“God, I rehearsed this all the way here and now I don’t even know where to start,” he muttered as he stared at his hands. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her. “I was wrong not to demand that you sleep with me in my room. I honestly thought Mom was being old-fashioned and didn’t see the harm in accommodating her. You know it wasn’t what I wanted, but I should have taken your feelings into consideration. I’m mad at myself because I didn’t. Normally, I’d do whatever you wanted. It’s my reaction without even thinking, but it was the first time I’d been put between you and the only other woman who has that effect on me.”

  “It made me feel like I wasn’t wanted.” Why did she say that? She didn’t want to get into this yet.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “She was wrong for doing what she did, but I should have manned up like you said. That’s all my fault, baby. No matter what my mother’s motives were, I should have been the one to stop things before they even started.”

  “Oh, I know what her motives were,” Taylor spat, looking away.

  Bryson sighed. “I don’t know what all she said to you— ”

  “She didn’t say anything to me,” Taylor barked, feeling the anger boil again. “She’d have to acknowledge my presence to do that. But I did hear her talking to another woman about you and Ashley. How she was the love of your life. How you planned on marrying her. Jesus, Bryson, you never even told me you were engaged before!”

  “I wasn’t, technically.” He raised his hands in a defensive maneuver. “Yes, I bought her an engagement ring, but marriage wasn’t something she was ready for.”

  “Doesn’t change the fact that you wanted to spend your life with her and that your mother knew this. Hell, she acted like I was some whore you were shacking up with who she needed to rid you of so you could be with your future wife.”

  “Mom doesn’t know what happened between me and Ashley. No one does.” He sighed, rubbing his head. When he looked at her again his eyes were red. “She got pregnant.”

  Taylor gasped, shock taking over the anger.

  “Yeah.” He looked up as he continued. “I loved her. I hadn’t thought about marriage, but when I found out about the baby, I thought I loved her enough to make it work. We were finished with college and both had job prospects, so it wasn’t like we’d have to struggle.” He shrugged and looked at her. “So I bought her a ring and asked her to marry me.”

  “She said no?” Taylor wasn’t sure why, but she had a feeling that was what had happened.

  “She said no,” he confirmed. “She wasn’t ready to settle down. When I told her having a baby kinda necessitated that … Jesus, I’ll never forget the look on her face. She said she’d already made an appointment with a doctor, and I knew she wasn’t talking about an obstetrician.”

  Taylor felt the blood fall out of her face. “She wanted an abortion.”

  “I couldn’t talk her out of it. I tried. God, how I tried.” He gritted his teeth and looked at Taylor again. “I get that it’s a woman’s right to choose, but she wouldn’t even listen to me. She’d made up her mind, and I was helpless to stop her.” He dropped his head in his hands. “I was a zombie that week. My heart was breaking for two lives instead of one. Ashley’s because I knew there was no going back with her, and the baby I’d never get to know.” His voice cracked on the last word, and Taylor felt a tear leak out of the corner of her eye. “I took her to the clinic, and I was there for her after it was over.” He looked at Taylor again. “I transferred out of state after that.”

  “I am so sorry,” Taylor breathed. It felt so insignificant, but she had to say something.

  “I’ve made peace with it, baby. It took me a few months to realize she and I would’ve never worked anyway. We fought a lot. She still had some growing up to do. If we had gotten married, I know it wouldn’t have worked. I still wish things could have been different, that she’d had the baby, but I know she’s not the woman I’d want to spend my life with.” He scooted closer to her and took her hand between the two of his. “What happened between me and Ashley has nothing to do with us. Mom was out of line, and when I’m not furious with her anymore, she and I will have a long talk about how she treated you. I know you may not believe me, but I’d already decided to move you into my room tonight. I’ve hated this distance between us and wanted to hash things out. I know it’s my fault things got so screwed up, and you’ve been upset, but please know that I never—never—intended on you feeling alienated. If I’d thought that that was even a possibility, I would’ve set you straight the first night.” He stroked her hair, his thumb lingering on her cheek. “Please forgive me. I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone. Ever.”

  She sobbed on a breath, losing the battle with her tears. It was a lot to take in, and her emotion reached the breaking point of holding it all together. She wasn’t alone though. Not now. Bryson pulled her into his arms. It felt so good to be wrapped up in his embrace. He kept whispering apologies into her hair as he rocked her gently, holding her while she cried, comforting her in the way only he ever could.

  “I-I’m sorry, too,” she finally said after what seemed like hours sobbing in his arms. “Should’ve talked to you. Things got out of control.”

  “Shhh. I’m just glad you’re letting me hold you. God, I missed you. Feels like I haven’t seen you in days when I know it’s only been hours.”

  “Because we’ve been fighting,” she muttered into his chest.

  He pulled back and kissed her cheek, his lips sliding to hers. “Can we make up now?”

  She wasn’t given a chance to respond. When Bryson’s lips touched hers, neither one of them wanted to talk anymore. She moaned into his mouth and clutched his hair. He groaned, pulling her onto his lap, kissing her as he’d never done before. Oh, there was passion and need and love, but there was more. So much more.

