He coughed to clear a suddenly parched throat. She glanced around and he had to quickly move the bag so it would cover the bulge in his jeans. Ty pointed the way to his truck with his chin, anxious now to get this over with and escape from his self-imposed torture.
“It’s the white Dodge over in the corner.”
Katy nodded. “Good, you parked in the shade. It’s surprising how many people don’t think to do that when they have their pets in the vehicle.”
Then she got a glimpse of Tiger yowling from its spot on his dash. “Oh, Ty, she’s so tiny.” Those four-inch heels clicked into overdrive as she hurried to his truck and tried the locked door handle. “Open up, she’s scared, the poor thing.” Her hand flattened against the glass as if sheer willpower alone could let her inside.
Ty juggled his packages so he could drag the remote from his pocket. A double-click later all four doors were unlocked and Katy was leaning over his seat to reach the kitten. The back of her dress crawled into the danger zone, showing off her long, long legs.
Sweet hell.
His brow broke out in a prickly sweat.
“C’mon, honey, I won’t hurt you. You’re so pretty, yes you are. Come here, sweetheart.”
Ty muffled a groan. Katy’s crooning just about did him in right there. He wasn’t sure how Tiger held out, because if she used those words on him in that husky, sexy tone… he wrenched open the back door and dumped the groceries on the floor. A long, deep sigh later he closed the door, placed his hands on Katy’s waist and gently moved her aside.
“Here, I’ll get her.” He climbed into the four-by-four and scooped the recalcitrant kitten into his hand. “Hey there, Tiger, good job protecting the truck. Come say hi to the pretty lady, and no scratching.”
He nuzzled his nose into its soft, furry neck and then passed her down to Katy’s waiting hands, their fingers tangling for a too brief moment.
“Hello, beautiful. What are you doing with this guy, huh?” She burrowed her face right into the same spot he had and everything inside him tightened painfully. She was killing him here.
“You find that hard to believe, right?” he grumbled.
She glanced up, her mossy green eyes soft with affection. “What?”
His fingers wrapped around the steering wheel before he did what he craved. Bury his hands in that silken waterfall of hair, drag her close, and see if her neck was half as soft as the cat’s. “That anyone would want to stay with me of their own volition?”
Katy frowned. “What are you talking about? I was teasing, Ty. Don’t make this into something it’s not.”
Words to live by.
He enviously watched her slender fingers caress the kitten until it fell into a light doze. Lucky cat.
“Where did you get her?”
Ty’s gaze rose to her lips. His inner sensor shut down, and the invitation erupted from his traitorous tongue before he had time to think it over. “Come for dinner and I’ll tell you.”
The words hung in the air, accompanied by little bubbles of mistrust, betrayal, and attraction. This was a mistake. Whatever happened between the two of them years ago, it had ended in a spectacular explosion he wasn’t in any hurry to recreate.
He opened his mouth, about to tell her to forget it, but instead became hooked by the swirling confusion in her jade green eyes. Instead of brushing her off, which would’ve been the smart move, he ended up practically begging.
“Please.”
He was so screwed.
~~~*~~~
Katy couldn’t believe she was actually contemplating taking Ty up on his offer. What was that old adage? If you play with fire… oh, but the heat was an addiction. Her gaze danced over broad shoulders stretching the seams of his denim shirt across his back. And his muscular arm, highlighted by the folded sleeves, draped over the leather steering wheel with work-roughened fingers that were thick and calloused from hours of labor. So very different from Jeff’s clean, manicured hands.
This was crazy.
She looked away, across the parking lot, to give herself a moment to breathe. The trees wore their fall dresses in fiery reds, pumpkin orange, and lemony yellow. A big grey squirrel ran down the trunk of a Maple. It paused for a cautious moment, and then grabbed a nut before scurrying up the tree, chattering a warning to birds and humans alike. A warning she should heed.
Katy turned back, a glib excuse to turn him down on the tip of her tongue, when kitten-little decided it was time to wake up. Her sharp nails dug into the soft skin of Katy’s inner arm. “Ouch, Chester, let go.”
