Her voice was too high, too false for him to buy the act.
‘Brooke,’ he said softly. ‘You don’t have to pretend. You can tell me.’
The music swelled, their bodies shifted, and he wished he could focus on the conversation instead of her proximity.
Her scent filled his nostrils, more exotic than the one she usually wore, but somehow still entirely her. The heat coming from her body felt as if it had permeated his skin, settling in his body in a way that wasn’t normal, but didn’t feel foreign. One of her hands was in his, her other rested on his shoulder, and despite the distance between them he was thrilled she was so close.
The last time had been at the beach, and that had been an accident. This was intentional. She’d consented. It was a heady sensation, that knowledge. It didn’t make sense at all, and yet he felt it.
‘Someone said we looked...’
She trailed off. Her hand tightened in his. He didn’t think she noticed.
‘Close. As if we were...married.’
It took him a moment. ‘They asked if we were married?’
‘Assumed, actually.’
If she hadn’t been in his arms, he would have sworn. ‘I’m sorry, Brooke. I thought I’d made it clear to people that we aren’t together.’
She met his eyes. There was a faint sheen in them. Not tears, but emotion. Powerful emotion that made him feel foolish for not anticipating this. The assumption and her reaction.
‘Why are you apologising?’ she asked. ‘You have made it clear. Not once have you said that you and I are together.’
‘I should have protected you from—’
‘What?’ she interrupted. ‘The logical assumptions people might make in this kind of situation?’
‘Yes,’ he said desperately. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you here. I wouldn’t have if I’d known it would cause you pain.’
‘It hasn’t caused me pain.’
‘What?’
‘I’m not upset that someone assumed we were in a relationship.’
She said the words as if they were simple. They were not. Not to him.
‘I was more upset that when she realised her mistake, she said we must be close because we’re friends. We’re not,’ she said softly. ‘You’re my employee.’
‘Not really though,’ he replied, because he couldn’t help it.
‘I’m paying you, which I’m certain means we’re not friends.’
‘That money is going to my sister, Brooke.’ Since he already had no self-control, he let go of her hand to brush her chin with his thumb. ‘So try again. Think of another reason why you and I can’t be...’ he hesitated ‘...friends.’
If she noticed his hesitation she didn’t show it. She only stared up at him, her gaze open and disarming.
‘The power dynamics—’
‘What power dynamics? I. Don’t. Work. For. You.’
She exhaled. ‘Why are you making this so complicated?’
‘I thought I was simplifying it.’
‘No.’ She shook her head.
He dropped his hand from her face, but only so he could take hers again.
‘No, Tyler. Nothing about this is simple.’
‘Because of your husband?’
She made a strangled noise, but didn’t deny it.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘We can work with that.’
‘We?’
‘Relationships generally work that way.’
‘You are trying to kill me tonight,’ she muttered.
He chuckled. ‘Friendships are relationships, too.’
‘And, of course, you and I will only ever be friends.’
His heart did a little twirl in his chest. Because if she was saying that, she clearly believed that whatever was happening between them wouldn’t stop at friendship.
He didn’t understand why he felt happy about it. She was right: this situation was complicated. He managed to remind himself of that whenever he needed to. Except now, apparently.
But this was Brooke. The woman who had stayed in his mind for five years after one week together. This was Brooke, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She was kind and generous, and not only to people who knew her. She’d allowed him to continue working in her home because she understood Tia’s position. She had been wonderful with all these people tonight, even when they’d asked questions that had made her feel uncomfortable.
‘I’m okay with friendship,’ he said, meeting her eyes. Because he would be okay with having anything—anything—with her. And wasn’t that dangerous, too?
She studied him, then sighed and closed the distance between them. She put her head on his chest. ‘Of course you are,’ she said, so softly she probably thought he hadn’t heard her. ‘You’re much too perfect not to be.’
He wasn’t sure if that was a slight or a compliment. From her, he would take either.
* * *
He wasn’t perfect. Brooke was certain about that. But the words had left her mouth when really, she’d meant to say of course he would be okay with friendship. He would try to understand her complicated emotions, not push her, and be content with what she could offer.
It stayed with her long after they said goodbye that night. And it kept her awake. That was okay though. It meant she was up to do an early walk with Mochi, as she’d promised him. As she got ready, she decided he deserved more than a simple walk. She would give him scenery.
Except she hadn’t done it before because she wasn’t entirely sure she could handle Mochi in unfamiliar terrains. What if he got too excited? What if he saw another dog and ran off and she lost him?
The thought sent an uncomfortable wave of despair through her. As if sensing it, Mochi whined at her feet.
‘Yeah, buddy,’ she said, lowering her hand to give him belly rubs. ‘I know.’
He barked.
She was pretty sure he hadn’t really said anything with that bark, but she frowned. ‘No, that wouldn’t be appropriate,’ she said.
He barked again.
‘Mochi, we can’t just ask him if he wants to go with us. He probably has plans.’
