CHAPTER TEN

Tori smiled in the dark room, her eyes closed, reliving the night before in her mind. She reached across the large bed, feeling for Chris. She needed a tactile reminder of the man that she’d spent the night with. She remembered waking up sometime during the night and being wrapped around him in the most amazing way, skin-to-skin, their damp bodies clinging to one another.

Her hand found nothing but emptiness, and blankets bunched back as if they’d been tossed aside. She listened for the sounds of his breathing, but the still of the house mocked her, and her smile faded.

Tori opened her eyes and stared at the empty space next to her. He was gone. Tossed her aside, like he’d done the sheets. She should have expected as much. One night together wasn’t a promise for anything more.

She pushed down the feelings that threatened to bubble to the surface, namely anger. She would not allow him to see that she was angry. Any emotional outburst was a sign she had misunderstood last night and that he was in control of… whatever was going on between them.

She dressed for work, taking extra care with her makeup and hair, but doing so quietly. If she was lucky, she could escape the house without waking him. She tiptoed down the stairs, cursing the sound of her toes padding against the wooden steps and avoiding looking at the spot they’d christened. She needed to get out of here. The last thing she wanted this morning was an awkward conversation. She needed the day to build back the barrier she’d placed between them over the years.

She decided to skip coffee and food; she’d survive until she got to the gym. Keys in hand, Tori walked outside eager to flee the scene of the incident, only to find an empty driveway. Of course! Her car was still at Ryan’s. She took off up the hill at a quick pace. The soreness in her ankle hadn’t completely subsided, but her need to get away from Chris was stronger than her urge to stop. She was anxious to get out of sight. She knew Chris well enough to know that he wouldn’t like her traipsing off to Ryan’s by herself this early in the morning. Visibility wasn’t very good, and she’d be hard to spot in her black workout garb. It shouldn’t have made her more determined, but the thought of Chris disapproving made her hold her head high and continue up the hill with a smug smile.

“What’s up with you?” Claire asked after the group of tired and sweaty women filed out of the classroom, leaving them alone.

Tori had struggled to get through her morning classes. She’d pushed her spinning class harder than ever, sprinting for long durations at high resistance. The result was a disengaged class, who was counting the seconds until they could escape her torture. Her yoga session hadn’t gone any better. Her flow was all off, and she couldn’t hold the poses long enough to get a good stretch. Every moment she wasn’t moving was a chance for her brain to remember the feel of Chris’ arms around her, the strength and tenderness of it.

Apparently, Claire had noticed. Probably everyone had noticed, but everyone else had been too nice to say anything. Claire wouldn’t let her get off that easily.

“Excuse me, I asked you a question.” Claire stood in front of her, arms crossed and toe tapping impatiently.

“Not here,” Tori said, motioning out of the room.

She entered her office, Claire on her heels, and surveyed the busy gym. No sign of Chris this morning. He’d missed his early-morning boxing session with Ryan and Jake. She’d nearly died when Ryan asked about Chris and why he wasn’t at the gym. She’d shrugged and ducked into her office to avoid further questioning.

“Okay, spill,” Claire said once they were safely inside Tori’s office.

“He did it again. The bastard did it again!” Tori said, pacing the room.

“Did what?” Claire asked tentatively.

“Left me. We spent the night together, and when I woke up? Poof! He was gone,” Tori said, throwing her hands up in the air. “I can’t believe I let this happen again.”

With her hands on Tori’s shoulders, Claire guided her to a chair and forced her to sit. “Okay, start from the beginning.”

Chris rubbed a hand over his chin and swallowed the last drop of cold, bitter coffee. Charlie and Travis were asleep, and he needed every drop of caffeine he could find to help him stay awake on the long drive home. How could the day have started so well and ended so terribly?

Travis was in rough shape. He’d been in deeper trouble than he or Charlie knew. He’d been beaten badly — broken nose, broken ribs, and black and blue everywhere in between. Travis hadn’t said much, but Chris could only assume based on the beating and his reluctance to go to the hospital, that he owed someone money.

Gambling had taken over his brother’s life years ago. He was lucky he’d gone this long without it coming to a head. Travis moved all over, chasing private poker games and any other gambling event he could find. Horse races, sporting events, cards — anything he could bet on. Always chasing the high of winning. Their parents’ deaths, Mom right after high school and their father a year later, had hit Travis the hardest. Chris had made peace with it, and Charlie seemed to have as well by moving to Chicago, away from the happy memories of their childhood.

