“That’s good. I’m willing to help in any way I can. My laptop holds a lot of the information that you might be looking for.” I point to my bag that’s placed besides his in the back seat.
“Good to know. We may need Easton to take a look at it. You can use my laptop while he’s working on yours. He’s a mastermind when it comes to reading between the lines.” I hum quietly to the music playing in the background, trying not to dance in my seat about being in Leo’s bed tonight instead of another hotel room. Even with it only being two nights, it’s not the same. They don’t smell like your own home, or in this case, they don’t smell like Leo. His scent is that of autumn on a crisp day, the subtle scent of nutmeg and black currant. And he feels like warmth when you’re cold to the bone. That’s what Leo does for me—he’s my warmth on a cold day. That’s something I don’t ever want to disappear either.
Thirteen
Leo
A sigh of relief leaves me as we pull into my driveway. It’s three o’clock in the morning, but I’ve never felt this sense of peace as I do right now with Tinsley. She’s safe here. Fuck, for that matter, so am I.
“Home sweet home,” I whisper into Tinsley’s ear. She tried her best to stay awake the entire trip today, but two hours ago, she couldn’t fight sleep any longer. The emotional toll this is having on her is probably as much stress as it’s giving me.
“We’re home?” Her voice is raspy from sleep. Fuck, that ache in my chest when she calls this place home. It was never that before her, just a house made of brick and mortar.
“We are. I’ll grab our bags. Then we can pile into bed. Tomorrow is when the real shit happens. Not too early though.”
“Oh joy,” she says with sarcasm. Tinsley grabs her purse and laptop bag. I roll my eyes. Damn woman doesn’t listen and is always willing to help.
“It won’t be too bad. The guys will just want to go over everything with a fine-tooth comb. They’ll see it from an outsider’s point of view, whereas all I can see is red when it comes to your parents,” I state.
“I can see that,” Tinsley says as I grab our duffle bags and my laptop bag. When we pulled up, I couldn’t park in the garage because my work and personal vehicle were already parked there. It fucking sucks and doesn’t make me happy, but there’s nothing I can do. Drake sent a text earlier today saying he was stopping by to make sure everything was secure. Of course, he also said the fridge was restocked and Raelynn brought by a cheesecake.
“Are you hungry or ready to shower and sleep?” I ask her as we make our way into the house.
“Wait, did you just unlock the door with your thumbprint? That is so cool,” Tinsley geeks out, something I wasn’t expecting but am happy about just the same.
“Yeah, I’ll get yours added tomorrow, along with the rest of the doors. Come here. I want you to see how the alarm works, just in case.” I proceed to show her the code, how to arm and unarm it before we head upstairs, bypassing the rest of the house. My only thoughts are getting Tinsley naked and in bed beside me, in whatever order that happens.
“I wish it were light out and my body weren’t begging for a shower and sleep. I’m not sure how you’re still even standing. Feel like conserving water with me?” Tinsley asks when we make our way upstairs and into the master suite.
“Not this time.” I drop the bags on the floor, kiss her softly on her lips. My hands hold her hips, so she doesn’t start something we are both too fucking tired to finish.
“Okay.” I hear the dejectedness in her voice.
“Tomorrow we will. I have a few things to do. Namely putting that cash in the gun safe. I’ll put your prints on it tomorrow too. Then I want to make sure the security system is working. Even though Drake checked it out, I want to be sure.”
“Do you think you can go ahead and tell me what Slade said while we were on the car ride?”
“Come sit with me for a minute. You’ll need to be sitting down for this,” I tell her, sitting on the bed before bringing her down into my lap.
“You’re kind of scaring me, Leo. Again,” she says, but her body sinks into me.
“It might scare you. I won’t lie to you, it’s not pretty, and you may hate your parents for this even more. Your mom, your father, and any other kin were cut off when your grandaddy passed away. You grandpa left a smaller inheritance with strict rules. It’s to go to your school and for you to live off of. With it coming up on your twenty-first birthday, you’d have access to it, freely.” I take a gulp of air before I wreck Tinsley’s world.
“Okay, but I knew that. I mean, my parents may not have though. What does this all mean?”
“It means your dad put a hit on you. The trust fund reverts back to your parents if you pass away.” I let her digest the words before saying anything else.
“How?” Her chest is heaving as she cries, ripping me apart at the seams as she sobs in the crook of my neck. There’s nothing I can do for her right now, except this.
I slide us back, holding my woman as she cries. No, she doesn’t cry—she breaks the fuck down, and I vow in this very moment that Robert Sutton is a dead man walking. He has no idea what my hands are capable of, but he’s going to find out before too long. Slade, Drake, Bridger, Easton, and Travis won’t be able to stop me from ripping him apart like he’s ripped Tinsley tonight.
I sooth Tinsley, slowly cooing and whispering softly in her ears, that she’s safe and her home is here with me, now and always. I hold her till well after she’s cried herself to sleep, and as much as I hate to unwrap myself from her body, I need to. There’s too much cash sitting around in plain sight, and I need to make sure everything is safe and secure for the night. Then I’ll get Tinsley up, shower with her, and never let her go.
Fourteen
Tinsley
Last night sucked, that’s all there is to it. Leo was with me every step of the way. When he woke me up to shower after my crying jag, it was like I was a robot. He never wavered. He held me, washed my body and my hair, not in a sexual manner but in the most tender way possible. That’s probably why I’m now wide awake, my chin resting on my hand that’s on his chest, Leo’s heart beating steadily beneath me. He’s still asleep, not that it surprises me. He has to be exhausted. Hell, I still am, and I didn’t even drive. Sometime between getting out of the shower and Leo dressing me in one of his shirts, I found peace in knowing my parents aren’t parents. They never nurtured or loved me like grandaddy did, so this really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me. It just hit me hard and at a vulnerable time.
“You’re thinking awfully hard right now, beautiful. I can even see the smoke coming out of your ears.” Leo’s voice knocks me out of my thoughts. A slow smile plays on his face. I scoot up, wanting his lips on mine.
“Good morning.” My mouth finds his, giving him a small kiss until his hands tangle in my hair and he deepens the kiss. When his other hand tightens around my waist, I move to straddle him.