Mine to Hold by Shayla Black Read Free Book Online

around another bite. She’d rectify these deficits in her life after this crap with Carlson was over.
    Seth toddled over to her and plopped at her feet with one of his toys. Little Caleb followed, then Chloe wanted down to join in the fun. Del gnawed on her lower lip, then took her last bite of food. Seth missed his preschool, his friends. He was cranky without his routine, his naps, his fun time. Guilt pounded her. For the millionth time, she wished she could make all this go away for him. For them.
    And none of these thoughts did her a damn bit of good.
    After wiping her mouth with her napkin, she set it down. “I’m stuffed. Thank you, Mr. Traverson.”
    “Luc,” he corrected. Then the chef looked at his wife. “Ready to head home?”
    Alyssa nodded, and within moments, they were gone. Tara and Kata left directly behind them with a friendly wave and air kisses for Seth, followed by Deke and Kimber. Jack and Morgan loitered for a moment.
    “Deke and I will be around later to discuss our plan of action. We’re going to help you. And you need to trust that Tyler is going to do everything to fix your problem. Listen to him; he knows what he’s doing.”
    That sounded an awful lot like an order. Given his profession, it wasn’t a stretch to guess that he’d either been military or law enforcement in the past. But she didn’t work for him, and she wasn’t about to just fall in line with his plans. She had the solution worked out in her head—one that didn’t risk both of Seth’s parents and leave him with strangers.
    “Thank you for your opinion, but this is my son and my life. I have to think about it.”
    “We understand.” Morgan patted Tyler’s arm. “You’ve got a tough cookie there. Good luck.”
    With that, the couple departed, leaving her alone with Tyler, who sent her an unfathomable stare. His cop stare. God, she hated it when she couldn’t read him.
    Seth’s childish noises faded to the background. The air turned thick. Crap, why was her heart beating faster?
    Tyler leaned over her, bracing his hands on the back of her chair and crowding his way into her personal space. His ridged abdomen, apparent through his tight T-shirt, was right in her line of vision. She didn’t dare drop her gaze lower to see if she had any effect on him. She wanted to . . . Instead, she tipped her head back to glare up at him.
    “So, angel . . . let’s talk about how this is going to go.”

Chapter Three
     
    D EL swallowed at Tyler’s nearness. God, for years she’d basically crawled on his lap and never thought of him as more than a pal. One night had completely rewired her body and left her painfully attuned to him. Shoving the thought aside, she planted her palms against the corrugated expanse of his stomach and pushed him away.
    “No, here’s how it’s going to go, Tyler. Seth and I are going to take a shower. Then you can read to him, if you like. After that, he and I are going to sleep. If you don’t have a spare bed, I’ll go find a motel and see you tomorrow, but—”
    “I have a spare bed. You’re not going anywhere.”
    Because it suited Del’s plans, she didn’t argue. “Fine. Thank you. As long as you understand . . . you keep your distance, and I’ll keep mine.”
    Tyler clenched his jaw. “Damn it, Del. I didn’t hurt you the night that we . . . made love.”
    Physically, no. It would almost be easier if he had. Instead, he’d given her one amazing climax after another, tripping her over the edge of pleasure in ways she’d never even conceived of. Certainly in ways that Eric had never managed.
    But she wanted to throw his words back in his face and point out that he had other ways to hurt people besides physically. The seeming ease with which he’d left her without a backward glance had been damn painful, especially after she’d realized how badly she needed Tyler. It hurt more now to realize that, since they’d parted, he’d been getting busy with his usual bevy of