Chapter Four
Tucker
Folding the blanket, I place it in the backseat of the king cab and look back at Hadley. Finally dressed, she is fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt. Her long dark hair is a complete mess, laying in tangles down her back. The moonlight shining on her face illuminates her pink cheeks and kiss-bruised lips. She looks so fucking beautiful that I have to fight the urge to pull her into my arms and take her again.
“Come on, darlin’,” I say, opening the driver’s side door. “Climb in before the mosquitos eat you alive.”
“Okay,” she whispers as she slides across the seat with a wince.
I wait until she gets into her spot and slide in beside her. “Buckle up, darlin’.”
Once she does as she is told, I start up the engine and put the truck in drive. Even though she’s sitting right next to me, she’s too far away, so I sling my arm over her shoulders and pull her closer. I drive slowly down the gravel road, thinking about how amazing it felt to be inside her. If it wasn’t dark and the mosquitos weren’t chewing away on my girl, we’d still be lying in the bed of my truck. She may not be quite ready to fuck again, but I’d still be holding her body next to mine. Nothing has ever felt as good as sinking deep inside Hadley, but lying with her naked body in my arms takes a close second.
Being with her was different than anything I’ve ever felt before. It wasn’t just better; feeling her wrapped around my cock was fucking amazing. It had nothing to do with the fact she was a virgin. That was just a plus. I swear, being inside her was like sliding into heaven. It was like I had finally found my true home.
I shake my head at the pussy sounding shit running through my mind. “Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me?”
The idea of her spending the night in my bed, with her body curled up next to mine, sounds like a good plan to me. Also, I want to introduce her to Mom. Granted, my mom can be a bit of a bitch to my women, but she’d surely be better with Hadley. At least, she’d be better once I explained this girl wasn’t just another notch on my bedpost.
“I need to go back to Willow’s,” she replies, cuddling closer to my side. “She’ll be worried about me if I don’t show up soon.”
“No, she won’t,” I say, shooting her a cocky grin. “She knows I’d want to take my time with you.”
I did take my time, tasting every inch of her. Even now, her taste still lingers on my tongue, causing my dick to stand at full attention. You’d think after spending the last hour in her tight pussy, the fucker would be worn out. Instead, he is ready for another round. That’ll have to wait. No way her sweet little cunt could take me again.
Looking down at the dashboard clock, I see it’s nearly midnight. Damn it, we’ve been gone from the Dairy Dip for over six hours, and I haven’t even fed her a bite. Not all of that time was spent fucking, but every minute of it was pleasurable. Still, I should have taken better care of her.
“You’ve gotta be hungry. I didn’t let you eat your supper, but everything is closed in White Chapel,” I say, running my hand over her shoulder. “We could run to Bowling Green and pick up some fast food if you want to. At this time of night, White Castle or Taco Bell will probably be our only options.”
“Nah,” she replies, sounding tired. “I’ll just grab a sandwich or something when we get to Willow’s.”
“We should just pick your shit up from Willow’s and bring it over to my place,” I tell her as she snuggles into my side. “You’ll be spending most of your time there anyway.”
Hadley raises her head from the crook of my shoulder and looks up at me. “I can’t stay at your house, Tucker.”
Her words have a ring of finality to them that sets my temper on edge. “Why the hell not? You’re mine now, so my place is where you should be spending your time.”
Usually, as soon as I get off, I do my best to get rid of a chick. Other than a few times I was too fucking drunk to crawl out of bed, I’ve never even slept through the night with a woman. Not once have I brought a woman home with me, but that is exactly what I want to do right now. The thought of dropping her off at Willow’s is driving me crazy. For some reason, the thought of her leaving my side is killing me.
“When Tanya first started college, she shared an apartment with her boyfriend,” she says, catching me off guard.
It takes a second of running the name through my brain before it clicks. “Tanya’s your cousin, right? The one who shares an apartment with you and Willow.”
“Yeah,” she replies with a nod. “She only moved in a few months ago. Before that, she lived with her ex.”
She goes quiet for a long moment, so I push for more information. “What does that have to do with us?”
“My grandma hated that Tanya was living with a boy. Grandma was old-fashioned. She said that no self-respecting woman lived with a man without having a ring on her finger,” Hadley explains, laying her head back into the crook of my arm. “Tanya and Grandma had it out. Then, a week later, Grandma died. A few months after that, she caught her boyfriend cheating on her. She said it sucked that she never got a chance to tell Grandma she was right.”
My heart skips a beat at her words as I take in her meaning. If they came out of the mouth of any other chick, I’d think she was making a play for my last name. From Hadley, I somehow know that isn’t it. She is just telling me the way things are for her. Now, the ball is solely in my court. I can either put a wedding ring on her finger or deal with not having her in my bed every night. Neither option is sitting too well with me at the moment.
“I won’t go against my grandma’s wishes, even if she isn’t here to know what I’m doing. It wouldn’t be right.” Taking a deep breath, she places a hand against my chest. “Maybe I’m a little old-fashioned, too, because the idea of living with a man before marriage doesn’t appeal to me at all.”
My heart races with the thoughts of marrying her, but my mind keeps reminding me that Hadley and I just met. A guy can’t marry a woman he just met, can he? Then, my grandpa’s words hit my brain. A Brady man always knows when he’s met the right woman. As crazy as it sounds, I’m pretty fucking sure Hadley’s my one. Still, I need a little time to think before deciding what my future holds.
I take a deep breath of my own before responding. “You can stay at Willow’s.”
When she lets out a relieved sigh, I tighten my arm and add, “For now.”
She looks at me and rolls her beautiful brown eyes, but she doesn’t argue. Next time I mention her coming home with me, that’s exactly what she’s gonna do. I may have gotten her into the bed of my truck without much argument, but I can already tell that is as far as she’ll go without putting up a fuss.
We stay quiet the rest of the way to Willow’s place. As we pull into her driveway, I see a light come on upstairs and know Hadley was right; her friend has been waiting up. Shit, I had hoped the house would be locked up tight, and she wouldn’t have a choice but to come home with me. I park in front of the house as a wave of disappointment crashes through me.
Looking down at her head on my shoulder, I notice she is asleep. My free hand goes to the keys and cuts the engine, and my lips go to the top of her deep mahogany hair. I draw in her scent before bringing my hand up to cup her cheek.
“You gotta wake up, baby,” I whisper, running my thumb over her lips. “We’re back at Willow’s.”
Her dark eyes slowly blink as she gives her head a little shake. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s not a problem,” I reply, brushing my lips over hers. “I’ll be by in the morning to pick you up. Make sure you wear jeans and comfortable shoes.”
“Why are you picking me up, and why do I need to wear jeans?” Hadley asks with a confused look on her face.
“I’m taking you for a ride on Moonbeam,” I say, opening the door and pulling her out. “Now, get your ass inside before I change my mind and force you to come home with me.”
She shoots me a quick smile and rushes to the porch. By the time she reaches the top step, Willow is swinging the door open. Both girls lift their hands in a wave as I climb back into the truck. Cutting the engine back on, a feeling of complete loneliness fills me as my grandfather’s words fill my mind again. A Brady man always knows when he’s met the right woman.