Bittersweet (11 page)

Tyler laughed again. “You know, now that I think about it, I do know of one blonde. I’m not sure how long her hair is, though. She’s always got it tied up tightly. She’s pretty, but I wouldn’t say gorgeous. She wears thick glasses that aren’t very attractive.”

He shrugged indifferently while Jenna narrowed her eyes. The flush in her face burned now, her blood pressure rose, and her pulse throbbed. He was watching Jayden and didn’t notice her reaction as she asked, “Who?”

With a smile he looked her way. “Alex, why?”

Okay, it was more than nausea in the pit of her stomach.
Alex, oh my God.
Tyler had gotten so worked up when she’d teased him about her in the hospital, but Jenna had let that go. Could something have been going on between them, or was she jumping to the wrong conclusion over a silly dream?

“Jenna, are you okay?”

Oh God, it was definitely more than nausea. She got up as fast as she could and ran straight for the garbage can. She barely made it there before she lost her lunch.

Chapter Fourteen

Jayden really didn’t want to leave, but Tyler wasn’t taking no for an answer. He seemed determined to get Jenna home, and between Jayden’s tantrum and Tyler’s frustration, people were staring.

“That’s enough.” Embarrassed, Jenna had to raise her voice to be heard. She took a deep breath and turned to address Jayden first. “Mom’s not feeling very well, so I need to go home and lie down. Is that okay with you?”

“But I don’t want to leave.”

“This is ridiculous, Jenna. We need to take you home.” She could tell Tyler’s frustration was mounting because he was afraid that she might have been physically overwhelmed. He was determined to have her rest, but she wasn’t going to abide by his “this is how it’s going to be” attitude, either.

“Tyler, I understand your concern. Jayden, go on and play for now.” She placed her hand over Tyler’s mouth to keep him quiet while Jayden ran toward the play structure again. “Now, this is what I suggest. I’m going to go home, but before I do, I’m going to walk over there and give Jayden a timeline. That way he won’t give you any trouble when it actually is time for him to leave.”

“Jenna,” Tyler whined, and it made her laugh.

“You know, you and Jayden sound so much alike.” She mocked them both whining to prove her point. “Honestly, I’m okay. I really just need to go home now and brush my teeth. That’s all. I’ll try to rest if it makes you feel better, and if you want to keep an eye on me that badly, I could be back in five minutes.” Considering their home was only a few blocks away from the park it was doable.

“You have to be the most stubborn woman alive. Won’t you ever let me take care of you?”

“You do every day,” she said. “That’s why you put in all those long hours at work.”

“That’s not what I mean, Jenna, and you know it.”

She laughed. “I’m a big girl, and I’d like you to start believing me when I tell you that I’m okay, because I am.”

He rolled his eyes and pulled her into his arms. “I’d kiss you, but the idea is not very appealing right now.”

She smiled. “So should I tell him another hour?”

“Fine, he has another hour but not a minute longer.”

***

Nothing was more disgusting than the aftertaste of vomit in your mouth, and being minty-fresh again felt good. Tyler expected her to relax, but she didn’t feel like it. Her alone time gave her the opportunity to think about things, such as how worked up she’d become. So what if Alex was blonde? Tyler wouldn’t cheat. He just wasn’t that type of guy. They’d been together since college, and she’d known him years before that. Not to mention that she wasn’t that type of woman, either, the one who always worried about stupid things she had no way of controlling. She wasn’t insecure and certainly had never been one to second-guess herself—or Tyler, for that matter—and she didn’t want to start now.

She thought about the dream over and over and came to realize that what bothered her most was not the dream itself but what Brady had said in the dream. If she believed it, either Tyler would end up dead or with someone else. They were doomed to fail either way, which was crazy.

She had to get Brady out of her head for her own good. The decision was final. Being in love with someone she had no sane reason to believe even existed couldn’t be good for anyone. Brady was not good for her anymore. The choice was obvious. Tyler was real and in front of her, a part of her life. She could touch him and love him. Most importantly, he was safe and what she knew to be real. Maybe she’d gone temporarily insane.

