“Say that again, honey.” His gaze heated, and she knew what he wanted to hear, so she smiled up at him and repeated her words.
“I’m falling for you, Torren.” That seemed to be all that he needed. He dipped his head and took her mouth like a starving man who had waited his whole life for someone to say those words to him. He broke their kiss, leaving them both breathless.
“Thank fuck, honey, because I’m pretty sure that I’ve fallen in love with you and your girls.” Tana gasped, surprised by Torren’s declaration. “So, you and the twins are just going to have to get used to me taking care of you and making sure that you are all safe. Will you let me do that, Tana? Will you let me take care of the three of you?” Tana felt like a huge weight was lifted off her chest. She didn’t realize how much she missed having a life partner, and now Torren was asking her to let him be that for her and the girls.
“Yes, Torren, I will let you help us. Thank you.” Tana pulled him back down for a quick kiss. “We can’t stay here all day. The girls will be looking for us if they aren’t already.” Tana said.
Torren chuckled, “After they finished their pancakes, I told them that they needed to clean their room and get dressed. They grumbled something about me being meaner than you, and I took that to mean that I did something right.”
Tana laughed, “Yeah, the louder they grumble, the more I know that I’ve nailed the whole mom thing. You’ll get the hang of it. Just give yourself and them some time to adjust.”
Torren nodded, “How about we get you all soaped up and dressed before your tiny terrors come looking for us. We will get everyone packed and moved in at my house.” Tana sighed andnodded. She knew that moving in with Torren was a good plan to keep them safe, but she also hated giving up her freedom. The one thing that leaving Matt taught her was how to rely on herself. Now, she had Torren, and while she loved having him in her life, she needed to find balance and her voice. She was sure that Torren would give her the support she needed and help her find her way. “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll get your ex, and this time, he won’t be able to touch you or the girls. After we get you all settled, I’ll call Sawyer and have him come over. We need to come up with a plan. And, after some of the dust settles, we need to go shopping.” Tana looked at Torren, confused about his last statement.
“Shopping?” she questioned.
“Shopping,” he confirmed. “We have a wedding to go to, and now I will have three beautiful dates. I’m thinking that I need a new suit, and I bet the girls would love new dresses.”
Tana shook her head. “I can’t afford that, Tor. I barely make enough with my paycheck from the library to pay our regular bills.” Torren pulled her in for a kiss, soaping his hands up and running them over her body. She loved the way he touched her as if he had never touched anyone else but her. Torren made her feel special, even loved, and she would never tire of it.
“Tana, let me do this. You three will be my first real date, and I’d like to make it a night we won’t forget.” She thought about his words, not realizing that Torren never went on a real date. He’d been with so many women, she just assumed that he had at least taken them to dinner.
“This will be your first real date?” she asked. Torren shyly nodded. “Well, Mr. Harrison, the girls, and I will be honored to be your first. And, we would love to go dress shopping, thank you.”
Tana grabbed the soap from Torren, soaped up her hands, and ran them over his body, paying special attention to hiserection, liking the way he hissed out his breath. The ability to turn Torren on like that was heady. She felt powerful and in charge, and she liked it. Torren lifted her and backed her against the shower wall as she straddled his cock. He kissed her lips, sliding his tongue in and out of her mouth, mimicking what he was going to do to her with his cock. He pulled and plucked her nipples, not giving her time to think about what she needed—he already knew. Torren slid into her body, and they both moaned.
“Yes, Torren. Just like that. I just need you,” she groaned. He thrust into her body fast and hard until they both found their release. He seemed to know that she craved a connection with him, no matter how quick the pace. Tana loved that Torren already knew her as if he was reading her thoughts and could give her exactly what she wanted and needed. Torren lowered her slowly down his body, kissing and nipping at her lips.
“Sorry, it was so fast, but you need to get dressed, baby.” He lightly slapped her ass, and she yelped. She liked the way that he teased and played, never taking things to extremes.
“Yes, sir,” she mocked, earning her another slap as Torren exited the shower. She watched him walk out of her bathroom, enjoying the view of his sexy ass. Yep, she could get used to Torren being a part of her life. She just needed to get her shit together and figure out how to get her ex to leave her and the girls alone, which was going to be easier said than done.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Torren got the girls and Tana settled in his house before he called Sawyer for help. He felt oddly at peace having all his bedrooms filled with the three most important people in his life. He gave the twins the option of sharing a room or each having their own. At first, independent Elizabeth wanted her own space, but then she saw the bunk beds that Torren had Tag pick up earlier that morning and assembled in his spare room. He loved how he could always count on his brother having his back. After he told Tag about what happened, his twin brother jumped into action and got the girls’ room set up. He even got them a matching dresser to share. Torren was betting that Piper had a hand in picking out the pink comforters and the curtains that now covered his window. He was sure that he would hear a whole bunch of shit from his brother and their friends for having a pink room in his house. But, if things worked out the way that he hoped, the new color would stay put along with the little girls who were mesmerized by the cotton candy-colored room. He went to his back patio to call Sawyer and fill him in on everything, even though Tag probably called all the guys to fill them in. Whenever one of their own was in trouble, Tag,Sawyer, and Aaron could always be counted on to help save the day. Unfortunately, this time Torren worried that the day wasn’t going to be fixed so easily.
“Hey, man. Tag filled me in. I’ve been waiting for your call to finish the police report. Is now a good time to stop over?” Sawyer’s cut-to-the-chase, get-it-done attitude always made Torren smile. He was more laid back, but his friend liked to take charge and move things along. It was kind of how Sawyer’s relationship with Lorna progressed.
“Yeah, now is a good time. Tana is making some dinner, and the girls are playing in the room that Tag set up for them.”
Sawyer hummed his approval. “Sounds way too domestic to be describing a scene you’re a part of, Tor. You sure you’re not being held against your will or anything?” Sawyer laughed at his own joke, but Torren found him less funny.
“Very funny, but no. I want this, Sawyer. I’m ready to settle down and have a family—it just took me a little while to get to this point. I know that everyone is having a good laugh about my current situation, but I’m happy. Tana and her girls make me happy, man.” Torren almost had to ask if Sawyer was still on the other end of the line; he was so quiet.
“I’m sorry, Tor. I’m happy for you. Really, I am. It just all seems so sudden and completely out of left field,” Sawyer said.
“Sure, I see that, but isn’t that the way it went down for you, Aaron, and even Tag after you met the women that you fell in love with?” Sawyer whistled, and Torren wished he could take back his words. What he was feeling for Tana was no one else’s business.
“So, it’s love then?” Sawyer asked.
Torren sighed into the phone. “Yes, it’s love. At least for me. Tana says she is falling for me, whatever that means.” He could feel himself getting grumpier by the minute for having this conversation.
“Sometimes, women like Tana just need a little extra time. After Tag sent me over this guy’s plates, I did some digging. It’s Tana’s ex-husband all right, and from all of the police and hospital reports, he really did a number on your poor girl,” Sawyer said.
Torren closed his eyes, trying to suppress the urge to punch something. He knew that Tana had a bad marriage; hell, he even knew that the son of a bitch beat her up, but for her to have filed police reports that no one followed up on pissed him off.
“No one helped her?” Tag questioned. Sawyer huffed a breath into the phone, and Torren knew that the whole situation pissed him off, too.
“No one could have done anything about this asshole. Her mother tried to help Tana, but that didn’t sit well with good old Matt. Five days ago, Tana’s mother was hospitalized for multiple contusions and a broken arm. She told the local authorities about her ex-son-in-law showing up at her house, trying to find out where his wife was.”
