ground. “I got a little desperate, Coach. I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“He’s lying!” I didn’t even consider the trouble I’d be in if I told the truth. I wasn’t supposed to be at the party where I’d caught Vaughn’s eye. Unless…his interest began earlier that day when I told him off at school for being a bully? I shook my head because it seemed so unlikely. Vaughn liked girls who were pliable and easy. Who were…not me.
Fortunately, my claim fell on deaf ears as my father whirled on me, his eyes that weren’t as light as mine, ablaze with fury. “Tyra Morgan Bradley, explain yourself!”
“I—” The words became stuck in my throat, not because of my father’s anger but because of the grin now spreading across Vaughn’s lips. He winked the second he caught my gaze, pissing me off even further. Fine. This game he started was for two. Only I could play it better. “The truth is that he looks awfully like that sex predator we saw on the news the other day. Don’t you remember, Daddy? It’s uncanny.”
My father blinked weary eyes at me. “Enough. I want you to show Rees inside and get him into some dry clothes.”
“But—”
“That wasn’t a request, Tyra.”
And so began Vaughn’s embarrassingly easy victory over my heart and soul.
“What did he say?” I asked when I finally found the courage.
Vaughn shrugged as he wiped some of River’s drool from his chin. “He was pissed, but he didn’t seem surprised. Your father isn’t stupid, pip. He trusted you to make smart choices on your own.”
Vaughn’s lips flattened, and I had the feeling it was out of guilt rather than anger. Despite what he’d done, I didn’t put one-hundred percent of the blame on Vaughn. He’d been honest about his intentions from the start. It had been my ego and stubborn heart that chose not to listen.
Of course, I thought with a wry twist of my lips, it didn’t give him the right to fool around with my sister.
“Hey,” I said when his turmoil didn’t seem to be passing. He looked at me then, sorrow filling his green gaze, so I flashed him a crooked smile, an olive branch of sorts. “We can’t change the past. There’s no need to hurt your poor butthole trying.”
He quietly mulled that over before offering a reluctant nod. I thought at least my advice would ease the tension, but it only seemed to increase it. “Can I stay?” he asked after a while. My sharp inhale was audible. Sensing my worry, he rushed to add, “I’ll sleep on the recliner.”
“You’ll regret it,” I warned him after forcing myself to calm down.
He glanced down at River, but when he met my gaze again, he stared at me for the longest time. “No, I won’t.”
My reaction, thankfully, was silent this time. A chill worked its way down my spine as my belly tightened and my heart fluttered. I forced myself to smile good-naturedly since Vaughn was always good at reading me. He was especially keen at detecting when I was horny. “Only if River says it’s okay.”
Our son released a sharp cry, and as he fussed, he turned his head from side to side, making Vaughn wince. I was sure his feelings were a little bruised. “I’m just going to take that as a yes, anyway,” Vaughn stubbornly teased him.
“In River’s defense, it’s probably because you’re holding him like a football.”
At Vaughn’s dumbfounded blink, I tossed aside the blanket that had been wrapped around me, then stood and padded over to them. His gaze dropped, and when it seemed to burn, I remembered that I was only wearing tiny shorts and a thin tank. Despite the hospital feeling like the arctic, I had a habit of overheating at night, which was why I always wore little to nothing. In fact, I usually wore less, to Vaughn’s pleasure, during those nights, I snuck him up to my room after my father had fallen asleep.
“Preemies have a hard time keeping themselves warm.” Taking River from him, I told Vaughn to hold out his arms. Swallowing at the veins threading through his forearms, I gently placed River back in his arms. “Hold him close to your chest so that he can feel your heartbeat and share your warmth.”
Vaughn did as I directed, and River slowly quieted. “You think I’m warm?” he flirted once River had gone still. Vaughn’s head was tilted, and his lips turned up in a smirk.
I rolled my eyes