Somehow Chris, the baby of the family, had been the only one to stay and keep the White family roots in Sweetbriar. Charlie was back; maybe this would be an opportunity to get Travis back as well and cleaned up in the process.

The community of Sweetbriar was a tough crowd to win back over once they’d been messed with. They were forgiving in some ways; they overlooked the foolishness of the kids and teenage pranks. He and Ryan were proof of that. They’d caused a hell of a lot of trouble as kids. But when it came to deceiving or endangering the people who lived there, that was where the people of Sweetbriar drew the line. Travis had a long line of White men to thank for the good name and history he had on his side. Now he needed to not screw it up — if Chris could even convince him to settle down in Sweetbriar.

“We almost there? I need to take a piss,” Travis grunted from the back seat.

The nap didn’t seem to have improved his shitty attitude.

“Twenty minutes. There’s nowhere to stop between here and home, so if you need to go, you’re doing it on the side of the road.”

A snort was the only response, so Chris kept the truck moving along the highway.

The sun was setting as they arrived in Sweetbriar. Chris headed through town, his thoughts on Tori. He had hoped she’d text him during the day to ask about Travis, or hell, just to see how he was doing, but it had been radio silence.

He ached to get home and see her. How quickly he had associated her as part of his home. When she moved back to her apartment, if she moved back, the place wouldn’t be the same. He wasn’t letting her go without a fight.

He pulled in the driveway and stared ahead at the dark house. If she was there, the house showed no signs of it. He was starting to get a bad feeling, none of which he could attribute to the shitty day or the uncertainty of having Travis live with him.

That was something he needed to talk to Tori about. It was his house, but he wouldn’t let Travis stay if it made Tori uncomfortable. Charlie had space at the downtown house, but he didn’t want to ask him to take on that kind of responsibility when he was just getting settled.

“We’re here,” Chris said, turning off the engine.

“Let’s go,” Charlie said, opening Travis’ door and motioning for him to get out.

“Am I being escorted to my cell?” Travis quipped with a grin that quickly faded as he stepped out of the truck and winced in pain.

Charlie curled his lips in a snarl. “You ungrateful—”

“Easy, you two. Let’s just get inside. Charlie, why don’t you stay here tonight, and we can figure out everything else tomorrow?”

“That sounds heartwarming,” Travis said through gritted teeth.

Charlie swore under his breath but wrapped an arm around Travis and helped him into the house.

Tori downed the last of her margarita and slumped forward onto the bar.

“And the worst part is, I still want his sexy ass. Did I mention how sexy he is? Seriously sexy.”

“You might have mentioned it,” Claire said, sliding a water in front of her. “Drink that water, and then let’s get you home.”

“Home. Ha! I’m homeless. A homeless drunk who got played. Again. So sexy.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Claire said, waving Jake and his friend and fellow police officer, Frank, over from a table across the room.

Jake and Frank were off duty, but looked the part of menacing public servants, from their matching SBPD t-shirts to the way they carried themselves — alert, attentive, and jumping to action at the slightest indication they were needed.

Tori didn’t bother waving them off as they flanked her out of Cliff’s bar and into Claire’s car parked out front.

“Need any help getting her to Chris’?” Jake said, eyeing a slumped-over Tori in the passenger seat. “We’re happy to follow you and assist if you want.”

“I got it from here, boys. Thank you.” Claire blew Jake a kiss as she drove away.

“Alright, missy, we’re here,” Claire chirped happily.

Tori groaned as she looked out over the dash to the big house lit up in front of her. Chris was home, and here she was, an unwelcome guest, showing up sloppy drunk. If she wasn’t still feeling the effects of the last margarita, she might have been embarrassed. Instead, she felt self-righteous. She had just enough liquid courage to go in there and tell him exactly what she thought of him and his sneaking off after the most incredible sex of her life. She frowned. Maybe she’d leave that last part out. No sense inflating his ego any more.

“Honey, I’m ho-o-ome,” Tori crooned as she flung open the front door.

“Sweet, you hired strippers.”

The deep voice stopped her in her tracks. Not Chris. He had company, and not just any company. His brothers. Chris was nowhere to be seen. Perfect. This day was ending as badly as it had started.

Tori pulled her coat tight around her, covering as much skin as she could. Maybe she’d gone a little overboard in borrowing one of Claire’s dresses for the night. Her best friend’s wardrobe was more daring than her own, and she felt exposed in the short, tight, strapless dress.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you— What the hell happened to you?” Tori said, finally getting a good look at Travis’ bruised face.

“You should see the other guy,” Travis said with a wink.

Tori stumbled in her stilettos and caught herself on the kitchen island.

