Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Almost everyone had a bucket list, things they’d never done but wanted to do before they died. Well, Tucker could officially say that he had never wanted to have someone throw up in his mouth. That didn’t stop it from happening, though.

He should have cut Talia off four drinks ago, but she’d insisted that she could hold her shit, which she had not. He now wore the proof of that all over his chin and leathers.

It took literally everything he had in him not to dump her onto the floor and run screaming for a bathroom. Instead, he’d stood stock still, stunned by what had happened for as long as it took one of his brothers to come to the rescue while several more stood off—way off—to the side in complete hysterics.

Their sensitivity knew no bounds.

Bunch of assholes.

Thank God for Taco, though. He’d always come through in a pinch, and tonight was no different. While Tucker stood in front of his bathroom sink, his hips wrapped in a towel, and scrubbed his mouth out with toothpaste, gagging at the mere thought of the trial he’d just been through, Taco pushed Talia into a hot shower and began washing the chunks of partially digested food down the drain.

“Dude, seriously, you should have kept a better eye on her. She’s a total mess. Hold onto my hand, sweetheart, so you don’t fall.”

Tucker shot daggers at his reflection in the mirror. Spitting a gob of toothpaste into the sink, he said, “Fuck you, Taco. I was watching her. It’s not my fault she doesn’t know her own limits.”

“No, it’s not, but she’s with you; therefore, it’s your responsibility to see to it that she’s taken care of.”

“I’m not her old man.”

“Maybe not, but you’re something,” Taco muttered.

Tucker turned and stared holes through his brother’s back. “Care to say that to my face?”

Taco ignored him completely and focused on washing Talia. “These clothes need to come off,” he said, although Tucker couldn’t tell if he was addressing him or just speaking in general. But there was one thing he was certain on.

“No way are you sticking around for that. I’ll take it from here.” He pushed into Taco’s space and reached inside the stall to take hold of Talia’s arm. She looked miserable, her eyes closed, her hair a wet mop obscuring most of her face, and her body a heavy weight. She looked as if she might keel over any moment.

“Oh, sure, let me do the dirty work then slide in and play the hero right when it’s about to get good. I see how it is.”

Any other person and Tucker would have bristled. But this was Taco they were talking about. The guy didn’t know how to be offensive, even when he was clearly trying.

Or maybe it was just that Tucker didn’t view him as a threat. Whatever. It didn’t matter.

What did matter was that his friend was not going to see Talia naked. That right was reserved specifically for him.

And he wasn’t about to start analyzing why he suddenly felt the need to shield her from other men when he clearly didn’t give a shit with any other woman before her.

Uncaring if Taco saw him naked, Tucker dropped the towel and stepped inside with her, ignoring the shout of dismay from his brother. “Dude! Warn a guy before you drop trou!”

“Don’t know why you’re complaining,” Tucker said as he whisked the curtain closed. “You know my ass is the best you’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Dude, Stephanie was in my bed last night.”

“Exactly.”

“Fuck you, bro,” he said with a laugh. “I’m outta here. You cool then?”

“Cool, man. Catch you later.”

Taco muttered another insult that Tucker didn’t quite catch as he left.

“Hey, make sure you lock the door on your way out!” The last thing he needed was someone walking in unexpected and uninvited. He’d seen Bambi wandering the grounds tonight, her eye never quite leaving him. He wouldn’t put it past her to pull some shady shit, and he’d already had a hell of a night. No need to compound it.

Talia swayed a little, and Tucker banded an arm around her waist. Brushing the wet hair from her face, he tilted her head back to get a better look. Her eyes cracked open, lids heavy. “How you doin’, sugar?”

“Better, I think.”

“You’re not going to throw up on me again, are ya?”

Her head shook side to side. She groaned. “God, I feel like crap.”

He felt bad for her, he truly did. More than once he’d experienced the effects of losing control. It wasn’t fun, which was why he’d learned to limit himself. Never again did he want to feel the rotation of the earth beneath his feet or have his head shatter at the sound of a pin drop. It just wasn’t worth it.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, yeah?”

She nodded, then groaned again. “Can you please tell the room to stop spinning.”

“Afraid it’s not the room that’s moving, sugar. Lift your arms for me.” As he struggled to help her out of her sopping wet clothes, Tucker couldn’t ignore the feeling stirring inside of him. He’d never so much as had a girlfriend before, hoping to avoid things like this where he was cast as the protector and caregiver. Now here he was, doing all those things.

He thought he’d hate it, but for some reason, taking care of Talia, washing her hair and body, taking his time drying her off, then shuttling her off to his bed and tucking her in beside him felt good. It felt right.

