Читать книгу Tough Love - Lori Foster - Страница 14

CHAPTER FIVE

“NO.” THE HEAVY DARKNESS filling the near-empty parking lot carried sound over the damp pavement. From necessity, Stack kept his voice low so it wouldn’t resonate to where his mother sat in her car with Vanity helping her to get comfortable.

Odd, how they’d bonded so quickly. He’d never seen that before, not that he’d brought many women around to meet his mom, but the few times he had—usually when a family affair required a date—she’d been politely distant and quietly critical.

Not so with Vanity.

In fact, Vanity had stepped seamlessly and effortlessly into the spot of doting daughter, a spot Tabby left unfulfilled.

“What do you expect me to do?” Tabby didn’t bother keeping her voice low. Stack wasn’t sure she knew how to whisper, or when it’d be a good idea.

Like now.

In his best I’m-not-giving-on-this voice, Stack growled, “She can’t go home alone, Tabby. Forget it. If she can’t stay with you, she can come to my place.”

“You’re never there,” she reminded him, throwing her arms up in another melodramatic display. “Just how do you think that’s going to help?”

“I’ll work it out.” How, he didn’t yet know. But he wasn’t about to let her—

“And who’s going to watch my dogs?”

Slowly, he swung his incredulous gaze around to stare at her. Seriously? That was Tabby’s top concern? “Keep. Your. Voice. Down.”

“Those dogs love her, and she loves them.”

Feeling red-eyed and mean, Stack frowned at her. The growl went deeper, and meaner, when he reiterated, “Mom is sick and hurt. She can’t be your damned dog sitter.”

“Then who? Because I have to work, and if I leave them alone in the apartment, they bark, and the landlord has already told me that if it happens again, I’m out. I can’t lose my home. It’s close enough for me to walk to work—”

“You have a car.” He knew because he’d bought it for her.

Her face pinched. “I’ve been letting Phil use it.”

Oh, fuck, no. Phil had said they’d ridden in separately, but he hadn’t thought that much about it, not at the time.

Sawing his teeth together, Stack counted to three, and then to five, and finally to ten before he thought he could speak reasonably.

Letting the issue of the car go for now, he concentrated on the most pressing issue. “Why can’t fucking Phil watch the dogs?”

Gasping as if he’d struck her, Tabitha withdrew. For only a second her bottom lip trembled, then she stiffened her mouth and her spine. “Phil helps a friend at a bar—”

“Helps how? By drinking?”

“—and he looks for work, you know that, but he—”

“Jesus, Tabby.” Exhaustion suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. Emotionally, physically. Vanity might be superhuman, but apparently he had some weaknesses. “Stop, okay? Just stop. We both know Phil isn’t trying to find a job.”

“Is too!”

He swept out an arm. “Everywhere I look, there are help-wanted signs!”

Another gasp. “You can’t expect him to work at a convenience store or gas station.”

Stepping into her space, enunciating clearly, Stack asked, “Why the hell not?” Phil wasn’t qualified for anything else.

“I’ll watch the dogs,” Vanity said, drawing their attention.

Stack and Tabitha both pivoted to see that his mother was back out of the car, a frown of pain on her face, one hand at her temple. Vanity supported her, all worried and caring and so damned appealing that Stack almost couldn’t stand it.

“I’ll watch them,” she insisted again. “Problem solved. So how about you get your mother home?”

Shit. Guilt slammed into the wall of tiredness. “Mom.” In a few long strides, Stack reached his mother and helped her get seated again. “Vanity’s right. You need to get home.” He hadn’t meant for the debate with his sister to get out of hand, but that’s how it usually went with Tabby. “I’m sorry.”

“Me, too,” Tabby said, now wringing her hands with exaggerated worry.

“You kids are stealing my line.” Moving slowly, their mother pulled her coat around herself more securely. “I’m the one who’s sorry. And really, I’m more than capable of seeing to the dogs. They’re content when I’m there. Other than feeding them and taking them out a few times—”

“Not happening.”

She treated Stack to a weak smile. “We can’t ask your new girlfriend to do it. Maggie and Norwood are like overgrown puppies. Very frisky.”

Which was another good reason why his mother shouldn’t—couldn’t—handle them right now. But with Tabby looking so pathetic and needy, he didn’t say that aloud. “She’s not my girlfriend, and I’ll be the one watching the dogs, not her.”

As she’d done from the time he was a toddler, his mother smoothed his hair. “I like her, Stack. I want her to be your girlfriend.”

