No more hot baths before bed. Ever again.
Slowly, a millimeter at a time, she carefully twisted out from under him, terrified the entire time that Tyler might wake. As long as he stayed asleep she could pretend this embarrassing scene never happened, but it was taking forever to move away from him. At one point she was almost free, but he’d groaned in his sleep and shifted, trapping her in his arms again. At six feet tall, he had the wing span of a pterodactyl and that made it impossible to escape his reach.
After several minutes of sliding around the bed with Tyler, Billie was covered with sweat and exhausted. If anything she was in a worse situation than when she’d started this whole thing. His arm was like a band of steel around her waist, his palm cupping her breast. His erection was poking insistently into her bottom and he was beginning to rub it against her in his sleep. It had been a long time since she’d shared a bed with an amorous male and her body clearly liked the idea. Her pulse had sped up and she was feeling something she hadn’t felt in over a year…arousal.
It didn’t help that the rough hair on his thighs was brushing her skin and sending tingles to unmentionable places, or that asleep he looked almost angelic when she knew very well that he was actually the devil. His touch was warm and it felt so good to be held. Physical affection wasn’t something she’d received much of in her youth and even in her adulthood so she was greedy for it when in a relationship.
Except this engagement is fake. Fake, fake, fake. As in not real.
Her weakness didn’t set well with her and it made her all the more determined to get the hell out of this bedroom with at least some of her dignity intact. Instead of inching along and moving carefully, it might simply be better to make one fast move. With any luck he’d turn over and fall asleep, oblivious that she wasn’t his latest hookup.
One…two…three…
It was on three that she made her big break, grasping his wrist to keep his arm still as she slid out from under it. She was just about to celebrate her victory when she realized that a pair of blue eyes were staring at her. Puzzled but not alarmed. Not yet, anyway. She, on the other hand, was frantic.
Because while moving out from his hold, she’d dislodged the sheet covering her naked body. Right now she was sitting up on the mattress, bare to his gaze. Billie wasn’t a prude, but having her best friend see her naked wasn’t an everyday occurrence for her and she could feel a blush crawling up her body all the way to the roots of her hair.
Why doesn’t he move or say something? Is he just going to lie there and look?
Just as she thought it Tyler did move, levering up on the bed, his hair sticking out in several directions and a shadow of whiskers on his too perfect face. It wasn’t fair that men could look so amazing in the morning.
His gaze ran down to her toes and then back up to her breasts before eventually ending up somewhere in the vicinity of her eyebrows. He was frowning now and she could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out what was going on. Frozen and mortified at first, Billie managed to drag a blanket up over her naked form, shielding herself from his intense scrutiny. She ought to be chilled but instead she felt quite warm. Too warm, really.
Someday they were going to laugh about this. Today was not that day.
“How much did I drink last night?”
Tomorrow wasn’t looking good either. How far away was Christmas?
CHAPTER TWENTY
Normally when Billie had a problem that she couldn’t solve herself she talked to Tyler. But when the problem was Tyler himself that was an issue.
Dinah was her closest female friend so Billie found herself spilling the entire story over lunch only a few short hours after extricating herself – nude – from a bed with Tyler. The details came slowly at first but eventually she couldn’t speak fast enough as the whole sordid tale was laid out for her friend. Tyler’s movie role. Her sister. The agreement to get engaged and then married. Her moving into the house. The difficult transition from friends to…whatever they were now. And then finally the mortification of this morning. To Dinah’s credit, she listened carefully, only stopping Billie a couple of times to clarify a detail or two.
Taking a deep breath, Billie slumped back into her chair. “So that’s pretty much it. I had to tell someone.”
Dinah nodded a few times, took a sip of her iced tea, nodded again, then signaled for the waitress.
“I’m going to need a cocktail. Then we’ll talk. Are you sure you don’t want to start drinking? Because now would be the perfect time in your life.”
Billie had always sworn she wouldn’t drink but she was tempted. However, she doubted alcohol was the answer. It hadn’t helped Tyler last night and had only made things worse.
“I’ll pass but I am definitely ordering something chocolate for dessert.”
“You and me both, sister,” Dinah said under her breath as the waitress came and took her order. They didn’t say much, silently eating their chicken Caesar salads until Dinah had her Long Island Iced Tea in front of her and she’d had a couple of sips.
“Okay, let’s get to this.” Dinah placed her palms together and rested her chin on her fingertips. “Let’s start with this morning and work our way backward. After he woke up and realized you were both in the bed naked, what exactly happened? You only said you hightailed it out of there with the sheet wrapped around you. That leaves out a great deal of information.”
Billie rolled her eyes, remembering it clearly. “You know how Tyler is. He started grinning and that pissed me off. He quickly realized what he’d done but he didn’t seem a bit upset about it.”
Lifting a shoulder, Dinah laughed. “Well, yeah, he’s a guy. Haven’t you noticed that?”
Billie had noticed. More so these last few weeks than all five years before combined.
“I’m his friend and he shouldn’t be looking at me that way,” Billie insisted weakly. “He just shouldn’t.”
