TopGuns (13 page)

“You’ve been a hell of a friend during all this, man, but
I’m thinking it might be time I start trying to handle things here myself.”
Dan’s non-confrontational tone stripped Jason of any resentment he’d carried.

Some friend. I just fucked your wife, buddy.

Like it or not, Dan was a hell of a guy. Jeanie couldn’t do
any better. “It’s probably a little late for an apology. You know I’d never do
anything to hurt you or this place.” Though he spoke the words to Dan, his soul
created them for the woman behind him.

“We know. All these double shifts would get anyone acting
stupid. Hell, I would’ve probably gone crazy a couple of weeks ago.” Dan forced
a smile. “Get your head on straight, man. We’ll see you around.”

And just like that his existence crumbled into fragmented
pieces. He’d known all along this wasn’t his life—it was borrowed time because
of a screwed-up situation. Now that the dust of his foolish hope had settled,
Jason wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Jeanie had been his best friend, his confidant. He’d lost
her long ago. But it was when he looked at her one last time he felt it clear
to his heart. Something ruptured and created a dull ache throughout him.

Even though this departure from what had become his new life
had nothing to do with the unrequited affection he had for her, he knew that
was what really spurred Dan’s words. While a part of him wanted to stand up and
fight it, another piece of him respected him even more. He was protecting what
was his. And Jason totally got that.

Dan held out a pile of clothes. “These were found by the
door.”

“Thanks.”

He headed into the back and dressed quickly. When he
returned Jeanie had moved deeper into the room and closer to him. Her voice was
soft, pained. “Don’t be a stranger for too long. I’ll miss our talks.”

Yeah. Those talks should’ve stopped before they started.
Jason had no business listening to Jeanie’s darkest fears and wildest dreams.
Her tormented grief over what she and Dan had lost. Jesus, the talk this afternoon
had started what she left unspoken, as though wishing it away by ignoring the
fact it existed.

“Talk’s never enough between us. I think it’s time one of us
admits it.”

She swallowed and gazed up at him. Her tongue flicked across
her lips. Pain resonated in her gaze.

“You have a great life, sweetheart.” He hugged her one last
time. “You know how to find me if you ever need anything at all.”

He made sure the last of his words made their way to Dan.
Even though he admired the man more than anyone else, Jason wasn’t ready to
toss years of friendship with either of them out.

Jason set his key to the bar on the table and walked out of
the only semblance of normalcy he’d had in a long time. All he could do now was
move forward and make a life for himself without this place and find someone to
share it with.

“Wow. Talk about a hell of a situation. I think you win the
freak flag award.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I never realized how much you loved her back then, man.”
Tyler waited for his friend’s response but he knew there wouldn’t be one.
Whatever he felt for Jeanie hadn’t left.

It’d been in him all this time, dormant and desperate for
one more taste. One more touch. Tyler had experienced that burning ache
himself. He’d become numb to life after Becca’s death. Nothing brought enough
of a rush to measure against the bone-deep need crushing his chest day after
day.

“When did it get easier for you?” Jason asked.

“I’m not sure. Each day was a new test until I eventually
woke up and realized I’d somehow moved on. Of course, Nadine had a lot to do
with that.”

“I never knew how you two met. It was a couple years after
Rebecca’s death, right?”

Yeah. Tyler tried not to think about those years. He’d
always been one to live life to its fullest. Those years had been dark and
numb. No party was wild enough to make him feel again.

Then a cute brunette with haunted eyes pitched a proposition
he couldn’t refuse.

* * * * *

Tyler rubbed his eyes and winced at the bright sunlight
beating down, its harsh rays crushing any hope he had of crawling back into his
bed. Familial responsibility sucked—especially when it required socializing
before noon—but anniversaries and birthdays were celebrated en masse with
copious amounts of hugs, uncomfortable conversation and food.

A need for the latter had urged him from bed to make the
trek back to the sleepy town of Big Horn. The smell of manure permeated Tyler’s
nostrils but he stifled the comment about it when his big brother came up and
slapped him on the back.

“I know that look,” David teased. “You’ve been in the city
too long if you can’t handle a picnic a sniff away from the stockyard.”

“Why this spot? The park across town shut down now?”

“No, it’s still there.”

“This is where we met.” Tyler’s dad sidled into the conversation
with a disdainful look. “Guess you were too busy with that
job
to get a
good shave in.”

And here we go. Again.

There was no good response. That
job
had been a
contentious point between them for years. “Good to see you too, Pops.”

“David woke up and got to work probably about the time you
went to bed and he still managed to look presentable.”

David sighed. “Isn’t it a little early for this?”

“I think I’ll go find Mom.” Tyler headed toward the small
tent. One day he’d have it out with the old man and put an end to the prodding.
But there wasn’t any reason to yet because the only one who’d really suffer for
it was Mom.

