Watching her with the clothes, she carefully took everything out of the bag and closely looked it over, looking for prices, which he had already removed.
“None of these have prices, how are you going to take them back if they don’t fit?” she asked.
“I have the tags if we need them. Why don’t I step into the hall while you try on a couple things? There should be a few loose shirts that won’t hurt your back in there. Do you need me to get a nurse to help you dress?” He didn’t want her hurting her back twisting to dress.
“No, I should be good, it looks like I can slip something over my head.”
Tyler left the room and walked down the hall to a snack bar where he could get coffee. Not sure whether Tammy drank coffee or not, he didn’t get her a cup. If she wanted one, he would come back for it.
Trying to make sure he gave her enough time to dress he paced the hall for several minutes, not wanting to leave her too long. Now that she had agreed to stay with him, he couldn’t wait to get her into his home. He hoped he would find a way to make it permanent. Even though he hadn’t known her long and didn’t know much about her, he was drawn to her in a way he had never been to any other woman. It felt natural to be with her and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to.
Checking his phone to kill more time, he saw there were several messages from Dillon and one from his friend Derek. He called Derek first. He had totally forgotten he had promised to help move the baby shower gifts from the club to Derek’s home. Derek was probably ready to hand him his ass.
He quickly explained the situation and apologized, totally feeling like a jerk. Derek understood and offered his help with the girl if he could. Tyler was grateful he had such good and supportive friends.
He decided he had given Tammy enough time, and would call Dillon later. When he walked into the room, Tammy was sitting on the side of the bed wearing a loose shirt and sweatpants. They looked a little big on her, but not too bad.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It was very thoughtful of you and they will do fine.” She smiled. She was going to owe this man so much, but she refused to think of that now. Years of practice at accepting charity hadn’t made it easier, but she was better at it.
She would figure out a way to pay him and all the people who had helped her and her father back. She just needed a job and a cheap place to live. Maybe Tyler would let her rent the room at his place once she found a job.
That would be a great idea, then she would have some security, and a big, beautiful man to protect her. That was definitely a plan. Maybe things were looking up for once.
Not wanting him to go yet, she asked, “Can you stay a while and talk or do you need to leave?’
“I can stay. What do you want to talk about?” he responded, moving the pile of clothes and sitting on the bed beside her.
Tammy’s pussy throbbed having him this close and she carefully laid her hand on his thigh, wanting to touch him.
He covered her hand with his and held it there, feeling the heat of her hand through his jeans. He was going to have to be careful with this one, she did things to him no one else did and it would be easy to lose control and go too fast with her. He didn’t need to scare her off before he got her to his home. He had time, he hoped.
“Tell me about yourself. Do you work, do you have family? Talk to me,” she said as she slightly squeezed his thigh.
He felt her hand move and it was all he could do to keep from squeezing back. “You know my name. I work for the President, I’m Secret Service. I have no family here, they are all in California, and I have several good friends here. What else do you want to know?”
“Tell me how you got your job in the Secret Service. That sounds exciting.”
“It’s not as exciting as you think. Most of the time it’s pretty boring. I am not assigned to the President often and spend most of my time on assignment with foreign dignitaries. Usually it involves standing outside a hotel suite for hours waiting for something to happen. It’s exciting when it does, but luckily it isn’t often.” One day he would tell her about Dottie and Derek and their experience with the General, but now was not the time.
“My former CEO and best friend, Derek Moore, recruited me for the service. He and I were in the armed forces together and his stint was over before mine. When I got out, he had already submitted my name and had me signed up for the training course. We’ve worked together ever since.” He fondly remembered the call from Derek and agreeing to accept the position.
“I’m thirty-four years old and have never been married. I don’t have a girlfriend and live alone. It will be good to have some company, the house can be lonely sometimes.” He gently squeezed her hand.
Looking in her face, he could see how tired she was, so he moved the hand resting on his thigh to her own and stood, taking the pile of clothes with him. Putting them back in the bag he turned to help her lay down.
Pulling back the covers so she could swing her legs up, he pulled them over her and, unable to resist, brushed her lips with his.
She smiled and said, “Would you please stay an
d talk until I fall asleep?”
How could he say no? Promising to be there the next day to take her home, he pulled the chair close to the bed and took her hand. He told her stories about his childhood and family life until he saw her eyes drift shut.
Waiting until she was soundly sleeping, he brushed her forehead with his lips and pulled the covers closer around her. Making sure the nurses had his number and informing them that she would be going home with him, he hurried home to make sure the spare room was ready for her and called Dillon.
The news from Dillon wasn’t good. He could find no record of where her father might be right now, but was continuing to dig.