by Amy Brent
I had to get in touch with Tyler somehow, and I didn’t have his number memorized.
I pulled up into the driveway and left the car running as I slammed through the front door. I looked around on the floor before back-tracking into the kitchen, and I saw my mother sitting there at the table twirling it between her fingers.
“Give me my phone,” I said.
“It’s not your phone. We’re still paying on it,” she said.
“You said it wasn’t cut off until tonight. I just have one phone call I need to make,” I said.
“Too bad,” she said.
“Fine, then just let me get the number, and I’ll make a call from the gas station. Come on, Mom. This is getting ridiculous,” I said.
“Oh, so I’m Mom again when you need something?” she asked.
“No. I’ve always needed you, and you’ve never been there. Now, I’m giving you one last shot to give me one simple thing I need: a number,” I said.
“Then tell me whose number you want, and I’ll read it out to you,” she said.
“I’m not giving you the password to that phone.” If I did, she would see all my text messages and phone calls with Tyler, and that was not an argument I was ready to have. I didn’t have the energy to defend my studio and my relationship all in one day.
“Then, I guess you don’t get it,” she said.
“Fine. I don’t need you anyway,” I said.
I stormed back out of the house. My hands were shaking, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I knew Tyler would know what to do. If I could just get to him and tell him what was going on, he would help me come up with a plan. My mind was spinning as I made my way to his hotel room, and I came to a screeching halt in a parking space before I made my way into the lobby.
I zoomed right by the desk and up to his room where I proceeded to knock on his door, but when no sound happened behind it, I started to bang.
“Tyler! It’s me. Can you please open up?”
I banged and banged. I pounded so hard people began poking their heads out of their own rooms. The door began to rattle, and my hand began to ache. Tears began to stream down my face.
“Tyler, please!” I shrieked.
I slammed the door with my knee, and when that didn’t work I kicked it hard. Where the hell had he gone? Where was he? How long would it be before he came back?
“Tyler, please,” I said, sobbing.
I pressed my forehead against the door as I slowly fell to my knees. Snot poured down my face as my chest began to hiccup, and suddenly my world crashed in around me. I had no family, I had no friends. I had no brother, and I had no money. I had no cell phone to call for help, and in a few weeks, I wouldn’t even have an apartment to call home.
And now, I didn’t have Tyler.
“Miss?” someone asked.
I tried to compose myself, turning my head to see the attendant kneeling next to me, and he reached out his hand to rub my back.
“Can I get you anything?” he asked.
“The—the guy who was in this—this room. Where is he? When is he coming back?” I said between sobs and gasps for breath as I wiped my face.
“Mr. Raymond?” he asked.
“Uh huh,” I said.
“Mr. Raymond checked out about an hour ago. I’m so sorry. Is there someone I could call for you?”
No. There was no one he could call for me because I had no one. And even if I did have someone, I didn’t know their number. I didn’t know Tyler’s number or Luke’s. I didn’t know Kelly’s or home’s. I had no important phone numbers memorized for anyone to call anyone else for me.
“No. No thanks,” I said.
“Come on. Let me help you to your car,” he said.
I got back out to my car and cleaned myself up before I hit the road. The only place I had to go was home, and I might as well stay there because, in three and a half weeks, I would be done. I figured I could call the front desk and tell them what was going on to see if I could lessen the monetary penalty that would come my way when my lease was eventually broken, but I didn’t have a phone to call them with.
In the span of a weekend, my entire world had completely imploded. I lost my brother, I lost my family, I lost my home, and I lost Tyler. The dreams of my dance studio now seemed to pale in comparison to the fact that I didn’t know how I was going to live, especially on the part-time job I kept in town. The truth of the matter was, my parents paid for a great deal. They did that under the assumption that I’d take over the family business. I gallivanted around town and ran up their credit cards, and they kept their mouths shut because I had a path I was supposed to eventually follow.
Now, I had nothing. They had pulled everything to teach me a lesson, to get me to come crawling back to them. And while there was a part of me that was fueled by my anger to succeed, there was a part of me that knew it would just be easier if I did.
Easier if I caved.
Easier if I groveled.
Tyler was gone, and so was his support. His support and caring nature and those beautiful almond-shaped eyes that seemed to bring me solace. The only person that was worth still hanging onto was nowhere to be found, and in that very moment, my heart shattered.
And I sobbed in my car as I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel.
Chapter 23
Tyler
I slung my bag into the rental car before I hopped behind the wheel of the car. I sure as hell wasn’t flying back to New York City. If I was going to leave LA and start my life completely over, I was going to make it a hell of a road trip along the way. I was over and done with LA anyway. It was Luke’s idea to open some bullshit place here so he could be closer to his family. Doesn’t make any fucking sense for me to stick around.
My family’s not the one in LA anyway.
