Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Ty

S itting on the curb, I peer up at Lakelynn’s darkened apartment. She spent her day inside. I got tired of staring at the tablet, so I came here. Her lights have been off for an hour, but I’m not ready to leave yet. The streetlights cast shadows against the night sky above. Sirens wail, and music from car radios bump in the distance, but it’s relatively quiet where I am.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. It disturbs the peacefulness I was enjoying.

Clenching my jaw, I pull it out and answer. “Yeah?”

“Someone wants to meet with you,” Tomas says.

“Not interested.”

“It’s a woman,” his tone is far too playful for my mood.

“I’ve got a woman. Don’t need another.”

“You do?” He chuckles. “She seen your face?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, dickhead. Are we done?”

Tomas isn’t a chatty fucker. It’s one of the reasons I like him. But he’s currently pushing his luck.

“I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you’d let anyone see your face with how distorted you said it was,” Tomas says. “I’ll let them know you’re getting laid elsewhere.”

I only tell people I’m disfigured so they’ll leave me alone about the mask. Truth is, I don’t have a mark on me.

“Who’s them?” I inquire.

With my past, it’s safer to know who’s asking in case they start digging. The less people know about me the better.

“Your opponent from last night has a friend who saw you fight. She wanted to meet you,” he says.

I swallow.

Shit. She does know.

“What’s her name?” I probe to make sure.

“I don’t know. Something to do with water. Can’t remember exactly. It was unique?—”

“Lakelynn.”

“That was it!” Tomas says. “You know her?”

“A little.” I hang up and scowl up at Lakelynn’s apartment.

She’s figured out I’m the fighter from last night. It would seem my charade is finally over. Well, for the most part anyway. She still doesn’t know the real me.

Would she be happy or afraid if she found out I’m Ty? Does she even remember me?

It was so long ago, I’m unsure if she will. I’ll have to put that to the test after I find out how comfortable she is with her stalker. She knows I murdered her boss; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put that together. If she can live with that information and accept me, she may be able to accept Ty.

I let my thoughts run through every scenario possible as I get to my feet. I’m not ready to reveal who I am, but it doesn’t matter. It’s time to take a step in that direction. I knew it would happen eventually; I just didn’t know when.

I let myself into the building using the key I bribed the maintenance man into giving me when Lakelynn first moved in. This could end very badly. Normally, when I visit, I leave stuff on her counter and go back out without disturbing her. I’m not planning to do that this time.

I climb the stairs up to her floor and use another key to unlock her door. My footsteps are silenced by the carpet in her living room. The hinges on the door move with ease, allowing me to close it back with little noise.

As I peer into the kitchen, my lips curve into a smirk. I can just barely make out the outline of my flowers in a vase on the counter. My boots thud lightly over the hard wood in the hallway. I pause at the entrance of her bedroom. The door is slightly ajar.

When I push it open, the hinges creak. Lakelynn snores softly, completely unaware of my intrusion. Stepping closer to the bed, I watch her sleep. I’m used to seeing her sleeping form through a camera lens, but she’s even more beautiful face-to-face. Her blonde hair shines, reflecting off the moonlight streaming into the room.

The journal on her nightstand catches my eye. Picking it up, I take a seat by her window and open it. While I’ve seen her write in it often, I’ve never zoomed in to read the words.

Many emotions run through me as I take in what she’s written: surprise, excitement, relief. I can do nothing except sit here in awe.

She remembers me.

Not only that, but she wants me as I want her. Any doubt I’d been feeling is erased. I haven’t felt so at peace since the first time she smiled at me. Lakelynn is mine, in every way possible.

Losing track of time, I read through the entire book, front to back. By the time I finish it, the sun has risen. Lakelynn stirs in her bed. I glance over. She lets out a short scream and jerks upright, seeing me in the room.

“God!” She places a palm over her chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I heard you were looking for me.” I set the book on the floor and stand.

“So you are the fighter from the other night.”

“Surprised?” I walk to the end of her bed and watch her.

“No. I knew it was you.” She hugs the comforter closer to her chest.

I smile at the confidence in her voice. “You know a bit more than that, don’t you?”

Lakelynn shrugs. “Only assumptions, but you know that.” She peers down at the journal and then back at me. “So, are they right or wrong?”

“Why don’t you come over here and find out?”

Lakelynn narrows her eyes, but crawls out of her blanket to the foot of the bed. She’s as calm as the breeze outside. I, on the other hand, am getting a hard-on watching her ass sway with each step she makes toward me, clad in only a t-shirt and panties.

