Tame: Carter Kids #3 (17 page)

Watching Teagan suffer through four days of food poisoning was fucking torture. Knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to make her feel better made it even worse.

Even now, as I swam lengths in the hotel pool with Lucky, all I wanted to do was turn around and run back upstairs to check on her.

I was fully aware that these things had to run their course, but it didn’t make it any easier.

"How's Blondie today?" Lucky asked me when I stopped to catch my breath beside him. "Still sick?"

"It's fucking awful, man," I growled, thinking of my wife thrown over the toilet in pain. I didn’t like feeling helpless. It was a feeling that sure as shit didn’t sit well with me. "She's so small, you know?" Shaking my head, I removed my swimming cap and tossed it away. "I swear she's lost ten pounds since Sunday."

I climbed out of the pool and waited for Lucky to join me before heading over to the hot tub. "She's just about keeping water and crackers down now."

"She'll be okay, man," he assured me, climbing into the hot tub. "Remember that time I got food poisoning after eating that hotdog?" He shuddered. "It was two damn weeks until I could put one foot in front of the other."

"That was prison food, man," I countered gruffly. "I'm surprised either of us made it out of that hole in one piece given the shit they fed us."

"Isn't that the truth," Lucky agreed solemnly. "By the way, I might need to go away for a few weeks next month."

"Really?" I turned and looked at him. "Where?"

"It's…Hayley's anniversary is coming up." Lucky rubbed his face with his face and sighed. "It'll be my first one out of prison."

"Sure, man," I choked out, not knowing what else to say. "Take as long as you need."

Here I was complaining about Teagan having food poisoning when Lucky's girl was six feet under.

I was an insensitive asshole.

"So…good," I mumbled around my burger as I tucked into the delicious meat and seasoning, groaning in delight when the mayonnaise hit my tongue, sending a riveting attack of flavors through me.

By the time I had reached the hotel restaurant, I discovered they had already finished serving dinner, so I headed to the front bar instead.

Not bothering to scope out the menu, I'd chosen a burger and fries. Not the healthiest of options, but after almost nine days of crackers and water, I needed some greasy comfort food.

I didn't ask Noah if he wanted to join me for dinner. I knew what the answer would be after last time – a predominant
no
.

According to Beau, I was the devil on my husband's shoulder when it came to his diet.

According the rest of his team – with the exception of Lucky – I was just the plain devil.

One stinking room service order of junk food in Phoenix and I wasn't to be trusted with my husband’s nutritional requirements anymore.

It wasn't like I didn't know what I was doing.

I'd trained as a fitness instructor in college, I'd co-owned and managed my own gym and I was in damn good shape myself.

The food thing was just one more black mark to add to a long list of the invisible
Teagan isn't good enough for Noah
checklist that everyone seemed to have.

"Sounds it," Lucky, who had decided to join me, replied dryly, drawing me out of my reverie. "Don't forget to chew, Blondie," he added with a smirk before taking a sip from his beer bottle.

"Lucky, have you ever heard the phrase:
sarcasm is the lowest form of wit
?" I shot back, reaching for a fry. "And if wit was shit you'd be constipated." Grinning, I poked out my tongue and waggled my brows at him.

"I… did you just compare my personality to a bowel movement?" he asked, blinking.

"Well, do you ever stop to think about the words you're planning to say before you actually say them?"

"Okay, I'm pretty fucking confused with this conversation right about now," he shot back with a wolfish grin.

Folding my arms, I leaned back in my seat in delight. "Good, I aim to please."

"You know," he teased, leaning across the table towards me. "If your goal is to please me with that mouth of yours then maybe you could lower your aim and apply a little suction." Shrugging his shoulders, he added, "Just saying."

"Ugh," I fake gagged and tossed a fry at him. "Suck on that, convict."

"You know I'm only yanking your chain, Teegs," Lucky chuckled, taking my comment on the chin like a real trooper. "You know I'd never look at you like that."

"Yeah, yeah," I shot back, rolling my eyes.

Lucky was a strange guy.

