Make Mine a Ranger (Special Ops: Homefront Book 4) (8 page)

Bess stood in front of the sink in her
new white gi. Not her usual attire for scraping the remnants of chicken piccata
off the skillet, but Abby was hungry and she hadn’t had time to change after
getting home from the gym.

After his run-in with Dan, Tyler had
insisted Bess join his MMA gym and learn some self-defense. Just once, he said,
and she’d be hooked.

She hadn’t believed him, of course.

Her first class was on Monday. Basic
self-defense for women. By the end of the hour, she was drenched in sweat, her
throat was sore from practicing her shouting, and her legs throbbed from
kicking.

What an awesome way to start the week,
she had decided, feeling more powerful than she ever had.

On Tuesday, after waking up with her
muscles screaming in agony, she thought a night off would be a good idea. But
Abby had begged to go back again that evening because in the gym’s child care
facility they had a bouncer for the kids up on Tuesdays, and what child could
resist that?

So Bess had decided to suffer through a
kickboxing class for an hour while Abby bounced to her heart’s content.

“Kickboxing is freaking awesome!!!” she
had texted Lacey and Maeve from the locker room at the end of the class.

Then today, one of the gym’s owners,
Connor, had greeted Bess and Abby at the door with a gi. She’d need a gi, he
explained, for tonight’s women’s grappling course.

Grappling? She had thought the idea crazy.
It was one thing to punch target mitts or kick a heavy bag, but an actual
person?

But when Connor told her that Tyler had
bought her the gi, she had been so ridiculously touched by the gesture, she
couldn’t refuse.

Before Bess knew what had happened, she
found herself rolling around on the mats, trying to break free and pass the
guard of another student. Not just
trying
to—but actually
learning
how
to. How many times would that have come in handy in her relationship
with Dan?

She was hooked.

“Hey, look at you!” Tyler exclaimed as he
walked in through the door and looked Bess up and down in her gi. Abby jumped
up from the table and crawled up Tyler’s tall form like he was a ladder.

 “Do you like it?” Bess asked,
biting her lip.

“Yeah. You look like you’re ready for a
cage fight.” Giving Abby a kiss on the forehead, he set her back down in her
chair.

“I’m not ready for that yet. But I did
take the grappling class today.” Bess handed him a plate of chicken piccata she
had saved for him. “Thanks for the gi, Tyler. That was really so sweet. I want
to pay you back for it, though.”

“I’ll never let you. I’ve always wanted
to watch a woman cook me dinner in a gi. It’s a little fantasy of mine.” Eyes
suddenly widening, he darted a look at Abby as though he might be assessing
whether that comment had been too much for an inquisitive three-year-old to
hear. When she kept eating her chicken, his shoulders dropped in relief and he
shot a smile at Bess. “She’s eating chicken,” he noticed.

Bess nodded. “Gave up the vegetarian
thing when I fried up some bacon the other day.”

“Yeah, I’m with you, Abby. Hard to resist
bacon.” Tyler sat next to Abby. “So did you like class?”

Bess knew her grin must seem a mile wide.
“It was incredible.”

Tyler laughed. “Good for you. I thought
you’d like that one. The kind of fighting you learn in that class is really the
most like reality. Fights end up on the ground.” He took a bite of the chicken
piccata and his eyes dropped to half-mast in appreciation. “Oh, this is so
good. I’ll buy you a new gi every week for a meal like this. And how are you
liking the child care there, Abby?”

“It’s fun. They had a bouncer yesterday.”

Tyler nodded. “I know. They have it up on
Thursdays, too. I wish I could use it.” He faked a frown.

Abby giggled. “You’re too big. You’d pop
it.”

“You’re right, I probably would.”

Abby squirmed down from her chair. “Done,
Mama.”

Bess smiled at the sight of her
daughter’s nearly empty plate. Her appetite had definitely increased after an
hour on that bouncer. “Then go upstairs and get ready for your bath.”

“Okay.”