“Chester? What kind of pansy name is that?” Ty smirked.
“Well, it’s more original than Tiger.” Katy giggled, and just like that she changed her mind. “Dinner sounds good. I’ll follow you there so you don’t have to go out later.”
Refusing to overthink her decision, she untangled herself from the kitten’s claws, gave it a peck on the head, and handed her over to Ty’s outstretched hand.
“Come’re you little monster,” he grumbled, but handled the tiny body with the gentlest of touches. “You’re going to be more trouble than your worth, I’m thinking.”
He returned the animal to its nest of blankets, and then turned back to Katy. She had the distinct feeling he wasn’t just talking about the cat. The complicated mix of reactions she could see reflected in his eyes like storm tossed clouds, contrarily made her feel somewhat better. At least she wasn’t alone in this tempest of emotion filling the air between them.
He cleared his throat. “It’s not a problem if you want to leave your car here. Your boyfriend might not approve of you visiting another man’s home. If your car is sitting in my driveway, someone’s sure to notice.”
Katy’s brows lowered at his tone. She admitted to being curious about his home and wasn’t going to be put off that easily. Ten years was a long time. He’d been on her mind often over the years. It bothered her they had never actually said goodbye to their relationship.
“He’s not my boyfriend, as you so inelegantly put it, he’s my fiancé. And he wouldn’t mind, because he trusts me.” She stepped back, shut his door, and waited for him to lower the window. “Are you cooking me some dinner, or am I going to a take-out place?”
Ty stared at her for a moment, then leaned over and fired up the engine. “Follow me.” But then he ruined it by murmuring, “Said the spider to the fly.”
Katy hurried over to her car before he changed his mind and left her behind. She didn’t want to delve too deeply into why it was suddenly so important to remain in his company for a while longer, but she couldn’t deny that it was.
They toured through a few residential neighborhoods, even passing by her friend, Rebecca’s house. Katy talked tough, but there was no reason to go and test her theory if it wasn’t necessary. Jeff did trust her. She knew that. It was more a question of how much did she trust herself?
Ty’s brake lights came on as he slowed for a paved drive along a tall stand of Cedars. At the end of the drive a low-slung rancher style home blended beautifully into the surrounding landscape. Finished with sandstone siding and lots of tall windows, the home looked warm, welcoming, and oh-so-familiar. Ty had bought their house. The one she’d dreamed of them owning one day. Did he remember?
Katy pulled up behind just as he stepped from the vehicle. Her headlights highlighted his long jean clad legs and lip-smacking tight butt. She gulped. Oh, man. He looked even better than when they were teens, more masculine, assertive—virile. She opened the door without conscious thought. His magnetism drew her to him as sure as the sun sets in the west. It probably always would.
He waited near the front of his pick-up, the kitten comfortably held in the crook of his arm. His face looked forbidding, as though now he’d had time to think about it he regretted inviting her. Too bad, she was here and she had no plans on leaving until they talked. The next few weeks would be stressful enough without having Ty glowering every time she stepped into the same room.
Her
hand fanned out, encompassing the house and surrounding yard. “So this is it, your kingdom?”
His mouth quirked and a hint of that dimple she lo… liked so much, made an appearance. “You remember that, do you?”
She remembered everything.
“Of course. You never shut up about it. I think Jared and I must have heard at least fifty times about how much you wanted out from under your brother and sisters shadow. How, one day you were going to have your own little kingdom where you would call the shots.” She smiled at the memory. “You always did hate being the youngest in your family.”
Ty snorted. “Can you blame me? My sisters are beautiful, smart, and well-liked. And Jack… Jack has a Goddamn hero complex. First he became a football star, and now he’s the sheriff of our hometown. How’s a guy supposed to compete with that?” He turned away and strode toward his front door; obviously sorry he’d said anything.
Katy hurried to catch up. “It’s not supposed to be a contest, Ty. Your family is pretty amazing.” Then, when he glanced back at her with a thanks-for-nothing eye roll, she added, “But, so are you.” She reached out and clasped his forearm. “Seriously, you are. You’ve never given yourself enough credit. What about all the endeavors you’ve accomplished, don’t they count for anything?”
