He flinched backward, shaking his head. “Stay away from me,” he hissed, then whirled around and slammed out of the house.
And finally she understood. Tommy wanted to fuck her. He wanted to fuck her just as badly as he didn’t want to fuck her. She really wasn’t sure why that was. But she had a feeling it had to do with that protective instinct he’d always felt toward her. Except this time he was protecting her from himself.
Too bad for him she’d decided she didn’t need protecting. Especially from Tommy Sparks.
She had to have him.
And she intended to do just that.
Chapter 11
Tommy stood outside the house with his keys in his hand. It was a little after midnight, and he’d expected the house to be dark when he got home—the way it had been all week. But the living room light was shining brightly, letting him know Julie was waiting for him inside. He turned back to his car, moved toward the vehicle, then stopped, glanced back at the house, scrubbed his hand on the top of his head, and groaned. He couldn’t keep avoiding her. Hell, he missed her. Really missed her.
Which, it seemed, was why he had yet to find a place to live. Not from lack of searching, though. Any time he was shown a new rental, a rock formed in his gut and all he could think about was Julie and the mess of things he’d made with her. He desperately wanted to fix it. Couldn’t seem to be able to move on until he did.
Unfortunately, he was terrified to be around her. He couldn’t seem to be able to keep his hands to himself when he was alone with her. So he found himself in the frustrating situation of not being able to move out until he mended things with Julie but unable to do so because if he was around her, he’d just make everything worse.
When he was home, he kept himself locked in his room until she’d left for work each morning, and he’d stayed out past her bedtime each night for the past week. Some nights he stayed at the gym longer, some he drove around aimlessly, and others he went out with one of the guys and had a couple of drinks— as he had tonight.
Training had gone really well all week, and one by one the guys had started to come around. Not all of them, but most. And tonight he’d been invited to join them for a drink after practice. It’d been nice to hang out with the guys again, talk shop, bullshit.
But through it all, he missed Julie.
And now she was still awake, no doubt waiting up for him.
Inhaling a steadying breath, he strode up the walkway. You’re a man. So be a man.
When he opened the front door, he found her sitting on the couch. Lucy was curled up on her lap, while Warrior was nestled against her hip. It was a beautiful sight to come home to. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, then went farther into the living room. A bottle of wine sat on the coffee table and she held a glass in her hand. Seeing him, she brought it to her lips and drained it.
“Rough day?” he asked.
“You can say that.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Sure. Where’ve you been all week?”
He noticed the slight wobble to her head as she turned to look at him. She wasn’t drunk yet, but she was past tipsy. Her buzz gave him a security blanket, and he relaxed. Drunk women did nothing for him. When he took a woman to bed, he didn’t want anything dulling her senses. He wanted her completely aware of every decision she made, and everything he did to her.
“I’ve been out.”
“Obviously.” She lifted Lucy off her lap and rose. “With who?”
“The guys.”
“Uh huh.” Swaying, she crossed her arms across her chest. “To the bars?”
“Yes.”
“How many women did you fuck?”
Hearing that word uttered by the only woman he wanted to do it with was a very dangerous turn of events, flashing images through his mind that would ensure he’d only make things worse between them. He needed to take control. Immediately.
He started toward her. “I think it’s time to go to bed.”
Her brows rose in challenge.
“Alone.”
She snorted. “I thought so.” She swayed again. “How many, Tommy?”
“Julie, don’t be—”
She slashed a hand toward him. “You won’t fuck me, so I know you have to be fucking someone else.”
Stop saying that word!
“I’m not fucking anyone,” he gritted out.
“Really?” She made her way to him, tripping over her feet. “So you’re just plain mean, then. Is that it?”
He jerked back. “What the hell are you talking about?”
When she stopped in front of him, she placed a finger on his lips, and the sultry awe on her face as she gazed at them made his cock instantly harden. “This mouth did wicked things to me, Tommy. Wicked things. I came so hard. Twice. I never came twice like that before.”