Tyler's Blind Date Experiment

by Alicia Street

  The card clipped to the basket had no envelope and before Tyler could grab it, Caroline read, “Thank you for giving us back our Sammie. This would never have been possible without your support. But you don’t just give your money—you give your heart. And you will forever be in ours —Jen and Sam and little Sammie”

  Tyler was speechless.

  “Who is Sammie?” Caroline asked, her voice so gentle.

  “He is this really great kid I know.”

  “Sounds like there is a lot more to it than that.”

  Tyler wasn’t sure if it was the sound of her voice or the look on her face, but before he knew it, he’d launched into the whole story. “A few years back I had a motorcycle accident. And, no, I don’t have one anymore and that is why. One doctor said I would never walk again, another said I would walk, but with a limp.”

  “How horrible.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, it is amazing how quickly a person can be reduced, both in physical capabilities and self-worth. Being weak and dependent isn’t to good for the male ego. Well, I researched and tried everything I could and found an incredible physical therapist who used hydrotherapy.”

  Caroline smiled. “Perfect for the guy who loves water.”

  “Right. It took a long time and a lot of effort, but my body responded and although I still have pain now and then, my legs are darn good. But while I was in rehab I saw people who weren’t so lucky. Some with strokes or serious spinal chord injuries or cerebral palsy. Including some kids.” He shook his head with a sigh. “There was this eight-year-old boy that I saw in tears one day. Broke my heart so I did my best to cheer him up, get a smile out of him. Then I started working out at the same time as him. Later, after I was on the mend, Greg, our physical therapist, taught me some exercises I could do with him.”

  “Is this Sammie?”

  “No. His name was Lukas. He was such a great kid. He was never going to have a completely normal life, but seeing him gain in strength and mobility—and spirit—gave me something I’d never felt before. And between working with him and talking with his mother, I understood for the first time what it is to love a child so much you would do absolutely anything in the world to see them happy and well. I found out too late that there were some issues with his insurance and by the time I was able to offer help, other health complications took him out.”

  She gasped. “Are you saying he died?”

  “Yeah,” Tyler murmured, afraid his voice might crack in front of her. His death had hit him so deeply and still hurt whenever he thought about it.

  “So, the note with the flowers…sounds like you’re helping to pay for other kids’ treatments?”

  Tyler nodded, took a breath and went on. Might as well tell it all. “Shortly after that, Greg got downsized from the center, so he and I concocted a plan to open a privately run place. I researched the legalities and he researched possible facilities, and a little over a year ago we opened a hydrotherapy center and keep expanding and improving it. I recently bought more underwater treadmills and a hydraulic lift to help get a two-hundred pounder into the pool.”

  “You own this place?”

  “I do, secretly. To the public Greg is the owner. I have an affiliated non-profit and try to raise money for it, but most of it has come out of my pocket up to this point.”

  “Including paying for those who can’t.”

  He shrugged, embarrassed after bearing his soul like a female. “Sorry. I meant for this to be a fun day and here I am being a downer.”

  “A downer? No, a hero.” She threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

  He wanted to turn his head and taste her delicious mouth again, but instead he took her hand and said, “Ready to go for a spin on my Cantius?”

  “Ooh, that sounds dirty.”

  Taylor grinned. “No, it’s the make of my boat, but I like the way your mind works.”

  Chapter 9

  Filled with an overload of mixed emotions, Caroline scampered out the side door behind Tyler and down the wooden steps to the dock. He guided her onto the boat, then nimbly hopped onboard. He pulled a PFD out of a compartment and handed it to her.

  “I’ve got to ask you to wear this,” he said. As she took it, he added, “I’ll wear one too so you’re not alone. I forgot to ask if you can swim.”

  “Yes, I can. Don’t worry. I know I told you I’d only been on a boat once, and it was a canoe, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t go swimming each summer.”

  “Just checking.” He turned away and disconnected the mooring lines. She perched on a leather bench in a lounge area and watched as he made preparations, her mind whirling.

  Between the story he had just revealed to her, and this sleek boat, that was bigger and more elaborate than she had expected, and his house…she could see there were some mysteries to this man. Which could be a good thing—or very bad, as she had discovered with her disastrous marriage.

  She’d already known he had to be worth some money coming from the Westfall family, but his house was spectacular. And from what she’d seen, she liked his taste. Of course people like him often hired someone else to decorate, so she asked, “Did you have a professional decorate your house?”

  “Whoa. That is quite a compliment coming from someone with an art degree.”

  “Does that mean you did it yourself?”

  “Yeah. I like color and design, but don’t tell anyone. It will ruin my macho image.”

  “Hey, I’ve already started spreading the word that you tried to bake chocolate chip cookies.”

  “I should never have told you. But they were a failure so that doesn’t count.” He nodded toward the bow and said, “Come be my co-pilot.”

  Those words and the look he gave her sent heat right to her core. She kept a lid on it, her untrusting inner voice having told her she would make him wait for sex. The question was—could she?