  “I love you,” he murmured in the seconds between kissing, marking her. He’d grown hard beneath her, and she rocked against him, needing more than his mouth on her.

  Understanding, he stood with her in his arms and made his way to her bedroom. He placed her on top of the blanket, almost reverently, before stripping her and kissing every exposed swatch of skin until she was completely naked before him. His own clothes were wrestled away hastily.

  He spent what felt like hours ravishing her body. He caressed her breasts as he sucked on her nipples, nipped the fleshy underside as he traveled lower. When she thought he’d slip his tongue between her legs, he kept on going south, kissing her thighs, her knees, her calves. It wasn’t until he was on the trek back up her body that he swiped his tongue on her aching-hot flesh. She gasped at the contact and he spread her wider, stabbing his tongue into her as she writhed beneath him.

  “Please,” she whimpered.

  “Never have to beg,” he promised before taking her clit into his mouth and flicking his tongue over and over it until she went stiff and began to scream. He stayed with her until she finally came down, and then reached for the nightstand where he knew she had condoms and fished one out. She heard him rip it open before she ever opened her eyes. “Look at me,” he whispered, coming over her.

  “Bryson,” she breathed, consumed with so much love for this man. He pushed into her slowly, both of them gazing into each other’s eyes. “I love you,” she barely said, but she knew he could read her loud and clear.

  “I love you, too, baby … so much.”

  When he pulled back and thrust into her hard, she still watched him. They never looked away from each other as he released what little hold he had on his need and began to plow into her, letting go of all the anger, confusion, and frustration of the past couple of days. He made love to her, but it wasn’t an easy mating. He held her down, lifted one leg, and took her relentlessly, and she was with him every second.

  When she couldn’t hold back her orgasm any more, she said, “I’m coming,” and dug her nails into his shoulders.

  “Yes,” he hissed. “Come for me, baby. Let me feel it. Give it to me. Give me all of you.”

  “Have me.” And then she was flying. She kept her eyes open as long as she could, but she squeezed them shut at the onset of her climax. He grabbed her tighter right before he roared, and she knew he’d tumbled over with her.

  “Love you. Love you so much,” he said as he kissed her shoulder, her neck.

  “I love you, too.”

  He lifted up and looked down at her again. “Move in with me.”

  She blinked, sure she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What?”

  Rubbing the side of her cheek, he said, “I know you’re the one I want to spend my life with, but I don’t think we’re ready for marriage. We haven’t talked about it all. I know that. We have a lot still to learn about each other. But I can’t stand the thought of spending one more night without you in my arms.”

  What could she say to that? She wasn’t ready for marriage either. It was too big of a step to decide lightly, but living with him would give them time to work up to that ultimate step. “Are you sure?”

  He chuckled, and she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed his genuine smile. “Baby, if you say no, I won’t be getting any sleep because I’ll be with you every night until I have to leave and be up each morning first thing to see you before we go to work. One way or another I want you to be the last face I see at night and the first one I see in the morning. It’s up to you how easy you’re going to make that for me.” He winked, and she giggled, feeling lighthearted for the first time since their trip.

  Their trip.

  Gah, why did she have to think about his family now?

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his smile slipping.

  “What about your family?”

  He grinned, which wasn’t what she expected. “They love you.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “I call bullshit.”

  He smiled and modified, “Okay, most of them do. Mom will come around.” He shrugged. “And if she doesn’t, it’s her problem. Not ours. I’m human, baby, but I learn from my mistakes. Your happiness is the most important thing in my world.” He kissed her, letting his lips linger. “Say yes, Taylor.”

  “I will on one condition,” she said slyly.

  He gaped at her, eyes getting wider as he obviously fought a smile. “Name it.”

  “Never make me hushpuppies for dinner.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “You’ll come around. Everybody loves them eventually.”

  Gross. “Doubtful. It’s me or the hushpuppies.”

  “You drive a hard bargain, woman.”

  “You love me anyway.”

  She watched as the humor morphed into loving affection. “I do. Always.”

  “Then, yes, Bryson Reed, I’ll move in with you— ”

  She was going to say more, something corny about how she didn’t want to marry him right now anyway, but the rest of her words were swallowed up in his crushing kiss.

  She was okay with that, too.

  Epilogue

  “I can’t go this weekend,” Taylor said as she picked up her fajita. “Remember? I’m moving in with Bryson. Everything’s already scheduled.”

  “Girl, it’s not like you hired movers,” Brindle said as she scooped some queso onto her chip. “Sawyer, Cooper, Lucas, and Skylar are going to help. Hell, even Bryson’s brothers are coming up to pitch in. You got a mess of free labor.”

  “Right, and it’d be super crappy of me not to be there, too.”

  “If seven men can’t move an already packed apartment in one weekend, they’re drinking too much beer,” Hannah said, picking at her salad.

  “Why didn’t you just get something you wanted to eat?” Brindle asked, rolling her eyes at Hannah. “Even toothpick over there got fish tacos,” she said, pointing at Morgan with a chip.

  “Leave her alone,” Morgan said. “Her wedding is coming up, and she wants to look beautiful.”

