill replies. “Okay.”

  Ty glances over with a wide smile and winks at me before settling back on the couch, taking a sip of his beer.

  “How does watching football turn normal men into cavemen?” Cara asks. “I expect them to start belching and ordering us to bring them more beer any second.”

  Just then, Seth lets loose with a huge belch courtesy of his cola.

  “I rest my case.” She laughs.

  “Good one,” Zack says, laughing, rather than admonishing him.

  “Men are gross,” Jill whispers, and shakes her head.

  “They are predictable,” I agree with a laugh. “And I have to admit, mine is sexy.”

  “So is mine.” Cara sighs.

  “Ugh, okay, I’m changing the subject.” Jill pulls the wings from the oven. “Let’s eat.”

  CHAPTER

  Sixteen

  I slip through the courtroom doors late Monday afternoon and find a seat on the aisle, about halfway up to the front of the room. This is one of only four courtrooms in town, and the spectator area is about half-full.

  I’m not sure what the trial is about, other than it’s a custody battle. The father is trying to take his kids from his ex-wife, who is Ty’s client.

  Brad Hull is currently in the witness chair, and Ty is questioning him. Ty didn’t see me come in, and I’m relieved. I want to watch him when he doesn’t know I’m here.

  “When was the last time you were called to Ms. Jones’s home due to Mr. Jones breaking the protection order?” Ty asks.

  “One week ago,” Brad responds.

  “Can you please tell us what happened when you arrived on scene?”

  “Mr. Jones was clearly intoxicated—”

  “Objection!” the opposing counsel calls out. “Officer Hull couldn’t possibly know from looking at him if Mr. Jones was intoxicated.”

  “Lieutenant Hull is a police officer who has vast experience with intoxicated citizens,” Ty responds, speaking to the judge.

  “Did you test Mr. Jones to assess his status?” Judge Wilkins asks Brad.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Overruled.”

  Brad continues, “The kids were crying, huddled on the front porch, and Mr. Jones was standing over Ms. Jones with his fist cocked back, ready to strike her.”

  “To the best of your knowledge,” Ty continues, “had he already struck her before you arrived?”

  “I’d had reports that he had hit her. Her eye was already blackened when I got there.”

  “What happened next?” Ty leans on the podium in front of him.

  “I approached Mr. Jones and tried to speak with him calmly.”

  The voices become a monotone in my head as I stare at Ty’s back, watching his economy of movement, marking notes with his pen, flipping papers. He pulls a large photo out of a folder and holds it up for the judge to see, then to Brad, and finally turns to share it with the opposing counsel.

  His eyes meet mine for just a brief moment. There’s a flicker of surprise, then they heat before the side of his mouth turns up and he looks away, moving without breaking his stride, unfazed by my presence here.

  He’s amazing.

  Fucking amazing.

  His demeanor is completely different from anything I’ve seen from him before. I’ve been with the friend, the brother, the lover, but I’ve never witnessed the lawyer, and I have to say, it’s hot as hell.

  He’s calm and cool, even when Mr. Jones gets riled up at something Brad says and jumps to his feet, yelling obscenities at his ex-wife.

  Geez, and he thinks he’s going to win this case?

  Thank God I never went off birth control, despite Jack’s wanting me to. I would never want to put children through anything like this.

  Ty doesn’t even flinch as the judge calls for the bailiff to restrain Mr. Jones. I sit in awe for the next hour and watch Ty call two more witnesses. What Jill said is clearly true: he’s a shark in the courtroom. Even the judge values his opinion.

  Ty is going to go far in the legal world.

  Pride spreads through me, warming my chest and igniting butterflies in my belly, and I find myself grinning from ear to ear. Last night in bed he was so tender, so loving. It’s obvious that he’s in love with me, and as I sit here, watching this complex man in his element, remembering how kind, loyal, and playful he is in other facets of his life, it occurs to me that I’m 100 percent in love with him as well.

  The thought of ever being without him fills me with so much grief it’s debilitating.

  Now, how do I tell him? Because the thought of that also fills me with absolute fear. I’m not worried that my feelings aren’t reciprocated; it’s just the idea of the whole thing, because I’d decided long ago that I’d never put myself in this situation ever again.

