Tinkering with Love, page 19
“Will I finish in time?”
“Yes, if you can sew on these last few squares tonight, I’ll attach the back then put the binding on. Then you can come over and wrap it for her. We’ll keep hiding it here until her birthday, then you can give it to her.”
Greer smiled at her and for the first time in her life, Dawson wanted a kid. Her heart couldn’t stand the tugging and love that churned for her.
“Thank you, Dawson.”
“You’re very welcome, Greer. Thank you, for being a great kid.”
“I’m shy.”
Flipping through some more quilt squares, Dawson nodded. “I noticed that about you. Nothing wrong with being shy.”
“Mom wants me to have more friends.”
“Moms want us surrounded by people who will be there for us.” She took a deep breath. “I think that if you have one or two amazing friends, that’s better than fifty so-so friends.”
“Like the ones who are nice one day but mean the next?”
“Is that what’s happening to you?”
She shrugged, her thin shoulders bouncing. “Sometimes.”
“Sweetie, have you told your mom this?”
“She worries all the time about everything. I don’t want to make it worse.”
Her heart was breaking. Putting down the cloth in her hands, she took a deep breath. “Greer.”
The girl placed those unique eyes on her. “Yes?”
“I know I’m not your mom but I am your friend and you can always come talk to me about anything. People being nice to you, mean, anything. Okay?”
Greer’s gaze darted away. Dawson put her fingers on her chin. “I mean it, anything at all. It doesn’t matter if someone else told you not to tell, if you want to tell someone but don’t know who you can trust, my door will always be open to you. No matter what time of day or night, you can reach out to me.”
“Okay.”
Dawson had to leave it at that, she couldn’t push harder or the girl might shut down. She didn’t like it, the bullying, not having a lot of friends or adults she could trust.
Someone knocked on the door.
“Pizza’s here,” Tully’s deep voice wove through the small space.
“Pizza!” Greer ran to the door but didn’t open it. Dawson followed and reached around the bouncing child to open the door.
Her breath caught as she saw Tully standing there, three small boxes in his hand. Man, she’d wanted this date tonight. It wasn’t fun taking care of her own needs, not when she had no doubt this man would do it for her. And the right way.
“Hello, Legs.” His smile was soft and for her.
“Tully.” Just being around him made her voice go all deep and throaty.
He dropped his gaze to Greer. “I hear that you are looking for pizza.”
Small fingers curled into her shorts pocket as Greer, suddenly shy, only nodded.
“One of these is yours. Are you going to carry it, or should I?”
She reached out and took the pizza before backing up.
“To the table, Greer,” Dawson reminded her. “We have the quilting stuff all over the couch.”
“Okay.” She was gone.
Tully stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Eyes locked on hers, he slid one hand around the nape of her neck in a decisively possessive move before tugging her near. He shut his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply.
“I’ve missed you.” He nuzzled her ear. “Missed how fucking good you smell.” His lips brushed hers and she locked her knees to keep from falling. “Missed you in bed with me.”
Even with the space between them again, she felt branded by his look. He winked and handed her a box as well.
“What’s this?”
“Your pizza. Thought it might be fun for everyone to have their own.”
They faced the small kitchen and Dawson grinned as she watched Greer sitting happily on a chair, legs swinging as she munched on a slice of her own pizza.
…
Tully leaned against the kitchen sink as he stared into the living room and watched as Dawson patiently worked with Greer on a quilt. He gazed around. He could spy touches of hers there, small quilted hangings on the wall, a few photos of San Francisco—the city, not people— but still not a lot in the way of making it her own. But to be fair, she’d not been there a very long time, and his own place had less decoration than hers.
His phone rang and Dawson gave him a small look before she placed her attention back on Greer.
He answered. “Yes?”
“Is that how I taught you to answer the phone?”
“No Mom, it’s not, but I’m on a date.”
“With that new girl.”
He blinked a few times. “If by that you mean, Dawson, then yes. I am.”
“I haven’t met her yet. How are you out dating her?”
“You don’t meet every girl I’ve dated, Mom. And I’m dating her because I like her.” A lot.
“Don’t you work together?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Why are you pretending to fish for information when we already both know that your pipeline has told you everything? Just ask me what you want to know.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re watching Greer because Emma was called into work last minute.”
“And she didn’t mind watching Greer?”
He knew exactly where her mind was headed. Normally, that would have made him uncomfortable. But right now, it wasn’t. Dawson with a child of theirs had been in the forefront of his own thoughts.
“Not at all. Right now, they are sitting on the couch quilting.”
“She’s a quilter?” He heard pure excitement and pleasure in her voice. “I wonder if she knows about the club. You must let me talk to her, Tully.”
“I’ll ask her to call you, Mom. We’re not doing this on my date.” Definitely not a date that he worked so damn hard to get. “Love you.” He ended the call and moved back over to the couch.