Beside him, Vanity said, “Thank you, Lynn! You’re so sweet.”

That had his mom frowning. “Sweet?”

“She thinks everyone is sweet.” Stack sighed. “I’ll watch the dogs, okay? It’ll be fine. I don’t want you to worry about it.”

She struggled with her seat belt. “But you’re in an apartment, too.”

Stack hooked the belt for her. “I’ll work it out.”

“I have a house,” Vanity interjected, gaining everyone’s attention. “And I love pets. They’ll be fine with me, I promise. My backyard is even fenced.”

Before Stack could again reject that idea, Tabby nearly jumped Vanity with her enthusiastic acceptance.

“You’ll really watch them?” Bubbling with gratitude, Tabby said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you! They’re my babies and I love them, but good Lord, they’ve gotten big and they’re rowdy and playful. They only bark when they’re alone, I promise. They hate being cooped up inside. You’ll have to pick up some food. I was going to do that on my way home from work today, then Mom fell and—”

“No.” Stack’s head almost exploded off his shoulders. His quiet voice drew more attention than his growls had. “Vanity is not watching your dogs.”

“Not Mom, not Vanity... What do you expect me to do?”

“Make Phil get off his lazy ass. Or hire someone. Or I’ll take them, but—”

At his side in a heartbeat, Vanity stroked his back. “Stack, really, your mother needs to be in bed, and clearly your sister can’t deal with two dogs right now.” She turned to Tabby. “Your mother will go home with you?”

“Of course. I work in the morning, but I’m only a five minute walk away, so I can still check on her as often as necessary. And Phil will be in and out.”

“God help us,” Stack muttered.

Protesting, Lynn said, “I don’t need anyone checking on me.”

“Now, Lynn, you know your kids will feel better knowing you’re okay.” After directing his mother, Vanity did more stroking along his spine. “I’m glad you’re nearby, Tabby. It sounds like the perfect solution.”

Stack couldn’t believe how Vanity took over. Then again, he supposed someone should.

Her hand slipped down to the small of his back, and she asked his sister, “When would you like for me to pick up the dogs?”

Tabby fretted. “They’re at my mother’s still.” She took one pace away and muttered, “Probably destroyed her house by now, too.” Then she slapped on another smile. “I’ll give you her key and you can get them from there. But again, the food—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Vanity assured her.

Stack wanted to groan. “This is nuts.”

Hugging him, likely placating him, too, Vanity said, “You and I can discuss it in more detail later, after Tabitha has gotten your mother home.”

Tabby dug out the key and thrust it toward him. “Here you go.”

When Vanity took it, Tabby hugged her so tightly that Vanity looked to be strangling. “Thank you so, so, so much. Seriously. You’re a lifesaver! A complete lifesaver. I don’t know what I would have done—”

To shut her up and get her going, Stack pulled her away and steered her to the car. Vanity followed. “Drive carefully, and let me know if you need anything.” He thought to add, “For Mom.” Because Tabitha always, endlessly, needed something.

Leaving the women to say goodbye, he crouched down at the passenger’s side of the car to talk privately to his mother.

Through the signs of discomfort, she smiled. “Thank you for doing this, Stack. I swear, I’m more attached to those dogs now than Tabby is.”

He hadn’t known that, but now that he did, he was glad Vanity had offered. “We’ll take good care of them, I promise.” He held her hands in his. “I’ll call you mid-afternoon to see how you’re doing.”

“I’ll keep my cell on me.”

“If you need anything, anything at all, I want you to call me. I mean it.”

“I will.”

He knew she wouldn’t. Damn. As needy and clinging as Tabby proved to be, his mother was the exact opposite. Independent to the point of being a martyr. He hated leaving her in his sister’s ditzy hands. Tabby could barely take care of herself, much less deal with Phil, two dogs and their mother. But she hadn’t lied; he was rarely home. At least at Tabby’s, their mom wouldn’t be alone.

He glanced at Tabby, but she stood just outside the driver’s door, gushing to Vanity while alternately giving her directions on caring for the dogs.

“It’s all right, son. Stop worrying. I’ll be as good as new in no time.”

Since she was one of the strongest women he knew, he believed her. “You need to rest to get well. Don’t let Tabby work you.”

“She won’t. She loves me, too, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. But she’s...” Irresponsible. Sometimes blind. Occasionally self-centered. “Disorganized.”

“She does her best.”

Done beating around the bush, Stack said, “I don’t trust Phil.”