For all his darkness and secretive behavior, he had a really great personality.

He sort of reminded me of the older brother I never had…

"Glad to see you back to yourself," he added in a genuine tone. "Noah was worried."

"I know," I replied dryly as I devoured my meal. Noah had been like an attention deprived puppy dog all last week. I'd had food poisoning. I wasn’t dying, but you'd have sworn I had been the way he behaved.

Even though I'd told him not to, he'd skipped most of his training sessions, choosing to remain in a vomit aroma scented hotel room with me instead.

"So why the quick exit from the gym earlier?" Tearing off little pieces, Lucky tossed them aside absentmindedly, all while he looked straight at me, steel blue eyes locked on mine. "The guys giving you shit again?"

"You could say that." Grabbing my beer bottle, I put it to my lips and swallowed deeply. "Or you could say I've reached my quota of dickhead's for one day." Of course, I was the one who'd paid for Noah's tardiness. First thing this morning, when I walked into the gym, I'd gotten an earful from Quincy on how my sick ass was wrecking everything and if Noah didn’t win the fight tonight it was on me.

Setting my bottle back down, I clasped my hands together and forced myself to block all thoughts of Quincy Jones from my mind.

"Do you think I could duck him if I tried?" I asked instead, inclining my head towards Lewis, who was standing at the bar several feet away from us, discreetly doing his job. I cocked a brow and studied Lewis's ginormous build before taking another bite of my burger. "He's strong, I'll give him that. But I'm faster."

"Nah." Picking up a coaster, Lucky began to pick away at the edges. "He'd enjoy the chase."

"You know, I'm really going to miss you when you're gone," I admitted, feeling a pang of lonesomeness at the thought of Lucky not being her for a while. "Do you really have to leave tonight?"

"You'll survive, Blondie," he shot back tenderly. "And yes." Checking his watch, he let out a sigh. "My flight's booked and paid for."

Needing to go home to Colorado for a few weeks to sort some stuff out was all the information Lucky had given me when he told me he was leaving earlier, but I had a feeling it had to do with Hayley.

"You're still in love with her, aren’t you?" I blurted out tactlessly.

Lucky didn’t reply, but the way his jaw strained as he stared through me was answer enough.

It hurt my heart to think that Lucky was still trapped in the past, loving a woman who had been dead for over a decade, knowing that any future love of his would have to compete with a ghost…

"I'm sorry," I whispered guiltily.

"Forget it," he said after a moment, voice strained. He cleared his throat before adding, "Are you going to order dessert?"

"Is the sky blue?" I shot back with a smirk. "Of course I'm going to order dessert…" My words trailed off the second my eyes landed on Noah, who was walking towards our table. He had a beer bottle in one hand and a hotel fob in the other.

"Jesus," I breathed, appreciating my husband's appearance as he prowled towards me, freshly showered and dressed in blue jeans and a tight white t-shirt.

Noah's voice trickled down my spine like an ice cube when he reached us. "You good, Thorn?"

Lowering my beer bottle to rest on my lip, I looked up at him through hooded lashes. "I'm good, Noah." I studied his beautiful face and the sexy stubble sprinkled over his jawline. "How was the gym?"

"Okay!" Lucky announced, interrupting us

Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from Noah. "What?"

"As much as I'd love to stay and watch you two eyeball fuck each other," Lucky stared pointedly at me first and then Noah, "I have places to be."

"You're leaving tonight?" Noah's tone was full of surprise.

"Yep. There's a flight to Denver with my name on it," Lucky shot back, clapping my husband on the shoulder. "I'll see you guys in Vegas at the end of the summer," Lucky added before he slipped silently away, leaving me alone with my husband.

Taking the seat opposite me that Lucky had vacated, Noah picked up the half torn beer mat and twisted it around between his fingers. He stared hard at me for a long moment. "How are you feeling?" His brows furrowed in concern as he eyes trailed over my body. "You look…smaller."

