Tucker's Crossing (35 page)

“Come here,” Cody drawled, reaching behind and yanking his shirt off over his head.

Shelby took a step back, shaking her head, her dark waves spilling over her shoulders and dusting erotically across her bare skin. “Not until you tell me why you told everyone.”

“I already said, I wanted to talk to JT first.”

“I don’t believe you.” Shelby hooked her thumbs inside the waistband of her flimsy pants and slowly slid them down until they rested just above her mound.
Shit.

“I figured it was . . . ah . . .”

Time. He’d meant to say it was time, but he couldn’t quite form the words because her hand slipped inside the waistband of her pants and he was left wondering what the hell she was touching. He took a step forward to find out when her hand stopped and she pinned him with a look.

Shit shit shit.
“You were driving me crazy all day with that short fucking skirt and those boots and I could barely keep my hands to myself, let alone think through if it was the perfect time to say we were getting married.”

“Better. But still . . .” With one little tug her pants slid to the floor, just like he fucking knew they would and she stepped out of them. “Wrong answer.”

“Come on, Shelby Lynn,” he begged, sounding like some damn teenager praying to get into her panties. Funny because she wasn’t wearing any and he still might end up walking away hard. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“The truth.” She took a step. Just one. This time in the right direction, with her lower lip deliciously between her teeth, and he thought he was going to embarrass himself right there. “If we do this, you have to let go of everything. I won’t live like before, knowing I have only part of you.”

Just say yes. Give her what she needs.

“You have no idea what you’re asking,” Cody said, because she was asking for too much. When he was around her, he couldn’t think, only feel. He wasn’t able to remain detached. With her, everything came alive—had colors and emotions. And if he let go, gave up control, he’d have nothing left.

“I’m asking for no more than I’m willing to give. This is how it works, Cody. If you want me as much as I want you, then you have to let go, be willing to let things get messy. You can have Jake.
Or
you can have Jake and me. It’s your choice. But if we do
this
,” she said, gesturing between the two of them, “there’s no turning back, because if you do, I won’t be here to catch you when you finally decide to stop running.”

This was it. Time to man up or walk away. No woman had ever made him feel this way. Just Shelby. She was so far under his skin, he couldn’t get enough of her, didn’t know where she left off and he started. But being around her and holding tight to his emotions was an oxymoron.

He released an involuntary chuckle, short and raw and filled with the knowledge of what a dumbass he’d been. Maybe in the letting go he could give her everything she needed. And God help him, he needed her. Needed her enough to risk the pain.

“Ask me again,” he said, moving forward. “Ask me why I chose today.”

“Okay, why?”

Their eyes met and something vulnerable and honest moved between them.

“Because I need you, Shelby Lynn.”
And that scares the shit out of me.
“In a way that I have never needed anyone.”

He paused as if waiting for her to respond. But her heart was in her throat, making talking impossible, so she stood there silent, taking in the man she loved, baring himself—for her.

“I need you.” He sounded pissed about the admission.

“Then let go.” She repeated his words from the other night, laying her palm flat over his pounding heart, and looking up into his eyes. “I’ll catch you, cowboy.”

Shelby sensed the shift in the room, the intensity surge, felt his walls crumble to unveil a man who was courageous and scared and vulnerable, and she wanted to cry. This was the Cody she loved, the one who stood beautifully exposed, the one who showed her how strong he was by sharing with her his weaknesses.

Cody lowered his head toward hers. Close enough to taste, but stopping short, a hairbreadth from her lips.

“I want
you
, Cody Tucker. All of you.”

A groan tore from Cody’s mouth, so deep Shelby swore it was torn from his soul. Then he was on her, his hands latched onto her ass as his mouth sank into hers. He felt incredible. Hot, needy, as if he wanted her so badly he couldn’t slow down enough to finesse. It was exactly how she needed him tonight.

She scrambled to get his zipper down. Reached in and took a hold of him and ran—oh, God, he was so hard—her fingers up his impressive length. He growled something unintelligible and Shelby had to laugh. He was guiding them to the table, fumbling to get a chair, and stumbling the entire time with his pants around his ankles.

