Oz looked down at her. “You ready?” he asked quietly.
She looked up at him then at her front door, nodded, grabbed his hand in hers (which he so totally loved right then), and walked up the steps but hesitated at the door. She gave him a grateful smile when he squeezed her hand then led her inside.
Oz looked around, not really seeing anything out of place, but he’d only been in her house the two times, so he definitely was no expert on the situation.
“Uh, everything seems okay,” Tilly muttered as she looked around the living room.
Oz and Jeff followed her, keeping sharp eyes out for anything that seemed amiss, but it wasn’t until they got to her studio that they heard her gasp.
“Oh, God. My laptop’s gone!”
“Fuck,” Oz mumbled. He’d hoped it’d been a false alarm, that whoever’d broken in had gotten scared and run off.
Jeff led the crime scene techs into her studio a minute later and they instantly started dusting for fingerprints like they had the first time.
Tilly looked through the drawers in her desk and in her cabinets making sure nothing else was missing when she stopped and looked at Oz then at her brother, the anger showing clearly on her face. “Swear to God, Jeff, I’ll beat the shit out of him! I know it’s Doug! Who else would do this?” she shrieked.
Oz saw the crime scene techs stop what they were doing, first looking at her then at Jeff who nodded for them to proceed. Oz took her by the elbow and led her out of the studio back into the living room while Jeff followed. “Gonna take her to my place for the night,” he said to Jeff who nodded in agreement.
It took Tilly a few seconds before she figured out that he was talking about her. “But… No! I’m staying here. I’m not going to let this asshole intimidate me!”
“You’re staying with me,” Oz said.
Tilly looked up at him, confused, and shook her head. “I’m not going to run away from this, John. I’m staying here!”
Like hell she was. “You’re not,” he replied.
“I am too!” she said, scowling at him, her chin jutting out in defiance.
His lips tipped up at the sides and he put a hand to his chin, rubbing his fingers slowly over his goatee. “You’re not.”
Jeff watched this exchange and snickered. “You tell her, man,” he said to Oz, clapping him on the shoulder, which got him a dirty look from his sister. Then under his breath he said, “You’re what she needs. Been with that fuckin’ weasel for too damned long. She needs someone to take care of her. Take care of her, Oz.” He walked away to leave them at it.
And now he had her brother’s blessing. Best friend’s approval, check. Brother’s, check. He was on a damned roll here. Now if he could get her to comply, he’d be good.
Tilly blew out a breath then looked up at him, her eyes flashing dangerously, hands on her hips as she leaned into him. “John Osby, just because I’ve been in love with you for ten years, and now you waltz back into my life it doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do. I know you’re a badass security guy and hotter than anyone should ever be allowed to be, but that doesn’t mean you get to boss me around!”
Fucking hell. Did she know what she’d just admitted? He remained calm and stood looking at her, not about to give in to her then watched in amusement when it finally dawned on her what she’d just said in her rant and he saw her eyes spark again.
God, so fucking cute.
His lips twitched again then he raised an eyebrow and bent down to get in her face, using her full name as she’d done to him. “Tilly Maxwell, because you’ve haunted my fucking dreams for the last ten years and I’ve finally found you again and want to see where this goes with us, I’m not about to let you stay in a house that was just broken into. Now, we’re going to your room for you to get your things then you’re coming with me to my place.” He stood back up to his full height and watched as she processed that.
After several seconds, she looked up at him, and whispered in disbelief, “I’ve haunted your dreams for ten years?”
“You’ve been in love with me for ten years?” he asked back, arching his brow.
She sputtered for a few seconds and he just barely held back his grin when she turned and stomped to the stairs then stomped all the way up to her room while he followed. He knew he was a shit for enjoying the way her hips swayed back and forth in the tight skirt she wore, but he really didn’t care right then because the view in front of him was spectacular.
At her room, he leaned against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest, watching her gather a bag then throw some things into it, all the while mumbling about how ridiculous it was that she had to go with him, and couldn’t she just go to Quinn’s or get a hotel for the night, or better yet she’d just go over to Doug’s and kick his ass now then she’d be able to come back to her own house and sleep in her own bed and be done with it all.
“That’s it,” she snapped when she finished packing, zipping up the bag and turning to glare at him.
“Good,” he said, holding back a chuckle as he strode over picking it up from her bed then putting his hand to the small of her back, guided her out of her room.
As he walked down the stairs behind her, again getting a terrific view of her ass, he didn’t know if it was the smartest idea he’d had or the dumbest in taking Tilly to his apartment only to have her be in his bed while he slept on the couch wishing the entire time he was lying by her side. Christ.
At the foot of the stairs, he had her wait then went to Jeff letting him know they were leaving.
“I’ll have someone come to repair the window immediately so tell her not to worry,” Jeff said. “Wasn’t kidding about what I said earlier. She’s closed off but I think you can change that.”
Oz nodded and shook Jeff’s hand then turned to go back to Tilly. When he saw her standing at the base of the stairs, frowning at him and looking sexy as hell, he didn’t know how he’d survive the night.
“God help me,” he muttered before he got to her. Then they walked together to the front door and out into the night.