The woman had the patience of Job. Nothing else explained
how she put up with his ways through the years. Thirty-five years, to be precise.

He stepped into the tent and inhaled the sugary delights
within. He looked around but didn’t see anyone except for a cute brunette icing
a cake at the end of the table. She looked up when he approached.

“Oh Ty. Hi.”

Ty. He hadn’t heard that nickname from a woman in a hell of
a long time. His gaze narrowed when her amusement upturned into a grin.

“I’m thinking you need another whooping if you don’t
remember me.”

“Naughty Nadine.” He grinned as he looked at her again.
“You’ve certainly filled out since the last time I saw you.”

She set the spatula down and maneuvered around the table to
stand before him. “You’ve filled out yourself.”

The appreciative appraisal made his insides stir. Blood
surged southward in a primal reaction he’d fed too many times to not recognize,
but for the first time in a long while he didn’t want to gorge.

Naughty Nadine. He’d dealt with her formidable presence in
his life most of his formative years and he’d yet to find a woman quite
as…Nadine.

“How have you been? You still in these parts?”

She nodded. “I’m teaching, if you can believe that.”

“You always were the patient one.”

“Except for when it came to you,” she teased. She put her
hands in her jeans pockets as a sexy hue of pink colored her cheeks. “I’m
thinking you were the patient one between us back then. Guess I owe you a few
apologies.”

“You never heard me complaining, did you?”

She shrugged. “Blame my overzealous bullying of you on my
having four older brothers. The only way I knew how to show affection was
punching.”

“And pinching. That was my favorite.” He winked.

“Oh yeah, I’d almost forgotten about that.” She looked down.
“So gentlemanly of you to remind me.”

“No one’s ever accused me of being a gentleman.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You were always pretty gentle with me.”
An uncomfortable sound escaped her slightly parted lips when she looked up.
“I’ve heard you’ve been doing really well for yourself. Your mom sings your
praises anytime she gets the chance.”

“Yeah, I think she’s probably the only one. A mom’s love
overlooks a lot.”

“I think she sees what most don’t bother taking the time to.
She’s an amazing woman—was there when things spiraled to hell real quick with
Hank.”

Hank. The name drifted within Tyler’s mind for a few
moments. “Hank Halkins?”

“Yeah, aka the mistake Naughty Nadine made and learned a few
too many lessons from.” She cleared her throat and looked away as if collecting
her thoughts, or battling them away.

When she looked up at him again her gaze seemed…haunted. The
emotion spoke to a part of himself he’d tucked away—one he’d yet to fully deal
with. Losing Becca had ripped out his heart and replaced it with numbness. Was
that what Nadine was feeling? He thought back to the school years they’d shared
and couldn’t help but wonder who’d been there to help her through it all.

His mom.

But who else?

“Your brothers still around these parts?”

“No. Career military. All four of them. I confess to
worrying a bit too much about them.”

“I bet you’ll have a passel of your own one day soon. You’re
too beautiful not to have some sexy cowboy sweep you off your feet.”

That sound returned as she looked down and rocked back on
her heels. “That’s not in my cards anymore.”

“That’s a shame. Letting one asshole dictate your future
seems like giving up.”

“Preventative defense is what I call it.” She grinned. “But
you aren’t exactly altar-bound based on what I’ve heard.”

But he had been. Emotion suffocated him briefly and he
fought it back in shock. The surge had been a brushfire fed by the brief spark
of connectivity he felt with Nadine. A part of him could empathize with her
plight.

The statement he’d made to her brushed across his mind and
left a residual realization—he’d done the same thing. By emotionally vacating
the past couple of years he’d let the twisted bitch of fate dictate his life.

“You always amazed me with your brutal honesty,” he stated.

“Funny, I used to say the same thing about you.” She stepped
closer until the vanilla of her shampoo gathered in his senses. “You are an
amazing man, Tyler Coombs. I may not know the man you’ve become but I remember
the one I used to pick fights with just to get his attention.”

Tyler laughed. “Mom would’ve kicked my ass if I’d fought
you. She raised us better than that.”

“And that,” she ran her finger up his arm, “is just one of
the things that prove what I said. You are an amazing man, and I hope you find
a woman who can make you believe it.”

“Who says I don’t already know it?” he teased.

“Let’s just say your mom isn’t the only one telling me about
your adventures. From what I’ve heard maybe I should give away the naughty
title to you.”

Clearly David needed an ass kicking. “I think I’d rather
share that title, if it’s all the same to you.”

She took a deep breath and severed the physical connection
her finger had created. “If any other man made a statement like that I’d run
backward and not stop ’til they forgot all about me.”

He closed the distance between them and put his hands on her
waist. Drawing her forward until their bodies touched, he brushed her hair away
from her ear and whispered. “Why aren’t you running from me?”

