Her thoughts ran rampant through her mind. The words tumbled over each other as she slowly but surely made sense of them.
Congratulations, Libby. You’re on your way to forgiving yourself.
As Matthias’s words echoed in her mind, she fell asleep.
LIBBY WOKE UP to the sound of insistent tapping at her front door.
“Oh Cyn,” she moaned, crawling out of bed. “I really don’t want to tell you all about my evening now.” She pushed her hair away from her face. She stumbled across the room and soon reached the door. “Please, Cyn.” She opened the door and, to her shock, faced Tyler.
“I guess Cyn’s still asleep.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “May I come in?”
Speechless at seeing the last person she’d expected to find on her doorstep, Libby stepped back.
Tyler moved inside and closed the door behind him. He leaned against it with his hands behind him. His crooked smile was barely visible in the darkness.
“I guess you weren’t expecting me.”
“I was asleep,” she muttered, stating the obvious. Her sleep-fogged brain was having trouble assimilating that this wasn’t a wishful dream on her part.
“Yeah, I gathered that.” The light might have been almost nonexistent, but the hot glow in his eyes seem to send a shaft of light between them. “You’re not going to send me away, are you?”
“I should.”
“I wasn’t with her tonight, Libby.”
“I know.”
Her whisper hovered in the air between them as Tyler looked at her in confusion.
Her smile was brief. “I would have smelled her perfume on you,” she explained.
Tyler took one step forward. So did Libby. Another step and they were in each other’s arms.
Libby felt as if she had come home. His embrace was so familiar to her, she wanted to cry. Instead, she tightened her arms around his neck and nestled her cheek against the curve of his shoulder.
Tyler’s kisses were butterfly soft against her forehead and cheeks, but no less thrilling for their tenderness. She found the taste of his skin slightly salty and rough under her tongue as she refamiliarized herself with everything about him.
How long had it been since they held each other this way? How long had it been since they had well and truly kissed?
She tipped her head back, baring her throat to his mouth, which zeroed in on the soft skin there.
“Tyler,” she whispered.
“Libby.” He made her name sound like a prayer. His arms tightened around her as he picked her up and cradled her against his chest. “Don’t say no.” He brushed his mouth against hers. “Please.”
If he had behaved like the cocksure rebel he’d been acting like before, she would have pushed him out the door and locked it behind him. But he begged her, sincerity ringing in his voice. He held her as if she were a fragile package that required delicate handling. He didn’t arrogantly head for the bedroom as if anticipating his welcome. He waited for her to make the decision.
She couldn’t keep him in suspense for long. Not when her own body was quivering like a tightly strung bow.
“Yes.”
The word was so softly spoken that even with their mouths a breath apart, he shouldn’t have been able to hear her. But he did. He groaned softly and pressed his forehead against hers. What had started on the dance floor would finish here.
Tyler carried Libby into the bedroom and carefully placed her on the rumpled bedcovers.
Libby brushed his hands away from his shirt front and released the buttons herself. With each button unfastened, she pressed her lips against another inch of bared skin. With her hands pressed flat against his chest, she felt his muscles tense under her touch. When his shirt hung open, she worked on the waistband button on his jeans. She smiled at the bulge under the zippered fly and pressed her palm there.
Tyler drew in a sharp breath and hissed a word that could have been a curse or a prayer.
“It appears you’re somewhat tense, Mr. Barnes,” Libby whispered, still keeping her palm pressed against him. She could feel the heat coming from him as she slowly lowered the zipper. His white cotton briefs contrasted with the dark material of his jeans.
“You could call it that.” Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. He reached down to unbutton the three buttons at the throat of her nightgown, then grasped the fabric at her knees and carefully pulled upward. She shifted her body to allow him to pull the gown over her head.
Within seconds, his shirt, jeans and boots were lying on the floor along with her nightgown.
Libby looked up as she slid back onto the bed. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. All she needed to do was hold out her hand to him.
Tyler leaned forward, resting one bent knee on the bed as he allowed her to pull him toward her. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her slowly and deeply until they both were out of breath.
As she ran her hands over his shoulders and down his hard, muscled arms, he was drawing light circles around the curve of her breast.
“So sweet,” he muttered, trailing his mouth across the taut peak. He closed his mouth around her nipple and suckled.
Libby cried out as lightning shot through her body from her breast, to her center. As Tyler’s mouth feasted on her breast, his hands were equally busy trailing along her belly to her thighs. His fingers roamed down her legs to her knees and then slowly back up, but he deliberately ignored the area she hungered for him to touch. She whimpered, twisting under the sensual play of his fingertips. She dug her nails into his shoulders as punishment, but he merely laughed and continued his tantalizing caresses.
This Tyler didn’t realize Libby had a few tricks up her nonexistent sleeve. She dragged her fingertips across his chest, tangling them in the crisp hair there, then continued a path downward.
The white cotton briefs were pushed down and her hand closed firmly and warmly around his erection. His head snapped upward and eyes gleaming white-hot bored into hers.
“You don’t play fair, Teach.”
