by Jess Bryant
5
Ashtyn wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting when she agreed to go with Tyler to his apartment. No, that wasn’t true. She knew, she just felt bad for thinking that the place would be a mess simply because he was a single guy.
For the record, it wasn’t messy. Not at all. It was actually the opposite of messy. Messy would have meant clutter, belongings haphazardly scattered everywhere, but Tyler didn’t seem to have anything but boxes stacked neatly against the walls and some furniture that looked as if it had rarely, if ever, been used.
There was a large screen television on what looked to be an Ikea shelving unit. There were two more shelves on another wall, the tall versions and some of the shelves held books, but most of them were bare. The same went for the coffee and end tables and from what she could see of the kitchenette it was mostly empty counters. There was a fresh scent to the place too, lemon, as if he or someone, had cleaned recently.
It was strange. She didn’t know him. Not at all. But it didn’t feel like the kind of place she’d imagined a man like Tyler living. There was no… personality, to it. It didn’t tell her anything about this man that she had only just met but was relying on for so much.
“Did you just move in?” she asked as she attempted to casually check out the apartment.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Tyler slid out of his jacket and tossed it onto a chair, “I mean, like, a few months ago.”
“Months?” She raised her eyebrows curiously.
“Like… five I guess?”
“You’ve lived here for five months?”
“Yeah.” He seemed to recognize the question on her face this time and shrugged. “I used to live with my brother closer to downtown but when he and Millie got their own place, he gave up his apartment. I bounced around for a while before I found this place. I work and when I’m not working, I travel a lot so I haven’t spent much time here.”
“Yeah, you mentioned the traveling thing. Is it for work or…”
“God no.” Tyler snorted, “Pleasure only.”
Something about that word, pleasure, coming from those lips in his husky southern drawl made her stomach turn somersaults. She glanced away quickly, not wanting him to know that he affected her in any way, but especially not like that. She shook off the quick burst of what she would tell herself was only adrenaline before she met his intense blue gaze again.
“Where do you go?”
Tyler’s face spread into the easiest smile, “Everywhere.”
“Yeah?” She couldn’t help the grin of her own that responded to his.
“Well, not everywhere, not yet, but I try.”
“Where’s the last place you traveled?”
“Um…” He looked thoughtful, “Canada actually.”
“Canada? What for?”
“There’s a place in BC called Whistler Mountain. Once the winter season is over the trails morph into summer biking trails. It’s a great place for downhill mountain biking.”
“That sounds really…”
“Dangerous?” He grinned again when she trailed off.
She smiled right back at him, “I was going to say fun.”
“Sure you were.” He smirked in that dismissive way that had already started to irritate her because she knew what he was thinking.
He thought she was a princess. A spoiled little girl that had been sheltered all her life. The sheltered part was true but it wasn’t the whole truth. She may have been sheltered but she’d been longing to break free for years. She might not have anything too crazy on her bucket list but that was only because she’d known better than to dream too big.
Hell, maybe he was right. Maybe she was just playing at this getaway, at trying to be free. She hadn’t even put the big dreams, the stuff that she’d known would be all but impossible for her to do, on her list. She’d been censoring herself for so long, she hadn’t realized even her dreams were smaller than she wanted them to be.
“Have you ever heard of the Death Road? It’s in Bolivia.”
Tyler’s gaze had wandered but those blue eyes snapped back to her now, “Of course I know about it. How do you know about that place?”
She gave him a dismissive shrug this time, “So, where’s the bathroom? I could really use that shower now. I’d like to wash off your condescension.”
He barked a laugh, “Okay, princess. I get it. I’ve maybe made some assumptions about you…”
“Some?”
“Brat.” he snorted but there was only amusement in the term. He turned and pointed, “Bathroom is the first door on the right. Towels are in the cabinet above the toilet. Did you buy pajamas on your little shopping spree or do I need to find you something to wear to sleep in?”
“I bought pajamas, but thank you for the offer.”
“Okay.” He swiped at his jaw and looked around his apartment, “I’ll leave you to it then. I’m going to make a sandwich. You want one?”
“Sure.” She nodded when she realized she hadn’t eaten anything all day. “That would be great.”
She grabbed her backpack with all of her new purchases inside and started down the small hallway. From what she could see the apartment was only a one bedroom. The living room and kitchen were up front. The bathroom was in the hallway. Then at the end of the hall there was another door that was open to what appeared to be a dark bedroom.
She couldn’t help but wonder what was tucked away in that dark room. Was that where Tyler had all of his personal items? Was it as barren as the rest of the apartment or would it be decorated with the things that were uniquely him?
“Hey.” His voice called her back and she turned from the bathroom door.
