Getting Over It: Sapphire Falls Book Six (7 page)

Hailey looked at her, her mind spinning. Delaney was right. Or rather, TJ was right. “Does TJ know something?” she asked, trying to keep the depth of her interest out of her voice.

Delaney shook her head. “Ty’s only said that some things changed and he was ready to come home.”

Things had changed? Like what? Had he lost some of his sponsors? Had he lost some big race? She racked her brain. He was planning on competing in the Olympics for the second time next year. He’d not competed at the most recent games three years ago, but she hadn’t delved too deeply into that with him. He’d told her that he was having a hard enough time fitting all of his medals into his display case. A typical Ty answer. But she knew that he was ready to go for the gold again. There had been a big race in early August that counted for Olympic qualification. But he’d raced in it. She was pretty sure. She also knew the qualification period went until next May.

No, he definitely should not be in Sapphire Falls. He needed to be training and racing in the big races if he was going to compete in Rio de Janeiro next summer.

Monday was suddenly way too far away for them to talk.

“Well, maybe TJ can figure it out,” Hailey said nonchalantly. As Ty’s oldest brother, TJ might be able to get it out of him. But a better bet would be Tucker, the closest in age to Ty. Of course, all the Bennett boys were close to one another. “I, on the other hand, have work to do.” As if she had any prayer of getting anything done now. Thoughts of Ty had been distracting her before. Now that she was curious and concerned, her day in the office would be a waste.

Another perfect example of why Ty could not live in Sapphire Falls and be a part of her daily life.

What if he got the sniffles? She wouldn’t be able to get anything done that day. Heaven forbid he get the flu. She’d be worthless for a week. And what if they had a fight? Or worse, broke up? She’d have to step down as mayor.

She knew that sounded dramatic, but she had a hard enough time keeping focused on her job and not letting her anxiety about
not
doing a good job get the better of her on a typical day.

“Don’t walk on my grass when you take your casseroles and desserts over to welcome Tyler to town, okay?” she said casually as the women gathered their things to leave.

She wasn’t so worried about these women. It was all of the pretty single girls in town. And it was hardly her grass that she cared about.

She couldn’t be with him, but having him right next door meant she was going to get to see the parade of panties up and down his front steps.

She might need to pull up the real estate listings before she left the office.

Chapter Three

Hailey Conner looked completely fuckable.

That was nothing new.

Hailey had looked fuckable to him since he was fifteen. And that was before he knew what that really meant.

Since then, he’d done a lot of fucking. And none had ever come close to being as amazing as it was with Hailey.

Some might say it was because he’d had the fantasy of her built up big before she’d even let him hold her hand. But he would argue that if anyone knew the fantasies he’d had, it would have been difficult for her to ever live up.

But she had.

Ty was never going to be able to walk away from her. And she needed to start understanding that.

He was currently dancing with another woman though. In fact, he was dancing with a woman who looked so much like Hailey it was pretty incredible. He should be completely attracted to Kate Leggot. She was beautiful and funny and a good dancer. But he didn’t want her. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she was very spoken for. Ty didn’t really know Levi Spencer. There was no bro code at work here, no history between the men that would automatically make Kate off-limits.

It was all Hailey.

“I certainly hope you’re going to go ask her to dance after this,” Kate said, looking up at him.

Ty smiled as he two-stepped her around the dance floor. “Who?”

“The woman you’ve been watching ever since you got here.”

“Shouldn’t you have eyes only for Levi?” Ty asked. “What are you doing watching me so closely?”

“That is definitely not a denial that you’ve had your eyes on Hailey all night,” Kate said with a grin.

Ty gave her a single nod. “Fine. No denial.”

Kate smirked.

“But the question remains about you and Levi. If you’re a free agent after all…” He trailed off suggestively, not actually meaning any of it at all.

Kate laughed. “Levi and I are good. Better than good. Madly in love.”

“Yet here you are dancing with the most eligible bachelor in town.”

She shook her head, still laughing. “I see the Bennett self-confidence wasn’t all used up before it got to you.”

Ty grinned. “Hard to believe there was any left over though, huh?”

She nodded. “Definitely.”

Ty laughed, spun her away and then pulled her back in. “Levi has no problem with you dancing with other charming, sexy men?”

Kate and Ty both glanced to where Levi was leaning with one elbow on the bar, talking with his brother Joe. His eyes were firmly on Kate, however. He saluted them with his glass of scotch. He didn’t quite smile, but he didn’t look concerned either.

Kate shook her head. “Levi might have more ego than all of you Bennett boys put together.”

“Jesus,” Ty muttered, only half kidding.

“Well, the millions of dollars help.”

Ty chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose. It’s hard to remember he’s a millionaire sometimes.”

“He looks good in denim, huh?”

“No comment.” Ty spun her again as the song ended.

“Go get her,” Kate said as they let go of one another.

Ty sighed. “It’s not that easy with Hailey.”

“Well, who ever said it was supposed to be easy?” Kate gave him a wink and then turned and headed for Levi.

Ty watched as Levi held out an arm to her. She snuggled under it and he pulled her up against his side. Levi kissed the top of her head and then leaned to whisper something in her ear. She laughed and turned her head to catch his lips. Levi dropped his hand from her shoulder to her ass and deepened the kiss.

Uh, yeah. Ty cleared his throat. They had nothing to worry about as far as chemistry and attraction.

But that wasn’t always enough.