Libby smiled. She was secure in her sensuality with this man and she intended to show him all.
“Oh, I play fair as long as I win.” She squeezed gently, sliding her hand slowly downward, then back up.
Tyler gasped at her intimate touch.
“Just a minute.”
He was off the bed and rummaging through his jeans pockets until he found what he wanted. He was back before Libby had a chance to consider what she was doing.
He loomed over her like a conqueror, but instead of the swift and deep thrust she expected, he entered her slowly. She stared into his eyes, watching the pupils contract as she tightened around him.
Tyler felt as if he was drowning in a velvet sheath that fit him as if it was custom made. He felt as if he’d come home. He doubted any other woman could make him feel as he did now. And as his movements increased and he felt her legs curve over his and her hips rise up to meet him, he knew he could now die a very happy man.
Chapter Twelve
Tyler was positive he had died and gone to heaven.
He should have been lying back, feeling sated and smug. That was what he usually felt for about five minutes, before he started getting antsy and ready to leave a warm bed and head for his own home. Normally, he didn’t feel comfortable spending the night in a woman’s bed. Not even Renee’s.
He told himself he should be climbing out of bed right now and pulling on his clothes instead of lying here with a sleeping Libby in his arms. Except he wasn’t eager to relinquish her and leave the silky softness of her body. Holding her seemed so right. She curled against him as if she had been made for him, and his arms wrapped around her instinctively.
Their mingled scent was sharp in his nostrils. Tyler found himself curious to explore her bathroom. To find out what she used to make her hair smell so exotic—was that almond?—while the rest of her smelled like spring. He rubbed his chin across the top of her head so he cou
ld feel the silky softness of her hair.
Come on, Libby! Say yes. I’ll even stand on my head if you say you’ll go steady with me.
Tyler frowned as the odd words rang through his mind. Why would they sound so real, as if he’d actually spoken them? He’d never gone steady in his life!
Libby murmured something indistinguishable and stirred in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, raising herself slightly on one arm.
“I was afraid you considered me pretty boring company,” he teased. He used his fingers to brush an unruly lock of hair off her face. He carefully tucked it behind her ear, his fingers lingering at the delicate shell.
His eyes were accustomed to the darkness, so he could easily see her face. But it was her eyes that caught his attention—and a question in them that he felt he should know the answer to. What was she trying to tell him?
Libby looked past him.
“I think you should leave now,” she said softly.
He sat up so quickly she had to lean back so she wouldn’t slip backward. The corner of the sheet covering her breasts started to slide downward until she grabbed hold of it.
He told himself he had heard wrong. “Are you kicking me out?”
“Yes, I am.” She nodded as she said the words, as if to make sure he didn’t misunderstand her blunt request. As if he could have!
Tyler rubbed his hand over his chin. The skin was bristly to the touch.
“I thought you might want to cook me breakfast in the morning. If we decide to get up in time, that is.” He raised his eyebrows.
She didn’t laugh or blush at his provocative remark.
“I’m sure you can find something for breakfast at your own home or at any restaurant in town,” she said in an even voice.
Libby slipped out of bed and walked around to the other side. She picked up her nightgown and slid it over her head.
Tyler felt regret when her nude body was covered with lilac print flannel. Before he could say something, his own clothes were dropped on his bare stomach. He sat up and pulled his shirt on, then tugged on his briefs.
“Some hostess you are, darlin’.”
The light in the bathroom sent a wide beam across the carpet as Libby disappeared into the room. A moment later, she reappeared with a hairbrush in her hand. She ran it through her hair, smoothing the locks he had combed his fingers through not all that long ago.
“You got what you came for. Now you can go home feeling like a victor.” She set the brush down on the dresser and walked toward the doorway.
Tyler hurriedly pulled on his jeans, zipping and buttoning as he followed Libby into the living room. He carried his boots in one hand.
“What’s wrong, Libby?” He remained on her heels as she strode into the kitchen and took a glass out of a cabinet. She filled it with water and drank thirstily.
“Nothing.” She set the now-empty glass down, then turned around and leaned against the counter.
“Then you tell me why after the most incredible sex two people could share, you’re throwing me out.” He walked toward her until their bodies almost touched.
She reached behind her and flipped on the light. The bright glare caused them both to blink rapidly.
“Yes, the sex was incredible.” Her lips curled slightly. “But I need more than just that, Tyler. You can have sex with anyone. It’s the meeting of souls that counts. Good night, Tyler.”
He felt anger bristling along his spine. “Fine. If that’s the way you see it, fine,” he snapped, haphazardly tucking his shirt into his jeans. “Good night to you, too.”
He stalked out, but even with his temper raging, he took great care not to slam the front door as he left.
Libby gripped the counter so tightly her knuckles were white.
We have a meeting of souls, Libby. That’s what our lovemaking is. There’s a hell of a lot more than just sex between us.
“He didn’t even recognize the words.”
Her whisper hung heavily in the air as she slowly made her way back to bed. Not to sleep, but to grieve over what she had wanted so badly and what she had actually received.