He sat down, nearly knocking over the chair in the process. Instead of pulling her to his lap, he lifted her up on the table, his body moving between her bare legs. He slid her forward so she was teetering on the lip of the table, pressed hard against him.

“Now,” he drawled, reaching behind her and grabbing the bowl of icing, which she’d put there earlier. “Always liked a little frosting with my cupcakes.”

He dipped his finger in the frosting. Bringing it to her lips, he traced her entire mouth, leaving a fine layer of cold sugar and heat. Then he licked it off, every last bit of it. And when he kissed her, she could taste the frosting and feel their lips stick together from the sweetness.

Trailing his finger slowly down her chest, he circled her breast. She heard herself moan his name, long and throaty and practically orgasmic, because the sensation shooting through her body when the cold icing touched her nipple, hardening it to an aching bud, felt ridiculously good. But not as good as when he closed his mouth over it. The heat shocking her chilled skin felt so delicious she forgot to breathe.

She bucked, needing to get closer, to release the pressure building. And again when he moved to the other breast to repeat the sweet torture.

Shelby couldn’t look away as his hand worked its way down her stomach and lower, leaving a trail of frosting. They locked gazes and she knew he had every intention of cleaning up his mess, but not until he finished painting his favorite parts. All of them.

By the time his finger neared the junction between her thighs, Shelby’s whole body was trembling. Instead of fighting the need to crumble, she gave in to it, shoving the vase of gerbera daises aside and lying back. Her head had barely made contact when Cody slipped a finger through her folds and she came up off the table.

Feeling brazen and sexy, Shelby placed her feet on the ledge of the table and gave him complete access. Which he used to his benefit. But God, when he’d finished eating his way down her body, finally licking her center, aggressive and thorough, Shelby lost it. She exploded and almost started crying. It was intense and hard and seemed to never end and Cody didn’t stop until every last wave passed.

“Those were the best cupcakes I have ever had,” he said when she’d finally stopped shaking.

“Me too,” Shelby giggled, struggling to form the words in the aftermath of the best orgasm of her life. Possibly in the history of the world. “But I still want you inside of me. I want you now.”

She heard him kick his jeans from his feet, cellophane tear, and then she was sitting up, her legs around his waist. He was hot and throbbing, pressing at her juncture and demanding entrance. “Not want, Shelby Lynn. Need. I need you.”

And then in one searing thrust, he was inside of her. He didn’t start slow and build up. No, he pulled out to plunge right back in, over and over and over. Sexual need exploded.

She heard the vase shatter against the floor, felt the table groan under the pressure and felt her body expand to accommodate him. Lengthen in response to the pressure. Then clamp around him.

When his breath caught, so did hers. He moved against her harder until she was sobbing with pleasure and he was rasping her name as he came.

There wasn’t enough time to think or talk or even breathe. She was surprised they’d managed to get the condom on. But it was a start. A sticky, messy, wonderful start.

Cody felt restless. He looked at the clock and swore. Not even midnight. That squirrelly feeling in his gut was back. Had been for a while now. It had nagged at him earlier, but he’d done his best to ignore it, not to mention being too busy losing himself in Shelby’s body.

Fast asleep, she let out a groggy moan and shifted closer, draping her bare leg over his stomach and nuzzling deeper into his arms. Cody looked up at the ceiling, a grin tugging at his lips. He hadn’t been this happy since, well, since the last time he’d woken up with Shelby’s body wrapped around him.

She’d always been a cuddler, latching on to him and holding tight all night long. And he didn’t mind one bit. With a light squeeze, loving the way she all but climbed on top of him, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

He was exhausted, holding the most beautiful woman in the world, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to lie there another moment and keep his hands to himself. And she needed sleep. Plus, he had this compulsion to check the house.

Cody extracted himself from her welcoming body, dragged on his jeans and headed to the kitchen. Telling himself he was being foolishly protective every time his feet hit the hard floor.