Dinah smiled and waggled her brows. “But now he’s more than your friend. He’s your fiancé. Were you looking at him, by any chance? Is the…equipment as impressive as it’s rumored to be? You lucky dog. I’ve heard stories.”
So had Billie, although she’d tried to not think about them often, if at all.
Fumbling with her napkin, Billie couldn’t meet her friend’s gaze. “I might have looked. Very briefly. I mean, I couldn’t really avoid it. He was right there only six inches from me.”
Dinah’s eyes went round. “It was more than six inches, wasn’t it? I heard–”
“Stop,” Billie commanded, cutting of her friend. “I was talking about the distance between us, not his genitals. I didn’t see…it. His lower half was covered by the sheet. I…felt it. You know, against me when I woke up.”
“Ohhh, a little morning wood. How did it feel?”
“Hard,” Billie blurted, her censoring mechanism clearly malfunctioning. “Jesus, I can’t believe this happened. Everything was going so good, too.”
Giggling, Dinah dabbed the corners of her mouth the napkin. “I don’t know about that. I think waking up with a hot guy like Tyler in my bed would be very good indeed. I understand that finding him there was a surprise but you’re acting like it’s a terrible thing. You’re going to marry him, Billie. At least that’s what you’ve promised to do. Married people generally sleep together. You didn’t say when you talked about the agreement but is this some kind of no-sex marriage of convenience? If I was marrying Tyler Gaylord I’d make sure I got some of the sugar, if you get my drift.”
“I do,” Billie replied dryly, shaking her head at Dinah. “It’s not a no-sex thing, but I guess I thought I had more time to get used to the change in our relationship. Tyler thinks nothing will change but my last name but I know better. So many things are going to be different and sex is just one of them.”
“Taking your friendship to a physical level is a big deal. But can you honestly say that you’re not at least a little bit attracted to Tyler? I know that
you’ve seen him at his worst. Drunk, vomiting, farting, just being a jerk at times. Does it sort of put you off him?”
Billie shook her head. “I can see the real Tyler but I can also see how sexy he is too. He looked good this morning.”
Dinah rubbed her hands together with an evil glint in her eye. “Now we’re getting somewhere. You liked what you saw. So things are heating up between you two because it sounds like he liked what he was seeing this morning as well. Maybe it’s time to take the next step. As you pointed out, you’ve shared a bed together dozens of times. Have Tyler move back into the bedroom. See what happens.”
“I’m an actress, not a choir girl. I know what’s going to happen. I’m just not sure I’m ready for that yet.”
“But you want to,” Dinah prodded. “You’re starting to see Tyler in a whole new way.”
If she was being honest with her friend she might as well do it big.
“When I first moved in with Tyler, I kind of had a crush on him,” Billie admitted. “It didn’t last long, maybe six months or so, and he didn’t do anything to fuel it really, but I guess what I’m saying is that this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen him as sexually attractive. It’s just the first time that something might come from it.”
Dinah’s lips twisted into a crooked smile. “Can I be super honest with you? When you and I first met and I found out you were living in Tyler’s guest house I kind of assumed you were friends with benefits.”
“A lot of people think that,” Billie admitted. “I don’t care much. People are always going to believe what they want rather than the truth. I guess you figured out it wasn’t true without me having to tell you.”
“Eventually,” Dinah said laughing. “But I still stand by what I said when you told me about your engagement. I think you two make a great couple. I thought it back when I first met you and I still think it now. This may be all for the cameras and publicity but I think it’s the best thing that could happen to both of you. You were meant for each other. Friends to lovers. It’s the oldest romance trope in the book, Billie. Honest to God, I cannot imagine Tyler falling in love with anyone but you. You’re the longest relationship he’s ever had with a woman not counting his family members.”
That was true. She and Tyler had been constants in each other’s lives for a long time.
“We’re not going to fall in love. Tyler says he’s never been in love and I believe him.”
“You both don’t have a clue.” Dinah took another sip of her drink. “I know it’s scary but be open to having a relationship with Tyler. You said that he’s keeping his options open if you both like being married. I think that’s because deep down he knows that you’re the one. Give him a chance to fall in love with you. Stop running.”
“I don’t think I’m running.”
Dinah’s brows shot up. “Oh? What did you do this morning?”
“Run,” Billie admitted. “Although to be honest it was more of a crawl. I tripped on the sheet. I wouldn’t say I left with my dignity intact.”
She was fairly sure she’d shot Tyler the moon on her way out of the bedroom door.
“What exactly did Tyler say?”
Groaning, Billie buried her face in her hands. “He was laughing and as I left he said that he was going to drink every single night if it meant he got to wake up with me naked in bed.”
“What happened after that?”
“Nothing really. It all pretty much went back to normal except that I couldn’t look him in the eye. In the kitchen a little while later I handed him some coffee and a couple of ibuprofen. He thanked me and then we talked about San Diego. I think he knew I was embarrassed so he backed off.”
Tyler had always been good at reading her mind but honestly, he wouldn’t have had to this morning. Anyone could have seen she was uncomfortable as hell.
