“It’s good you think that, Lexie, but I don’t agree.”
I tried to assure him, “He was relatively gentlemanly about it.”
“I don’t give a shit how he was about it. I don’t like the idea of you bein’ out there alone and a man like Navarro thinkin’ he can get in your space. Your space is your space and you get to decide who’s in it. At the very least, Navarro should think your space is my space and I get to decide who’s in it. Either way, he got in your space, that does not make me happy because him doin’ it means I gave you my word and then I broke it.”
“You didn’t break it, Ty. You can’t be responsible for his actions.”
“I tell you to cross your legs often?” he shot back.
I pressed my lips together.
“Right,” he clipped.
I walked the short distance between us and put my hand on his bicep.
“Honey, you aren’t responsible for his actions.”
His chin was in his throat as he stared down at me but he didn’t reply.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” I muttered, looking away.
But I looked back and that was because I had no choice but to do so when Ty’s big hand cupped my jaw and forced my face to his.
“Don’t keep shit from me,” he ordered quietly.
I nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
“For however long this lasts, you play wife. That’s all you do. You don’t put up with shit from anyone and especially not because of me.”
“Ty, guys hit on women they’re wearing wedding rings or not. What he did was the same thing. Who’s to say that, he didn’t see me last night but saw me at the pool, he wouldn’t have done that anyway?”
“I’m to say it because last night he saw you watchin’ me lose, your face givin’ it away that you didn’t know that was the way I was playin’ it but you still laid your jewelry at my side without hesitation and kissed my jaw before you walked away. He saw a woman take her man’s back. He’s a guy who’s got no shot at findin’ a woman like that because the women that gravitate toward men like him are not your kind of woman. And he wants what I got. And I showed him that. So, he might like what he sees by the pool but he took a shot at it because I showed him what’s behind the tits, ass and legs. He can get tits, ass and legs anytime he wants. What he can’t get is what’s behind yours.”
There it was again. A Ty-style compliment that couldn’t be beat.
“Ty,” I whispered.
“It won’t happen again.”
“Okay but you need to know, I’m not mad at you for that. I don’t even care about that. I’m not actually mad at you about anything. I really am hungry and wanted to have breakfast with you.”
“Okay, I know what you need me to know but I need to know you get it that it won’t happen again.”
Good. Clean. Right.
Right there. In front of me.
Shit.
“I get it,” I said softly.
His hand dropped.
I instantly missed it.
“Okay,” he said and took a step back so my hand had to drop. “Get in the shower. I’ll order room service and get you fed. While you eat, we’ll decide what we’re gonna do on your vacation day.”
I nodded but asked, “Are you going to let me pick what I want for breakfast?”