No argument today. Or yesterday. Apparently,
going to the gym after work agreed with Abby, too. She wore herself out and
seemed actually anxious to go to bed.

“So you like the gym?” Tyler asked after
Abby had disappeared up the stairs.

Bess rinsed off Abby’s plate and loaded
it into the dishwasher. “Like you need to ask? I’m loving it. I don’t
understand why I get to go for free on your membership, though.” She narrowed
her eyes slightly, bracing herself for whatever lie might follow.

Tyler waffled. “Um, the kind of membership
I have allows for a spouse. And since I didn’t have a spouse they just let me
put you on there with me. Are these little brown things capers?” he asked,
clearly trying to distract her.

Raising her eyebrows, she ignored the
question. “Really? That’s interesting, since I asked at the front desk and they
said that you were actually paying extra for me.”

Tyler lowered his head, swallowing a
curse. “I told them to keep that quiet. Look, I’m sorry, but I just figured it
was my responsibility, since I’m the one who is pretty much forcing you to go.”

“You’re not forcing me. It was a good
idea.”

“Good. I’m glad. The matter is closed,
then.” He shoved a fork full of chicken into his mouth.

“No, not till you let me pay you back
every month for this.”

“Denied,” he responded, his voice muffled
with a mouth full of food. “Bess, I’m saving so much money by staying here. Seriously.
It’s a ton less than those apartments I was looking at. Plus, you’re always cooking
for me. Hell, you even do my laundry half the time, though I wish to God you
wouldn’t ’cause I know my PTs smell like ass after a workout.”

“Won’t you let me at least—”

“No,” he cut her off, looking ten times
as stubborn as her temperamental three-year-old.

Bess stood there, feeling the need to
argue the point further, but unable to form words. He was… taking care of her
again. Protecting her. Helping her. It was an odd sensation, one that seemed to
send her hormones racing through her veins like an Olympic bobsledding team.
“Okay, then,” she finally said. “Thanks, Tyler. More than I can say.” She
sighed, giving his arm a squeeze, yet desperately craving more contact with him
than that.

“My pleasure.”

She brushed down the front of her gi and
gave a little twirl. “So do I look intimidating in my gi?”

Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’d
look a lot more intimidating if you hadn’t tied the belt wrong.”

“I tied the belt wrong?”

“Yep. There’s a whole art to doing it.”

“No kidding?”

“Let me show you. First, uhh—never
put a bow in it.” He gave an adorable snort. “Makes you totally look amateur. I
can’t believe someone didn’t correct you before you walked out of the gym.”

“But it’s so long. If I just tie a knot
in it, it will drag on the ground.”

Tyler came over to her and started untying
the belt. Her heart rate spiked as the front of her gi opened to him. She had a
t-shirt on underneath, like all the other women at the gym wore under their gis.
Yet still, the idea of him undressing her in any way made her feel like there
were fiery torches surging through her bloodstream.

“There’s a couple ways to tie your belt,”
he explained. “The easy way is to first find the middle.” He folded the belt at
its center so that his right hand was holding the fold. His other hand grasped
hers and joined it with his own, holding the belt.

The feel of his skin against hers made
her dizzy.

“You do it yourself, Bess. Muscle memory
is best for these things,” he explained. He held his hand over hers as he
guided her. “Now put the center right here,” he said, pressing his hand and
hers up against her belly button, “and wrap it around to the back.” His face
was so close to hers as he wrapped his arms around her, that she could smell
the chicken piccata on his breath.

His arms were completely encircled around
her waist and held her hands behind her, so that Bess could feel the pressure
of his chest against her breasts.

She swallowed. Hard. This was more than
she could handle.

“Now switch hands in the back, and pull
it back to the front.”

His hands were back at her belly again,
after she did as she had been told, and she ached to feel the pressure of his chest
against her again.