Lifting up on her knees, she reaches out to me. Lakelynn pushes the hoodie off my head. Her smile fades as she pauses. The confidence she was radiating before diminishes a bit.

I tilt my head. “Afraid?”

“Maybe.” She chuckles wryly. “Disappointment is not a surprise to me after my life. I’m used to it, but to find out I’m wrong on this…”

“Don’t worry. I make it a point never to disappoint you.”

Lakelynn’s eyes fill with hope. Hesitation gone, she removes my mask and tosses it aside. A gasp falls from her lips.

“It is you.” Tears well in her eyes.

I’m unprepared for her to launch herself at me, but manage to catch her.

With her legs and arms wrapped around me, she declares, “I knew it was you. I’ve missed you so much. I thought you’d left me.”

“Never.” Closing my eyes, I savor the feeling of having her in my arms again.

“Why didn’t you come to me instead of just watching all the time?” Lakelynn asks.

My jaw tics. Her question reveals my vulnerability, but I’ve never lied to her and I won’t start now. “I didn’t think you’d accept me after what I did.”

She pulls back to look me in the eyes. “You were exacting revenge for my trauma. How could I judge you for that? All you’ve ever done is try to keep me safe. I love you for that.”

“You are my everything, Lakelynn. No one will ever hurt you again.”

“I know,” she says in a dreamy state. “And you’re my everything. Always have been. It’s time we finally got what we wanted and stopped worrying about the past.”

I nod. She’s right. We’ve been through enough. This is our time, and nothing is going to ruin it.

Her fingers caress my jaw. “I like the scruff. It’s thicker than it was before.”

Having her in my arms only makes my hard-on press more uncomfortably into my jeans. “I grew up.”

“We both did.” She wiggles, lowering her voice seductively. “We should get reacquainted.”

I grit my teeth as she rubs against me and grip her ass to make her stop. “Lakelynn. We don’t have to do...that. I’m just here to save you from your curiosity.”

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?” She frowns. “For you to make me yours? I don’t want to wait any longer.”

I’m just a man—not a good one with morals, if I have to admit it. What can I do when the love of my life tells me that?

With a smirk, I walk to the bed and lay her down. “If you get uncomfortable, tell me to stop.”

“I won’t,” she says confidently.

She removes her shirt and tosses it aside, returning my grin with one of her own. I love how ready she is for me. For us. It’s been a long time coming.

Lakelynn relaxes onto the bed, clad in only lacy panties, her gaze on me as I disrobe until I’m as naked as she is.

I crawl over to the other side and lie next to her. She turns toward me, and her hand glides over my bare chest.

Her voice drops to a whisper. “Promise me you won’t disappear again.”

“I promise.”

She leans forward and presses her lips against mine. I groan. It’s like coming home. I’ve only felt half-alive watching her for all these years, but in this moment, I feel whole.

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I deepen the kiss. My tongue delves between her lips, teasing hers. She responds in kind; a whimper of need escapes her.

I move my hand to the hem of her panties and yank. It rips, the sound vibrating off the walls. I pause, worrying that it was a bad move. The action could remind her of the hurt she’s endured in the past.

Unaware of my self-doubt, Lakelynn shoves my boxers down and hooks her leg over my hip. All my hesitation goes off the window. For now.

Gripping her ass, I press my hardened length against her core. The wetness pooling between her legs has me slipping over her clit with ease.

We should’ve experienced this so long ago. Yet this moment was stolen from us. I want to savor it. I rub my cock between her pussy lips, enjoying the sensation of finally being intimate with the one I love.

“Ty,” she whispers, causing me to shiver.

I’ve missed hearing my name on her lips; the fact that it’s a beg only makes it better.

“Please, I need you.”

I reach down and position my cock at her entrance. We’ve waited so long for this moment; there’s no hesitation, only need. She wiggles her hips and presses down onto my length. We groan as I fill her.

Our movements, fueled by a carnal desire that’s burned for far too long without an outlet, never cease. We gaze into each other’s eyes as we become one, our breaths mingling between us. The quiet moans Lakelynn releases are music to my ears. I love the flush in her cheeks and the way her body moves with mine. After years of being separated, we’re somehow still in sync with one another, as if we’ve done this before.

Lakelynn thrusts faster as she chases her orgasm. I tilt my hip and lift hers, bending my knee to gain more traction so I can fuck her harder. The headboard bangs against the wall. The sound blends with the squeaking of the bed frame. Lakelynn’s moans get louder. She tilts her head back and cries out as her pussy pulses around my dick.

Pumping in and out of her harder, I let her pussy draw out my own orgasm. Stars dance behind my eyelids as I empty my seed into her.

I’m home. Home sweet fucking home.