“Always putting you first,” Dinah pointed out. “Just like a man in love would. He’s ripe for falling in love. So are you. You both need a push, though. Like over a cliff. Jesus, I’ve never seen two people so scared.”
“You’re one to talk.” Billie shook a playful finger at her friend. “You’ve sworn off men.”
“For now. Eventually I’ll get back in the ring but not for awhile. Seriously though, what reservations do you have about Tyler? The women? The fame? I know it’s not how he treats you.”
Was it the women? There were a lot of them. So many. Too many. But Tyler wasn’t a pussy hound despite his reputation. He turned down a hell of a lot more women than he slept with and he still managed to have an active sex life. He’d be a wreck without food or sleep if he said yes to every female that made herself available to him, but he’d never made sex the number one thing in his life. It was always the work that came first.
Was it the fame? The loss of privacy? She’d come to grips with that a long time ago when they’d first started hanging out. It was true that now there was even more scrutiny but she wasn’t one to read the tabloids. Mostly she didn’t care.
“It’s the thought of losing him as a friend,” she finally said, her throat clogging with emotion at the mere thought of Tyler not in her life. “I don’t want to lose that, and I’m afraid that I will.”
“Maybe you can have something even better. Let’s call it Tyler-plus,” Dinah giggled. “Listen to me, just relax and let things happen. Let nature take its course. You might be surprised where it takes you. You agreed to marry the man, you ought to enjoy it.”
“You make a decent argument.”
“Of course I do.” Dinah sipped the last of her drink. “But now that I know the truth, you have to keep me in the loop. I’m going to want every detail.”
“On one condition,” Billie replied. “I get to call you when things seem overwhelming.”
“Phone support twenty-four-seven,” Dinah vowed, her hand over her heart. “I’ll be there for you. Now let’s talk about the wedding plans. Did you like the planner?”
The conversation turned to the wedding, flowers, cakes, and dresses, but in the back of Billie’s mind she was still thinking about this morning. In only a few short weeks everything between she and Tyler had changed.
She couldn’t turn back the clock. Forward was the only option.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The flash of the cameras had Tyler squinting as he and Billie sprinted from the airport into the limousine, ducking their heads and ignoring the barrage of questions from reporters. It seemed everyone wanted to snag a photo of the newly engaged couple. They’d managed to get out of Los Angeles quietly but there had been a posse of press waiting for them when their little charter jet had touched down in San Diego. It might have been better to simply drive but Tyler became antsy on any road trip more than an hour or so.
They’d arrived for the yearly comic book convention, although this would be Tyler’s last since his contract for the Thunder movies was complete. While he enjoyed the energy and the ability to be close to his fans, the three days of the convention were also fucking exhausting. Every year after he finished, he took a few days in Hawaii to rest and relax. This time he was taking Billie with him.
His fiancée. That he’d seen naked less than a week ago.
The images of Billie au naturel were burned on his brain as if with a branding iron. And just as permanent. Even when she wasn’t right there with him, he somehow came around to seeing her naked in his head.
Go for a run? See Billie naked on the trail.
Have a meeting with his publicist or agent? See Billie sitting on the table, those pert breasts exposed.
Those images – sexy, beautiful, and gorgeous as fuck – were driving him slowly out of his mind. He’d seen a myriad of women nude in his life and not one of them had affected him like Billie had. He was acting like a teenage boy with raging hormones, not the grown man he was supposed to be.
He’d had to force himself to look her in the eye so his gaze wouldn’t wander farther south. This morning when they’d been waiting for the car to take them
to the airport, he couldn’t help but notice her smooth, tanned legs and her subtle curves shown off by the royal blue dress she was wearing. She’d pulled her long, dark hair back into a ponytail that accentuated her exquisite bone structure and emphasized her green eyes.
It was wrong to pant after his best friend. Wasn’t it?
Except that she wasn’t just his friend anymore. She was his fiancée and she’d be his wife before the end of the year. Maybe this was what was supposed to happen. Tyler hadn’t quite been prepared for the wave of desire that ran through him whenever Billie was near him. He’d always thought she was beautiful but this was something different, something far more.
He hungered for her.
That appetite wasn’t going to just go away on its own.
The limousine door closed and the vehicle pulled away from the curb and into the flow of traffic. Curtis, the new assistant, who seemed to be doing a great job so far sat across from them, an iPad balanced on his knee.
“We’ll get you checked into the hotel,” Curtis stated, perusing his list. “Then you have an interview with Dark Night magazine along with a photo shoot for the cover. That should take until mid-afternoon. Then I have you scheduled for a late lunch before heading to the gym. I know you wanted to get in a workout. Tonight you have dinner with the Thunder cast.”
A relaxed, fun meal with his co-stars was definitely one thing he was looking forward to. Billie had met all of them but there was a part of him that couldn’t wait to show her off as his future wife.
Where did that thought come from?
“I’ll look around the hotel while you work,” Billie said. “I might even get a nap in before tonight. I know how you guys like to party.”
It would be a late night but Tyler had already decided not to drink as much as he had with Sam. No need to have a repeat of the other morning. Billie just might slap him if he ended up drunk in her bed a second time with no invitation.
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