“Last time you were at our place, you bragged about your cooking. Dazzle me.”

I looked to Aunt Bette. She rolled her eyes. I rolled mine back.

Then I went into the kitchen and rustled up some dinner. I didn’t know if it was dazzling. I just knew there were no leftovers.

* * * * *

Standing outside security at Denver International Airport the next day, Aunt Bette gave me a tight hug.

She also slipped a business card that had the name “Cabe Delgado” on it into my hand when she was done.

“You have any problems, you call Hawk,” she told me.

I nodded.

That was when Uncle Marsh moved in for his hug. It was longer and it was tighter.

Right before he let me go, he whispered in my ear, “Tyra, never forget. You matter.”

Then he walked to the security line.

Aunt Bette looked back and waved.

As was his way, Uncle Marsh did not.

As was my way, I watched until I couldn’t see them anymore. Then I went home. Then I typed out my resignation later. The rest of the day, I waited for Lanie to call.

She didn’t.

Tack didn’t either.

And when I went to bed that night, my heart still hurt.

Chapter Seventeen

Foregone Conclusion

It was my luck the next morning at eight o’clock when I drove into Ride to deliver my resignation letter that stated I’d be giving no notice, Tack was working on the red car. He was the only one there.

Seeing him and watching his head turn my way even as he stayed bent over the opened hood of the car, I should have been used to the pain my heart clenching caused. It happened enough times the last two days. But I wasn’t.

I looked away, parked, jumped out of my car and hustled up the steps to the office. I unlocked it with the key I’d already taken off my chain and hurried in.

Drop the key and the letter on the desk and get the hell out of there.

That was my plan.

This plan was thwarted seeing as I barely made it through the door when Tack came through the door that led to the garage.

Damn.

I ignored him and went straight to the desk. I dropped the key and envelope on it. I also ignored the sound of the lock turning on the door to the garage.

Damn!

I turned and, eyes directed at my feet, I started to hurry to the outer door, escape the only thing on my mind.

I caught movement in my peripheral vision and my head came up.

Tack was at the door to the outside and he was locking that too.

Damn!

I stopped moving.

“Tack,” I whispered. “Don’t.”

His head turned and his burning, blue eyes pinned me to the spot. Then his body turned.

At this point, I understood my mistake. I should have mailed my letter with the key.

Definitely.

“Please,” I kept whispering, “don’t.”

He held my eyes.

I held his.

This lasted a while, both of us staring at each other three feet away.

Finally, I could take it no longer.

“Please, Tack, move away from the door.”

Tack moved. He just didn’t do it away from the door.

He came at me.

My heart started hammering in my chest and my feet took me back. I bumped into the desk and scooted to the side, still retreating. Then my thigh bumped into the chair and it went flying, such was the hastiness of my retreat.

Tack kept coming at me and my retreat might have been hasty but his advance was far more rapid. My thundering heart skidded to a halt when his arm shot out, hooking me at the waist right before I would have slammed into a file cabinet. He jerked me to the side but kept coming until I was back against the wall. Then his arm around my waist tightened, yanking me against the hard wall of his frame.

My hand went to his chest to try to force him back but he stood firm as his other hand came up, palm at my jaw, fingers curled around my neck and ear.

“Please,” I whispered, bracing as his head descended toward mine, “don’t.”

Just when I thought his lips would hit mine, they veered to the side opposite where his hand was at my jaw. His fingers dug in, his arm around me tightened even further, plastering me against his body and his lips went to my ear.

“You f**ked up, Red,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes tight and pushed against his chest, my other hand going to his waist and fisting in his tee, pushing there too.

“Made the wrong decision,” he went on in a whisper.

I opened my eyes.

God, I had to get out of there.

“Please, let me go.”

“You been asleep, baby.”

My body went still at his words.

Tack kept talking.

“Green tea. Yoga. No TV. Placemats for your coffee table. Thursday night takeaway. You got a night for takeaway. Scheduled. A narrow, little world. Fuck me. Crazy. Fuckin’ whacked. I woke you up, opened your eyes to a bigger world and scared you shitless.”

Oh God.

This was not good. He had me figured out.

“Let me go,” I begged.

His arm tightened even further and his lips stayed at my ear.

“You give it good, darlin’, that attitude. So good, I thought that was you. That isn’t you. Not all of you. I got on my hands the girl at the party who looked at me like I was the only man on the planet even when she was in a sea of people, took my hand with all the trust in the world that I was gonna make things good for her and followed me to my bed. You f**ked up making the wrong decision Friday night. But I f**ked up forgetting about that girl.”

I closed my eyes. I liked that. I liked that he saw that. And I liked that he admitted he f**ked up. I didn’t think he had it in him but I liked it that he did.

Oh hell.

“Please, let me go,” I pleaded.

“So much to you, never had a woman who has so much that makes her. Every day, more comes out and all of it is a surprise.”

Ohmigod!

If I wasn’t wrong, that was a compliment. A good one.

I opened my eyes on the word, “Tack –”

“Day in, day out, you peel the layers back for me. Smart mouth, funny, sweet, wild in bed. Chattin’ with bikers like they were insurance brokers. Holdin’ my girl’s hand, givin’ her strength when her Mom’s bein’ a bitch. Keepin’ your chin up when your people show in the middle of a full blown drama. But so f**kin’ vulnerable, you’re scared shitless of livin’ life.”

“You don’t know me, Tack.”

His head came up and his eyes pierced mine. “I know you, Tyra.”

“You don’t.”

“Life’s a roller coaster. Best damn ride in the park. You don’t close your eyes, hold on and wait for it to be over, babe. You keep your eyes open, lift your hands straight up in the air and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.”