  “She looks miserable,” Brindle said. “Body positive is a thing now.”

  “How ’bout you let me do what I want?” Hannah said, purposefully stabbing her salad.

  “She knows she looks beautiful just the way she is,” Sophie said, smiling at Hannah. “Y’all don’t understand how stressful it is to plan wedding perfection. Which is one more reason I vote we go.”

  “I mean, we can always plan a weekend away, but Leigh said since the previous reservation on this suite was canceled last minute, she can book it for us ridiculously cheap,” Reagan said. “We’re talking baller status room here.”

  Morgan shrugged. “Since it’s just the weekend, I don’t have to reschedule anything. I’m in.”

  “Lily already agreed to babysit Alexander since I was going to assist Taylor in supervising the move. I doubt Sawyer would mind. Heck, he’d probably want me to borrow some of your cousin’s outfits for role playing when I get back.” She wagged her eyebrows.

  “Just don’t ask me to help,” Hannah said, and they all chuckled. “I’ll go, but I’m not cheating on my diet. So no shit from you,” she said to Brindle.

  Brindle lifted her hands in a placating gesture. “I’ll even make sure there’s no buttered popcorn around.”

  “But it’s not just Bryson’s brothers coming. Maybe his cousins. Possibly his dad,” Taylor added.

  “And? You’ve met them all before,” Morgan said. “Though if the pilot one comes maybe we could hook him up with Brindle.”

  “Screw that,” Brindle said as she pulled out her phone. “Lemme just check with Bryson, though, and see if the hot pilot’s coming. I might change my vote.”

  “Tucker is a player,” Taylor warned.

  “What, are you trying to make me stay?” Brindle said with a wink. “Kidding. Still not interested. I’d much rather hang out on the beach.”

  “Do you know how it’ll look if all of these guys move my stuff while I’m on vacation?”

  “Like you have wonderful friends and an awesome support system?” Hannah asked.

  “Like I’m some tart taking advantage of men in general and Bryson specifically.”

  “Jesus, woman,” Brindle said while a chorus of similar retorts came from everyone at the table. “We’ve already established his mother has issues. You don’t have to change who you are for her crumbs of acceptance.”

  “I think she’ll come around,” Sophie said nodding slowly. “What she did was awful, no doubt about it, but as a mother, I can sorta understand her motivation. It was her execution where she royally screwed up.”

  Taylor hadn’t told her friends the extent of what happened in Bryson’s relationship with Ashley. It was private and not necessary to convey the story. His mom had treated Taylor like crap. Period. Her friends had completely agreed with her on it, too.

  “Even if that’s the case, which I’m not holding my breath, but for argument’s sake, let’s say it is. Me not being there is not going to help her opinion of me.”

  “Not your problem,” Morgan said.

  “Just be yourself. I think Sophie’s right. It’ll just take some time,” Reagan said.

  “I hope so. I don’t want to come between Bryson and his mom.”

  “Girl, that momma’s boy has it bad for you,” Hannah said, smiling. “He won’t let that happen. Not again.”

  “Know what else he’s not going to do?” Brindle asked, holding up her phone.

  “What?” Taylor asked, drawing out the word.

  “Let you miss a weekend away with the girls. I just texted him. He knows what we’re planning, and if you don’t agree before you leave here, he’s on the mission to convince you himself.”

  Taylor opened her mouth to argue, but there wasn’t really a reason. If she weren’t moving out of her apartment this weekend, she would’ve been on board with the idea right away. Plus, she knew her gentlemanly boyfriend wouldn’t allow her to actually carry anything anyway. All she would’ve been able to do was direct like Sophie said. “I want to be able to video chat whenever I want, so I can at least help with where the big stuff goes.”

  “As long as you do it wearing a bikini,” Brindle said.

  “So we’re doing this?" Hannah asked with a huge smile.

  They all nodded and agreed.

  “Awesome! I’ll let Leigh know we’re in,” Reagan said. “I can’t wait to see her. I think y’all are really going to like her.”

  If Leigh gets the new promotion at the hotel, she can finally quit her other job, but when their latest VIP guest checks in, she realizes just how much she royally screwed up. Too bad she can’t take back the ass-chewing she gave the gorgeous man. Now the hotshot football player wants to score in another way, and she’s having a hard time remembering why it’s such a bad idea. When her cousin, Reagan, and her friends show up for their fun-filled weekend, they have a few crazy ideas about what she should do with her sideline suitor. She just hopes it doesn’t ruin everything she’s worked for, in Part-Time Player, the next book in the Tender Tarts Series!

  Like your hot alpha men with a side of danger? The Bang Shift Series contains full-length, romantic suspense novels, featuring mercenaries, mechanics, and the mafia! Start this wild ride with Brody, the first book in the Bang Shift Series!

  Hey, y’all!

  Thank you for reading my book. :) If you enjoyed it, I’d be very grateful for a review. If you didn’t like it, then share that, too... as long as your review is honest, that’s all that matters.

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  Xoxo,

  Mandy

  Also by Mandy Harbin

 

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