Mochi didn’t make a sound then, only gave her a pitying glance that had her heaving a sigh and reaching for her phone. She assumed the number the agency had given her was Tia’s, so she messaged her, asking for Tyler’s number.
She got it almost immediately, with no questions or judgement. Which somehow, in itself, felt like a judgement. Because of course she didn’t need Tyler with her. She could have asked Dom. He would have readily agreed. But then she’d have had to talk about things she didn’t want to talk about.
He would almost certainly have mentioned the man working for her—it was in his nature as a police officer—and she would almost certainly have given a suspicious answer, or done something equally mortifying like blush, and he would have known something was up.
And the minute Dom knew, Sierra, his wife, would know. And then her mom would know, and her dad, and it would become a thing when it wasn’t a thing. It might never be a thing.
Tyler, with all his complications, was better than facing that.
It took her a long time to figure out what to type. In the end, she just put:
Do you want to come with me and Mochi for a walk? Brooke.
Seconds later, he replied.
June and I will be there in twenty minutes.
She stared at the message, wondered if she’d made a bad decision. If she had, it was clearly becoming a pattern. She had done the same thing the previous night. Spoken before she could really think it through. Which meant she needed to spur herself into action before she could think at all.
She pulled on some comfortable clothing, went downstairs to put on coffee. Mochi hadn’t eaten that morning, and she wouldn’t feed him until they were done with the wal
k so there was no chance of an accident in the car. But she gave him water, grabbed a granola bar and was eating it when the doorbell rang.
‘You know you have a key, right?’ she asked as she opened it.
He smiled. Damn him and his smiles. It was as if he knew how much they affected her. It didn’t help that he looked as amazing in casual wear as he had in the suit he’d worn the night before.
No, that wasn’t true. He looked great now, but he’d looked amazing last night.
It was entirely possible that she was conflating that observation with the way he’d made her feel. Dancing with him had been an experience. And now he was smiling at her as if he wanted her to remember the feel of his hand on her waist. Or the way he’d brushed his thumb over her chin...
‘I won’t use the key unless it’s for work.’
‘I appreciate that.’ She looked down and found June, staring up at her adoringly. She lowered. ‘Hey, girl. How are you?’
The dog immediately pushed her snout into Brooke’s hands, before leaning against her for more rubs. Brooke laughed even as she fell over.
‘June,’ Tyler said in quiet command.
‘No, no, it’s okay. I understand.’ She gave June a cuddle. ‘You’re just excited to see a new friend, huh? You can probably smell Mochi, too.’
‘Where is he?’
‘Out back.’ She took the hand Tyler offered to help her up. ‘Should we get them together?’
‘Yeah,’ he said, even though he was still staring at her and hadn’t let go.
‘Tyler?’
‘Yeah?’
‘You’re staring,’ she pointed out, even though saying it made her blush.
‘Sorry.’
He sounded sheepish. She sucked in her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling. She could do nothing about the warmth fizzing in her stomach though, like the champagne they’d drunk the night before.
‘Can I take her out back?’ he asked.
‘Sure,’ she said, letting them both in. ‘Do you want some coffee?’
‘I’d love some.’
‘I can put them in to-go cups. I’ve accumulated some over the years.’
‘Yeah, sure.’ He started walking towards the back door, but turned before he could open it. ‘Is that something we have to talk about? Why you’ve accumulated to-go coffee cups over the years?’
‘No.’ The tone sounded too bright even to her. ‘Why would we need to talk about that?’
He chuckled, walked out, and then the barking started and she could no longer hear his voice.
‘That,’ she said under her breath, ‘is a problem.’
The fact that she wanted to hear his voice, that she felt as if she’d lost something because she couldn’t... She couldn’t feel that way. She knew it, although the reasons for it now seemed hazier.
What had changed that she was suddenly giving it, him, space in her head? Had it been that moment at dinner when she’d spoken to his sister? Or afterwards, at the beach, when he’d held her and she’d no longer been able to deny that there was a spark between them? And if things hadn’t changed then, they certainly had the night he’d helped her wash Mochi. Or even last night, when he’d asked her to be his friend.
The truth was that all of those things had contributed to the change, and she knew it. A better question was how had things changed? Yes, she’d offered to accompany him to his business function and called him to join her when she took her dog for a walk. But she still felt... Not uneasy, but not entirely comfortable either.
Some of that might be because she was trying to figure out something completely new. Friendship or something more, it didn’t matter. She hadn’t forged either since Kian’s death. And that ‘something more’ part made things messier.
She had been moving her life forward. She had. But this was different from moving house or getting a new job. This was...personal.
‘Well, they’re fast friends.’
She whirled around, spilling the hot coffee she’d been pouring into a cup over her wrist. She dealt with the situation swiftly, setting down both the coffee and the cup and going to the sink.
Tyler met her there, all concern and care. ‘I shouldn’t have scared you like that,’ he said, taking her hand and putting it under cool running water.