It was something that should have sent him running. He could have called a cab and sent her on her way. He could have pawned her off on one of the bunnies; Ginger definitely would have seen to it she was taken care of. He could have done a number of things, all of them absolving him of any responsibility so he could go on with his night.

But for some reason, he did feel responsible for her. Just the idea of sending her away for someone else to watch over pricked at his insides, making the predator in him rise up and take point. Even now, all alone in his room, he wanted to pull out his gun and dare someone to try and come through that door. The slab of wood didn’t feel like enough separation from them and everyone else. No one should see her in this state—naked and vulnerable.

And for some reason, she was trusting him to take care of her, to watch over her, to protect her. He couldn’t recall a time when anything had felt better. Not even when he’d been accepted into Spec Ops. Not even when he took down a bunker full of bad guys plotting an untold number of crimes that would have resulted in hundreds if not thousands of lives lost.

Somehow, lying there with Talia, holding her in his arms, felt infinitely more important. So that’s exactly what he did.

***

It wasn’t the first time Tucker had spent the night with the woman. Probably wouldn’t be his last, either. But he certainly had never spent any of those nights holding anyone’s hair as they retched over his toilet, and he definitely had never rubbed anyone’s back and tried to soothe them in any way. This was all new territory for him.

He was surprised when he found that it wasn’t exactly the worst night of his life. In fact, he was proud of himself. He hadn’t complained once, hadn’t even wanted to. It just felt like he was in the right place, as if he was meant to be there with Talia, caring for her in her time of need.

And how fucking strange was that? He couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d just wanted to hold someone and make them feel better. Sure, he took care of people before, but they’d all been men from either of his teams—the Ops and the Spartans. Something about it being a woman, this time, struck him as profound.

He wasn’t sure why, but there it was.

Talia had risen twenty minutes ago and, with a sheepish look, excused herself to take a shower. She needed it. Badly. Knowing that she was in the shower, naked as the day she was born, he was surprised to admit that he wasn’t even the least bit turned on. Okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true, because Talia’s tits were phenomenal. Almost as nice as her round, juicy ass, but she was in no state to be plundered, so he was backing off, keeping his inner tiger on a leash.

There would be time to dish out some good hard lovin’, but not before he got some food into her and made sure she couldn’t be knocked over by a strong wind first.

Finding a pair of sweats, Tucker pulled them on and left the room in search of sustenance. After the night they’d both had, something hearty was in order.

“Hey, momma,” he greeted when he caught sight of Ginger coming out of the kitchen.

“Hey, sweetie. What are you doing up so early?”

“Never really went to sleep.” He scratched fingernails through mussed hair. Noting what she was wearing, or not wearing, as it was, he quirked a sandy brow. “What are you doing up so early?”

She had on a silky pink babydoll camisole that barely reached the top of her thighs and nothing else. Her hair, much like his, was in disarray, and she had a certain look in her eyes that every woman who’d braved his bed left with.

Her cheeks didn’t pink up like Talia’s would have when she replied in kind. “Never really went to sleep either.”

Tucker grinned. He didn’t have to ask, but it did make him wonder who was behind that smile. His gaze strayed to the hall behind him.

Ginger cleared her throat. “Are you heading into the kitchen?”

Snapping out of his musings, Tucker turned back to face her. “Yep. Talia’s going to need some food soon. Pretty sure she left it all in my bathroom last night.”

“Had too much to drink last night, eh?”

“As if you don’t already know. I thought bartenders were supposed to cut people off when they’ve had too much.”

“Hey, I’m nobody’s mother. It’s not my job to police everyone who walks through that door.”

Tucker held up his hands in surrender. “Didn’t meant any offense.”

“Just runnin’ that big mouth again,” she replied with a scowl.

Sensing that he was on a precipice, Tucker decided to back away from the edge. “Any prospects up?” He pointed to the kitchen.

“Prospects?” She chuffed, as if the very idea was absurd. And yeah, after a party like last night, she was probably right. Most of the club would be down for the day. He’d be lucky to see a single one of them before dinnertime. “A couple of the girls came in early to help with the cleanup and start breakfast. If you ask real nice, I’m sure they’ll whip you up something tasty. And by tasty,” she said, her tone suggestive, “I don’t mean food.”

“Then I’d better not keep them waiting.” He winked, then started walking. “Tell Repo I said congratulations.”

“Nice try, but I don’t kiss and tell,” Ginger called back as she walked away.

“Had to give it a shot,” he returned. It really did nag at him to know, without a doubt, that Repo was the man behind that satisfied look she wore, but it wasn’t any of his business. Shaking his head, Tucker slapped a hand against the partitioned door and proceeded inside.

Ginger was right, there were a couple of girls left over from last night hanging around. One a blonde and the other a brunette, they were both on the short side—though not nearly as petite as Talia—and dressed in shorts that showed off thin, toned legs and a lot of ass. He doubted very much if they had on any panties underneath, but that was just par for the course around there.

