Tabitha opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise as the excitement of that one statement shot a white-hot rush of pleasure spiraling through her body.
He studied her while he touched her, his eyes hooded and dark with desire. She could feel it pulsing off him in great waves of want, and the effect was humbling. He was so incredibly handsome. So unbelievably strong. He looked fantastic without a shirt on, and he always smelled really good with some addictive combination of soap and male. It made her want to bury her face in the curve of his neck and hide from life for the rest of her days.
Nearly every girl in their graduating class had asked him out.
But he spent his spare time hiding in the back of an old pickup truck with her instead. She didn’t understand it, but right then she couldn’t find a single reason to complain as the pleasure slammed into her with the velocity of a freight train, and she shouted from the force of it.
“Holy shit,” Wyatt groaned while she was still shaking over him. “I definitely need to jerk off after that.”
Tabitha fell over him, curling into the comfort of his big, strong body. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her come down from the high, but she could feel his cock straining against her stomach through his jeans. She knew it got painful for him if they fooled around too much without a release.
With her face still hidden, she moved enough to slip her hand between their bodies and touch him through his jeans.
Wyatt cursed and jerked under her. “Don’t, Tab. I don’t got time to go home and change.”
“What’re you gonna jerk off with?”
“My shirt?”
“And walk into the sheriff’s office like this?”
Wyatt shifted under her. His body was tense, his voice a low rasp of need. “I got to change into my uniform anyway.”
“What if I just—” She placed a kiss against his neck and then moved lower, kissing his chest.
“Oh fuck.” He arched his hips once more, clearly reading her intentions. “You sure?”
She lifted her head and confessed with a guilty smile. “I like doing it.”
Wyatt cupped her face tenderly. “I love you, Tab.”
“I know.” She leaned down and kissed the place directly over his heart that was beating hard and fast. “But you shouldn’t.”
His eyes were bright in the night, stark with emotion as he brushed her hair away from her face. “Say you love me too.”
“I love you too,” she repeated obediently before she moved down his body and showed him how much.
Chapter Nineteen
The noise in the house was blaring tonight.
It was putting Tabitha on edge, because she thought she was done with this now that Brett had moved out. He, Vaughn, and their friend Drake were renting a cabin way over in Mercy because they were sick of Sheriff Conner harassing them.
Most of the time Brett was gone. Now it was just Tabitha and her mama. Tabitha made sure the house was clean. There was food in the fridge, even though her mother was out of work. Tabitha grabbed the food stamps before she could sell them and often used her own money to make sure they both ate well.
But her mama wasn’t doing so great lately. She was drinking more than eating, even when Tabitha cooked for her. She was getting too thin, and it didn’t help when her family descended on the house, messing it up for Tabitha to clean later.
Why did they all insist on creating situations that were unhealthy for her mother? Couldn’t they see she was sick? Didn’t they know she was better when it was just the two of them?
“Hey, Tab, grab me a beer,” her uncle Jesse called from the living room.
She had the urge to grab a beer out of the cooler next to the refrigerator and throw it at his head. Instead she yelled back, “Get it yourself!”
“If I leave, these assholes will cheat me.”
Tabitha turned from the sink where she was doing the dishes, seeing both her uncles sitting in a semicircle with her brother, Vaughn, and Drake. They were playing Russian roulette with a popgun, which was one of their favorite gambling games. It didn’t take many brain cells to hold a popgun to their temples and pull the trigger. They could be as stoned as they wanted and still effectively shuffle around their cash.
She watched Vaughn hold the plastic gun to his head and pull the trigger. When it let out a loud
pop
that reverberated over the sound of Led Zeppelin playing in the background, he cursed, “Fuck! I’m out.”
“Yeah, you sure as heck are.” Uncle Jesse took the gun from him and picked up another popper from the stack next to him. “Hey, girly, you bringing us those beers or what?”
“When hell freezes over.” Tabitha turned back to the sink, positively fuming.
“What’s that?” her uncle Ace asked as he took the plastic gun from his brother. “Dang, Nancy, what the hell kinda host are ya? We’re growing parched over here.”
“I’ll get it for ya. I’m parched myself.”