***

“Hmm, something smells good.” Tyler stood behind her and inhaled deeply.

She smiled with him being so near. “Where’s Jayden?”

“Bathroom,” he whispered by her ear and stuck out his tongue to draw her lobe to his mouth, then nibbled. “I told him to wash up before dinner.”

“That’s good. We have a couple of minutes, then.” She hopped on the counter, pulled him by the shirt into her embrace, and glided her hands down his arms to his waist and then to his finely muscled behind. Her kiss was an eager tongue lashing against his.

She could see Jayden coming down the stairs and regretfully pulled away from the embrace. “Later,” she whispered, and Tyler groaned.

Dinner and quality time with Jayden flew by. After the nightly routine of bath and then story time, Jayden was out like a light, which made their
“later” come quick enough.

“He’s sleeping,” she announced proudly as she sauntered into the living room again.

“Wow, that was fast.”

“Yeah, well, going to the park has its perks. The little guy was exhausted.” Not only was she able to put Jayden to bed, she was also able to change into something more appealing.

He eyed her robe curiously. “Are you tired tonight? It’s only eight thirty.”

“Not really.” She smiled. “But it is
later
, and I was hoping you’d come to bed.”

“Bed at eight thirty?” He smiled with her, and it grew wider when she discarded her robe. She’d chosen to delight his senses with a red lace garter and stockings. The heels she’d selected gave her a good four-inch height difference, and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra or panties only heightened the excitement.

Tyler swept her off her feet and into the bedroom, where he placed her gently on the bed, then walked to the nightstand. He turned on the CD player, and she giggled as he swayed to the beat of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Once clothes were out of the way, he grabbed her thighs to pull her closer. He leaned forward and placed his lips on her stomach, then trailed soft kisses downward. Jenna moaned, unashamed with want. She thrust her hips upward and groaned with his teasing movements.

“I want you to tell me,” he whispered. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

She bit her bottom lip. He hadn’t asked her to be so bold in quite a while, and it reminded her of the time Brady had asked her to do the same.

“Tell me what ye want me to do to ye, love. Let me hear what ye need.”
She could hear him as if he were right beside her.

“You, I need to have you inside of me.” She was desperate and aching for him.

He smiled and eagerly rolled the condom on before he lifted her up to be on top. “Ye can control everythin’ this way, and I still have easy access to all yer best parts.” He cupped her breasts and watched as she slowly rose up and down to get used to him while he filled her. She wanted to take her time. It felt too good to rush, and he was big. Gradually she picked up her pace, and she was finally able to take him to the root. He moaned, looking strained, as though he was fighting hard to hold back. He let go of one breast and trailed his hand down her stomach to where they were joined. She was so hot and wet, and incredible greedy for anything he was willing to share with her, so she leaned back a little to give him better access.

“Come for me, Jenna. I’m so close, darlin’. Come for me.”              

She hissed an appreciative sound and moaned, riding him harder.

“Stop teasing me.” She grabbed Tyler’s head and placed him between her legs, exactly where she wanted him to be. “I want your face between my thighs while your talented, wet tongue does its magic on me. I don’t want you to stop until I scream your name with my release. Now get busy.”

His breath teased her as he chuckled against her heated core, and her groan soon turned into moaning when his tongue began to swirl her into ecstasy.

A few breathless hours later they were finally both sated.

“Wow.” Tyler whispered, and Jenna’s smile widened because she felt the same way.

She felt so good, she was almost afraid to think about Brady. She had been trying so hard to forget him and to concentrate on her life with Tyler. But, strange things were happening, especially in the dreams that kept coming back to her. Her husband was safe, and the type of connection she’d imagined with Brady only existed in fairy tales. She cuddled up to Tyler and drifted off into a restless night, only to awaken early the next morning. She felt a little more at peace as she watched the sunrise from the front porch with coffee in hand.

