“Yeah, you are, at least next to me, where I can keep you safe. We’ll decide about sex later. My vote is yes because I’m done tiptoeing around the fact that I want you damn bad. I’m pretty sure this is the only chance I’ll have to convince you that something about us works, so if I have to be ruthless . . .” He shrugged. “I have no problem with that.”
Del’s jaw dropped. She should be pissed off. And she was trying to be. But she found something so compelling about Tyler’s desire. He wanted her and he refused to deny it. She couldn’t refute the ache flaring in her again. She hadn’t missed sex in almost two years, and here he was, making her need and want it in a way she never had.
“For now, I’m going to take a quick shower. Call to check on Seth, if you’d like.” He tossed her his phone. “When I get done, we need to find some dinner, buy a few supplies, and exchange our car again. Xander will call to set it up.”
With that, he disappeared into the bathroom. Del sank onto the bed, disquiet dawning. Tyler had never come after her with all his seductive prowess. For years, she’d watched him turn it on other women, always somewhere between envious and grateful. As much as she wanted him now, resistance was going to be brutally difficult.
Was it worth the effort when they’d only be together for a few days? Whatever he said, Tyler would likely go his separate way when this mess was over. Instead of pushing him away, maybe she should seize the opportunity to feel like a woman again, to feel loved, put closure to this chapter of her life.
Biting her lip as she considered the question, she turned Tyler’s phone over in her hands and opened his contact list. She scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. Lots of females, first name that usually sounded artificial and overtly sexual with a phone number only. Jazmine, Krystal, Angelique, Chastity—yeah, right—and even a Lexxxie. Del rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the jealousy blazing through her. Tyler wasn’t hers, and he never would be. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of that fact.
Finally, she came across Alyssa’s contact info and dialed. The woman answered almost right away. “Hey, Ty. Figure your shit out yet?”
“It’s not Tyler.”
“Delaney? Hi.”
“Hi.” She didn’t want to resent the woman he called friend, that he’d clearly wanted—and slept with?—at some point. The woman now watching over her son. But she couldn’t help it. “How’s Seth?”
“Great. Kimber brought Caleb over to play with Chloe and Seth. They are having a great time. Magically, she’s keeping the boys from fighting. He seems really happy. He misses you at bedtime, but we’ve all done our best to comfort him.”
Tears speared her eyes again. She’d been strong for so long, but one thought of Seth sad or in need brought her to the brink. That’s one thing she hadn’t seen coming before giving birth, the power of a mother’s love for her child. She’d never known anything so pure and unconditional. For that alone, she was so grateful to Tyler.
After they chatted for a minute, Delaney ended the call. If she and Tyler were going to have a plan before they reached their destination tomorrow, she needed up-to-date information.
Digging through her purse, she found the disposable phone she’d bought on the road and dialed Lisa, one of the paper’s investigative reporters. They’d been working together for just over a year. Lisa was wicked funny, but more importantly, she was razor sharp when it came to digging for dirt. That’s exactly what Delaney needed right now.
“Del, is that really you?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. I should be back in L.A. by tomorrow.”
“And Seth?” Lisa sounded all kinds of worried.
“Fine. I miss him, but he’s better off being out of town with friends. Tell me what I’ve missed.”
Lisa’s voice dropped. “The lid is about to blow here. If you have any intention of stopping Carlson, you better do it quickly. Rumor is, he’s got some shit on the DA. Apparently, the esteemed Mr. Reed likes to swing both ways, and Carlson is threatening to publish pictures of him and a barely legal boy together in a park. And they aren’t throwing a Frisbee.”
Shock doused Del. “Seriously? Mr. Family Values and Church?”
“Isn’t it always the ones you least suspect? But you haven’t heard the worst. It’s likely that Carlson will be appointed to replace him until the next election.”
Del nearly dropped the phone. “As sneaky as he is about getting positive press, it’s unlikely he wouldn’t be elected.”
“Bingo.”
“Oh my God.”
This changed everything. If she couldn’t get this story published before he became the district attorney, she feared he’d have too much power for her to take him down via a mere newspaper article. Hell, for all she knew, he could have her thrown in jail and Seth taken away.
Fear lashed her.
“How much time do I have?” Del whispered.
“A few days, maybe. A week at most. I’ve been staying on top of this for you, just like you asked. Sorry I don’t have better news.”
“Thanks for letting me know,” she said woodenly.
But Del’s thoughts raced. If she didn’t succeed, what would happen to her and Seth? Every time she turned around, Carlson proved all over again how ruthless he was. He’d already tried to have her killed more than once. She was the only one standing between him and power. He wasn’t going to stop.