  Ty walks across the gallery to his chair, his eyes once again seeking out mine before he sits next to his client.

  “I think we’ll wrap things up for the day,” Judge Wilkins announces. “Mr. Jones will remain in custody due to the current charges against him. We should be able to wrap this up tomorrow.”

  With that, the judge rises, and everyone else in the courtroom rises and waits for the judge to leave, then the room begins to empty.

  I stay seated and wait for Ty to speak with his client, gather his papers into his briefcase, and walk back to me.

  “Hey,” he greets me, with soft gray eyes.

  “Hi.” I grin and stand. He takes my hand in his as he leads me out of the courthouse. “I hope you didn’t mind that I came to watch.”

  “I don’t mind.” He smiles down at me and leads me down the sidewalk toward his office. “What did you think?”

  “I think you’re badass.” I swallow, wanting so badly to tell him that I love him, but instead I simply say, “I’m proud of you.”

  “For what?” He’s surprised.

  “You’re awesome at your job. This is definitely what you should be doing.” I shrug and turn my head to kiss his shoulder through his suit jacket. “I’m just proud of you.”

  “Thank you.”

  He opens the door to his building and waits for me to precede him inside. Cary is talking with Sylvia, but grins when he sees me.

  “Just the person I was talking about.”

  “Me?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I was going to have Sylvia call you. Do you have a minute?”

  “Come into my office with us, Cary.” Ty stops himself and glances down at me. “Unless you’d rather speak in private?”

  “Come with us.” I smile and lead the guys into Ty’s office. “There’s no reason to have private meetings.” I turn to Cary as I lean back on Ty’s desk and cross my arms over my chest. “What’s up?”

  “So, I was talking to Jack’s lawyer.”

  Just like that, my good mood evaporates. I sigh and rub my fingertips vigorously over my forehead.

  “And?”

  “And now he wants fifty million.”

  I blink at Cary, clearly having misheard him. “Excuse me?” My voice is thin.

  “What the fuck?” Ty asks
loudly, coming around his desk to meet Cary square on.

  “Why? The trust fund was only two million.” My entire body breaks out into a cold sweat as it occurs to me that Jack must have found out about the books. My eyes widen and a sob escapes through my lips as I stare at Cary. “He knows.”

  “The lawyer didn’t say anything about the books,” Cary begins in a soothing voice.

  Ty swears ripely and paces across the room. I watch Ty, and as I do, calm comes over me. Jack can’t hurt me any more than he already has. I have Ty, and he’s all I need.

  “He can kiss my white ass,” I mutter. “He’s not getting a dime of anything. Anything.”

  “I agree,” Cary responds, “but I don’t want to make that clear out of the gate here, Lo.”

  “Go ahead and tell him,” I respond defiantly. “What’s he going to do?”

  “Lauren, this is the man who threatened to rape you less than a month ago!”

  “What?!” Ty roars, his face a mask of utter rage.

  Cary blanches and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Lo. I thought you told him.”

  I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. Fuck.

  “Tell me what, Lauren?” Ty’s voice is cold, and I recognize his stance. I saw it not thirty minutes ago in a courtroom.

  “Cary, can you please leave us alone?” I ask, my gaze not leaving my angry man. Cary backs out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.

  “What didn’t you fucking tell me?” Ty asks in a low voice.

  “Jack threatened to rape me that day he showed up at the house,” I say matter-of-factly. I’m running on adrenaline now, almost defiantly. If Ty wants a fight, I’ll give him one.

  “And you didn’t think it was important to tell me?”

  “I was too embarrassed to tell you.”

  “Let me get this straight.” Ty shoves his jacket angrily down his arms, throws it on top of his desk, and rolls up his sleeves. “Some asshole threatened to fucking rape my girlfriend, and she didn’t tell me because she’s embarrassed?”

  “She wasn’t your girlfriend then,” I whisper.

  “Have you lost your fucking mind?” he roars.

  “Don’t you dare yell at me!” I roar back. “Jack doesn’t want me, Ty! He wanted to scare me, and it worked!”