Make Mine a Ranger (Special Ops: Homefront Book 4) (12 page)

What kind of a prick did that make Tyler?
Bess deserved to be with any guy she wanted, and if she thought Connor was it, then
on principle alone, Tyler couldn’t stand in the way.

His friendship with Bess suddenly
eclipsed his need to whisk her out of sight from any other man who might show
an interest in her. “Yeah, I think Connor’s got a little thing for you,
actually.”

Bess stopped dead in her tracks. “Huh?”

“Yeah. He, uh, kind of told me he might
like to ask you out sometime.”

Her face contorted into—what was
that expression exactly? Displeasure? Annoyance? But then the expression faded
and she started walking toward the car again. “That’s nice, I guess. He’s—”
she paused. “He’s a good guy. He’s always really nice to Abby when she goes into
child care.”

Suddenly feeling suspicious, he frowned.
Totally using the cute kid to get to the mom. Oldest trick in the book.
Tyler
might have been buying presents for Abby since the day she was born, but that
was completely different. At the time, he’d had no interest in Bess other than
friendship.

At the time.

“So you, uh, might be interested in him?”
Ugh
. He suddenly felt like he was back in high school, asking a girl on
behalf of his friend whether or not she was interested in him.
So, Bess,
Connor wants to go out with you. Do you think he’s cute?
He had refused to
play that game even back then. And here he was, doing it at 27 years old.

“I guess so,” she answered, sliding into
his car after he opened her door for her. “Like you said, I really do need to
get out more.”

Tyler nodded, thoroughly pissed at
himself for saying anything.

Would it really have been so bad to stand
between them, at least for a little while, to see where this thing was headed?

“It WAS a pity date,” Bess had typed into
her phone earlier that night, the first moment she was alone in her bedroom.

“What makes you think that?” Lacey had responded
first, followed by a nearly identical text from Maeve barely a second after.

“He told me I needed to get out more,
then said some guy at the gym, Connor, wanted to ask me out. Doesn’t sound like
the actions of a man who wanted to get laid tonight, does it?”

There had been a long pause, probably as
her friends let reality sink in. Maeve had chimed in first after that. “So,
what’s Connor look like?”

Bess had laughed a little at Maeve’s
response at the time. But right now, after three hours of lying awake in her
bed, it didn’t seem funny at all.

She couldn’t let this get to her. Connor
was a hell of a consolation prize, and if he actually did ask her out, he’d go
down in her history as the hottest man she had ever dated.

Except for Tyler. Because she really
had
thought that the dinner at Horizons had been a date till that moment he’d
mentioned Connor. As they had sat there feeding each other, their chairs pulled
so close together, Bess had glanced around noticing they looked like the
happiest couple in the restaurant.

Happy, maybe. But a couple? Not.

Guess the attraction she thought she had detected
in his eyes was more aimed at the food than at her.

Finally giving in to the insomnia, she
rose from her bed. Looking at the clock, her mouth curved downward. It was just
past two in the morning. Oh, she’d be in a hell of a good mood when she picked
up Abby from Edith’s house later today.

But she wouldn’t worry about that right
now. She had time to kill, and what better way to do it than baking? Now that
she was spending so much time at the gym, the stand mixer on the counter was
actually starting to collect dust.

Stepping quietly past Tyler’s
door—of course he was probably sleeping like a baby, the son of a
bitch—she went downstairs. Flipping on the kitchen light, the glare
caused her eyes to burn momentarily. That was her own fault. She had let a few
tears drop that night, silly as it all was.

Lacey had been right, way back when Tyler
first moved in. It was unhealthy, living with the man she had literally
fantasized about for nearly four years. Uncomfortable and awkward, especially
when all the feelings she had for him were clearly not reciprocated.

She wanted him, dammit. And here she was
now, with her daughter actually away from her for the first night in her life,
and Bess didn’t have any better way to spend her time than by making some
homemade bread for Abby’s sandwiches this week.

How could she have fooled herself even
for one moment tonight into believing that Tyler might be interested in her? Into
thinking that maybe, just maybe, she’d get to actually…

She shuddered, her mind wandering to the
bed she always, invariably, slept in alone. Best to not even consider where she
had hoped the evening would have ended up.

It’s not like Lacey or Maeve would have advised
her not to go for it. Really, if she were to end her sexual drought, there was
no better person to do it with than Tyler.

