“Okay,” she says as she looks up at me.
I smile at her, wishing I could kiss her one more time before I leave, but I pull away from her place and head back to the compound.
I walk past the Broken Eagles members who are hanging out as I head up to my room. I fling myself on to my bed. I need to find out why Sydney’s so intent on putting an end to us. A horrible thought crosses my mind. What if she lied to July and is still in love with Mari’s father? I shake that off because she was fully into kissing me. No, it has something to do with her panic attacks and that last assignment that she wouldn’t talk about. I’m sure of it.
CHAPTER5
TUCKER
Five days. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve seen Sydney. I’ve called her and talked to her every night before she went to bed. I texted her that first night and then called because we got tired of the text chains. She has opened up a little more to me, talking about her projects at the zoo, her drives, and Mari. She still won’t tell me anything about her recent past. I pull up to her house and step out of my truck. I wanted to ride my bike, but it’s been raining off and on. Plus, my shoulder is sore from all the work this week and the rain in the air. I reach across the seat and pick up the deer stuffed animal I picked up earlier this week while shopping and the bouquet of flowers.
The front door opens, and I can’t fight the smile as Sydney is standing there in skintight blue Jeans and a green sweater that causes her eyes to practically glow. Mari is in her arms, her curly hair covered by a flowered turban that matches her outfit. Her chubby hands grip Sydney’s sweater. I lean down and kiss Sydney’s cheek before I hand her the flowers. She turns and heads into the house. I follow her inside and close the door behind me. A timer goes off in the kitchen and the smell of something delicious hits me. Sydney puts Mari in a bouncy seat on the floor after she sets the flowers on the counter.
“You said you’d try anything, so I made a recipe that Lydia suggested.”
“I’ll eat anything that doesn’t eat me first.” I chuckle and watch as she flips a vent on top of a thing that causes steam to blast from it, and the aroma gets stronger. “What did you make? It smells amazing.”
“I made chicken bacon ranch pasta in my new Instant Pot. Lydia swears by them. She says she can cook a whole chicken from frozen in under forty minutes. I haven’t tried that yet, but I picked up all the ingredients and started this just a bit ago.”
“Can I help with anything?” I stand next to her as she moves around the kitchen. She turns to smile at me, and I pull her into me, smashing the plates between us. “I need your lips, spitfire.” I order and she leans up to give me those luscious lips. I try to keep the kiss light, but as soon as I have her in my arms again, I can’t stop myself from wanting to taste all of her. I let her go and watch as she steps back from me. Her shoulders move with every breath she takes. Her eyes flutter open and she looks up at me.
“Hello,” she says breathlessly, and again I want to pull her into me. She bites her bottom lip, then turns away from me. “There are veggies in the microwave if you want to pull them out.”
I turn and help her finish dinner. She sets the table with our plates loaded with the main course, and I join her with the broccoli after I put a spoon in it.
“Sit down,” she says, and I sit and watch her, not wanting to miss anything. She brings me a beer and a glass of water for herself. I watch her pick up Mari and put her into the highchair and then pull her close.
“She’s eating with us?” I ask.
“I’m starting her on rice cereal with a little bit of squash mixed in.”
“You eat. I’ll take care of her.” I offer. Sydney smiles and my heart thumps in my chest.
“You eat, please. She only eats a little bit, so I’ll feed her between bites. She likes to sit up in the chair with us.”
We proceed to eat and visit, just going over our day. She feeds Mari, who makes more of a mess than she eats. Out of the blue, Sydney leans back with her plate of food barely touched. I wait to see if she’s going to offer up what is bothering her.
“Lydia came down to tell me they are trying to arrange for a Zimbabwe conservation center to come visit the zoo.” She sighs.
“That sounds amazing, baby. Maybe you’ll know them.” I lean back, my plate empty now. She’s pushing her food around on her plate.
“I doubt it.” She takes a deep breath and picks up her plate to head back into the kitchen. Mari squeals from her highchair as Sydney drops her plate in the sink. She just stands there staring out the window. I pick up my plate and move in behind her. I set the plate in the sink with hers.
“What’s bothering you, spitfire?” I wrap my arms around her, giving her the support she needs. She leans back into me.
“It’s nothing.” She turns in my arms and leans up to kiss my chin. She’s trying to distract me; she knows I can’t say no to her kisses.
I forget the conversation while we bathe Mari and get her ready for bed. Now I have my girl under me as I kiss her on the sofa. We started out watching TV, but I couldn’t have her that close and not kiss her. She moans into my mouth as her legs wrap around my hips, pulling me closer to her core. The urge to strip her is so great right now. I want to kiss every inch of her body. I slide my hand up inside her sweater, her skin soft against my calloused fingers. I glide my fingers up her ribs, feeling each indentation. When I cup her breast, her body bows off the sofa in need of more contact. I work her nipple through the lace of her bra. She moans again and my cock tries to bust through my zipper.
Leaning up, I pull away slightly so I can pull her sweater from her body. I vow to myself this will be the only article of clothing I’ll take off her because she’s not ready for me yet. I know she’s mine, but she is still working out this process in her mind.
“This is all mine, spitfire,” I say as I look down at her ivory skin. There is a puckered scar on her right shoulder that looks like a bullet wound. She has another scar on her abdomen along her side that is definitely from a blade. She starts to cover herself, but I won’t have that. I push her arms over her head, holding her wrists together as I lean forward and kiss the wound at her shoulder. I continue to hold her down as I kiss the scar on her side. They both had to have happened about the same time because they are still slightly pink. Maybe a year old. I recognize the stage of healing they’re in because of my own.
“Please let me go,” she begs, and I look up at her instead of inspecting the scar. I see the pain in her eyes, so I let her go. She immediately covers herself, but I reach behind my neck and pull my Henley off to show her my shoulder.
“We match, baby.”
* * *