"Relax." I pointed to my half eaten burger and laughed. "A few more of these and I'll be back to my pre-poisoned self." Picking up a fry, I dipped it in mayo before stuffing it into my mouth. "You need to stop worrying about everything," I added, touched by his concern.

"You got a dress for the after party tonight?"

"No," I groaned, suddenly remembering that Noah had an appearance at some highflier club after his fight tonight. Shaking my head, I took another swig from my bottle. "Count me out."

"Why?" Noah's visibly muscles bunched beneath his shirt. "Are you still sick?"

"No."
God…
"I'm just tired, Noah." Aside from being sick last week, I was still suffering the repercussions of not getting to bed until five every morning for the past few months. "I'm not made like you guys."

Noah sat forward, placed his bottle down and rested his elbows on the table, clasping them loosely together. His broad chest stretched the fabric of his t-shirt. "Teagan, I know these parties aren’t exactly your thing…" Cracking his knuckles, he let his words sink in for a moment before continuing. "But you're my wife. Your place is with me." The tone of voice he used this time left no room for protest. "I want you there with me."

I fought the urge to get snotty with his macho attitude, choosing to go down the road of tact instead. "To be honest, I'd be happier just staying in the suite tonight." I shrugged, uncomfortable. "I'm dizzy and tired and all I want is my bed."

In truth, I felt emotionally drained and physically exhausted.

It wasn't easy being on the road with all these men.

Noah leaned back in his chair, considering me with a caged expression.

Nervously, I took another sip of my drink.

"This isn't my world," I found myself explaining. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I forced myself to look at him. "Mine is filled with green grass, yoga pants, and braless Saturday nights in. And besides, they're coming to see you, Noah. Not me."

That, I was sure of.

Most appearances Noah did were filled with overly zealous women.

It sickened me.

"You
are
me. So if I'm there, you're there, too."

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean."

"No, Thorn, I don't." His tanned, muscular hand reached across the table. Taking my hand in his, Noah stroked my knuckles with his rough, calloused fingers. "We're a team."

"All those women that go to those functions want to fuck you, Noah," I muttered in a petulant tone. "It's a fact… a gross, sickening fact. One I don't care to be subjected to every fucking night of the week."

"Are you getting pissy with me?" he asked, amused.

"I'm stating facts," I shot back, red-faced.

I was getting angry.

Why was I getting angry?

"Let's be very clear about some facts," he said, his tone suddenly void of all humor. "There will be no fucking of any kind unless it's
me
fucking
you
."

"I don't want to go," I muttered, appalled and, if I were being honest, a little turned on. "I'm not going."

"And you think I do?" He shook his head and growled under his breath. "I hate those things as much as you do, Thorn, but I'm contracted to attend. And you're not staying on your own."

"Don't even start thinking you're going to tell me what to do, Noah," I warned him right back. Okay, I was feeling irrationally angry. "Everything has been quiet on the JD front. No death threats. No rose covered beds or bullets. I'm sure one night alone won't kill me. I'll be safe as houses."

"Safe as houses," he snorted. "You have some weird ass sayings, Thorn. You're not safe. Fucking demented, yes, but safe you are not."

"Did you come over here with the sole purpose of pissing me off and bullying me into doing what you want?" I shot back. "Because it's working. The pissing me off part, that is. The bullying not so much."

"Actually, I came over to apologize."

I gaped. "To me?"

"Yes, to you." Reclaiming my hand with his, Noah continued to stroke my knuckles absentmindedly. "I should be doing more stuff with you," he added cautiously as he looked at my face with a puzzled expression etched on his. "I've been spending too much time training, Thorn, and not enough time with you. I'll fix it."

Okay, now I was going to cry.

What the hell was going on with me?

"Are you crying?" Noah asked, horrified.

"No," I snapped, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I'm not!"

"Okay…" Standing up slowly, Noah stretched his arms above his head and stretched. "I'm going to run up to the room and grab a shower before we have to leave." Concern was etched on his face when he added, "You sure you’re okay?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Grabbing a fist full of fries, I stuffed them into my mouth before gesturing towards my half empty plate. "I'll be up when I'm done."