Tabitha turned once more, watching her mother work on getting up from the couch where she had planted herself. She’d been happily watching a home shopping show despite the music. Tabitha supposed she didn’t need to hear what they were saying to admire whatever jewelry they were selling.
“I’ll get it for you, Mama.” Tabitha left the kitchen before her mother could get up. She stepped around her brother and uncles with distaste and grabbed the glass on the table. “Whatcha watching?”
“See, they got these aquamarine jewel sets here.” Her mother looked up, giving her a smile. “You think they’re pretty, Tabby?”
Tabitha looked to the television, seeing an attractive blonde woman modeling a pair of large, gaudy earrings with a necklace to match. “Yeah, they’re nice. How’re you watching it with the music so loud? You want me to turn it down?”
“Let Brett listen to his music. I can hear.”
“That makes one of us.” Tabitha cast her brother another dark look as she stepped over him.
“Ain’t we got some Jack?” her mother called out hopefully. “That vodka tastes off.”
“No Jack.” Tabitha went back to the kitchen and looked behind her, making sure no one was watching as she put her mother’s glass under the faucet that was still running. Then she worked on refilling the rest of the glass with vodka. “You want orange juice, Mama?”
“No juice.”
“Juice is good for you.” Tabitha put orange juice in it anyway, hoping the little bit of vitamin C might help make up for her lack of eating. “I’m gonna put some in.”
“Just a dash. You sure we ain’t got any Jack?”
Tabitha sighed, ignoring the question. She made a point not to grab any beers as she brought her mother’s drink back. She put it in her mother’s hand and then looked at her in concern. “You didn’t eat your dinner. You’ve got half a sandwich right there.”
“Not hungry.” Her mother took a sip of her drink and winced. “Ugh, Tab, too much orange juice. It’s like drinking water.”
“Yeah, I wonder why that is?” Vaughn laughed and looked at Tabitha, arching one dark eyebrow in knowing.
Tabitha ignored him and went back to doing the dishes. She felt a keen satisfaction when Brett finally had to get up for the beers, but even as she grinned triumphantly, it occurred to her that her life was filled with such small victories.
The music got to be too much, and Tabitha wound up locking herself in her room before she finished cleaning the kitchen. They would just mess it up anyway. She did her homework and then reached down under her mattress and pulled out her college acceptance letter she’d gotten a month ago. She stared at it for a long time, feeling her heart hurt when she realized she wasn’t going to be able to take advantage of it.
She couldn’t leave her mama.
She didn’t have the money.
And more than anything, she didn’t want to leave Wyatt.
She hadn’t even told him she’d applied, because he’d be stupid and noble and tell her to go. He’d probably even help her pay for it. It’d be different if he could come with her, but he was already planning on working full-time for his father once he got done with the police academy. She thought of asking him to go with her. She often fantasied about living in a run-down one-bedroom apartment near the college campus, but she wouldn’t be able to go through with it and ask.
Wyatt and Garnet went together like meat and potatoes. One was just not okay without the other. He was all the best things about her hometown. The only reason why she wasn’t bitter about growing up here was because of him.
She looked at the clock, seeing that it was past eleven. It was a school night. She should be going to bed, but she got up and unlocked her bedroom door instead. She peeked out, seeing that everyone was still partying. They’d be at it until the sun came up.
Then she walked out of the room, willing herself to be invisible to all the guys gathered around gambling. Her mother was sleeping on the couch, likely because of the bottle of vodka she had obviously fetched for herself once Tabitha left. For once Tabitha decided to leave her there. She grabbed the portable phone on the kitchen counter. A portable was one of the first things she bought after getting a job.
She sneaked back into her bedroom without fuss, making her feel like the gods might be smiling down on her this evening. She dialed Wyatt’s house, knowing the sheriff was on the late shift and was currently working until six in the morning. He’d switched his schedule so he could see the twins and Clay off to school, sleep while they were gone, and then have dinner with them in the evening.
It ended up being convenient for a lot of reasons.
“Conner residence.”
Tabitha winced, cursing her luck that had obviously just run out. “Is Wyatt up?”
“And who’s calling?” Jules asked in a falsely professional tone.