  He looked back at her. “Step lively, me hearties,” he said in a gravelly voice. Tyler plunked himself down on a white leather bench and took over the controls. When Caroline stood nearby, he patted the spot next to him.

  “A few seconds to crank her up and we’re on our way to Cuba.”

  Carolyn laughed. “Wait a sec. I thought we were going to Nova Scotia.”

  “Sorry. I’m out of cigars. Havana it is.”

  “You don’t even smoke.”

  “True, but it sounded exotic.”

  The boat rumbled underneath them and he steered his way down the inlet between his property and his neighbors’ and out into Peconic Bay.

  He opened the side windows and pressed a button to slide the clear overhead shield back. And soon Caroline was sold. The breeze kissing her face, the water sparkling in the sunlight, the gentle rhythm of the boat as it cut through the bay, and no walls closing her in.

  Tyler looked directly at her. “You like this.”

  “How could I not?” she said. “I suppose you grew up around boats.”

  “Sure did. My great-grandfather started a business of servicing and selling them, and my grandfather and great-uncle and father kept it going and expanded it. Aside from what I’ve learned from my father, I’ve also taken lots of courses and have a captain’s license, although I wouldn’t need it to pilot this size boat.” He glanced at her. “Just letting you know you’re safe.”

  “That wasn’t the kind of ‘safe’ I was worried about.”

  He barked out a laugh.

  “You must be good at your job,” she said.

  “I am,” he said. “But it is not easy to please my father.”

  She waved him off. “He knows you’re good.”

  “Yeah, in fact he told me so.”

  “See that?”

  “Right before he fired me.”

  “What? I thought you were just on leave.”

  “It was a little falling out, that’s all. But I’ll be back. I need to take care of something first to make him happy.” When his focus shifted and he went silent, Caroline had a sense it w
as best not to probe.

  Soon they had passed the end of the Fork and were out in the Atlantic Ocean. Caroline’s stomach tightened with the thrill of it, loving the speed and the sprinkles of ocean spray, the salt air and the gulls overhead.

  “Where are you headed?” she asked.

  “I thought we could go have lunch on Block Island.”

  “What?”

  “It’s not that far. Or else I we could hang out in the lounge here on the boat. I have a local IPA you might like and some frozen snacks I could microwave.”

  She hid her surprise that he had a working kitchen on the boat, not wanting to sound too unsophisticated or reveal the fact that she thought this top part was all there was. Duh. This was not a simple speed boat.

  “Let’s stay on the boat since this is my first time meeting Adriana.”

  They anchored off Gardiner’s Island, and as soon as everything was set, Tyler rushed to the back of the boat, pulling off his PFD, his shirt and shoes, and he dove off into the water. The move was a thing of beauty, something Caroline could never replicate. So she ambled over, slowly taking off her shirt and jeans and sneakers.

  Tyler’s head popped out of the water and he called out, “Hey, gorgeous. You coming in?”

  Caroline tried not to blush. She guessed Tyler had likely dated some really beautiful, well-kept women, and between her “invisible girl” history and a cheating ex, she did not see herself as a prize. But she reminded herself of all the courage it took to put her life back together, not to mention the brazen art girl she had been for a brief time.

  She took three steps and jumped into the water, holding her nose and hoping the top of her purple print two-piece didn’t come flying off. As she bobbed back up, Tyler was right there, his arms reaching for her, his handsome face bright and ready for play. They swam together and he pulled her against his chest as he floated on his back, then letting her go, disappearing under the water, and coming up on the other side of her.

  Yeah, the man was half fish. At one point his arms encircled her and he pulled her against his naked chest, their bodies so close, and kissed her. Feeling his strong arms and torso, their legs kicking next to each other’s below the water, the salt air and sunlight and waves—and Tyler’s mouth on hers—Caroline knew this was a moment so special she would never forget it.

  When they returned to the boat, he pulled a couple towels out of a storage box and led her downstairs. “Do you want to shower before we eat?”

  “You have a shower on here?” The space was tight, but she didn’t feel claustrophobic because the design allowed so much sunlight to come through. And the colors were so appealing. Tyler showed her the bedrooms with what looked like comfy seating in them and then pointed to a bathroom and shower.

  “There are two showers. I’m guessing you’d rather not be in the same room.”

  “Probably best that way,” she said.

  He ran his finger over her shoulder tattoo and down her arm and then gently brushed the moon and stars at her waist. “I love your tattoos.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah.” He planted a quick kiss on her shoulder and turned away.

  Damn, he was a tease.

  After showering and dressing in dry clothes, they went to the galley and Tyler opened his freezer to show her his copious supply of packaged meals. As she perused them, he said, “We could still dock at Greenport and get a bite there if you want.”

  “No, this is fine.” She pulled out some chicken fingers and a rice and bean dish. Then she looked through the vegetables. “Broccoli? Don’t tell me you are one of those people who actually likes broccoli.”

  He nodded. “Uh-oh. Does that disqualify me?”

  “From what?”

  “From your list of cool guys?”

