TOUR STOP~SHELTER YOU By Alice Montalvo-Tribue

Title: Shelter You

Author: Alice Montalvo-Tribue

Release Date : January 14, 2014

Hosted by: Love Between the Sheets Promotions

 

   

She's mine. That was the first thought that came to my mind when I held my baby in my arms at seventeen. I didn't care that my parents had already promised to give her to a wealthy family. That they were forcing me to give her away. She was mine. I ran away from that hospital, from that family, from the only life I knew. I planned to start over with what little money I had, determined to make something of myself despite the odds. Then Logan Tate came along. Gorgeous and controlling, he claimed he was trying to help me, and he didn't care that I was just another teenage pregnancy story. But I don’t trust him. I don't trust anyone. And if Logan knew the real secrets and lies I was keeping inside, he wouldn't dare try to shelter me.  

The car coming to a stop jostles me awake; Logan pushes a few strands of hair off of my face and kisses my nose. “We’re home.”

He announces quietly, while he strokes my cheek with the back of his hand. “You ok to walk?”

I look up into his soulful blue eyes and smile, I could get lost in him, I want to get lost in him. “Yeah, I can walk.”

He shuts off the ignition and removes the key. He exits the car and rounds the hood coming to the passenger side and opening the door for me. 

I give him my hand and he helps me out. We make our way inside the house, he switches the lights on and closes the door behind me as I take my jacket off 

and hang it up. He comes up behind me and circles his arms around my waist, instinctively I lean back into him.

“Are you ready to go upstairs?” He questions, his lips inches away from my ear.

My heart rate picks up and I try to speak but find that I’ve lost my voice, I nod my head in response to his question and with a slight push of his hand on the small of my back he leads me up the stairs. I turn to face him and place my hands on his chest. “I think I need a shower, it’s been a long day.”

“Yeah me too. How bout you meet me back in my room when you’re ready.” “Your room?”

“Yeah, I thought that maybe we can stay in my room tonight, I have a bigger bed it’s more comfortable.”

“Okay.”

I take my time in the shower washing my hair, shaving and getting myself mentally prepared for what may or may not happen tonight. We’ve never actually spoken about furthering our relationship, never discussed the impact of throwing sex into the mix. I’ve been happily living in a bubble here with Logan all the while in denial about the fact that at some point he would expect more, he would need more. It’s not that I don’t want to give it to him, I want to, with everything I have I want to be that for him I want to be everything that he needs and expects me to be and I think that I want those things too. I’m just scared, scared to give myself to him willingly because what if it’s not what I keep hoping it will be. What if it’s exactly what I experienced in the past? The idea is not exactly appealing to me and not that I regret having Lily but the process of creating her was not by any means romantic or enjoyable. I make a promise to myself to not use my past experience as a point of reference for whatever happens with Logan. He’s different, he cares about me and whatever we do we do it because we both want to.

Once I’m done in the shower and my hair is all dry I linger in my bedroom trying to figure out exactly what to wear. I don’t think that my normal attire of flannel pajamas is appropriate for tonight but I don’t own anything that is outright sexy. Lingerie has not been a top priority on my list of things to do. I pick the best pair of undies that I can find, a cute pair of pink boy shorts with black lace trim and toss on a white t-shirt that I snatched from Logan. I open my door and walk across the hall taking deep soothing breaths, I pause for a moment at his door, placing my forehead on the cool wood. I can do this.

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Alice Montalvo-Tribue lives with her husband and daughter in New Jersey. She has a bachelors degree in communications and is currently working on her masters degree. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, and when the weather permits lounging out on a beach.

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I pull up a chair next to Mia at the dinner table, surprised that she went through the trouble of cooking at all. She’s a guest here, the last thing I expected her to do was make me dinner. We barely speak as we eat and the silence feels deafening to me, it’s uncomfortable and makes me want to crawl out of my skin.

“How was work?” I finally ask her to try and bridge the gap between us. I called in a favor from my sister’s best friend Sarah to get her a job at the daycare and I only hope that she likes it enough to stay.

She takes a sip of her soda before she looks up at me and shrugs. “It was okay.”

She stands up, picks up both empty plates and walks them over to the sink. I can hear the water begin to run as she continues. “I think Sarah was kind of shocked that I was driving your car. She was even more stunned by the fact that I’m staying here.”

She’s poking around for information, asking a question without really asking and I have to admit I’m glad that she’s questioning. The fact that she’s wondering about the nature of my relationship with Sarah means that she cares about me maybe even feels something for me but doesn’t want to admit it. I can’t explain the need that comes over me, to get closer to her, to make her understand that even though I haven’t spoken the words she’s going to be mine.

I pick up the empty glasses from the table and make my way over to the sink caging Mia in with my body; I reach over her to put them in the sink using the motion to get even closer to her. The sound of her breath catching in her lungs tells me that I’m dead on; she wants me just as badly as I want her. It’s all the confirmation that I need, I let my hand barely graze her hip and gently touch her ear with my lips.

“Mia,” I say barely above a whisper. “Sarah is my sister’s best friend, she’s my friend, there’s nothing between us.”

I say the words hoping that they’re enough to reassure her of my intentions. She shrugs my explanation off pretending that my explanation means nothing.

“It’s really none of my business.” She says, her words causing an immediate grin to form on my lips.

I reach over her again shutting the water off and dislodging the soaked sponge from her hand. I tighten my grip on her and force her to turn around so that she has no choice but to look up at me. God I’m an asshole for pushing her this far but I can’t back down now, she needs to know where this is going, the sooner the better.

“So you wouldn’t care if I told you that I did have relationship with Sarah?” Again I’m an asshole but my chest swells when I see her flinch.

“Why would I care Logan?” She asks lowering her gaze so that she’s staring at the wall of my chest.

“Look at me Mia.” I command, needing to see the depth of emotions swimming around her eyes.

“Did you?” She asks barely audibly.

“Did I what?” I know what she’s asking but I need her to say the words, need to drag her out of her shell.

She lets out a huff of air but ultimately asks, “Did you have a relationship with Sarah? Did you sleep with her?”

A smile breaks out on my face, and I must look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing to her but I can’t help it, I pull at an unruly strand of her hair and gently push it behind her ear. It’s my sad attempt at keeping us connected.

“No. I never had a relationship with Sarah; I’ve never slept with her.”

I see the relief flash across her delicate features as I let my hand stroke her cheek. I’m surprised when she leans into my hand, encouraging me to continue but I’m completely stunned when my sheltered girl actually pushes off of the counter and kisses me. That’s all it takes, one kiss is my undoing, one kiss is all it takes to seal her fate, whether she realizes it or not Mia now belongs to me.