Her hands settled on his chest and his pulse raced faster.
“Maybe I’m sick of running. Maybe I just want to feel alive, connected. Maybe I
know you’re just like me—you don’t do forever.”

A part of him wanted to deny her assumption but he knew it
was true. “I’m going to have to kick my brother’s ass. He’s been quite busy
spreading my business.”

She laughed. “I might’ve been asking.”

“Oh really?” He cupped her face. “Have dinner with me.”

“Dinner? Is that code for raunchy sex?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

* * * * *

“Wow, this is crazy.” Tyler wiped his hands on his jeans as
he waited for the waiter to take away their plates. “I’m so nervous you’d think
I was thirteen and on my first date again.”

“You were thirteen?” Nadine chuckled as she took a sip of
water. “That shouldn’t surprise me. It does surprise me you’re nervous though.”

He took her hand from across the table and ran his thumb
along her wrist. “I’ve been mentally kicking myself for not running into you
the last couple of times I’ve been home.”

“Well, I understand from your mom you lost someone very
close to you. I’m sorry to hear that. It must’ve been hard.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to talk about Becca. Not with anyone,
but especially not tonight when he’d just started to feel again. Talking to
someone—especially another woman—about what he had with Becca seemed wrong.
“How long’s it been since you and Hank parted ways?”

“Eight months, three weeks and two days. Not that I’ve
counted or anything.” She laughed. “You should see how wide your eyes are right
now. Seriously, it’s been almost nine months. But I’m as ready to talk about
that as you are about your loss. What do you say we get out of here and start
sharing that title?”

Tyler tossed some cash on the table and grinned. “Let’s go.”

They climbed into her truck and headed toward the opposite
side of town from his family. Although he hadn’t been home often he knew very
few things changed. A knot of anticipation formed in his nuts when they pulled
into her place.

They made their way to the porch. The house was small, one
of the older homes that’d been around when they were kids. She smiled nervously
as she fumbled with the keys. “Sorry if it’s a mess. I don’t usually have
people over and it’s nothing like the place I had before…”

He settled behind her with his hands at her waist. His
breath fell on her neck and she shivered within his partial embrace. “Just take
a deep breath, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. You drove, remember?”

She laughed. “I have you at my mercy then.”

He groaned. “That could be arranged.”

She turned to look at him as a blush rushed up her cheeks.
She looked up at him with a wide, expressive gaze that seemed to beg “please”
while simultaneously screaming “never”. The dichotomy did something strange to
him—roused a need to awaken those dark desires she was so determined to keep
locked down.

Even as the thought brushed through his mind and peaked his
arousal to a level he hadn’t experienced in—hell he had no fucking clue how
long—he couldn’t help but wonder why she was here, doing this.

With him.

She didn’t strike him as the one-time woman down to fuck
then leave without remorse. The compulsion to question her motives pounded
wildly in him, somewhere between his rapid heartbeat and his raging dick. The
latter won out. He was a red-blooded dude about to get laid—not a shrink.

The door opened with a creak and they made their way into
the living room. He pressed her up against the door when it closed and claimed
her mouth. Her lips were soft beneath his, pliant with desire he felt running
within his veins, pounding beneath his skin.

He lifted her up, wanting to feel her legs wrapped around
his hips, her pussy rubbing against his cock. Her hands wrapped around his neck
but she pressed down until he lowered her back to the floor. Labored breaths
fell between them when she severed the kiss.

“I-I haven’t done this in a while, Ty. I’m not sure I’ll
measure up to your usual expectations.” The slight tremble as she turned undid
any thought of leaving. Women lacking self-confidence weren’t his thing but
this one was. Again that need to sate those desires he could sense beneath the
layer of nervousness made him shiver with a rush of anticipation.

“You don’t know anything about my usual expectations,” he
whispered against her ear. He nibbled there, where the tender flesh raced with
desire. “Let’s make a deal. You worry about your expectations and I will too.”

“Oh.” She relaxed against him.

Fuck yeah. Her responsiveness fed his ego. He kissed her
again and she melted into his embrace fully.

Although he wanted to sweep her into his arms and caveman
his way to the bedroom he knew that wouldn’t be the way to do this. Not with
her. He could taste the truth in the hesitant sweep of her lips against his,
the soft swipe of her tongue against his.

He walked them over to the sofa and pulled her down until
she was straddling his thighs. A moan escaped her when she sat fully on him.
She rubbed her pussy against his erection. Grasping her hips, he held her there
as he deepened their kiss, turning it into the possessive, primal quest he
needed right now.

Sweet fucking Jesus. Small pinpricks of awareness burst
wherever her fingers swept under his shirt. How long had it been since a woman
did this to him? Why her?

The answer was in her soft laughter when she severed the
kiss and the ragged drag of breath she took. Even as he fought not to utter the
question ricocheting in his mind he already had his answer—he’d connected with
her. Somehow they’d bonded and she’d become important to him.