I watched, stunned, motionless, as Ty’s eyes sliced from me to Julius.
“What fuckin’ play?” his voice rumbled, so deep, so low, it reverberated against my chest.
Healthy.
Alive.
Standing.
Gorgeous.
In one piece.
Breathing.
Talking (or rumbling).
Ty.
“I told Lexie you got in a car wreck and were dyin’ and she needed to come home and say good-bye. She dropped everything, Walk, and here she is. I may be fucked in the head but, to me, that fuckin’ says it all.” Pause while I continued to stare at my husband then, “Oh yeah, brother, I see you’re pissed but it was the only play you two gave me.”
I didn’t move, didn’t speak, just kept staring at Ty even after his angry eyes cut to me and changed from angry to something else altogether.
“Lexie?” he called but I didn’t move, didn’t speak, just kept staring. “Lex,” he said.
I stared at Ty and counted them down.
Eleven.
Eleven hours.
Eleven hours I thought the man standing in front of me, the man I loved was as good as dead and then… then… he just would be.
Dead.
But he wasn’t.
He started moving toward me and I came unstuck, backing up and he stopped and growled, “Julius, she’s headin’ toward the stairs.”
I stopped.
I stared.
Healthy.
Alive.
Standing.
Gorgeous.
In one piece.
Breathing.
Ty.
I crumbled to the floor at the same time I dissolved into tears.
“Fuck,” I heard Ty clip then I was up, strong arms around me and I heard as well as felt the rumble of the words, “Get outta my fuckin’ house.”
“Brother –”
“Now!”
That was barked.
Then I was going down, ass in his lap, his arms around me, I shoved my face in his neck, my arms went tight around his shoulders, so tight, holding on, I was never, not ever, not fucking ever going to let go and I sobbed into his skin.
His mouth at my ear, he whispered, “Baby, calm down.”
I didn’t calm down.
Eleven hours I lived with the knowledge of his loss.
It was too much.
I couldn’t calm down.
One of his arms got tight and the other hand stroked my back.
“Lexie, baby,” he murmured, lips still at my ear, “calm down.”
“Ee… ee… eleven hours,” I gulped into his neck.
“Come again?”
“Thought you were lost for eleven hours.”
His hand stopped stroking and both arms closed tight around me.
“The la… la… last thing I told you wa… was that we were a nightmare.”
“Mama, breathe,” he whispered.
I sucked in breath and it hitched so many times, the sound was as painful as the hitches actually were, my body bucking violently with each and Ty growled in my ear.
Then he snarled, “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill Julius.”
My body bucked again as my breath snagged audibly and I pressed closer.
Ty fell to the side and I was holding so tight, I went with him. Then I was on my back on the couch and I felt Ty’s long body stretch out beside mine, his heavy leg tangling with mine the instant I straightened them and when I felt his torso press deep to my side and partially over mine, I loosened my arms enough for him to pull back. Then I let my head fall to the couch and I looked at him through watery eyes.
Then my breath hitched and my body bucked again.
“Fuck,” he bit off, his hand coming to my face, pulling hair away, wet hair that was sticking to my wet cheeks. “Lexie, baby, you got played. I’m right here.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Hair gone from both sides of my face, his big, warm hand cupped the right side, his thumb moving over my cheek, sweeping through the wetness as his face got close and I looked into his eyes, still the most beautiful feature I’d seen on any face in my life.
“So,” he whispered, “get a handle on it.”
And I did.
Two handles actually. Both hands went right to his head and pulled it down to me.
Then I was kissing him.
Then he was kissing me.
Oh yes. That was better.
Then I was pulling off his tee. Then he was tugging off mine.
Then I was yanking at his belt. Then his hips knifed away but only so he could undo and haul off my jeans and my flip-flops went flying as he did. Then went my panties.
Then he rolled over me, I opened my legs, his hips slid between, his hand was working between us to finish the job I started while his mouth was working mine, his tongue inside, I was tasting him again, God, God, brilliant, beautiful.
Mine.
Then his hips moved back then surged forward and he was inside me.
My mouth tore from his as my neck arched.
God, God. Brilliant. Beautiful.
Mine.