DAMMIT! He sure showed her, hadn’t he? She tried to say that the sex they’d had wasn’t all that important. Then she’d thrown him out! Fine. She could just sleep alone from now on. He wasn’t going to put himself in that situation again.
But then he remembered that flannel nightgown covering her from throat to toes. It looked like some flower-covered sack, but damm, she still looked so sexy with her drowsy features and sleepy eyes. How come he was getting aroused just thinking about her?
Tyler pounded the dashboard in frustration.
“Why did she have to make things so complicated?” he growled, pressing down harder on the accelerator. Then he eased off. The last thing he wanted was a ticket for speeding.
He parked his truck in the garage and walked into the house.
Tyler grimaced when he noticed the message light blinking madly on his answering machine. He had a pretty good idea who’d left messages, but hell, he’d always been a glutton for punishment.
“Tyler, baby, I’m sorry if I said something wrong tonight. Come on, sweetie, talk to your Renee.”
“Tyler, honey, are you really mad at me? It was just that that woman was making eyes at you and I was jealous. Tyler?”
“Tyler, don’t be mad at me. In fact…” she paused, her voice lowered to a seductive purr “…why don’t you come on over so we can make up?”
“Damn you to hell, Tyler Barnes! No one treats me like this. You are slime! Do you hear that, you bastard?”
Tyler winced at the earsplitting shriek coming from the answering machine. He quickly shut it off.
“I’m surprised she didn’t blow out all the circuits,” he muttered, heading for the bedroom.
His usual practice was to take a shower before going to sleep. This time he just stripped off his clothing and climbed into bed. Libby’s scent was still on his skin and he decided he liked it. A lot.
“I’m not giving her another thought,” he muttered, punching his pillow into a pleasing shape and burrowing into it. “Not one more thought.”
Except, as he fell asleep, he remembered just how sweet she tasted.
IT HAD TAKEN LIBBY most of the morning just to get out of bed. She huddled under the covers and stared at the wall.
I’m surprised you’re not jumping up and down with happiness.
“Oh sure, I’m just ecstatic.”
Sarcasm, dear Libby?
Her upper lip curled. “Sarcasm is the least of it. Let’s just say the man was happy because he’d had the best sex ever.”
Matthias’s figure wavered in shadow, then appeared in front of her.
“Oh dear. I’d say he didn’t choose the right words.”
She glared at him, but along with her anger her expression revealed sorrow and pain.
“I don’t care what I’m supposed to do. I don’t care what he’s supposed to do. I want to go back.” Tears caused her voice to come out a bit fuzzy.
Matthias leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together. “Do you truly want to go back to an empty life?”
Those same tears burned her eyes. “I didn’t have an empty life.”
“Didn’t you? Libby, you had a husband you ignored, a baby you mourned to the point of obsession, a family you pushed away. Tell me, what else did you have back there?”
She looked away. She refused to meet his eyes in the face of the logic he’d laid out before her.
“And what do I have here? A man who’s not my husband, no baby and no family.”
“I would say that you could return, but here you seem to be making more progress in finding out what really matters to you.”
She still looked away. “And if I go back, Tyler will probably end up with Renee Carter and all she’ll do is make him miserable,” she whispered.
“You have so much love to give, Libby. Open yourself up to the world ar
ound you. Remind yourself it isn’t a crime to have another child.”
Libby swallowed the lump in her throat. When she looked up again, Matthias was gone. The quiet of her apartment was suddenly too much for her. She went off to shower and dress.
“HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT OUT with Bonnie and Gary?” Cyn asked the moment Libby stepped outside. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
She should have known she wouldn’t be able to quietly sneak off. Her first horrified thought was that Cyn had seen Tyler’s truck parked near the garage, a spot that at least wasn’t visible from the street. The last thing she needed was any negative gossip from neighbors. But she didn’t want her landlady thinking the worst of her, either.
Cyn’s open, friendly smile didn’t intimate that she had noticed Tyler’s truck.
“What are you doing?” Libby stared at the many boxes Cyn had piled outside the open garage.
“Getting out the Christmas decorations.” Cyn put one box on top of another. “I usually get them out right after Thanksgiving, but I’m a week late.”
“I didn’t realize December was already here,” Libby murmured, looking into one open box and seeing a pair of plastic candles that were obviously meant to be set up outside.
“It does creep up fast, doesn’t it?” Cyn piled a stack of candy canes. “I line the walkway with these,” she explained. “I’ve always loved the holiday season.”
Libby studied the older woman’s vivid green fleece pants and tunic top. A bejewelled Christmas tree was pinned to one shoulder.
The last thing Libby wanted to think about was the holidays. Except, deep down, she could feel a thread of excitement curling upward.
“What will you have the children do for their holiday pageant?” Cyn asked. “Miss Regina always puts on a wonderful pageant for the parents. Each class always does something special.”
“I guess I’ll decide on Monday.” Libby looked at all the boxes, a little chagrined to have forgotten about the coming holiday. “Would you like some help?”
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