Celestial Nights [The Protectors 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Marla Monroe

  He set the timer for forty-five minutes and jumped into the shower. The hot water felt good as it pelted his skin. He rested both hands on the back of the stall and let it pound down his back to help loosen the muscles that tended to knot up when he’d been riding for long stretches. He hadn’t managed to loosen them up yet this time.

  What I wouldn’t give to be able to make love to Celeste in a huge walk in shower. One with hand holds and a seat.

  He could see her body slick with water facing the tiled wall with her hands against it as he filled her from behind and held her breasts in his hands. He would squeeze them, pinching the nipples just enough to make her wetter as he tunneled in and out of her hot, wet pussy. She’d slap at the tile and beg him to go faster.

  Tyler fisted his cock and squeezed the base before pulling his hand up the shaft and rubbing over the head. He could almost feel her snug heat. A brief memory of what it had felt like to be inside her had him gasping as his balls jerked and a tiny spurt of pre-cum oozed from the slit on top of the head of his cock.

  “Fuck!”

  Damn that felt good. Who would have thought you could do that from a memory? Celeste was special and Tyler would do anything to convince her to give him a chance. He just prayed she was going to really try.

  He continued to stroke his dick, squeezing at the base before pulling on it all the way back up the shaft. His balls grew heavy, tightening even as he pumped his hand up and down his cock, slowly increasing the speed as his orgasm grew nearer. Fuck but he wished she were there with him.

  How in the hell have I gotten so hung up on her so fast? It’s more than caring for her and it’s a hell of a lot more than lust. I need her to be happy.

  He knew that sounded like he was obsessed with her, but it wasn’t that. He just wasn’t exactly sure what it was.

  Tyler tightened his fist around his shaft and tugged harder as his balls burned with the need to come. Damnit, he was going to come hard. Even as he thought it, cum erupted from his dick while his toes curled on the slick shower floor. His ass clenched to the point of pain as he coated the wall with his seed.

  He all but collapsed against the adjacent wall as he fought to catch his breath. To make it worse, he had a cramp in one of his toes.

  “Hell!”

  He started to stomp it out but thought about how slick the tub was. Instead, he cleaned up his mess and stepped over the rim of the tub to press down on that foot. The cramp eased and he was finally able to draw in a full breath.

  It didn’t take him long to dry off and dress. His gut twisted with nerves when normally it wouldn’t have phased him to cook for a woman. Celeste wasn’t any woman, and she wasn’t just a date. At some point, Tyler needed to sit down and figure it all out. He knew what he wanted, but he needed to know why her and why now. How far was he willing to go?

  Evidently pretty damn far. I’m already thinking about alternatives for her being unable to get pregnant. That sounds pretty damn serious and permeant I’d think.

  True, but was he serious or in that early stage where he went into every relationship believing it would be forever—the one. Somehow, he needed to sort that out before Celeste asked questions. He couldn’t very well tell her if he didn’t know himself.

  God, he wanted it to be everything he ever dreamed about. He wanted what Morgan and Amanda had. They were so deeply in love it almost hurt to watch them. And that little Anna, she was so cute. She wasn’t Morgan’s blood, but you’d never know it from the way he doted on her.

  And if they didn’t have children? Would that be okay with him? He needed to be sure before he told Celeste it was. She might not want children if they weren’t her own. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but if it was, he needed to be able to assure her that it was fine with him as long as he had her.

  There I go acting like this is the one.

  And maybe it was, but he didn’t one hundred percent know that yet. Did he?

  Tyler checked the meal in the oven and decided it needed to cook another ten minutes. That gave him time to set the little table for two. He wished he’d thought to buy tea bags. Iced tea would have been perfect. Now they’d either have to drink beer or water. He guessed it was appropriate to drink beer with their chicken pot pie since they were above a bar. For some reason it made him laugh and Tyler realized he hadn’t laughed this much in a long time. It felt good.