But he wasn’t interested in her that way.
Filling a measuring cup with water, she glanced at her reflection in the window
above the sink. It was pitch black outside, and with the light on, Bess could
even make out the tear that was streaking down her cheek.

Dammit
. She had fallen in love with him. That was the crux of it.
The thought didn’t even surprise her. She had fallen for him a long time ago. But
what was surprising was that she had ever dared to think he might have cared a
little for her.

She was just Bess. Frumpy, single mom
Bess. Sure she could throw on a little dress bought by her seventy-something-year-old
friend (and really, that was just pathetic in itself). But at the core, she was
still the girl in the tight ponytail wearing old t-shirts from the clearance
rack, working in a job she had no interest in whatsoever.

As the water spilled over the measuring
cup, Bess stared at herself in the window as her tears continued to fall, till
she saw Tyler’s face in the reflection joining hers.

“Bess?” he said, touching her shoulder.
“What are you doing up?”

She quickly lowered her gaze to the
measuring cup again, wiping her face. “Couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d bake some
bread for Abby for her lunches.”

“Why can’t you sleep?”

Still with her back to him, she gave her
shoulders a little toss upwards. “Who knows? Haven’t been without Abby in the
house ever. That might be it.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. Edith would have
called if there were any kind of problem.”

Bess nodded, still unable to face him,
fearing there might be residual moisture left on her face. There was no way
she’d let him know how upset she was. She had to keep some measure of dignity. She
poured the water into the bowl and moved to the cabinet to get the bread flour.
“Go back to sleep, Tyler. Sorry I woke you. I didn’t think I made any noise.”

“I couldn’t sleep either.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Maybe I’m used to Abby being
around, too.” He laughed. “Here. Let me get that.”

He reached in front of her to get the container,
and saw her face for the first time. And from his reaction, she’d have to guess
she still looked like she had been crying.

“Bess, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Tyler. Really.” Just shut up,
she kept thinking.
And stop being so damn nice to me
. She was too overly
tired to keep it all bottled up much longer.

“Abby’s really fine, you know.”

“I know. It’s not Abby.”
It’s you. It’s
me.
It’s us, she wanted to say. But instead, she moved to another cabinet
to look for yeast.

“Then what is it?”

She tossed the yeast packet onto the
counter. Now she was angry. He just had to push things, didn’t he? “It’s you,
Tyler. There. You want to know what was making me cry? You.”

Tyler looked baffled. “Okay, so now I’m
at a loss. Did I do something wrong at dinner or something? I thought you had a
good time.”

Bess darted a look at him before she
turned her eyes back to the stack of measuring cups in front of her. “Oh sure. I’m
just a great
buddy
to hang with.” She spat out the word “buddy” with as
much disdain as she could muster.

“Um, yeah.”

“But I’m not good enough to date, am I? Nope.
Oh, Bess, she’s a good friend, but I’d probably wretch if I had to actually end
our date with more than a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the head. Better to
pass her off to Connor. Maybe he’ll take the poor girl out a bit.”

Tyler took two steps backward, his brow
furrowing. “
That’s
what this is about? You wanted tonight to be a date?”

“Yes,” Bess hissed, angrily filling up a
measuring cup with flour and tempted to toss it in his face. “I’m sorry, Tyler,
and this might completely ruin the remainder of your lease here, but I’ve had a
crush on you for four years. Four stupid, pathetic years. And now here I am,
living under the same roof with you, knowing that I’m not good enough for a guy
like you.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders with
enough force that she actually felt frightened. “Don’t you dare ever say you’re
not good enough for anyone. You—you’re…” His voice trailed a moment as he
just stared at her, until suddenly, he crushed his lips against her.

With his lips still joined to hers, she
gasped, dropping the measuring cup of flour to the floor in a giant cloud of
white dust. His fingers burrowed into her hair as his mouth opened to her. She
could feel his breath enter her in heated gasps, as his tongue intermingled
with hers. Her arms fell limp to her sides, and her knees buckled just as his
arms wrapped around her waist and tugged her closer, supporting her.

Through the thin fabric of her nightgown
she could feel his bare chest against her. Her nipples hardened in response. Finally,
she resumed control of her extremities, locking her hands behind his neck and
eagerly kissing him back.

She was dreaming, after all. She figured
she might as well enjoy it.

His hands moved down her back, cupping
her bottom, bringing her full against him so that she could feel his erection
pressing against her core.