Currently, they were busy wiping down counters and filling the trash can with various detritus from the party. Already there were several industrial-sized bags piled up by the back door, but there was going to be many more where that came from later.

The blonde noticed him first, and she sent a sharp elbow flying into her friend’s ribs. “Hey, Country,” she cooed, her smile a mile wide. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Her friend eyed him with a predator’s gleam that would normally have him plotting out how fast he could talk them out of their clothes and onto their backs for a threesome to remember, but for some reason, he wasn’t feeling it today. Instead of being sexy, it felt a little creepy.

“You look hungry,” the friend observed. Leaning on a broomstick, she traced her cleavage with her finger. “Can we fix you something to eat?”

As if he needed a dictionary to decode her meaning. They were going to be mighty disappointed when he turned them down. “Yeah, I was thinking some eggs, maybe bacon if you can find any. Oh, and some orange juice. Two glasses.”

Sure enough, their alluring smiles melted into deep frowns.

“Oh, okay, sure,” the blonde said, setting the cleaning rag and spray bottle aside. “Is this just for you…?”

She was fishing. Trouble was, she wasn’t going to get the answer she wanted. “Nope, for two. My friend is nursing a bit of a hangover. A good breakfast should fix that right up.”

“Oh?” The blonde’s expression brightened as she moved to gather the ingredients from the fridge. “Are you talking about Wayne? Because he was a beast on the keg last night. That handstand he did was insane, wasn’t it, Katie?”

The brunette did a brilliant impersonation of a bobble head. “Totally insane. He killed it though. I’ve never seen anyone chug that fast.”

Their dual gazes shot back to Tucker expectantly. He ignored it and leaned a hip into the counter, crossing his bare feet at the ankle. “Wayne can drink anyone under the table. I swear the man’s blood is made of ninety percent alcohol. I wish I would have been there to see it, though. I bet it was pretty awesome.”

“You missed it? Where’d you go?” the blonde asked, beating eggs into a frying pan.

“Like I said, taking care of a friend.”

“That’s so sweet of you. I bet he’s glad you were there to help.”

Tucker smirked at her obvious play. “I don’t know how glad she is,” he emphasized, “but she will be once she sees this wonderful breakfast.”

The blonde’s lips pressed together, and she got to work focusing on those eggs. There wasn’t much talking after that, which was expected. Once a woman realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, they usually resorted to pretending he didn’t even exist. Which worked just fine. Especially today. Tucker was only interested in entertaining one woman at the moment, and she was currently unclothed in his bedroom.

He’d like her to stay that way.

“Can you put a rush on that, doll? I’m kind of in a hurry.” He smiled the same smile that had won many a woman over, and it worked like a charm, just as he’d expected it to.

Within no time at all, Tucker was thanking them and on his way back to his room with two steaming plates heaped high with yummy goodness, and two cups of OJ—freshly squeezed courtesy of blondie’s capable hands.

Talia was going to be blown away. If he was really lucky, she’d be so amazed and taken back by his generous offer that she’d join him in a little game of Sit-and-Spin before she went on her way.

It took some careful maneuvering and some creative problem-solving skills to figure out how to balance everything and open the door without creating a disaster, but Tucker eventually managed to make it back inside the room.

Kicking the door closed, he noted that Talia was nowhere in sight. Figuring her to still be in the bathroom, he took a moment to set everything up, placing a plate and glass on each side table then fluffing the pillows and straightening the blankets to set the perfect breakfast-in-bed ambiance.

Standing back, he surveyed his handiwork, pride puffing his chest. “Hey, sugar, I brought somethin’ for you.”

When he didn’t get an immediate response, he crossed to the bathroom, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t find her folded over the toilet again.

What he found was a whole lotta nothin’.

“Talia? Sugar,” he called out, even though his eyesight was twenty-twenty and the bathroom was the size of a small closet, and it wasn’t like she was hiding behind the shower curtains.

He ducked back out, surveying his room with fresh eyes. There was nothing of hers there. Not a shoe or a purse or even that sexy pair of lacy boy shorts he’d peeled off her last night.

Propping his hands on his hips, he stared at the plates of untouched food and cursed.

She’d left. Without a word, Talia had walked out on him.

Again, had it been any other woman, that shit would be awesome. The mark of a truly perfect woman. But this was Talia, and Tucker didn’t like it. Not one bit. In fact, he was peeved. Truly, thoroughly, and royally peeved.

Walked out on him? Hell no. No one walked out on Tucker Abrams without at least giving him the courtesy of a goodbye kiss.

Throwing on last night’s clothes, he grabbed his wallet and keys and was on his bike before the food had a chance to cool.