  A knock on the door startled him so that he nearly dropped the glass he’d taken out of the cabinet. He walked over to the door and opened it wide.

  “You didn’t have to knock. You could have come on in.”

  “It’s your apartment since I’m renting it to you, so I really shouldn’t just barge in anytime I want to.”

  He had to swallow when he finally focused in on what she was wearing—or wasn’t wearing. Tyler watched as she strode into the room, the soft looking, stretchy material clung to every curve of her body, making it obvious that she didn’t wear either a bra or panties beneath it. The pale green accented her auburn hair and sparkling, light blue eyes.

  In the artificial light of the apartment, she was the brightest of stars that even the dingy room couldn’t dull. Tyler didn’t stand a chance of recovering from whatever relationship they were entering. If he didn’t win her heart, he would be forever missing a part of his.

  Chapter Seven

  “I love that dress, Celeste. You’re gorgeous. I could look at you all night long and not get tired of it.” He wished the words didn’t sound so plastic to him. He wanted Celeste to know that she was seriously attractive.

  In that dress, the way it clung to her curves and softened her entire body, Tyler thought she looked like a sexy playboy model or a woman from a Victoria’s Secret catalog. A faint pink blush suffused her cheeks. Was it from his complement? Surely she got those all the time.

  “Thank you. I don’t get to dress up often.” The blush remained.

  “You should get more chances then. I’m way underdressed compared to you.” He felt like a complete hick in his jeans next to her.

  “No, you’re not. You look very handsome and…” she leaned in and sniffed next to his neck. “Whatever you’re wearing smells wonderful.”

  Celeste pulled back and smiled up at him. That smile lit up the entire room and gave her eyes a right shine.

  “Um, it must be my soap or maybe my deodorant.”

  Yea, that was smooth. Tell her I smell good because of my underarm deodorant. Yep, I’m a hick.

  She laughed, the sound prettier than church bells. “No aftershave? I’m impressed. If you smell that good just by getting a shower and dressing you must have driven the women crazy wherever you came from.”

  That smothered a little of the high he’d been riding since she’d walked through the door. Memories of all the women he’d dated throughout the years and how they’d always turned to someone else stung, his chest burning with a pitiless fire.

  “Yeah, well. Not so much. Dinner is ready. I was just about to fix our drinks. All I have is beer and water.” He turned from her and walked across to the little kitchenette and picked up the two glasses. “What will it be?”

  “Ice water sounds wonderful. I’m burnt out on beer right now.” Her smile seemed so natural and helped him smother some of the burning in his chest.

  “Sounds good to me. Help me remember I want to buy some tea bags next time I head into town. I haven’t had a good glass of iced tea in at least a month.”

  “You can borrow some of mine until then. I keep tea on hand.” She strolled over to the table and fingered one of the mismatched plates he’d placed on the table. “This one came from my first set of dishes when I moved out. I think this is the only one that survived my first year of being on my own.”

  He smiled. “Mine never made it to my first apartment. Had a wreck once I hit Dallas and busted just about everything I had at the time, including my leg.”

  She shook her head, her mouth soft with just a hint of a smile lifting the corners. “That
didn’t work out so well.”

  “No, it didn’t. I missed out on the job and lost the apartment before I ever got moved in. Joined the army instead.” He pulled the chicken pot pie out of the oven and rested it on one of the eyes of the stove. “Best thing I could have done. Taught me some useful skills and discipline. I was sorely lacking the discipline part at nineteen.”

  “Most guys at that age are a little wild. You’d have settled down once you were working and had the responsibilities of paying rent and utilities.” She walked over to where he was leaning against the counter next to the stove.

  “I like to think so, but I was a little wilder than your average teenager. Even at nineteen, I hadn’t really turned into a man yet. I wanted to rule the world and make it follow my rules. Sound like a responsible man to you?” He laughed and reached out to trail his finger down the side of her cheek.