Once he’d claimed a spot beside Greer, he just sort of sat there and listened as Dawson explained things and helped her. Occasionally he would hold some squares for both of them. But mostly he sat and listened.
After Dawson got Greer sleeping in her bed, she walked back out to the living room, and Tully allowed himself another appreciative look.
Woman just fucking did it for him. Across the board. How the hell she wasn’t snatched up with some man’s ring on her finger, he didn’t know. He was glad, but he had plans to get his there right away.
His mom had always told him that his father claimed he’d known she was the one for him from the day they’d met. Until he’d encountered Dawson at the camp, he’d thought it was nothing more than a story. He knew differently now.
“What are you thinking about so intensely over there?”
“How much my mom is going to love you. She wanted to talk to you tonight, about the quilting club.”
“You have a quilting club here?”
Tully tugged her closer before she could move away with the items she’d just picked up. Her eyebrow went up but she allowed it. Without breaking eye contact, he plucked the items from her hand and set them back on the couch. After that, he drew her to settle on his lap.
“Tully, I’m—”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Unless that next word is going to be ‘beautiful’ or ‘perfect’ or even ‘horny,’ I don’t want to hear it. Of course I will take ‘hopelessly in love with you and want to marry you as well as give you twelve children,’ so that’s also an option.”
She laughed even as her eyebrows rose, and his heart clenched. Yes, she was fucking beautiful. “Twelve children? Kind of presumptive, don’t you think?”
He skimmed his hands up the silhouette of her body. “Not at all. I have it planned out. One for each month of the year. This way we just name them months and don’t worry about forgetting who is who.”
Her lids fluttered and the sexiest moan slipped from her lips. “And while I’m waddling around with swollen ankles for the next twelve years, what exactly will you be doing?”
“Smirking?”
She glared at him and tried to climb off his lap. No, no, that wouldn’t do at all for him. He held her tighter and grinned.
“Doting on my wife.” He nodded. “That’s what I meant to say.”
“First date and you’re talking about twelve children. Is this why you’re still single?”
“I was single because I’d not met you, and I never mentioned the twelve children before because other women didn’t matter.”
“Let me give you some advice, Tully. First date, mentioning twelve children, not the best way to go about it.”
“I was being honest and upfront.”
“So am I. I’m not having twelve children.”
Tearing his gaze from her chest was difficult, but he managed. And he held her stare once more. “Fine,” he huffed. “Compromise. You give me six and we’ll adopt six.”
“And where are you putting twelve kids on your motorcycle? I’ve never seen a sidecar that’s properly outfitted for that, plus groceries, and all the diapers you’ll be carrying around.”
When she put it like that…
“Okay,” he conceded. “We’ll talk about the number of children, but my mom wants lots of grandbabies.”
She shifted on his lap and he bit his lower lip at the feel of her sliding over him.
“How about we try to survive this first date.”
“Is it in danger?” He paused, then snapped his fingers. “I know, we should try mouth-to-mouth.”
Her smile would have taken him to his knees had he not already been seated. One thing he’d learned about Dawson over their week in the mountains was she didn’t smile a lot. No, that wasn’t true, she smiled and laughed with the others but this smile, this one, she’d given just him. Those were few and far between.
Diamonds in the rough, as it were.
Special and unique. Smiles he never wanted to see her give to another person. They lit her from the inside out.
“No,” she whispered, shifting again on his lap.
“No?” Was she kidding?
Dawson touched his cheek with her fingertips. “No, because if I kiss you, or allow you to kiss me, I’m going to forget there is a child here and want to climb you like a monkey does a tree.”
He couldn’t stop his grin. “What I’m hearing then is that you are so attracted to me, you can’t keep your hands to yourself? And want to have your wicked way with me?”
She snorted and got off his lap. “You know you’re hot and you know I think so, too.”
Dawson picked up the items he’d put down and turned to set them inside the basket on the table.
“If it’s any consolation, I would love for you to climb me like a tree. All the way to the top.” He licked his lips. “And the next time we’re together, I want you all the way to the top so I can enjoy you on my face.”
Her hands shook as she closed the wicker lid. He watched her but she wouldn’t look him in the eyes again for a few moments. When she did, the passion had been wrangled back under control and he nearly smirked, pleased she wasn’t unaffected by him, either. And yet he wanted to see the out-of-control desire. What he’d been allowed to sample once before.
Tully waited as she walked by him again, the container in her hands. She vanished behind the couch and he released a brief breath and took a second to readjust his pants. The moment he felt her hands on his shoulders, he looked up.
And their lips met.
God, she tasted better than she had in the mountains, if that were possible. Opening his mouth, he coaxed her tongue out to dance with his, tumbling, twining, and twisting around each other as her taste settled back upon him.
Reaching up, he sank his right hand into her hair, tugging her closer. She moaned into his mouth and his cock jumped in his pants.
More. More. More.