I was an idiot to come out here. To think a family like his could not be batshit crazy. The way he talked about his family, it was like their shit smelled of lavender and roses. Like they could do no wrong. Except all I saw was them taking their solid gold shits on Amber while they tried to plaster on smiles.
And Luke! That was some fucking shit, him doing what the hell he did. He accused me of throwing all this away on some pussy? He was the one freaking out that his grown ass sister was getting some hot sex! He was the one that blew a fucking gasket, not me. He was the one that was pissed I was screwing his sister, not me. He was the one that blew all this up over some pussy, not me!
If anything, LA had been nothing but heartache since I’d gotten here. From the moment we stepped into that fucking house, and I realized who his sister was, I was done for. The moment she came out of that kitchen in that plain pair of jeans and that stupid shirt that covered all the curves I could remember, I knew it would be a hell of a ride for sure.
I didn’t think it would end the fucking company, though.
I pulled into a gas station to top off the tank and get some drinks. I’d need the fuel to drive through the night just so I could rest easy that Luke wouldn’t try to pull some shit and follow me. That dude was a pussy when it came to driving at night, so I had to use that to my advantage. LA would watch the red taillights of my car recede while I flicked it off and told it to kiss my fucking ass.
I walked into the gas station and got me some energy drinks and paid for the gas at pump one before I came out to top off the tank. The damn rental place didn’t even get the car filled up before they handed it over to me, so I made sure to take a picture and note it so I could cash in on it later. No one could fucking take advantage of me.
I was Tyler fucking Raymond. I did what I want, felt what I want, and didn’t let anyone bully me or boss me around.
Luke was learning that lesson the hard way.
I came back out to the car and put the drinks into the backseat before I popped the gas tank open. A car rolled up beside me at pump two, blaring some dumbass music or some shit. I tried to take deep breaths and keep my anger under control. The last thing I needed was a p
olice officer arresting me for acting out when my nerves were already shot.
I shoved the pump nozzle into my tank. I propped the nozzle up and leaned against the car, my ribcage rumbling with the music coming from that fucking car. The nerve of people to not give a shit about others around them. I was going to give them a piece of my mind through gritted teeth. I could tell the music was bothering other people, so now I had an excuse.
You can’t bother other people with your loud ass shit.
“Excuse me, could you turn the music down.”
I looked around the pumping bay and saw a woman leaning up against a car I recognized. The Mustang GT in gray blared its music as the woman’s eyes grew wide. I scanned her body, not sure I was seeing who I thought I was.
And then that beautiful smile lit up her face.
“Tyler?” Amber asked.
“Amber,” I said.
“Music too loud?” she said, smirking. “What are you doing? I didn’t think you came with a car.”
“I didn’t. It’s a rental,” I said.
“Where’re you headed?” she asked.
“Out of town.
“Wait. Why?” she asked.
“Nothing here for me,” I said.
“What do you mean there’s nothing here for you. You’ve got your business and the office space. The loft above it and—”
I looked into her eyes and begged her to say it. Every single part of me wanted to hear her finish that statement. Her eyes grew distant, and she turned her gaze back to the counter on the pump station she was at. I felt my heart sink to my stomach while she heaved a heavy sigh.
“I tried calling you, you know,” she said. “Before my parents cut my phone off.”
“Your parents cut your phone off?” I asked.
“Yeah. They cut off everything. My credit cards, how I paid my rent, my phone. And all because I registered a business name,” she said.
“You what? Wait. Backup a second. When did all this happen?” I asked.
“This morning,” she said.
“Shit. Amber, I was trying to find you this morning. Call you. Get you to pick up your damn phone.”
“You were the one calling me this morning?” she asked.
“Yeah. I was. I called like, four or five times. What was happening?”
“I was fighting with my parents. Did you know my crazy ass family has a private investigator on retainer? They were having me fucking followed, Tyler. Digging into my shit. I registered the business name over the weekend, and they fucking cornered me about it,” she said.
“They hired a PI? Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course, I’m sure. They told me. That’s what the fight was about! They tried to strongarm me into some stupid ass promise I made when I was seventeen. Mom wouldn’t even let me get your damn number off of my phone. Said if it was so important she’d look it up for me.”
“So, you didn’t answer because of the fight. Not because of me?” I asked.
“Not because of you,” she said, sighing. “But, they cut me off from everything, Tyler. In three weeks, I’ll be homeless. I’ll be living out of my car because it’s all my savings will afford me until I can find a decent full-time job. For all I know, I won’t even have medical insurance anymore.”
All I could do was stare at her. As if this insane fucking family couldn’t get any worse, they’d thrown their daughter to the wolves over some stupid family business. I watched her cross her arms as tears rose to her eyes. She was shaking, obviously still emotional from the morning’s events.
“And now you’re leaving, so fuck this,” she said.
“I was leaving because I thought you didn’t want me. You weren’t answering your phone, and you weren’t at your apartment, and I just thought it was over.”