“Fucking Phil,” his mother teased. “I know.” She put a hand to his bristly jaw. “Your sister loves him, Stack. You have reason to distrust him, and more reason to dislike him, but I hope for Tabby’s sake you’ll continue being kind.”

The car started, and he realized Tabby had finally gotten behind the wheel. With a last kiss to his mother’s feverish cheek and a few more instructions to his lunatic sister, Stack closed the door, stood back and watched them drive away.

Vanity’s hand slipped into his. “I hate to admit a weakness, but I’m close to suffering frostbite here.”

Drawn from a dozen different worries, he forced his gaze to her face. The chill wind had painted her nose and cheeks bright pink. Her hand in his felt like ice. Their breaths frosted between them.

And all he could think about was kissing her, losing himself in the taste of her, the soft texture of her mouth, her incredible body.

“Come on.” He led her to the car and opened her door, then left her to seat herself so he could get around to the driver’s side and get the car started. The sooner the heater got going, the sooner she’d be warm.

While chafing her hands together, she said, “Your family is interesting.”

Interesting. Was that her attempt at diplomacy?

“In case that sounded less than complimentary, I should add that I like them.”

“Great.” Looking over his shoulder, Stack backed out of his parking space, then drove from the lot. Antagonism had a stranglehold on his usually calm demeanor. “Seems they fell hard for you.” And, yeah, even he heard the sarcasm.

Vanity always had something to say, so as he got onto the main roads again, the sudden silence bothered him.

A quick glance showed her watching him, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. “What?”

“You’re annoyed with me.”

True enough. But, hell, he was annoyed with everything at the moment. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t rein it in. “You butted in where you shouldn’t have.”

“I know.”

“You know?” Disbelieving that innocent reply, he threw another look her way.

Her shoulder lifted. “I’m not dense. I know that was a family matter.”

Yet it hadn’t slowed her down at all.

“In my defense, I could tell that seeing the two of you spat upset your mother.”

Jesus. “I don’t spat.” He was a professional MMA fighter with rapidly growing popularity, razor-sharp elbows, a solid ground game, and a record filled with knockouts and submissions. Spat. How dumb.

Half turning in the seat to face him, Vanity drew up her knees and got as cozy as the seat belt allowed. “I’m guessing you and your sister have a history of blowups.”

Spot on.

“You’re both alike, but also very, very different.”

Curious about her perceptions, he said, “You’re dying to tell me, so let’s hear it.”

Instead of pretending she didn’t understand, she rested the side of her face on the seat back and smiled. “You’re both headstrong, confident in your mother’s love and comfortably affectionate with each other. Neither of you lets disagreements cause a rift.”

“Close,” he admitted. “But we did have a rift that lasted over six weeks.”

Thoughtful, she said, “So your mom getting hurt is what ended it?”

“Yes.” Only...was it ended? Fucking Phil was still in the picture. How did anyone expect him to tolerate that?

“And the rift?” she pressed. “That was because of something Phil did?”

“He’s a prick.” New annoyance surfaced, tightening the muscles in the back of his neck, roiling in his guts. “You should have stayed away from him like I told you.”

“That’s not fair. In the waiting room there wasn’t any way to avoid him completely. But I did ignore him.”

“And you listened in. On everything.” Meaning she’d just seen him at his worst.

Hell, he had spat with Tabby. He felt ten again, needling his sixteen-year-old sister.

“Should I have put my fingers in my ears?”

Without thinking it through, he reacted to her joking with uncensored candor. “You should have stayed behind like I asked.”

The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Tiredness dragged at him. The insurmountable issue of his sister married to a lying creep while infringing on his mother wormed through his brain.

But he didn’t usually lie to himself—as he just had.

Having Vanity along had been a balm against the rest of the night. She’d handled his sister, tended his mother, ignored fucking Phil, and all he’d done was bitch.

The seat squeaked with Vanity’s movement. She retreated, straightening to look forward through the windshield, arms folded around herself.

“Shit.” Drawing a breath, Stack reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. Again.”

Without acknowledging his outstretched hand, she shook her head. Her long blond hair half hid her face from him, but by her voice alone he could imagine her dejected expression. “No need. I’m the one who needs to apologize.”

“No, you don’t.”

She ducked her face even more. “We had an agreement, and I keep overstepping it.”

“Screw the agreement, okay?” He caught her forearm, then gently tugged until she loosened her grip and freed her arm, allowing him to slide his fingers down to lace with hers. He moved her hand to his thigh and kept it there. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Because I’ll watch the dogs?”