“I wondered where you were,” Tyler said as he joined her. “What are you doing out here?”

“I watched the sunrise.” She stretched before getting up from the porch swing. “I’d better go make Jayden some breakfast.”

“Already taken care of. The cereal is in his bowl, and he’s settled into watching his morning shows.”

“I am really going to miss having you home.” She smiled and wished they had more time before it really got hectic.

“So what’s on the agenda for today?”

“School started a few days ago, and we need get Jayden registered.” She pouted. “You won’t be the only one leaving me on Monday.”

Tyler chuckled all the way back into the house, but first he held her hand and led the way back in. Just as he’d said, Jayden was sitting comfortably in front of the television, eating his cereal. They stood at the entry admiring him for a few minutes.

“Kindergarten already. Where did the time go?” Tyler murmured.

“Well, we could always have more.”

They’d never really discussed having another child before. Deep down Jenna knew Tyler had been afraid to because of what had happened with Jayden’s fast home delivery. Speechless, he looked at her in shock.

“Well, we don’t have to decide right this second,” she assured him. “It’s just an option we could think about sometime in the future, unless you’ve already decided you’re satisfied with only Jayden.” She examined his expression closely and hated to think that his mind was closed to the idea.

“I’ve never really thought about it before,” he admitted. “Why don’t we wait and see? If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t”—He shrugged.—”then at least we’ll have fun trying.”

***

Their week together had flown by. On Sunday night Jayden was sleeping, and Jenna had just finished appreciating Tyler some more. She’d enjoyed their time together, and it was drawing to a close now that he was scheduled to be back at work in the morning. They were lying in bed now, and she moved to close the distance between them, cuddling close.

“So what are you going to do with yourself while we’re both gone?” he asked.

“I honestly don’t have a clue, but I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Maybe I can get a part-time job.” Now that was a scary thought; she hadn’t worked since she’d become pregnant with Jayden. “Are you still opposed to the office lunches we used to have?” She raised a brow, challenging him to answer her boldness.

The truth was she’d loved their wilder days, and his desk at work did create exciting memories. Just the thought of being caught had sent her adrenaline blazing.

“I’m not sure. I’ll figure out how hectic things are going to be, and I’ll definitely get back to you.” He lowered his head to give her a quick peck. She smiled sleepily and had to at least give him points for his honesty. Tyler had put a stop to their lunches a couple years earlier. He claimed he’d gotten busier and expressed his concern about appropriateness. What Jenna thought was exciting, Tyler seemed to think too risky, and she’d let it go.

The next morning Tyler was gone before Jayden woke her up. Jenna found a note by the coffeemaker.

Jenna,

I’m thinking about you already, so don’t make any plans. It’s my first day back, but I’ve already decided not to overdo things today.

I love you,

XOXO

Tyler

The note had been the highlight of her day. Later that morning Jayden was officially a student at Oakdale Academy. Dropping him off at school had been emotional. She sobbed the whole way back. Her baby was growing up, and it was hard to come to terms with. She hadn’t had free time in so long that she didn’t know what she was going to do with herself. But the prospect of another child was something to look forward to.

Twenty minutes later the doorbell sounded, and she was pleasantly surprised to see Tyler standing there through the window.

“Hello, beautiful.”

Her jaw dropped as he lifted her in his arms. “What are you doing here? It’s your first day back.”

“I left you a note to expect me, didn’t I? I talked them into taking it easy on me this week.” He laughed. “I actually lied a little, telling them I was still worried about you. I’ve made arrangements to go to work in the morning and have my afternoons with you.”

“Wow.” She was shocked speechless. Tyler loved his job; he didn’t often surprise her like that. He just wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment type of guy.

“No, Jenna, not yet.” He moved toward the stairs. Once secure in the confines of their bedroom, he said, “’Wow’ usually comes after we do this.”

His kiss was passionate as he kicked the door shut. That afternoon was not about taking his time with her. It was filled with hardness, lust, and a whole lot of raw pleasure and need.