Mine to Hold (38 page)

Tyler cringed at her words. Yes, he’d been pining, but Alyssa had basically announced it.
Shit
.

She didn’t wait for Del’s answer, just walked out, leaving them alone. Tyler stared, his gaze fused on Del, petrified that if he blinked, she’d be gone again. But he had no clue what to say. If he opened his mouth, he had a bad feeling that he’d unload all his worry, frustration, and pain out on her. Jack had advised him to listen, so he figured he’d better at least try.

Del swallowed nervously and sat in Alyssa’s vacated chair. “You okay?”

No, I’m fucking terrified
. But he simply nodded. “All right. I’ve been better.”

“Hard to deal with Seth all by yourself?”

“No. He’s been . . . the best part of this week. I’ve loved getting to know him, seeing him every day. I—” He choked. “I need that.”

Del bit her lip again and hesitated, as if trying to decide what to say. “So this week was hard because . . . ?”

Tyler shook his head. “What do you want from me? An admission that I’ve been miserable without you? Okay, you’ve got it. I missed you. I love you. I’m not letting you or Seth go without a fight. If you’re going back to L.A., I’ll go, too. I’m pretty sure the department would hire me again, and I’ll do whatever it takes to prove that—”

She threw herself into his arms with such force, it almost knocked the wind out of him. Tyler wrapped her tightly in his embrace, burying his face in Del’s neck. God, she smelled good as she clung to him in return for a long, sweet moment. Then she backed away.

“I—I spent the last week dealing with the downfall of Carlson’s scheme and writing my story. Preston loved it and asked me to stay on as a featured reporter.”

“It’s what you’ve always wanted.” Tyler stiffened, fidgeted. He wanted to be happy for her, but inside he felt himself dying, becoming hollow and numb. She hadn’t mentioned him coming back to California with her.

“It is what I’ve always wanted.” She nodded. “Which made turning it down bittersweet, but still an easy decision. I know you love your family of friends, and clearly they care about Seth. I’m ready for a fresh start, so—”

“You turned it down?” Tyler snapped, his mind racing. She was ready for a fresh start. What did that mean? He winced. He hadn’t let her finish her sentence so he could really listen to her. Jack had given him good advice; he just hadn’t said how difficult it would be to follow.

“Yeah. Too many memories in Los Angeles. Seth needs a good place to grow up. Chasing the journalistic fast track isn’t what I want anymore. You are.” Her face dissolved, and tears welled in her so-blue eyes. “I love you.”

That was all Tyler needed to hear. The last week of worry and anguish melted, and he dragged Del against him, fitting every inch of his body against hers. “I love you. I thought this would be like last time, that you wanted to leave me and . . . I was going insane.”

She pressed a hard, quick kiss to his lips. “No. I needed time to wrap up with all the authorities. They took my phone into evidence, so it was harder to call you. Either way, I knew we needed to settle this in person. I didn’t want to do it from across the country, over the phone. So I took that time to quit my job, put my condo up for sale, pack up my stuff, and ship it here. Then I bought a plane ticket and called Jack.” She grimaced. “Actually, he tracked me down. Less than a minute after I bought my plane ticket, he called my house to ask me what the hell I was doing. I filled him in, and he offered to pick me up so I could surprise you and . . . here we are.”

With every word out of her mouth, Tyler’s joy increased. His heart pounded, and euphoria filled every corner of his body. “So you’re definitely moving here?”

She nodded and fresh tears fell. “I . . . got a job with the paper here and I’ve come to be with you. If you’ll have us.”

Tyler kissed away her tears, feeling a few himself. She trusted him and believed in their future enough to give up everything, including her dream job. She was choosing to spend her tomorrows with him here in Lafayette. He wanted nothing more.

“Angel, I want you and Seth with me here for the rest of our lives. Come with me. I’ve got something for you.”

He took her hand and dragged her into the house, his long steps making it difficult for her to keep up. He knew he should slow down, but he couldn’t yet.

Once he reached his bedroom, he pulled Del inside and picked her up, tossing her onto the bed. He grabbed what he needed from the nightstand, then covered her body with his, pinning her down. She was going to hear every word of this; he would make sure of it.

“You’re the only woman I want, Del. My mother was dead wrong about me. My father didn’t love her, so leaving was easy for him. But I could barely bring myself to walk away from you the first time. It would kill me to do it again—for any reason. It’s different—
I’m
different—because I love you. We belong together. I want to be a good father to Seth and a good husband to you. Please don’t leave me, angel. Stay.” He settled the precious metal and stone into her hand. “Marry me.”

She opened her palm and saw the diamond engagement ring he’d picked out for her the day he’d returned from L.A. Her eyes grew saucer wide, and she blinked up at him with more tears. But if the smile on her face was any indication, these were tears of joy.

“Yes!” she squealed, then lifted up to cover his lips with her own.

Tyler put the ring on her finger, his heart bursting with relief and joy as he drowned in her familiar flavor and sweet kiss.

Within seconds, she began tugging at his shirt and yanking on his shorts. Rising up just enough to pull his shirt over his head, he shoved her T-shirt off, ripped into her capri pants, and jerked them down before opening his fly with trembling fingers. Fuck, he had to get inside her, claim her again, this time once and for all.

She kicked away her panties, then spread her legs for him. Tyler didn’t hesitate, just slipped inside her, letting her warmth and need envelop him.
Home
. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling. Then reality intruded.

“Damn it,” he cursed. “Should I get a condom?”

She sent him a sheepish smile. “If the pregnancy test I took this morning is right, I think it’s too late.”

His heart soared, and his cock grew even harder. “You’re pregnant?”

“I’m pretty sure.” She nodded. “Is that . . . okay? Are you going to be ready to be a dad again so soon? I know we didn’t plan it this way, but—”

He cut her off with a kiss. “It’s perfect.”

Easing out of her body, he slid back in slowly, thrilled when she cried out and arched and threw her arms around his neck, looking utterly lost to passion. She was wonderful, and she was finally his. Fuck, he couldn’t be happier.

“Guess that means we need to get married soon,” he drawled, tormenting her with another slow glide of his dick inside her silky-wet sex.

“You sound pretty happy about that,” she managed to eke out in between gasps of pleasure.

“Absolutely. You make me happy.”

She smiled up at him, something so beautiful, his heart nearly stopped. “I fell hard for you the first time you touched me. I think I always knew, deep down, we were meant to be together, but over the last two weeks the feelings only got stronger. This is my dream coming true.”

He’d suspected the same thing. “Mine, too. I love you, angel. Always.”

***

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About the Author

Shayla Black (aka Shelley Bradley) is the
New York Times
bestselling author of more than thirty sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances for multiple print and electronic publishers. She lives in Texas with her husband, munchkin, and one very spoiled cat. In her “free” time she enjoys watching reality TV, reading, and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

Shayla has won or placed in more than a dozen writing contests, including Passionate Ink’s Passionate Plume, Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, and the National Reader’s Choice Awards. Romantic Times has awarded her Top Picks, a K.I.S.S. Hero Award, and a nomination for Best Erotic Romance.

A writing risk-taker, Shayla enjoys tackling writing challenges with every book.

Find Shayla at www.ShaylaBlack.com or visit her on her Shayla Black Author Facebook page.

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WICKED LOVERS TITLE

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FEATURING XANDER AND JAVIER

AVAILABLE SPRING 2013

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