Chapter 15
The ride to John’s apartment was loads of fun.
Tilly was livid that she was having to leave her house. Oh, and she may have been totally friggin’ mortified that she’d professed her love for him and then he’d called her on it. EEP! Why her stupid mouth kept blurting all her thoughts about him she had no clue, but, God, she was definitely suffering from an acute case of JohnOsbyontheBrainitis and the damned cure was nowhere in sight. Awesome.
But what really unsettled her now was that he’d only smiled at her pronouncement then told her he wanted to see where things would go between them.
What the heck did that mean?
At least he could’ve replied, “I like you too, Tilly,” or, hell, she’d have taken, “You’re pretty special to me too, Tilly.” But nope. He’d uttered nothing of the kind. All he’d said was she’d been in his dreams, which was something she guessed, and it did let her know that she’d been on his mind over the years. But then again dental floss could’ve been on his mind over the years, so what did it all mean?
Ugh. She ordered herself to stop thinking, to put the walls around her heart back up and focus on just getting through the night then leaving in the morning where she’d hop a flight to South America and never have to face him again. Sounded legit.
So now, although she was curious to see where he lived, it didn’t really matter since there was no future there, and the silence hung heavy between them. Well, on her side it did. He didn’t seem to be bothered in the least as he sat with his arm draped over the back seat behind her and chatted with the driver about some basketball game that’d been on TV that afternoon. When the cab dropped them off at a high-rise, she walked with him inside, his hand at the small of her back (which she loved but she wasn’t going to let him know that), still not saying a word, still stewing about having to leave her house and being made to feel like a fool for what she’d said. She rode
the elevator in silence to the seventh floor where she followed him to his door, which he opened, reaching inside to flick a light switch then held his hand out for her to enter first. She huffed, which made him give her that sexy half-grin again and made her want to smack him, but when she walked inside in front of him, she let out a small gasp. Dang. His place was awesome!
“You like?” he asked as he came in, closing and locking the door behind him. He set her bag on a chair then helped her take off her coat, hanging it on a hook by the door and doing the same with his own.
She looked around at the gorgeous cherry hardwood floors of the loft apartment that was decorated contemporarily, a big, brown leather sofa facing a TV the size of a movie theater screen. Okay, that was exaggerating a little, but the thing was humongous. The walls of the apartment were a warm tan that gave a homey feel to the space. There was a kitchen area with a bar, and to her right was a frosted screen with opened doors that spanned between two walls creating his “bedroom.” She couldn’t help but blush when she saw his huge bed inside.
“It’s very nice,” she said after clearing her throat.
He grinned at her. “Thanks. I’ll put your things in the bedroom. There’s a master bath, so you don’t have to worry about sharing.”
She frowned. “I can’t take your bedroom, John. I’ll take the couch.”
He raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. “Bedroom.”
“It’s not like I’m a real guest and I’m not going to put you out. I’ll take the couch.”
“Didn’t know any better, I’d think your specialty was debate instead of photography. You’ve got the bedroom, Tilly. End of conversation.”
She looked at him for a few seconds between narrowed eyes then decided it wasn’t worth it to argue anymore. God, he was stubborn. “Fine.”
She saw him grin again as he picked up her bag and she followed him into his bedroom where he placed it on the bed then turned to her. “Since we didn’t get dessert at the restaurant, got some tiramisu in the fridge I didn’t get to eat from dinner last night. Would you like some?”
She frowned at his grin. God, he was bossy but then he was so sweet too, but, again, it really didn’t matter now did it. “Sure. Would you like some help?” she asked following him out of the bedroom to the kitchen.
“Plates are in that cabinet,” he pointed, “and forks in that drawer,” he said, nodding toward the counter before opening the fridge and getting out the box of dessert.
She watched as he set it on the counter and opened it. “You got this all for you?”
He shrugged. “Had Piccoli’s deliver. And you can’t not get tiramisu when you eat at Piccoli’s.” She was staring at him. “What?”
“I love Piccoli’s,” she murmured. “Their tiramisu is fabulous. You’ve got good taste.”
“Only the best for me,” he said with a chuckle as he placed pieces of the cake on plates. “Wine? I’ve got a moscato that’s pretty good, or if that’s too sweet I can make coffee?” he asked as he opened a cabinet waiting to hear if he should get glasses or mugs.
“Moscato sounds great.” She carried the plates over to the bar then sat down, watching him moving about the kitchen, looking so sexy in his jeans and dark shirt, so in control of his body like the athlete he still was. When he opened the door to the refrigerator, she watched his back muscles stretch against his shirt when he reached in to grab the wine. Damn, he was built nicely. He turned to place the bottle on the counter and caught her looking at him, and the way he looked back at her made her suck in a breath. If those weren’t bedroom eyes he’d just flashed at her, she had no other way to describe them. God, had she thought he was dangerous? He wasn’t just that, he was freakin’ lethal. She looked away quickly to break the contact between them. Focus, Tilly, damn it!
“So tell me more about your business,” he said as he reached into a drawer and got a corkscrew out, opening the bottle and pouring their drinks. He brought them over then sat next to her.
