Page 87 of Where You're Planted

“Tansy,” Jack pleaded, smoothing back her hair from her eyes and holding her face in his steady hands.

She could barely see through her tears. She didn’t even care that she had snot running from her nose, that she must look like an absolute mess. Shewasan absolute mess.

He bent to lift her in his arms and carried her down the hall into the bathroom. He placed her on the side of the tub, turned on the shower, and quickly returned. She only vaguely registered him undressing her and then himself and then she was under the warm spray, his arms around her, her tears and snot washing away down the drain. She had no idea how long they stood like that, how long she cried and he held her.

“There you are,” he whispered when her sobs subsided. He kissed her cheek and then tucked her face into his chest once more. “Had me worried.”

“It’s over,” she whispered. “They won’t renovate without that money. You know they won’t. And our four months are nearly up.”

“No one is kicking you out of the gardens.”

“They can pull what little support they’ve given us. All our books are on loan. The fact that they even funded us for this long…”

“We’ll fix it, Tansy.”

She believedhebelieved this, and although she didn’t havenearly the confidence he did, Tansy didn’t argue. There was a convincing security in his arms. The warm water cascading down her back and his voice murmuring into her hair slowly soothed her.

Eventually, Tansy regained enough awareness to know that she should put an end to this—to letting him care for her. Just like she shouldn’t have counted on the grant. The only person she could count on was herself.

Except…Jackhadcared for her. This week, he’d cared moreand betterfor her than anyone ever had.

Tomorrow, they’d go back to some version of before. She’d have to swallow down this hunger that she’d let grow out of control. She’d resume her role as the mom, the manager, the steady one keeping calm, putting everyone else’s needs first.

Butdamn it, she wanted him. For herself.

Fresh tears burned the backs of her eyes.She wanted him.

“What can I do?” he asked.

“Kiss me.”

He didn’t hesitate. He kissed her so tenderly but then whispered against her cheek, “Just don’t say it like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like this is the last time.”

She pulled back, blinking through the mist at him.

“I’m not ready for this to end, Tansy.”

She could have cried again from relief.

“I’ll give you whatever space you and Briar need. We can take it slow. Just—”

“I’m not ready for it to end either,” she blurted, pulling his mouth back to hers. She kissed him, hard and desperate. And then shewascrying again.

Jack turned her and pinned her shoulder blades to the tile wall. He was hard against her hip, a fact they’d been ignoringuntil now. He touched his forehead to hers, water dripping off his nose onto her lips, and with an audible rasp in his voice said, “You won’t shut me out tomorrow?”

“I won’t.”

“Swear?”

“I promise. I want this,” she assured him. He had no idea how much. “I wantyou,” she added, sliding her knee up, pulling herself up his frame, trying to line up their bodies.

He groaned, smoothing his palm from her knee to her ass and back, holding her leg around him. He put her arm around his neck, and she held on so he could catch her other knee and lift her against the tile. His erection nudged between her legs, his length sliding along her folds. It was sogood. He was so close. Part of her wanted them to just slide along each other like this forever.

But when he shifted their angle, and he pushed just inside her opening, stretching her around him, a needy sigh gusted out of her.