Taking A Shot (31 page)

“Likewise.” Jenna grinned and headed out the door.

His mom pulled him into a tight hug. He bent down so she could kiss his cheek.

“I don’t know where you found this girl, son, but don’t let her go.”

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO. THEY HEADED DOWNTOWN where his dad and stepmother had a condo.

“I have no idea why you were so afraid for me to meet your mother.”

He glanced over at Jenna. “I never said I was afraid.”

“You intimated that she was some maternal version of Medusa.”

“I did not.”

“It was close.”

He shrugged. “She’s changed. She used to be more uptight.”

“She’s a wonderful, warm, and friendly woman. I had a great time with her.”

“Obviously she’s gotten over her bitterness about the divorce, because believe me, I expected something completely different.”

Jenna laughed and patted his hand. “You worry too much.”

“Probably.”

“Okay, now tell me about your dad.”

“He’s a big, friendly bear of a man, who uses his—I don’t even know how to explain this—overly sociable nature to mask any sense of unease or diffuse an uncomfortable situation. That’s how it had always been. If there was stress, Sean Anderson would crack a joke to allay it. Always laugh your way out of a problem. He’ll also insult you with a smile and an easy laugh. His way of thinking is, if he’s smiling while he’s calling you a bitch or a useless asshole, then it’s okay.

“Of course it hadn’t worked so well when my mom and dad had been fighting. My mother hadn’t found Dad’s sweep-it-under-the-rug-and-laugh-it-off way of dealing with their problems a good solution.”

“Hmmm, I imagine not,” Jenna said.

“But I think he’s learned a thing or two over the years, because my stepmother, Gloria, is great. They’ve been married for ten years now.”

“Do you like her?”

“Yeah, I do. A lot. She never tried to be my mother, only my friend. She knew what the boundaries were, but she had always been there for me if I needed her. And she doesn’t put up with my father’s bullshit, which I admire.”

“Sounds like they make a good match.”

“They do. But I have to warn you, you just can’t prepare yourself for my dad because you have no idea what’s going to fly out of his mouth.”

“Uh, okay.” She had no idea what that meant.

They took the elevator up to the sixteenth floor of the condominium complex. Tyler laid his hand on the small of Jenna’s back as he rang the bell.

Jenna’s jaw dropped as the door was opened by an older version of Ty. While his mother was petite, this man was tall, with wavy dark hair that held a peppering of white throughout and at the sideburns.

“Hey, boy, come on in.”

He pulled Tyler into a hug, and Jenna noted they were about the same size, though Tyler was maybe an inch or so taller than his dad. Sean was broader, not as lean and muscled as Ty. As she walked in, she couldn’t get over how similar they looked. Sean Anderson was strikingly good looking, still in great shape, and his wife, Gloria, was a knockout of a redhead with a curvaceous figure and bubbly smile.

Gloria hurried over to give Tyler a kiss and a hug and enthusiastically shake Jenna’s hand.

“We’re so excited to meet you, Jenna,” Gloria said. “Please come on in.”

The condo was modern, with white-and-black furniture and a piano that sat above the sunken living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the city and the lake.

They took a seat at a table near the windows.

“I thought since you’re not a native to our city, you might enjoy the night view,” Gloria said. “Especially since we’re lucky enough to have a clear night tonight.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jenna said. “You must love it here.”

“We do. We take walks by the lake in the summer. There’s a gym downstairs that we use in the winter. Have to stay active, don’t we, boy?” his dad said.

“You bet,” Ty said.

His dad patted him on the back. “Of course this one stays active on the ice. Couldn’t be prouder of you, even though you beat my team the other night.”

“Sean,” Gloria said, shaking her head before turning to Jenna. “I don’t know how he can root for the other team when his own son plays for the Ice.”

“Hey, I’ve always rooted for the local boys. Besides, Tyler gets traded a lot. How the hell am I supposed to keep up with what team
he’s playing for this year? I have my loyalties. Tyler understands that, don’t you?”

“Sure I do, Dad. But I wouldn’t bet against me.”

Jenna laughed.

“That’s what I keep telling him,” Gloria said. “My money’s on you, honey.”

Tyler leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Gloria.”

“Hey, the kid’s tough. He can take a little competition. And he knows I’m always pulling for him.” He turned to Jenna. “So, Jenna. Tell me about yourself.”

Whoa. Lightning-fast change of subjects. She found it hard to keep up, but she managed to hold her own. She told Sean and Gloria about the family bar and her part in it. They shared a few cocktails, and Sean kept them entertained with jokes and funny stories about Ty’s childhood, but Jenna could see Ty was restless and uncomfortable.

“So, Sean, what do you do for a living?”