“Easy. Let me help you,” Claire said, coming in behind her.

Chris appeared on the stairwell, wet hair and sans shirt. Tori watched as he pulled a t-shirt over his head.

It really is “a crime to cover all that up.”

Oops, I may have said that last part out loud.

Chris jogged down the stairs and froze when his eyes landed on her. His eyebrows furrowed like he was trying to assess the situation.

Her vulnerabilities bubbled to the surface under his tight scrutiny, and she hated that he’d flipped the situation so that she felt like the one who had done something wrong. He was supposed to be the one on trial tonight, not her.

“How much did she drink?” Chris asked, looking beyond her at Claire.

“Three margaritas.” Claire handed him Tori’s purse and keys.

“She’s this lit from three? That’s impressive,” Charlie said from the couch, saluting her with the beer bottle in his hand.

Tori squirmed out of Claire’s and Chris’ grasp, kicked off her heels, and flounced onto the couch between Charlie and Travis.

“Do you have another one of those?” Tori asked, pointing at Charlie’s beer.

“Have mine, darling.” Charlie handed over his Bud Light, walked to the fridge, then returned to his seat with a fresh one.

Chris glared in her direction but didn’t speak.

“Travis, it’s so good to see you,” Tori said, throwing herself at him to wrap him in a bear hug.

She’d always liked Chris’ brothers, but she had been closer to Travis than Charlie growing up. Travis was only a year older than Chris, so Tori had hung out with him more than Charlie when they were kids. That had changed as they got older. Charlie came back to Sweetbriar more often than Travis, but the memories of childhood were a strong bond.

“Ah, easy killer,” Travis said, wincing in pain as she squeezed him.

“Oh my God, it’s not just your face. What the hell happened to you?” Claire said, forcing Tori aside and examining Travis. “Broken ribs?”

Travis nodded.

“You should get it checked out. Broken ribs could cause internal issues, and even if you’re lucky enough to not have done any more damage, you need some pain meds to help you breathe easier until they’re healed.”

Travis shook his head as Chris responded, “We’re taking him in first thing in the morning.”

Claire nodded. “Take him to see Dr. Lawrence. She’s the best, and she’ll be discreet.”

Travis groaned. “I’m right here. Don’t talk about me like I’m a child.”

“Then stop acting like one,” Chris said through gritted teeth.

Tori watched the busy room around her through a haze. She felt small and insignificant. She’d been planning on waltzing in there and giving Chris a piece of her mind, and instead she’d been force-fed a slice of humble pie to see him taking care of his injured brother.

Tori placed the beer down on the coffee table in front of her and headed up the stairs. She needed a moment to deal with her own insecurities and to get out of the ridiculous getup she was wearing. She could barely breathe in the dress, and her neck ached from the weight of her thick tresses piled on top of her head.

She pulled the bobby pins from her hair and released her locks down her back, tilting her head and rolling her neck from side to side.

A prick of awareness sent goose bumps over her skin, and she turned slowly, finding Chris leaning against the doorframe watching her. She ignored the pit in her stomach and the racing of her heartbeat.

“Can you help me with the zipper?” Tori asked, turning her back to him.

He stepped forward without saying a word and placed his rough hands on her shoulders. He turned her to face him.

“What’s wrong?”

“The dress is a little tight. I’m having a hard time breathing,” she said, avoiding his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Chris said, placing a hand underneath her chin and forcing her to look up into his eyes.

Damn, he wasn’t going to drop it.

“You went to get Travis this morning,” Tori said.

It was more of a statement than a question, but Chris nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought… I thought you left again.” Tori’s cheeks warmed with embarrassment, and she tried to look away from the softening blue gaze.

Chris held her chin firmly in place and brought his lips down to meet hers.

Despite her residual anger and frustration, she melted into him, throwing her hands around his neck and letting him lift her up to him.

He turned, slamming the door with a foot and pinning her against it. Her hazy senses were waking, and she inhaled the smell of him — soap and testosterone. It was a heady mix.

She deepened the kiss, running her hands through his wet hair and pulling his head closer. She felt him slowly back up, carrying her with him only a few steps before he loosened his grip and her feet found the wooden floor.

He turned her around, stepped back, and slowly eased open the zipper of her dress.

“Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow. Charlie and Travis are staying the night. I need to get back down there and try and piece together the mess he’s made.”

Chris kissed the crook of her neck, and then he was gone. Her body felt chilled without the heat of his arms around her, but it was her heart she was the most worried about. It hurt, it bled, and she still wanted his sexy ass.