She squeezed his arm and drowned in the deepening blue of his gaze. Her heart gave a little kick, suddenly conscious of how close together they stood. The muscles under her palm flexed and her breathing quickened. She dropped her hand as if it were on fire and took a step back.
“Anyway, enough preaching. Show me your house.”
“Katy.”
Ty made a move toward her, stopping the air in her lungs, but then he shook his head and turned away to unlock the door. He flicked on the lights and moved aside to let her enter first. As she slid past, Katy glanced up and then away, her skin growing hot at the hunger glowing in his eyes.
She gave herself a stern talking to even as she took in the beauty of his home. Though it possessed a masculine stamp with the oversized furniture and dark colors, Ty had made himself a perfect sanctuary to come back to after a long day’s work. The walls were a soft pastel blue, a good foil for the walnut flooring. A bay window at the far side of the room looked out over a private fenced yard, a bricked patio, and a Jacuzzi tub.
She could all too easily picture Ty stepping out of that steaming pool toward her. Katy’s temperature rising as he strode toward her, water dripping off that powerful, sexy, bare body. She would offer to help dry him, inch by spectacular inch. Her hands tingled with the imaginary sensation of smooth skin and rippling muscles. Her tongue…
A cough from behind had Katy spinning from the glass, her face a bright red.
Ty looked at her quizzically for a moment before pointing to another door. “The bathroom’s through there if you’d like to freshen up. I’m just going to take Tiger here and get her settled in the porch.” He rubbed the kitten’s head. “I’ll start dinner, and then we can have that talk.”
Katy nodded and turned away, grateful for the reprieve. She closed the bathroom door and flipped the light switch. A flushed face and hectic eyes stared back at her from the beveled mirror. She bent and splashed cold water from the brass faucet over her heated cheeks.
This had to stop.
The diamond solitaire winked at her under the bright lights, reminding her of her obligations to another man. And why was she suddenly thinking of her marriage to Jeff as an obligation? Why did her father hire Ty and bring him back into her world? She’d done fine without him all these years. Really. Her hard won career was taking off. She had a beautiful condo near the beach. A gorgeous fiancé. Life was great.
So don’t screw it up.
Great advice. Now if she’d only follow it. Katy finished drying her hands, pulled her brush out of her purse and dragged it through her hair. Touched up her lipstick with a slightly shaky hand, and opened the door like she was headed to the gallows. The light on the far side of the living room beckoned, guiding her toward the mouthwatering smells of garlic, onions, and Italian seasoning.
The sight of Ty standing guard over a bubbling pot of pasta while stirring a sauté pan of sauce at the largest stainless steel stove she’d ever seen, made Katy smile. This Ty she felt comfortable with. While dating they’d often spent their evenings together preparing gastronomic delights at home instead of going out to some swanky restaurant. She remembered how he said cooking relaxed him. This was a chef’s domain, from the butcher-block counter with the brass-bottomed pots hanging above, to the giant French door refrigerator. She had kitchen envy.
“Wow. This is nice, Ty.” She smiled when he glanced over his shoulder. “It must be hard to drag yourself away for work.”
“Some days.” He nodded toward the fridge; “There’s plenty of salad fixings in the crisper, go crazy.” His gaze did a slow sweep of her body. “I seem to remember you like your greens.”
Which was a polite way of saying she’d always worried about her weight. They’d had numerous arguments on the subject. He’d maintained a proper diet was key to good health, while she’d argued everything a body needed could be found from the earth. She wasn’t a vegan, but could understand the draw.
“And I remember you love a good steak, the redder, the better.” She opened the crisper and withdrew romaine, spinach, radishes, carrots, a pint of strawberries, and some balsamic vinegar. For a while there was a peaceful silence as they worked together to make dinner. Katy was just in the process of cutting up the berries when Ty joined her at the counter.
“Anything I can do?” He picked up a sliced strawberry and popped it into his mouth.