He checked the kitchen, family room, office, all the doors and windows, stopping short when a piece of paper, folded into quarters and taped to his office door, caught his eye in the moonlight. Cody clicked the switch on the wall and pealed the letter off the door.

Squinting through the light, Cody read the rudimentary address and, his stomach sinking with alarm, unfolded it.

The words swam in front of his eyes, slanting in a way that made no more sense to his panic-induced mind than they had the first five times he’d read them.

To: Mr. Tucker

Tell Mom I had to go. Thanks for being my partner in the game today. Since I’m not underfoot maybe you will have time to connect and make Mom happy. She likes it here. Maybe I’ll visit like you said. Take care of Bandit for me. He likes apples the best.

From: Jacob Tucker

Cody read it again. What nine-year-old used words like “underfoot” and “connect”? But when he got to the rest of the note, the part where JT wrote he might even visit, Cody knew exactly where his son had heard the words. From him. What had he done?

He needed to go. Needed to find JT. Anything but wake Shelby and tell her their son was missing. His heart thundering against his chest, he somehow made his way down the hallway, checking all the rooms as he went, knowing he’d find them empty.

Cody thought back to their game of mud-ball, eating a dinner of burgers and slaw, while watching the latest superhero movie. He remembered how far he and JT had come, and hated how he’d managed to somehow turn it all to crap.

He remembered their ride by the river. Their talk. How, frustrated about being controlled by circumstances when he was used to being the one controlling, he’d done exactly what Shelby had begged him not to do. He’d opened his big mouth and fucked everything up.

Cody watched Shelby, sprawled out across his side of the bed like she’d been searching for his body. One week and she was already chasing his ghost across the mattress, reaching for someone who wasn’t there.

How long had it taken for her to break that habit before? Days? Weeks? Years?

Well, this time, when she awoke to find her world off center, he would be there. He just wasn’t sure if she would want him there. And if she did, for how long.

“Shelby Lynn.” Cody sat on the bed, and in a heartbeat she was curling up next to him. He ran a hand through her hair and whispered her name again. This time her lips turned up into a Cheshire cat smile.

“Lord, Cody. Between you and, well, you, my cupcakes are all tuckered out.” Her laugh was sexy with sleep. Slowly, she sat up, clutching the sheets to her bare chest, and eyed him from head to foot, taking in his jeans and I’m-out-of-here posture. “You’re leaving?”

God, he hated that that was where her mind instantly jumped.

“No, honey. I’m not leaving.” Cody figured time was of the essence and went for the direct approach. “But JT’s gone.”

“No, he’s at Ryan’s. Remember?”

“I think he lied and somehow came back after the fair, got his stuff and then ran away.”

“What?” The word shot from her throat.

“He left a note on—”

She scrambled out of bed, taking the sheet with her. Her eyes wide with fear, legs wobbly as hell, she was almost to the door when Cody took her arm.

“Hang on, you need to get dressed.”

“Let go.” She pulled and jerked, demanding to be released. Not wanting to hurt her in her panicked state, Cody let go and watched her disappear across the hallway, the sheet wound tight, dragging behind her. He picked up an old college T-shirt, a pair of his sweats, and followed her into JT’s room.

His heart turned over. She just stared at the bed. All made up, like no one had ever been there. There was an empty spot on the nightstand where his box of football cards had sat, his red jacket was missing, and his favorite Cowboys cap was nowhere in sight.

When she turned to face him, the look in Shelby’s eyes damn near killed him. “I don’t understand.”

“He ran away, honey.” Cody walked over and gently tugged the shirt over her head. It hung well past her knees.

Jake, gone?

“There is no way Jake would just run off.” Shelby clamped her hands over her mouth and all in one breath said, “Oh God, what if Preston took him?”

“Honey, he’s a Tucker. We invented running. Plus, he left a note.”

Cody looped an arm around Shelby, pulling her into his side before handing her the note. She read it. Read it again and plopped down on the foot of the bed. She was aware of Cody getting his phone, his strong hand coming to rest on her shoulder, but it was all filtered through a dull pounding in her head.