Page 82 of Untamed
He kisses me on the lips, lifting a hand to wipe away the collection of saliva lingering on my chin, before sliding off the mattress to retrieve his shirt. After using it to clear off his stomach, he chucks it in the general direction of thehamper before flopping onto the bed next to me. Again, he curls up and pulls my back to his front. "Nowwill you go to sleep?"
I smile, feeling beyond satisfied in more than just a physical way. "Yeah. Now I'll go to sleep."
"Good." His voice takes on a sleepy edge. "And next timeIget to fuckyourknee."
27
Tucker
“Why are you talking so quietly?” Heidi’s voice drops to match mine as it carries through the phone line. “Are we being sneaky?”
“No. We’re trying not to wake a cranky toddler.” Birdie woke up halfway through the night, pissed off and running a slight fever. I hate seeing her not feeling good, but I also hated her mother leaving my bed.
I’ve never wanted to sleep with a woman. Getting them out my front door as fast as possible after our interaction was complete was always the goal.
But the second Ruth left to go take care of Birdie, my bed felt cold. Empty. I tossed and turned, trying to fall back asleep until I finally gave up and quietly went to check on my girls. I found them cuddled together in the guest room bed, fast asleep.
Going back to my lonely realm held absolutely no appeal, so—after fighting with myself for a couple of tense seconds—I climbed onto the bed with them. I wanted to be close to Ruth. Plus, I didn’t want her struggling to care for Birdie on her own.With me in the room, if the toddler woke up again, I could be the one to sit up with her.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up with Ruth’s soft body tucked close to mine. Very close to mine. Somehow, the two of us wound up occupying about a quarter of the bed while Birdie managed to dominate the rest with her tiny sprawled body.
I carefully slid off the mattress, adjusting Birdie so Ruth had a little more space, before tucking them in so I could creep downstairs to make the call I’ve wanted to make since I saw William’s name on Ruth’s phone.
Heidi groans. “Cranky toddlers are the worst.” She makes a considering hum. “I take that back. Cranky men are the worst. Cranky toddlers are a distant second.”
“I’m not going to argue with that. It’s probably pretty accurate.” I go to the coffee pot, filling the reservoir with water before adding grounds. “You should see me when I don’t get enough sleep.”
It happens relatively regularly. Too many nights, my brain goes into overdrive, making sure I consider every bad thing that has happened, will happen, and could happen.
Along with that time I told Jessica Bridges her nose was funny looking in second grade.
“A cranky toddler’ll do that to you.” Heidi redirects our conversation. “I’m assuming you’re not calling to talk about kids though.”
“In some ways I am.” I set the coffee pot to run, and turn, leaning back against the counter. “I wanted to know if you’d be willing to look into someone for me? It’s the guy who fathered Ruth’s daughter.”
“I’m guessing you aren’t wanting me to look into him because he’s a great guy.”
“Your guess is correct.” I drag a hand through my hair beforescrubbing it over my face. “He’s been threatening Ruth. I’m hoping we can find a way to make that stop.”
“Ohhhh.” Heidi sounds a little excited. “Are you thinking blackmail? Or do you want me to find someone to kill him?”
Technically, the second one, but that’s probably not the best place to start. “Let’s go with the first one. For now.”
I wasn’t originally categorizing my plan to get William out of Ruth’s life as blackmail, but I guess it’s not far off. I want something to threaten him with. Something to hold over his head so he will disappear and never bother Ruth and Birdie again.
So… Blackmail.
“Aye-aye, captain.” Heidi takes down all the information I have on Senator William Sheppard, promising to get back with me as soon as possible.
While I have her on the line, I ask if she’s made any headway identifying dead Dan or the man who hit Walker and Tobias. I know shit like this isn’t always easy, but I was really hoping it wouldn’t drag out. For my family’s sake.
For the sake of my own sanity as well. I feel like I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it’s wearing on me.
The possibility Ruth and Birdie could end up tangled in whatever’s going on doesn’t help. That’s probably the only positive spin to Ruth going to Maryland. I won’t have to worry about my mess getting on her.
“I have a few leads, but these guys haven’t been easy to track down.” She pauses. “Which is actually a clue on its own. No one works this hard to cover their tracks when they’re living right.”
I could’ve told her the two men who’ve done their damnedest to make my family suffer weren’t living right. Both had multiple aliases, a list of former addresses, and one went so far as to try to frame Brooke’s ex-fiancé for his crime. He probably would’ve accomplished it too if he hadn’t overestimated his own driving abilities and underestimated the quality of Toby’s workmanship.