He pivoted to find Hailey again. She’d moved on from the previous conversation with Dottie, the owner of the diner downtown, and was now talking with the father of the groom.

Ty headed in her direction.

As he approached without her seeing him so he could study her unnoticed for a moment, he flashed back to the first time he’d been brave enough to approach her in high school.

Hailey had been a senior when he’d been a sophomore. At fifteen, he’d been attracted to her silky blonde hair, long legs and gorgeous breasts. Okay, at fifteen, he’d been attracted to all breasts. But even then he’d known there was something different about Hailey. It was in how she carried herself, how she seemed so sure of herself and got everyone to do whatever she wanted. He saw her as a challenge. He could admit that. Hailey was the type of girl who brought out his dominant side. He wasn’t drawn to girls he could protect. He wasn’t drawn to women he could provide for. His primitive instincts were riled by a woman who could hold her own, meet him head-on and make him work for it.

She’d stirred something in him that had been determined to possess her because she would fight him.

He’d taken it slow though. He’d been patient. And he’d let her think that he was a naïve kid with a crush. He’d flirted and doted, showered her with compliments and attention and gifts. She’d
said
that he was wasting his time. Her eyes and body language had told a different story.

Hailey had absorbed his attention and affection like a flower did a summer rain.

But it had taken until the night after
he
had graduated for him to finally get his victory. And it had knocked him on his ass.

“Hailey.” He stood back a couple of feet, not wanting to intrude on the conversation she was having with Ken Stevens. But he knew she recognized his voice instantly. It was in the way she lifted her chin slightly.

She glanced at him. “Yes, Tyler?”

She tried to call him Tyler as much as possible in Sapphire Falls. It was part of their charade. She thought it seemed more formal than calling him Ty like all his friends and family did.

If only everyone knew how she sounded breathing his name when he kissed her neck, or the way she cried his name out when she came.

“Dance with me.” He wasn’t smiling, and he threaded some of the commanding tone into the request that he knew turned her on.

He never talked to her like this in Sapphire Falls. Again, part of their agreement. In the past three and a half years, he’d never gotten her naked in Sapphire Falls. Unless, of course, he counted her foyer that morning. Which he did.

She was difficult.

Except when she wasn’t.

He loved both sides of her, but
damn
, he loved when she was sweet and relaxed and putty in his hands.

Hailey looked at his hand, as if confused. “Excuse me?”

She wasn’t confused.

“Dance with me,” he repeated. “If it’s okay that I steal her?” he asked Ken.

Ken nodded quickly. “It’s a dance. Everyone should be dancing.”

Ty hid his grin. Either Ken was feeling jovial because it was his son’s wedding and he truly felt everyone should be celebrating, or Hailey had been talking business. Ken owned a taxidermy shop in town called Stuff It. Not only did he stuff dead animals for a living, but he rarely donated to community projects or helped out in any other way. Hailey was on his ass a lot.

Hailey turned to face Ty and Ken took the opportunity to move quickly in the other direction.

“You know that I can’t turn you down,” she said.

“Glad to hear it.” He wiggled his fingers that were still extended toward her, and that she still hadn’t taken hold of.

She took his hand and let him tug her closer.

“That’s not what I meant. You’re the beloved prodigal son returned home. You’re happy to be here and you’re being friendly with
everyone
. If I turn you down for a simple dance, then
I
look like the big bad bitch.”

“Thought you liked being the big bad bitch.”

She nodded. “I do.”

He smiled in spite of himself.

“But that’s an overreaction even for me.”

“Why the temptation to say no then?” he asked.

“Because it’s not going to be a simple dance, is it?” she asked. “You’ve had this very
not
simple air about you since you got here.”

He was glad she’d made note of that. He pulled her onto the dance floor and then up against his body. “Well, you can relax. I’m not going to fuck you right here in the middle of the town square.”

He saw her reaction in her eyes. She was surprised at his words, but he also saw the heat those words evoked. It wasn’t the words, but the place. She loved when he talked dirty. No doubt hearing the word fuck in the middle of the picturesque town square was a bit of a shock though.

“But say the word and I’ll take you behind the post office and make you beg for it,” he added.

Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “Stop it.”

“Or we could head over to city hall. You know I’ve always had a fantasy about sitting in your big fancy leather office chair while you’re on your knees, sucking me off.”

She stiffened in his arms, and he knew she was thinking about slapping him. But she was also thinking about sucking him off while he sat in her big fancy leather office chair.

She had a few fantasies about him and her desk as well. He’d made her tell him all about them one night when he’d had her hands tied to his headboard.

“You’re not going to slap me here in the middle of a wedding in the town square,” he said. “So relax and act like we’re just dancing.”

“Why can’t we just
be
dancing?” she asked.

“Because I can’t have
you
thinking that this visit to Sapphire Falls is like all the others.”

“It’s not just a visit,” she said softly.

He nodded. “Exactly.”

She sighed.

“Do you remember when we went skiing the first time?” he asked her as they moved together on the dance floor.

She pulled back, confused at first. She studied his eyes. Slowly, she nodded. “Of course.” She almost looked sad.

“That was the first time we spent more of our time outside of my house rather than in.” They had a hard time getting out of the bedroom typically, but he’d taken her skiing that trip. It had been her first time, and they’d had so much fun that sex had become secondary to the laughing and skiing.

“I’ll miss skiing.”

He frowned. “We can go skiing, Hails.”

She shook her head. “Not together.”

“Why the hell not?”