“The left side goes over them both, and
then tucks underneath.” He pushed slightly against her belly as he tucked the
belt in, making her breath hitch. “Now see this one?” He grabbed hold of one
end. “You take the one that is sort of flopping over the belt and you tie it
again.” He ran his hand along the belt, making sure it was smooth, and then
gave the knot a tug. “See?”

Bess was breathless. And addicted.
More,
please.

She bit her lip. “You said there’s
another way to do it?”

“Uh, yeah. You want to learn it?”

Bess gulped, nodding. Hell, yeah, if it
meant feeling his arms wrapped around her again.

How long had it been since she had felt
such a sensation? Years. An entire lifetime ago, literally. Abby’s lifetime. She
had been too frightened to get close to anyone since Dan. Except for the
brotherly hugs she got from Mick and Jack, she hadn’t allowed any kind of
closeness to a man. And this sensation was entirely different. So different it
stunned her.

“Okay. So this is usually how the black
belts do it. Take this end in your hand.” Again, his hand enclosed over hers as
she held the end of the belt in her grip. He pressed their hands into her hip. “And
put it right here. Now I want you to wrap it all the way around your body.”

His arms encircled her again and she
glanced up, her mouth so close to his that there was no escaping the pull. Inhaling
sharply, she touched her lips to his.

Eyes widening, as though she had no idea
what she had just done, she pulled her lips from his barely an inch before the feeling
of complete shame set in… until he moved his mouth back to hers and let his
warm lips consume her.

Dropping the belt, his hands moved to her
face, tracing gently along her jawline to her ears, then tunneling into her
hair. She heard what she could only call a low growl and had no idea whether
the sound came from him or her.

Breathing in deep, her chest rose against
him, and her hands moved to his back, uncertain where to go. His lips gently
grazed over hers as he coaxed her mouth open. Then she tasted him, felt the
slickness of his tongue as he tentatively explored her, sliding it along her
teeth. Dipping into him, she intermingled her own tongue with his.

It was such a sensation. For a woman who
had so long been in the desert, it was like drinking a 6’1” glass of ice water.
Not lasting more then ten seconds, she was ready to beg for more, when she
heard two words that sent her careening back to reality.

“I’m ready!” Abby called from upstairs.

Tyler lurched back from Bess as though he
had just pressed his lips to a hot stove. “Oh, crap,” he said. “I’m sorry. Don’t
know what the hell just happened there.”

Bess pressed her hand against her mouth.
“No. That was totally my fault. I don’t know what got into me.”

“No, no. I shouldn’t have…” His voice
trailed as his eyes squinted slightly, as though trying to remember exactly
what had just happened.

“It was my fault. I made the first move. It
wasn’t you at all. I’m so sorry.” Bess couldn’t help it. Tears pooled in her
eyes. “It’s just… I don’t know.” She wiped her eyes. “I’ll be up in a second
honey,” she called to Abby.

“Bess, oh God. Don’t cry about it. Hell, this
was the best part of my day,” he joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

“I feel like an idiot. I don’t know
what’s with me. I just haven’t—” She shook her head, tears flowing. “It’s
been so long since… Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I guess I just haven’t kissed a man
in so long, and there you were, you know? Your face so close to mine. I just
wanted to remember what it felt like, I guess.”

Tyler’s face softened, and he moved
toward her again, securing a lock of her hair behind her ear. “You haven’t dated
at all since Dan?”

“It’s embarrassing, isn’t it? Four years.”
She kept her voice hushed. “I kept using Abby as an excuse. But really, I was
just scared. I still am, but now it’s different. Now I’m scared I’ve forgotten,
you know, how to even be with a man. How to even kiss a man. And there you were,
Tyler. Your lips just inches away, and I just...” Her voice trailed, mortified.
“So stupid. You must think I’m a basket case, Tyler. I’m so sorry about this.”

“Mama!”

“I’m not. I got to kiss a pretty lady out
of the deal.” Tyler grinned as Bess stepped toward the stairs. “But if you
start demanding more than a kiss from me, I might just ask you to get a sitter
first.”