  Caroline leaned forward and kissed him. She couldn’t help it. He was so darn adorable. And he had done that earlier to her, so she figured affection was on the table.

  Tyler responded but not in the way she had hoped. In fact, he pulled away sooner than she would have wanted, took the packages out of her hands, and started their lunch. Again he made no comment when she declined the beer he offered.

  After lunch, Tyler seemed ready to go back. Caroline wondered what was up. Had she said or done something that made him decide they just weren’t right for each other?

  When they reached his house, she expected him to offer to take her home, but instead he offered to make coffee.

  Confused, she said, “If you have plans—”

  “You were my only plan for the day.”

  “So why am I sensing you are ready for this date to end?”

  He stepped closer. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Why waste my time or yours?”

  “Okay, so here it is,” he said, and she waited for the goodbye speech. “I wanted to have sex with you so badly on the boat that it got really uncomfortable for me. I thought it would be easier to control myself here because there is more in the house to distract us, but—”

  Before she could stop herself, Caroline reached her hands out to cup his face and pulled him to her, diving in to ravage his magnificent mouth the way she had been dying to do all day.

  “Would you like to see my bedroom?” Tyler murmured against her lips.

  “Mmm hmm.”

  He grabbed her hand and turned for the stairs. Caroline glanced left and right as they passed other rooms before he stepped into what was clearly the master bedroom. The first thing she noticed was the glass door and tall windows that looked out at the bay. The white walls had paintings she told herself she would check out later. Right now the most important thing in the room was his king-sized bed.

  Tyler wrapped his arms around Caroline, tugging her close and backing up to the bed. He flopped backwards, pulling her with him, then rolled over on top of her, kissing her madly. She slid her hands under his tee, loving the feel of his hard muscles, then lifted the hem until he let her pull it over his head and off.

  She had just seen what a glorious body he had when they went swimming and now the excitement of having her hands and mouth on him was almost too much. He was grinding his hard shaft against her sweet spot, his mouth moving down her throat to her clavicle. He rolled to his back, taking her with him and immediately removed her shirt and sports bra.

  Yeah, she’d brought a sports bra instead of something sexy, she had been so sure this was not going to happen.

  “Such pretty roses,” Tyler said, playing with her nipples. Then he licked and sucked, sending heat through every part of her body. She gripped his head, thinking she might come just from this alone. But then his mouth was on her belly, his tongue took one swipe of her aquamarine stud, and he backed up on his knees and slid her shorts and panties off.

  The panties were a little better than the sports bra. At least they were flowered bikinis, but still no sexy lace. Not that he seemed to care as he dove in for a taste, tonging first her clit and then dipping into her folds. When he added a finger, finding exactly the right place, her orgasm came fast and hard.

  Tyler gave her that panty-dropping grin and crawled up to kiss her again. Her hand slid into his shorts and gripped his cock, stroking it.

  “Stop or it’ll be over before I get inside you. And being inside you is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time.” He got up, yanked off his shorts and briefs, then reached in the drawer of his nightstand.

  Caroline wondered if his “long time” meant before their connection through the dating app, like back when he used to come in for his coffee.

  “Wait. Let me look at you,” she said. “You have an amazing build. Like Michelangelo’s David.”

  “Except he’s more of a flyweight. I’m a middleweight.”

  “You know how much marble weighs?”

  He laughed and got back on the bed, unwrapping a condom and rolling it on. As his eyes scanned the length of her body, arousal surged through her again.

  “
You have the most beautiful eyes,” he said, his voice low and sultry, as he lowered himself toward her.

  Caroline loved hearing that, but she told herself not to get attached to this man, not to think it meant anything more than physical attraction. She had already been torn to pieces by jackass Jackson and had no intention of ever letting it happen again.

  “What are you thinking about?” Tyler asked. “Your mind just went somewhere else. Not good for a man’s ego.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll be honest, Tyler. I’ve got a lot of baggage. And the last thing I want is to sabotage this, because I’ve wanted you inside me since the first time you stepped into my cafe.”

  “I thought you were really hot too.”

  “But you never even looked at me when you bought your coffee.”

  “Are you kidding? I can check out a woman without her knowing it. Wouldn’t want to get accused of ogling anyone.”

  He stroked her thigh and then her clit. Then he was over her and inside her, his weight and strength and hot, moist skin a tonic, his cock thrusting into her a sweet reward.

  “You feel so good,” she breathed out, her hands moving all over him, her breasts pressing against his chest. He groaned as she caressed him, pounding into her again and again.

  Taking Caroline to a place she had never been before.

  Two hours later, she lay on her back, spent but sated. Tyler was on his stomach next to her, his arm across her waist.

  They could not seem to get enough of each other. Even now, Caroline knew she should leave, but something kept her on the bed. It was almost as if they would not let up until they experimented with all the possible positions. She had straddled him; he took her from behind; on her way back from the bathroom he surprised her and they did it against the wall.

  From a two-year drought to this. Boy, was she going to be sore tomorrow.

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat. “I have to go, Tyler.”