“I own several car dealerships in town. Still in business after forty years.”

She could so see him in sales. “How interesting.”

“He even has commercials on TV,” Gloria said, pride evident in her beaming smile.

“Oh, that’s exciting.”

Sean grinned. “Yeah, we buy a lot of TV time. Have to keep your name in front of the people or they forget all about you.” He slapped Ty on the back. “Isn’t that right, son?”

“You bet, Dad.”

“That’s why you have that fancy agent getting you those deodorant and shampoo spots. Keep the fans interested. Get them coming to the games. Make the men want to be like you and the women want to get you in the sack.” He shifted his glance to Jenna. “Whatever it takes to keep my boy in the limelight, right, honey?”

Jenna blinked. “Sure.”

Ty’s father was exhausting. She wasn’t certain he was all that interested in Tyler’s career, only that he stayed “on top.” No wonder Ty was uncomfortable.

They managed a couple hours, then Ty stood.

“We’ve got an early flight tomorrow, so we’d better head out.”

They said their good-byes.

“Such a pleasure to meet you, Jenna,” Gloria said. “I hope we have a chance to see you again.”

“I hope so, too.”

Sean shook her hand. “You’re a sweet girl. Tyler has great taste in women. Always has. Just like his old man.” He put his arm around Gloria.

Tyler led Jenna to the door. “See you later, Dad.”

They rode down the elevator in silence, and it was much the same on the short ride back to their hotel. When they got back to their room, Jenna came up to Tyler and put her arms around him.

“What’s this for?”

“No reason.” Maybe she needed it more than he did, but she figured he needed it, too.

“My dad can be an asshole.”

She leaned back. “No, he’s not.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“Your parents are night and day different. Your mom’s kind of quiet and reserved. Your dad is very boisterous. I can see why they didn’t mesh well.”

His lips lifted. “That’s being kind.”

“I like Gloria.”

“So do I. And my dad likes to impress people. He just doesn’t know how to do it, so he comes across as a prick. His social skills need work. My mother worked for most of her life. And when she wasn’t working, she was catering to me and my dad. She didn’t know
what to do with herself after the divorce so she stayed in the house and kept her memories of me alive like some goddamned shrine. She sews and bakes and has a small circle of friends that she’s had forever, but she never remarried. She took back her maiden name because she hates my father that much. She just never figured out how to move on and carve out a new life for herself. She’s frozen in that house. I think you might have helped her with that tonight. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, but I think your mother has done just fine moving on. She might not have done it right away, but everyone does things at their own pace.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Jenna swept his hair away from his brow. “You don’t have to apologize for your parents. They are who they are and they have nothing to do with who you are.”

He looked down at her. “They have everything to do with who I am.”

“You think so? I don’t believe that. I think we forge our own identities. We aren’t tied to our parents, their pasts, or their mistakes. We don’t have to be like them—the good or the bad.”

He dragged the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “Maybe.”

“No maybe about it. You become who you want to be, not who your parents are or were. It’s all up to you.”

He looked down at her and she got lost in the beauty of his face, the intensity of his eyes as he studied her.

“You’re good for me,” he said.

“Am I? All this time I think you’ve been the one who’s been good for me.”

Jenna pushed Ty onto the sofa in the living room of the suite. She went to the door and dimmed the lights. She came back to stand in front of him and removed her boots and tights, along with her panties, then reached inside her dress and pulled off her bra, leaving her
wearing only that smoking-hot black dress. She kneeled on the rug in front of the sofa and crept in between his knees, snaking her fingers along his thighs.

Ty held his breath as Jenna shouldered herself in between his legs.

He should be pleasuring her, not the other way around, but damn if he could find a good enough reason to object to this. His dick was hard and pressing against the zipper of his pants, and her hands were inching their way to the promised land. No way was he going to stop her.

Her hair looked like midnight silver in the dim light of the room, her eyes smoky and dark as she lifted her lashes only long enough to give him a teasing glimpse before dipping her head and biting his knee.

He laughed. “You want something to bite? I’ll tell you where to bite.”

“I think I’m familiar enough with your anatomy to map it myself. Be patient.”

She scraped her fingernails down his thighs, then reached for his belt buckle, taking her damn sweet time undoing the clasp before grasping the zipper. Each movement of the zipper caused him to grit his teeth. She was being deliberately slow when all he wanted to do was jerk the damn thing down and release his swollen cock.

Once his zipper was undone, she bent and took off his shoes and socks, teasing him by sliding her hands up into his pants.

“For a guy, you have great calves.”

He couldn’t even speak. His throat had gone dry. He wanted her hands and her mouth on his dick, not waxing poetic about other body parts. But this was her seduction and he was going to have to sit still and deal with it.