“Hey, leave my fruit alone,” she warned, teasing. He reached for another and she grasped his wrist, laughing. It petered out at the naked craving in his gaze.
He brought the strawberry to her mouth, and when she didn’t open quick enough, he did a slow glide across her lips. Her tongue flicked out to catch a drip and he groaned, the low sound stroking across every nerve in her body.
“You’re killing me,” he muttered, and his mouth hovered ever closer, teasing. Just before they made contact she thought she heard, “but what a way to go.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ty would always remember his first taste of heaven. A warm honeyed mouth coated in sweet juicy berry. Soft pillowy breasts and the silken slide of peach scented hair. The breath-stealing feel of her hourglass figure beneath his hands, and the sexy little cries she couldn’t quite control. A gauge that told him better than any words how much she wanted him.
His heart thundered like an Indy car on a perfect oval track. If he didn’t slow this down soon, Ty worried he’d crash and burn. Been there, done that. Had the scars to prove it, thank you very much.
His lips refused to listen though, bad lips. They were intent on mapping every crease and crevice of her mouth, inside and out. Powerless against the onslaught of memories mixing with the uncertain present, Ty gave up on backing away. Instead he delved within, on a mission to replace another man’s kisses. Determined to stamp his mark upon her soul.
He couldn’t seem to fill up on her taste; it reminded him of a decadent dessert. He knew it was bad for him, but lacked the strength to set it aside. One more lick here and a nibble just there, at the cupid’s bow of her lip. When her tongue flicked out to soothe the ache, Ty sucked it into his mouth in a game of tag where they both came out the winner.
His hands performed braille on every inch of skin they could reach. From curvy hips to the underside of her more-than-a-handful breasts, there wasn’t a spot he didn’t crave to relearn. He loved the little breathy catch, then sigh, she did every time he came to a particularly sensitive area. Like now, when his fingers spread out over her ribcage while his thumbs lightly tweaked hardened nipples.
His lips worked a path along her jawline to the shell of her ear, and he smiled when her head fell back to grant him more access. He well remembered her sensitivity to this erogenous zone on her body
. Her skin was velvety soft, nearly translucent. He could almost feel the blood pulsating through her veins beneath his lips. His own heart throbbed in response, speeding along his cells to pound a message to his engorged cock. Take her, take her now.
His arm swept out and shoved the salad bowl aside. Ignoring her startled gasp, he lifted her onto the counter and edged between her legs.
“Ty,” she hesitated, her hands on his shoulders to hold him at bay. “We shouldn’t.”
Caught in a cloud of lust, it took him a bit to comprehend her words, and a much longer moment to admit the validity. His head dropped and he heaved a frustrated sigh.
Her hand came up and brushed gentle fingers through his hair, and he leaned into her touch, helpless to resist.
“Ty, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on.” He raised his head and met her worried gaze. A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “On the kitchen counter? Really?”
He laughed, then groaned at her bemused expression. Time to step back before he showed her just how possible it could be. He leaned forward and gave her one last, lingering kiss, then turned back to his now overdone noodles. Yep, there had to be a metaphor in there somewhere, for sure.
“If you set the table, I’ll finish up in here.” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she made it off the counter safely, just in time to see her dress ride up her thighs as she levered herself down. And there it was, that tempting little swan-shaped birthmark of hers. He’d teased her about it often enough. That it was their private spot, a secret only they—and her parents—knew about. Guess that wasn’t true anymore.
Angry with himself for still giving a shit, Ty grabbed for the pot of pasta, remembering too late that he needed potholders. The heat from the steel handles sizzled against his palms. “Ouch, shit,” he swore, and let go. The liquid sloshed, hissing as it hit the hot burner.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Katy’s worried tones as she rushed to his side only embarrassed him. What a lame-brained thing to do. If a bare leg was all it took to ruin his concentration he was in trouble. Ty refused to admit it was anything more than that; he couldn’t afford to get sucked into Katy’s orbit again. He still hadn’t recovered from the last time.
Twilight's Encore Page 4