Oh, God
. He felt too real, too hard to be a fabrication in a dream.
But what other explanation could there be? Reality never felt this good, this
erotic. And it was past two in the morning. She was probably face down on the
kitchen table right now, passed out from exhaustion.

His hands ventured, touching her breasts
so lightly at first she thought she’d have to beg for more of the sensation. No
need, she realized as he gripped them fully, toying with her nipples with the
pads of his thumbs. One hand moved downward again, slipping underneath her
nightshirt, so that she could finally feel his bare hand caressing her like she
had imagined so many times. She inhaled sharply when he reached her breast, the
touch heightening her awareness of every nerve ending in her body.

She was covered in goosebumps, aching for
him to knead every inch of her skin with his hands to warm her body. Lips still
joined with hers, his hands slid across her and she felt his body respond
fully, so hard beneath his boxers.

He pulled his lips from her. “Oh, God,
Bess.”

Dizzy suddenly, her eyes were wide with
wonder. “So, this really was a date? Tonight, I mean.”

“Hell, yes. I just started thinking that
you might be interested in Connor. I didn’t want to stand in your way.”

“How could I possibly think about Connor
when you’ve been all I’ve wanted for so long?”

A smile crept across his face, and he
pulled his torso a few inches from her, still keeping his lower half pressed
against her. “I have to take this slow with you.”

“You don’t,” she quickly corrected him.

“I
do
, Bess. You’re too special.”

Feeling bold, and beyond a little
desperate, she reached downward and touched him. He was achingly hard—
for
her
, which she still found implausible—and all she wanted was to feel
him inside her. “Tyler, I’ve waited four years to have sex again. And you’re
telling me I have to wait more?”

He might have laughed, but she was being
dead serious. If he sent her back to her bedroom alone, she’d expire. She
gripped him, and hope settled in as she watched his eyes slam shut in response.
“Please,” she implored. “Please do this for me. I need to feel you inside me.”
She felt her eyes welling up. The need was that all-consuming. That desperate.

Lifting her off the ground easily, he
pressed another kiss to her lips, gently this time, so gently it made her heart
ache. “In my room,” he said as he carried her up the stairs.

Having seen her fill of his muscles
before, it shouldn’t have surprised her to know he could ascend the stairs so
easily with her in his arms. She felt light and airy and so unbelievably
feminine from the gesture. Reaching his bed, he lowered her to it gently. “Are
you sure, Bess?”

“Tyler, I’ve never been so sure of
anything in my life.”

He lowered his body on top of hers,
kissing her lightly, so tenderly it made the tiny hairs on her arms stand on
end as her body came alive. His mouth traced downward to her neck, and his
hands moved to her breasts, feeling their fullness through the fabric of her
nightshirt. His eyes locked on hers, as his hand journeyed lower.

“You’re so beautiful, Bess,” he said, the
words themselves acting as some kind of aphrodisiac. Never had a man looked at
her with as much sincerity while he had uttered those words. She felt his hand
slip beneath her panties, and she arched her body instinctively. So long, too
long, since she had felt anything close to resembling this passion.

His fingers moved toward her opening, where
she was moist and oh-so-ready. His thumb found her clit, dying for his touch,
and he obliged, tracing the nub in tiny circles as his finger slipped easily
inside her. Instinctively, she found herself pressing up against his hand,
wanting more and more pressure—never enough. Another finger slipped
inside of her, stretching her, moving in and out in a rhythm she craved.

He didn’t kiss her now, only leaned back
slightly to watch her react as she climbed up on the wave of a climax. So high,
she thought she couldn’t climb higher. But then his thumb would change its path
and his fingers would plunge deeper, and she discovered there were still
greater heights looming just out of reach. Her pulse was thundering in her
ears, till she finally cried out, quivering, squeezing the last ounce of
passion from her core as she felt herself toppling from the heavens back into
bed.

His grin was easy. “You’re gorgeous when
you come,” he said, sliding his hand beneath her nightshirt and reaching her
breasts. “But you’re gorgeous all the time.” His lips kissed her face again,
tracing her jawline to her ear. “Your eyes have always been my favorite
feature. So blue.” Kissing her cheekbones, he lifted her nightshirt and brushed
his hands across both her breasts. “Though they have some competition now,” he
added with a grin, moving his mouth downward, taking a nipple into his mouth. She
whimpered at the feel of his tongue and teeth teasing her on one breast while
his hand explored the other.