‘It’s fine.’
But it wasn’t. Because she was quite sure the burning she felt in her wrist wasn’t because of the coffee.
‘Do you scare easily?’ he asked.
‘Not usually.’
‘So just when I’m here?’ He offered her a wry smile.
‘No. No,’ she emphasised with a shake of her head. ‘I was thinking about something. I got distracted, that’s all. It has very little to do with you.’
He made a sound that made her think he knew it had a lot to do with him, but he didn’t correct her. Instead he turned off the water and disappeared to find the first-aid box. As she waited, she inspected her wrist. It was red, a little sensitive, but nothing some aloe gel couldn’t fix.
The lingering tingles from him touching her, however, were harder to shake off. Especially when he returned and gently smoothed the gel over the offending area.
She couldn’t help but watch him as he did it. He was frowning, his eyes focused on her wrist, his lips lightly pursed. Even with an expression of concentration he was good-looking. His features were so rough that his concern almost seemed out of place. Except it wasn’t. He wore his concern for those he cared about as if it were a second skin. In fact, nothing about his personality coincided with his looks.
A big, muscular, dangerous-looking man like him might easily have had a big, muscular, dangerous personality. But he was charming. Kind. Generous. He was thoughtful and good with dogs and everything about him made her...
She blinked when her eyes began to fill up. She must have made a sound because he glanced up and immediately removed his hands.
‘Did I hurt you?’
‘No.’ But then she realised he was giving her an out and she should take it. ‘I mean, yes. Not you, just it. It’s painful.’
And it was—but not her wrist. This. Moving forward. It was painful, and that was why it was so messy.
‘Brooke,’ he said, moving his hands completely away from her wrist now and cupping her face. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Tell that to your eyes.’
He brushed away a tear she hadn’t realised was falling. She bit her bottom lip. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. None of this was supposed to be happening. She just wanted to take her dog for a walk, for heaven’s sake. She didn’t need to be punished for that.
Punished?
She didn’t know where that word had come from, and she didn’t have a chance to think about it when he was so close. He smelled like an early-morning breeze and man, a wholly Tyler smell that was part of what made all this so difficult.
‘It’s a walk with a friend, Brooke. Nothing more.’
‘I know. I know.’
‘Good. Okay.’
But then he leaned his forehead against hers, something so intimate that she closed her eyes, trying to gain some measure of control over her emotions.
‘It isn’t any more than that, okay.’
She opened her eyes. ‘You already said that.’
‘I know.’ He pulled away with a small smile. ‘I thought we could both do with the reminder.’
CHAPTER NINE
THE SUN WAS barely in the sky when they got to the park Brooke had suggested, but the air was already starting to warm.
‘I don’t think we’ll be able to stay for long,’ Brooke murmured, getting out of the car before helping Mochi out.
‘No,’ Tyler agreed. ‘We should have about an hour under the trees.’ He tightened his grip on June’s leash. ‘This was a good choice
.’
‘Thank you.’ She smiled brightly. ‘I did some research.’
‘You haven’t actually brought Mochi here before?’
‘No.’ She gave the dog an absent pat on the head. ‘We haven’t done many outings beyond our usual walk. I...’ She trailed off, adjusting her cap. ‘This is going to sound like a confession, and I guess it kind of is, but I swear I didn’t only invite you because of that. I could have asked my brother—’ She broke off.
One of his favourite things about Brooke was when she got carried away. She realised it too late, and by then, he had all the information he could possibly want about a situation.
‘I’m afraid Mochi will see something or someone that interests him and he’ll run off and I won’t be able to control him.’
It took a second, then he caught up. ‘So you asked me along because you thought I’d be able to control him better?’
She quirked a brow. ‘You have a way with him. It must be all that authority.’
He chuckled and they began to walk. It was a gorgeous day despite the heat, and the place she had chosen really was beautiful. A large sign designated the trail, with trees rising high and curling over the path. A silver railing kept the explosion of nature on the right at bay, and the green of it made everything seem cool as it surrounded a stream that ran alongside the trail. The water wasn’t deep—if he had to guess, he thought it would probably reach his knee—and it was clear, affording them a good view of the pebbles, large and small, that sat beneath the surface.
Further down would be a river, he knew, but he didn’t think they’d get there. Not if they wanted to keep the dogs and themselves from overheating.
‘Mochi needs to fit into your life, not the other way around,’ he told her.
‘I know that,’ she said. ‘But my life before would never have entailed walking park trails, so it’s all about balance.’
‘It wouldn’t?’ He set an easy pace, which seemed to work for all four of them. ‘What would it have entailed?’
‘Before Mochi?’ she asked.
He nodded.
She thought about it for a long time, stopping for Mochi to smell a branch that had fallen from one of the trees. ‘Mostly work, I guess. Occasionally, on a Saturday, I’d go to one of the food markets and get some things to eat for the weekend.’
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