Laughing, he squeezed her hand. “I’ll watch them, and, no, it has nothing to do with that. But thank you for offering.”

“We’re going there first, right? To get them?”

The groan struggled to be free, but he manfully repressed it. “Guess so.” If he didn’t, the two German Shepherds would feel abandoned. They were softhearted beasts, overly protective, and deserved better than his sister gave them.

Not that she was bad to them. But she didn’t have enough time for two energetic dogs, and he wouldn’t trust Phil with a snake, much less a dog.

“By the time we pick up food and get them settled, it’s going to be morning.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going into the rec center?”

Sensing questions she didn’t ask, Stack shrugged. “Sure. Havoc and Simon are coming in to work with us. I’m not going to miss that.” Cannon, his friend and the owner of the rec center, had recently made a big name for himself. Gage and Denver were fast becoming fan favorites, and Stack was right on their heels.

But Havoc and Simon were legends in the world of MMA competition. It was a real honor to have them offer some advice, but to get to spar with them, yeah, he wasn’t missing that.

Havoc had only recently talked Armie into signing on with the SBC, which was the most popular, recognized and best-paying venue for MMA fighters. Now he and Simon hung around more often. If the rec center got any busier, they’d have to expand.

“You’re going to Denver’s next fight?”

“Yeah.” He glanced at her. “You?”

“Probably.”

Did she want to go together? He wouldn’t mind that, except that he left early, and other than the after-party, he might not see her that much. “I’ll be in back with Denver before he comes out.”

She smiled. “With Cannon and Armie, too. I know. It’s great how you guys support each other.”

“We’re a team.” But that reminded him of something else. “Do you really check out the guys?”

She fought off a laugh. “Stack. I’m not blind.”

So she did. Damn.

“Like you don’t eye all the women! I’ve been there when some very pretty ladies came in, and you sure didn’t hide your eyes.”

Guilty. But then, a quick look never hurt anyone. “I don’t check them out with any interest.”

Her rude snort nettled him.

“It’s just habit.” Even he had to struggle not to laugh over that one. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

“You forget that I know you, Stack Hannigan. I’ve seen you holding court at Rowdy’s bar, sometimes with three different women at your table.”

Shaking his head at her wording—he didn’t hold court—he pulled into an all-night grocery. “Okay, let’s focus on one thing, and only one thing.”

“Sex?”

Did she have to look so anxious when she said that? “Me wanting you. So much so that, since we struck our deal, I haven’t looked at other women, much less slept with them.”

Finally she turned those big vivid-blue eyes on him. Surprise replaced every other emotion. “You’ve been celibate?”

She said that with a lot of skepticism. “If it sounds unbelievable from your view, you should try it from mine. I can tell you, it sucks.” He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, then released her hand to park the car beneath a security lamp.

“Celibate,” she breathed. “Wow.”

He had to admit, it was pretty shocking to him, too. “I need this, Vanity. I need you. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

“That’s...well, an awesome admission.”

“And the verdict?”

“Was that ever in doubt?” she asked with a laugh. “This was my idea, remember? And now, after all the buildup, I think I need you more than you could ever need me. So many nights, I—” She hesitated, then bit her lip.

Lust shot through his bloodstream. He shifted closer. “What?”

Thick lashes lowered to hide her eyes. “I had to see to myself.”

That visual sucked all the air out of him, leaving his chest tight and his heart thumping. “You have no idea how willing I would have been.”

“Thank you.”

Thank you?

She shook off the shyness like an annoying fly, then met his gaze squarely. “But we do have an agreement.”

“Had,” he corrected. “We had an agreement. D-day is now.”

“Right. Now works for me. But the reasons for waiting were valid. Now they’re not. And now I need to get my fill of you.”

Her fill? Did she think she could?

Could she?

He hoped not, because he knew one night wouldn’t cut it for him, especially now with all these interruptions.

Damn it, he wasn’t in the habit of chasing women. He sure as shit didn’t play these games. He’d never had to. But no way in hell would he chance another disagreement with her.

He hadn’t lied. His need was so consuming, he thought he might self-detonate if he didn’t get her under him.

After a quick glimpse of the car’s clock, he said, “Let’s go. We’ll grab the food, grab the dogs, and hopefully that’ll be the end of the interruptions.”

Twenty minutes later, when he got to his mother’s house, he knew the rest of his plans had just been shredded.