His heart and lungs needed more. Of her. He began to turn but she broke the kiss and he growled low in his throat.
God, she was stunning. Lips parted and shiny with his kiss, they were also a bit swollen. Her eyes were slightly unfocused as she struggled to regain her breath.
“Stay there.” His growl got louder. But she shook her head.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry but I couldn’t resist. I thought it would be easier if we had the couch between us.” She exhaled slowly; her hand touching her lips still had a slight tremble in it. “Wrong. I was wrong. So, so wrong.”
They both had been.
He turned, kneeling on the couch, and reached over the back. Once he’d gripped her hips he stole a fast kiss then rested his forehead against hers. “Come with me to the opening.”
She licked her lips, like she sought out more of his taste. “What opening?”
“The community center.”
“I’m going, Laroche’s is there, we’re all going.”
“Go with me.”
More of her hesitation that killed him flashed over her expressive face. Tully waited, nerves high.
“Okay.”
Chapter Nineteen
The opening for the community center was a success.
A huge one if she could venture a guess about it. While Rock Falls wasn’t her hometown, she couldn’t help but feel proud about this opening and the part she played in helping, no matter how small.
They had everything, food, drinks, games. Linc had gone all out for this. She pivoted in a full circle, slowing when she found the man who’d set it all in motion. The man was a beautiful blend of cultures, Black and Native American. She knew that from her gossip-mill friends who had taken it upon themselves to share with her as much as they could about the tenants of Rock Falls. His hair had been drawn back into a queue today but all that did was draw attention to his chiseled jawline.
Beside him stood Mitchell, blond hair in messy disarray. They both wore jeans and nice button-down shirts. The man had stopped by the dealership one day to introduce himself to her. Said he needed to meet his best friend’s woman. The words had thrown her, they’d not claimed to be dating exclusively, but she liked hearing them. A lot.
She had come with Tully but they’d been pulled apart, each speaking with other people and just enjoying the day. Didn’t stop her from looking over to where he was and allowing herself to be sated with a glance.
“You know he wanted nothing more than to get into your pants. He also didn’t want you making waves about him getting your job.” Jamie held her gaze, his eyes locked on her when she turned to face him.
Unease rose within her. She didn’t like Jamie, hadn’t since she’d first walked into what used to be McCullough’s. But she’d never been one to ignore what people said. Even if they didn’t like you and wanted to hurt you, there was sometimes a small kernel of truth in their words.
“He didn’t want what?” Surely she’d misheard.
How was this possible? She thought Tully was one of the guys who was different.
Jamie flattened his lips briefly. “That despite you hating him for taking what should have been your job, he could get you to like him.”
Beyond Jamie, her gaze landed on Tully.
He was helping a young boy with his new bike, one of the ones they’d fixed up at their team-building event. He flicked his eyes to her, a smile filling his face until he saw who she was with. His thick brows drew together and a frown began.
Dawson dismissed him and focused back on the man near her. “So he knew all the time that should have been my job. Wait, how did you know?”
“Louis. The man had mentioned a newcomer before he passed.” Jamie shrugged like he didn’t care one way or the other.
Dawson knew better. This man was a schemer.
“But Tully didn’t? How would you know if he didn’t? And why would you say he just wanted to get in my pants?”
Jamie shrugged, sliding one hand in his pocket. “I doubt he didn’t know. His office was full of all Louis’s old papers. The one time I tried to tell him, he basically told me to fuck off and get back to work.” Another shrug she knew was to make him seem harmless. “You know how he doesn’t like to hear my suggestions.”
Okay, she couldn’t deny that. Tully and Jamie didn’t get along at all. “Did he talk about that at the team-building thing?”
“Nope.” He drank from the plastic cup in his hand. “Well, not while I was around, but again, I’m not one of his favorite people. Not the job part, anyway. I did hear him making a bet with his friends that he could get you to like him at the team-building. It was before the football game I believe.” A sly grin crossed his face. “Sorry I couldn’t help more.”
I just bet you are, you bastard. “Thank you for telling me.” It was hell getting those words out of her mouth in a calm manner. When she wanted nothing more than to scream and rage.
“You don’t seem upset or surprised.” Jamie watched her face.
“I’m plenty pissed, but there are children here.”
He nodded.
Tully walked up and Jamie tensed but she didn’t say anything. Tully’s gaze bounced between them. “Everything okay here?”
“Fine.” Jamie drank some more.
“Legs?”
Now the nickname was a reminder that she was nothing more than a means to an end. She bit back her growl. “Jamie and I were just talking.” A slight pause. “About Louis.”
“Amazing guy. He’s going to be missed.”
Bastard didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. “I’m sure he will. Excuse me, you two.”
She walked away, not sure she could make it back without losing it. To the left, she saw Emma beside Flora, with Greer between them.
“Everything okay?” Maria asked, sidling up to her.