  “Maybe not, but everything worked out. The wreck directed you where you needed to go next, so it really doesn’t matter what might have happened. Besides,” she leaned next to him against the counter top. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters. Live in the day and let tomorrow take care of itself. The past is just a distant memory that you lived through.”

  “I like that. Who said it?” he asked.

  “Don’t have a clue who coined the phrase, but the man I bought this place from used to remind me of it fairly often. I had a tendency to live in the past back then. Now I don’t let it rule my todays or influence my tomorrows. I just let it remind me that today is all I have and tomorrow might never come.” She sighed and walked back over to the table. “I’m getting philosophical. I don’t like thinking too hard. Let’s eat. I’m starved.”

  She ended on an uplifted note and smiled across the room at him. When she smiled so that her eyes shined, it settled something inside of him that had always seemed a bit restless to him. It hit him that he’d already made up his mind about where they were going. He would need to go slow with her to get them to the same place at the same time, though.

  “This is just about the only thing other than eggs, omelets, and grilled cheese sandwiches that I can cook unless it’s on a grill. Hope it turned out okay this time.” He let the earlier conversation settle and started another one. “So what is your favorite color, Celeste? I’m thinking blue, like the sky.” Tyler carried the dish to the table and set it on a pot holder he’d placed there to keep from harming the table top.

  “Actually, no. My favorite color is lime green. It’s cheerful and a little loud.”

  Tyler chuckled. “Kind of like you. Cheerful and a little wild.”

  “I said loud, not wild, cowboy.”

  He served a generous helping of the pot pie onto her plate and then served himself. They didn’t say anything for a few minutes as they ate. He liked that they could eat in silence without it feeling awkward. He liked that they could spend time together at all. Celeste was a beautiful woman, both inside and out. She reminded him of Amanda in that regard but outside of their coloring, she was nothing like Morgan’s woman.

  Celeste isn’t Morgan’s woman. She’s going to be mine if I can somehow not screw this up.

  “I haven’t even told you what I’ve been thinking the entire time I’ve been scarfing down the chicken pot pie. It’s amazing, Tyler! Honestly. I couldn’t say anything because I was too busy trying to get more of it in my mouth. Where did you get the recipe?” Celeste didn’t put down her fork, she continued eating as if she truly couldn’t get enough of it.

  “It was my mom’s. She always made it on Saturdays and we’d sit around the table until it was all gone. Then we’d watch TV together. That was before I turned into a teenage monster and didn’t have time for Saturday dinners and TV anymore.”

  “Well, your mom made the best damn chicken pot pie I’ve ever had. I make a shepherd’s pie, but it’s nothing compared to this.”

  “I bet it’s delicious. I’ve never had one of those. What’s the difference in that and the chicken pot pie?” he asked.

  She finished chewing and took a sip of water as she swallowed before answering. “It’s made with beef instead of the chicken, and it has slightly larger potato wedges and the same vegetables pretty much.”

  “Maybe you could cook it for me next time. I’d like to try it.” He knew it was rude to invite himself for a meal, but he’d beg to get any more personal time with her that he could get.

  She laughed. “It’s a date. I’ll cook it next Sunday for dinner.”

  They continued eating, making the odd comment about the bar and her liquor inventory. Once they’d finished, Celeste insisted on helping him with the dishes. He didn’t refuse. It put her shoulder to shoulder with him and that gave him plenty of opportunities to touch her.

  “I think I’m going to try making the shepherd’s pie into small individual pies that you can warm up for a couple of meals,” she said. “You know, like the individual peach pies you could get at the store?”

  “That sounds like a great idea. Not sure I could do that with the chicken pot pies. I do good to get the crust on the big one. Not sure I could do the whole thing inside of a crust without it leaking everywhere.” He smiled at the thought of him filling little pie crusts and getting it all over him and everything else.

  “I think it would be fun. How about if we try it together on Sunday?” Her lips parted slightly as her eyes lit up once again with her smile.