“So, if I asked you to come back to my apartment, would you come?” she asked.
“Is that something you want?” I asked.
“Holy hell, more than ever,” she breathed, tears dripping down her face. “Come back to the apartment with me, Tyler. Please.”
Our pumps both clicked at the same time, and it elicited chuckles from both of us. It was like the gas station was clapping our inevitable victory. Amber wiped her nose off on her shirt before she pulled the pump from her tank. I screwed the top back on my rental car gas tank and shut it closed.
“Would you like to lead the way?” I asked.
“Sure, follow me.”
Chapter 24
Amber
I wanted him. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything. While my entire world was falling apart around me, the only thing that was stuck in my head were his eyes. I was zooming down the road, and I felt his hand on my knee. My hair was blowing in the wind, and I could feel his fingertips pulling it back. I got out to pump gas, and all I could see were his eyes.
And then, there he was. Standing right in front of me at the station.
We stumbled into my apartment, his lips everywhere on me. I no longer cared who saw us. Who walked in, or who tried to destroy us. I’d lost everything, and yet here he was. Wanting me more than ever. Calling me beautiful and groping his hands everywhere across my skin. I dropped my purse and keys to the floor while his foot kicked my front door shut. We stumbled to my couch, our hands peeling each other’s clothes off before I dropped to my knees.
His cock was throbbing, thick with precum that needed to be sucked from its tip.
Before he could ask, I took it between my lips. He flopped onto the couch while I scooted between his legs. My fingernails dug into his thighs as I took him to the back of my throat, closing it around him while he squirmed on the couch. His precum was hot, leaking from his tip while he thrust deep down my throat.
I could feel his cock warming and expanding with every suck I took. I could feel him shivering with every swallowing motion I made. His body lurched, pressing his hips closer and closer to me while he relished how my tongue swirled around the tip of his dick.
At this moment, I had him at my command. He was a writhing, moaning mess on my couch, and I was in control. His hand tangled itself into my hair, pulling me closer as the tip of his cock hit the back of my throat. I swallowed my gag reflex, breathing steadily through my nose while his legs shook. I could feel his end almost approaching. I could feel his dick swelling in my throat, taunting me with the sweet cum I wanted to swallow.
Faster and harder I sucked, bobbing my head while my hand cupped his balls. I could feel them hanging low with want, filling with the cum I knew he wanted to release from his body. I gobbled him down, my lips swelling with the effort it took to unhinge my jaw and get it around his thick cock. But to me, it didn’t matter. The way his head lobbed back and began to sweat for me was enough to know I was doing this right.
That I was giving him what he wanted.
But before he blew his load, he wrenched my mouth from his cock and pulled me up for a kiss. His arms hooked underneath mine, and I could feel his dick throbbing against my stomach. His tongue searched along the insides of my cheeks, scooping his taste off my skin. I smiled while kissing him back passionately, my hands pressing into his trembling thighs.
Holy hell, the strength in his legs was enough to make me weak in mine.
“Not yet. That’s not where I want to be,” he breathed.
I pulled him into my room, and we fell to the bed. I climbed onto his lap and slid my dripping wet pussy onto his cock. I could feel my pussy expanding, massaging his dick as I watched his eyes widen. His arms cloaked my back while I rocked in his lap, and soon our breaths were in sync while our bodies chased their own inevitable ecstasy.
I bounced on his lap, my juices covering his skin. My fluids were dripping down his balls as my lips were everywhere on his neck. My hands curled into his hair while his lips peppered my tits with kisses, and he drew a nipple into his mouth just as my pussy began to flutter against his dick. I felt him pulsing inside me, begging me to fall over the precipice I was running up so he could revel
in how warm I was.
How swollen I was.
How wet I was.
“Tyler. Tyler, please. Don’t stop. I’m almost there. I’m going to come.”
I leaned my head back, raking my fingernails across his shoulders as my body shook on top of his lap. He kept pounding into me relentlessly, his hips rearing off the bed while I grabbed onto his hair for leverage. The growl that peeled from between his lips brought me down from my high, and soon I was being hoisted into the air and carried into the bathroom.
“Turn the water on hot,” he said.
I reached down, his dick still throbbing inside me, and turned on the water of my shower. In one fell swoop, he lifted us both into the shower. We didn’t even bother closing the curtain as water spewed everywhere in my bathroom. His eyes held mine as he pressed my back to the wall. For a second, I thought he could read my mind. I felt like he was digging into the depths of my soul and trying to peel me out. Like he knew I had retreated, and he was trying to get me back.
Slowly, his hips began to roll. My back was pinned against the cool shower wall, puckering my nipples to almost painful peaks. With every thrust, my eyes fluttered. Every time he bottomed out inside me, I moaned. He felt so good, filling me the way he did. The places he hit and the electricity that flowed through my body was unmatched, even with the pleasure I could give myself.