“Just gimme the dang phone, Jules,” Wyatt snapped before Tabitha had to answer.
“I was just asking who’s calling.”
“You know who’s calling.”
“Do I?” Jules’s voice would have sounded innocent to anyone who hadn’t heard this same game be played a hundred times before.
“Give me the phone,” he repeated in slow, precise words.
There was a scuffle on the other end, and Tabitha held the phone away from her ear when Jules screeched.
“Ow, goddamn! I will hit you back next time, I swear to God!”
“Do it! I dare you!”
“Give me the phone! Ouch!”
“My wrist! That hurts! Stop! I have judo tomorrow!”
“Drop it!” There was a loud thump, as if the phone had hit wood flooring. Then in the next moment, Wyatt sounded breathless as he said, “Hey, Tab.”
“Are you okay?” she asked uncertainly.
“Yeah, fine, what’s up?”
“I don’t think your sister likes me.”
“Oh, she likes you fine,” Wyatt said dismissively. “She just lives to give me hell. I can’t believe she decided to follow me to the police academy and then go to junior college. What shit luck. I thought she was going away for four years.”
“She’s really smart. She could go to a four-year college. She’s valedictorian.”
“She will. Just not right now. Dad’s down too many deputies. She’s gonna work part-time and go to school in Mercy for a few years. Plus, she’s training for judo so much she doesn’t want to leave. Her coach in Mercy is one of the best in the country. He thinks she has a shot for the Olympic team.”
“Really?” Tabitha raised her eyebrows, because she couldn’t imagine doing something as fantastic as going to the Olympics. “That’s really something. You think she can do it?”
“Probably, then she’ll be more unbearable than ever,” Wyatt said over the click of a door being shut. He made an
umph
sound as if he was falling back against his bed. “Maybe she’ll get a place in Mercy since she’ll be training and going to school there. She already spends a fortune in gas.”
“Eh, my brother’s living in Mercy, and he’s still here every chance he can get. He just steals all our food and toilet paper.” Tabitha rolled her eyes as she fell back against her bed as Wyatt obviously had. “It’s not as glamorous as it sounds.”
“Fucker.”
Tabitha smiled as she stared at the ceiling. “I tend to agree.”
“So what’s got you calling so late?” Wyatt asked curiously. “You okay?”
“Fine,” she said softly as she rolled over and held the phone closer to her ear. “Just missed you.”
“I miss you too.” Wyatt was silent for a long moment before he said, “Wanna come over?”
“Can I?”
“Yeah.” The spark of enthusiasm was hard to miss in Wyatt’s voice. “It’s just us here till morning.”
“What ’bout Jules? She seems feisty tonight. She might not look the other way this time.”
“Shoot.” Wyatt laughed. “If you only knew the shit I have on my sister. She’s been doing it since she was sixteen, and my dad would come unglued if he found out.”
“With who?” Tabitha sat up as her eyes grew wide at the controversy.
“Come over and I’ll tell you,” Wyatt said in a low, taunting voice.
“Luring me with gossip?”
Tabitha could just see Wyatt’s cocky smile as he said, “Whatever works.”
She had called him with the intention of getting out of her house, so she didn’t have to think too long before she answered, “I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”
“Awesome.” Wyatt sounded pleased. “See you soon.”
“Soon,” Tabitha agreed and hung up.
She dashed around her room and gathered up a change of clothes. She stuffed them in her backpack along with her books and homework for tomorrow. Then she slipped on her shoes and unlatched the window in her room. There was no way she was going to walk out there and announce she was leaving.
Usually it was just her mama, who was passed out by this time. So sneaking out was a little easier, but Tabitha had to get out of the house tonight. She just hoped they didn’t hear her start the car. It was a risk she was willing to take.
She crawled out her window and hopped down on the old crate she had set under her window a year ago when the sheriff switched schedules and started working until sunup. Then she reached up and tugged her window down from the outside.
The music was louder now, nearly vibrating the walls, and Tabitha finally found a reason to be thankful for it as she tossed her bag into the passenger seat and started the older-model car she had bought shortly after she turned sixteen. Some of the money came from her job at Maple’s, but most of it had come from Wyatt.