  “I’m game, but don’t blame me if your kitchen turns into a war zone. I tend to make messes when I cook.”

  “I noticed,” she returned with a quick glance around at the counter they’d had to wipe down.

  Together they burst out laughing and without thinking about it first, Tyler pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His mouth moved over hers in a simple smooth touch that quickly developed into something deeper when she didn’t seem to mind. He teased her lips until she opened for him. Tyler slipped in before she could change her mind and explored the wonders of Celeste’s mouth and the magic of kissing her.

  As he slowly pulled back when all he wanted to do was go deeper, he worried about what he’d see in her eyes. He almost didn’t open his.

  There standing in front of him with her arms still lightly clasped around his neck, Celeste’s face said so much. He could tell she’d enjoyed the kiss by the turned up corners of her mouth and the soft light in her eyes that spoke of emotion and maybe arousal, as well. She didn’t pull away when he leaned back, nor did she let go of him. She just stood there, as if waiting on something else.

  What? What is she waiting on? Did I forget to do something, say something?

  The pressure building inside his body threatened to overwhelm him. Desperation increased his breathing so that he was afraid he’d start panting at any minute. He needed to do something. They couldn’t keep staring into each other’s eyes like this. Could they?

  Tyler did the first thing that popped into his head. He kissed her again but carried through to include her entire body this time. He ran his hands up and down her back in a gentle smooth motion he hoped would convey how much this meant to him. Then he pushed his hands up through her hair so that he could massage her scalp with the pads of his fingers. The way her hair felt against his skin should be illegal. The idea of it draped across his bare chest and lower to his exposed cock sent a shiver of need through him.

  “You taste so good, Celeste, like a warm summer night under a cloudless sky.”

  He wasn’t much of a poet, but he could describe what he thought pretty darn well. She tasted like how it would feel to lie on a blanket on the ground out under the stars and watch for one to streak across the sky.

  He rubbed their noses together and then kissed her forehead and trailed the kisses down to the corner of her eye and down her cheek to her neck. He sucked on her earlobe before leaving a wet kiss on the side of her neck. When he reached the soft indention of where her neck and shoulder met, Tyler licked then nipped the tendon chord before pulling back to let her see the emotion
and need in his eyes.

  * * * *

  Molten heat burned through her veins as Tyler kissed and nipped at her neck. Nothing had ever felt so good as when he touched her. It hadn’t been a first time in a long time type of reaction before. She was actually attracted to him in a way that frightened her a little. It was all happening too fast and plunging her deep into an emotional quagmire. Relationships tended to take a turn for the worst with her.

  Do I really want to risk my heart again? I’ve been fine without a man in my life. Mostly.

  But she’d been lonely and often wished for someone to share the ups and downs in life with her. But this? Tyler? He rode a bike and moved from place to place. She couldn’t expect him to settle down there with her.

  I could move with him, though. I could sell this place and kick the mud from this place right off my boots. I could…

  “Do you have music in your apartment?” Tyler’s voice cut into her thoughts.

  “Yeah. Were you wanting to listen to anything in particular?”

  “Something we can dance to. I want to feel you move in my arms.”

  Celeste’s breath caught in her throat. What was it about this man? He got to her on so many levels. Right then he’d touched on a fantasy of hers. She’d always wanted to dance with a man while she wore a dress. Always before she’d had on jeans, which didn’t give her that sexy, feminine feel that a dress would.

  “I think I can find a song or two.”

  Tyler stepped back and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers so that every part of her hand was surrounded by his. It felt intimate and right.

  They walked across the hall to her apartment and she opened the door for him. She hadn’t had anyone in her rooms since the night she’d killed Bart. The only way she was able to continue to live there was to have the entire apartment gutted and updated, making sure that nothing about it reminded her of him or what he’d done. She could live with what she’d done. He’d deserved it as far as she was concerned.