Tilly proceeded to tell him all about how she’d gotten started, telling him some funny stories about shoots she’d had, making him really laugh when she told him about how she’d made Jeff pose for her portfolio when she was still in college and he’d practically cried the entire time.
“I’m sure he enjoyed every minute of it,” Oz said with a laugh as he took a bite of the tiramisu.
She’d never been jealous of an eating utensil before as she watched his mouth, but right then, she so envied his fork. Looking down and shaking her head, she chuckled to herself at her ridiculous thoughts then took a bite of her own and noticed it’d suddenly gotten quiet. She looked up to see his amber eyes piercing hers, which, again, made her suck in a breath. Jeez, if this kept up, she was going to faint for lack of air.
“What?” she whispered.
“You’re stunning, Tilly. Really never thought I’d see you again. Hoped I would, but I’m thanking whatever god it was who brought you back into my life.”
“John…” she whispered again, dipping her head down, embarrassed, then reminded herself that he wasn’t serious about her. He just wanted to see where things went between them, which she now concluded that with the way he was acting it just meant he wanted to get her in bed.
He put a finger under her chin, bringing her head back up. “Beautiful,” he said, then leaned over and kissed her.
Wow.
He tasted fantastic, the mixture of sweets on his tongue touching hers, and he felt so good as he gently cupped her chin, kissing her so passionately it awoke everything that’d previously laid dormant inside her. Dear God. She knew at that moment she’d never experienced this kind of passion before, never had any man even come close to drawing it out of her. And so caught up in the thrill of it all, she threw herself wholeheartedly into that kiss, her hands moving up his chest, grabbing hold of his shirt at his shoulders as she pulled him closer, pressing her lips harder to his, and without realizing it, moaning loudly as her tongue continued twisting with his.
The kiss went on for mere seconds or maybe an eternity, she couldn’t say, and when his arms wrapped tightly around her and he pulled her hard against his chest as he muttered, “Fuck,” she really went wild, her hands at his shoulders clawing to bring him even closer as she pressed her breasts into his chest. God, she could kiss him forever, it was that good.
And then she came to her friggin’ senses, pulling away and looking up at him in shock. Gah!
“Oh, my gosh,” she whispered, her eyes big as she gaped at him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. God!” She buried her face in her hands mortified that she’d literally just mouth raped him. Ugh.
But, holy crap, she wanted him. So much for him being the dangerous one.
Well, maybe she could do his whole “see where this is going” thing. She’d sleep with him then walk away tomorrow.
And that flight to South America just sounded better and better.
***
Holy fuck. Tilly was a goddamned wildcat. He knew it. Behind that reticent, demure demeanor was a woman just waiting for a man to bring out her wild side. And he was going to be the one to take her there.
“Baby,” he murmured, pulling her hands away from her face. When she kept her head down, he cupped her jaw, pulling it up to get her to look at him. “Tilly.”
Her eyes were closed and he couldn’t help but chuckle at her being so embarrassed. She finally opened them and looked at him as if humiliated. And he didn’t like that. She shouldn’t feel that way about what happened.
“Hey, what’s going on in there?” he asked with a concerned frown, putting his finger to her temple.
She twisted her mouth to the side and pulled her lip between her teeth, as she looked anywhere but at him. He moved his hand down and cupping her jaw once again, used his thumb to pull her lip out from between her teeth then proceeded to run it over her bottom lip.
Tilly took a deep breath, letting it out slowly then smiled weakly at him. “I didn’t mean to get so caught up in
our, uh, kiss. You have to know that I’ve only had two lovers, so I’m pretty inexperienced and don’t really know what I’m doing.”
He looked at her knowing she had no clue how wrong she was. He got that she felt that way, but she was all woman, and he hated that she felt self-conscious about what’d happened between them just then.
“Gonna be honest with you, Tilly. You may think you’re inexperienced, I’ll give you that, seeing as you’ve only been with two other men, but, babe, you know what you’re doing even though you think you don’t. Telling you right now, I want you in my bed. Thought it in high school and know it now.”
She jerked her head back and raised her eyebrows in surprise before she remembered to be embarrassed and a blush covered her lovely face.
He moved his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him as he leaned down, looking into her eyes. “Want you, Tilly.” He was no longer the scared kid in high school who had to get drunk to tell her how he felt. He was a grown man who knew what he wanted, and it was her.
A small gasp escaped her as her eyes went wide. Then she whispered, “You scare me, John.”
Well, shit. That was definitely something he didn’t want her to be. He slowly removed his hand from her neck and sat back as he studied her for a second. Then he gave her his half grin, which made her eyes get even wider. “Nothing to be scared of with me, Tilly.”
Damn. He’d have to be smart and take it slow with her. Let her go at her own pace. And try not to scare her off in the meantime.
“I—I think I’ll get ready for bed now,” she said quietly as she nervously tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
He leaned back toward her, taking her hands in his. “You know that, right? You don’t have to be afraid with me.” He looked into her eyes to see a woman who looked terrified. “Tilly?”
Unbreakable Hearts Page 14
