There was power in submission, he’d learned.
She worked him with her tongue, adding in her hand to cover more of him, squeezing in rhythm.
“Jo … close …”
She hummed in answer, and he lost any hope of holding out longer. He gave a short warning, then pulsed his release into the warmth of her mouth.
She pulled him back down from the high, staying with him until he tugged gently at her hair. Then she crawled up his body like a cat and collapsed beside him, one leg over his thigh, arm over his chest, head on his shoulder.
“When I can move again, your turn. ’Kay?” he asked, voice slurred. He couldn’t gather the energy to enunciate.
“Deal.” Jo shifted and smoothed a hand down Trace’s chest. “I suppose while you’re sleepy and satisfied, now would be a good time to get some intel on Seth’s mother.”
Trace stiffened, then forced himself to relax. “What intel?”
She laughed and rolled tighter into him. “No, I’m kidding. She seems to be a mystery to everyone. I assume your family knows about her but—”
“They don’t.”
“No?” The surprise in her voice shook off the last of the sexual cobwebs.
Be more open. Be honest. Last time he’d withheld info, he’d nearly lost her. Now was the time to give the story and let the chips fall. “I was too embarrassed to tell them, when I first got home. Now it’s sort of a matter of pride to keep Peyton guessing.”
“Sibling stuff,” Jo scoffed.
“Partly. But mostly, I’m still embarrassed.”
“You don’t have to go into it. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does, and it doesn’t. Let’s try the honesty route this time.” He grasped her hand over his chest and pressed it down. There was no way she could miss how his heart hammered in his chest, but he wasn’t about to let go. “Seth’s mom, Rose—”
“Rose,” she said quietly.
“Yeah. Rose. She was married.”
“And you were, what, her rebound? A divorce celebration?”
“Maybe I would have been, if she’d been divorced. She’s still married now. Or at least, I assume she is.”
Jo remained silent. He wanted so badly to tilt his head down and see what her face said, but he couldn’t. He might not finish otherwise. So he plowed on, unknowing. Going on faith.
“I met her on the road. Liked her. She’s a likable woman, not just a hot piece. Never thought it’d be anything permanent. Permanent wasn’t really a word for me while I was moving from town to town, following the biggest prize money, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” The words were said simply, with no hint of her feelings.
“But I liked her. And so we spent time together. And then I found out she was married.”
He knew where her mind was going. That Rose had already been pregnant when he found out.
“But I kept seeing her. I liked her. She wasn’t happy with her marriage. He was an ass, and she’d left him and just hadn’t gotten around to filing papers, whatever. Each day brought a new justification. All of them were bullshit. The minute I knew, I should have stopped. But we didn’t.”
Lonely. He’d been so lonely, so homesick, and she’d become a friendly face for him on the road. And he’d been weak enough to ignore everything he knew was right.
He breathed deep, and took a chance by lacing his fingers with hers. She allowed it.
“She ended it. I hate having to say that, too, since you’d think I’d have been man enough to walk away from the situation. But I wasn’t. I let it ride until she said she and her husband were going to reconcile. It wasn’t a hardship to let her go. I need you to know that. It wasn’t like I loved her or anything.”
Another black mark on his soul, but Jo said nothing.
“And then she found me a month later, saying she was pregnant and it was absolutely mine. Her husband was pissed, but maybe he wasn’t quite the ass she’d led me to believe. He was ready to put the whole thing behind him if she was willing to give up the baby. Either adoption or abortion.”
Jo’s hand clenched a little around his, but she stayed quiet so he could finish.
“If I didn’t want the baby, she was just going to abort. I didn’t think twice before telling her no. But Jesus, after she left, I puked my guts out with nerves.” He could smile a little now, at the memory of his pure panic. “I all but told her I was ready to tackle single fatherhood … and I’d never even held a baby in my adult life. Cradling Baby Bea when I was like five didn’t count. I had no family nearby, no friends that were around for longer than a night or two before we went our separate ways again, and no home to call my own. Scared didn’t even cover it.”