“Yeah?”
“Any special requests for your sandwich?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, “Surprise me.”
Ashtyn turned and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her to hide another smile. She looked around the small bathroom and her smile dropped. It was nearly as empty as the rest of the apartment had been so far.
What was with this guy?
She dropped her backpack and leaned over to turn on the shower. While she waited for it to heat up, she nosily poked through cabinets. She found a towel and pulled it out. Gray cotton that matched the black and gray shower curtain and gray rugs. It all matched but she had the strangest feeling that Tyler wasn’t the one that had picked them out.
Once the room began to steam, she stripped out of her new clothes and carefully folded them into a stack to put back into her bag. They weren’t dirty just because she’d worn them out of Target and if she was really going to go forward with this plan to fulfill her bucket list items with a road trip on the back of a motorcycle starting tomorrow morning, she would need all of the clothes she’d bought and more.
She glanced at the small toiletry items she’d purchased as well and then left them in the bag for later. There was shower gel and shampoo on a ledge in the tub. She didn’t care if it was Tyler’s stuff. She planned to use it to clean herself up and save the small little luxuries of her feminine lotions and gels until she was stuck in a roadside hotel and really needed them.
Ashtyn stepped under the warm stream of water and sighed with pleasure. The water was hot and the stream from the showerhead massaged muscles in her neck and shoulders she hadn’t even realized were tense. She closed her eyes and tried to let it wash off the doubts that reemerged in the back of her mind. The doubts and the fears and the worries had tried to sneak back in the moment she was alone but she refused to let them.
She had made the right choice, she’d known for a while that she couldn’t marry Aaron. Running away may have been a tad bit impulsive but dammit, she’d never done an impulsive thing in her life. She’d done the right thing. She knew she had. But that didn’t mean she was unaware of the mess she’d left behind. She needed this, to get away for a little bit, to find herself and make her own choices and they’d just have to wait for her to get back to yell at her for it.
A
loud knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts and she heard Tyler’s voice, “Hot water will run out soon, princess. Better hurry it up.”
She rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her and shouted back a quick, “Okay.”
He was going to end up getting strangled in his sleep if he kept calling her princess. She took great joy in soaping up her body with his gel. It smelled like him, she realized as a wave of heat she hadn’t expected swept over her at the scent. She hadn’t even realized that she had taken note of his masculine scent until her body began to respond to it. Her hands slid over her breasts and her nipples perked up in a way that sent another shot of adrenaline coursing through her, the warmth settling between her legs.
No. She shook off the random jolt of desire and focused on cleaning herself. Nothing else.
Good lord, she’d been engaged to another man a few hours ago, wearing her wedding gown and prepared to walk down the aisle, and now she was in the shower of a complete stranger, lusting after him just because he smelled good and had taken care of her.
Ashtyn held back a manic laugh. She had issues. Serious issues that she needed to contemplate some other time, sometime when she wasn’t naked and soaped up in a shower that she’d already been warned was going to turn cold soon.
She made quick work of rinsing herself off and then washing her hair. There was even conditioner in the shower which made her smile. Tyler had great hair. Of course he conditioned. She knew both her hair and body were going to smell like him until she showered again and despite that curl of warmth in her belly that was more than just adrenaline no matter what she told herself, it was the safety he provided that had the scent of him on her making her smile to herself as she finally flipped off the water and stepped out of the shower.
After she dried her body with the cotton towel, she dressed in the pajamas she’d purchased. She used the towel to scrub her hair until it was barely damp and then she wiped away the steam from the mirror.
She stared at her reflection and took a deep, calming breath again. She looked different. Not just because her face was clear of the dramatic wedding makeup and her hair was down in damp strands. She stared at herself for a long moment trying to figure out what it was that was different before the truth finally hit her.
It was her eyes. They were lighter. Not in color, and not in any way that another person could possibly understand or notice, but she did.
For months as she planned the wedding, maybe even years before the engagement, she’d felt the weight of expectations dragging her down with stress and anxiety. But looking in the mirror right now, for the first time in a long time, she didn’t see that deep, dark well where she stored away all the things she wasn’t supposed to say, think, or want.
All she saw was a girl with her entire life ahead of her and the fortitude and willpower to make her own path.
After repacking her bag with her things and tying her hair up in a messy bun to dry, she opened the bathroom door. Steam slid out all around her. She glanced down the hallway and noticed the light in that back bedroom was on now. She bit her lip, wondering if Tyler was back there, and then forced herself to go back into the living room instead of nosily going into his room to find out.
She dropped her bag beside the couch and was leaning over to see what the pile of blankets and pillows that were on the coffee table were for when she heard his voice behind her.
“I put those out. I was going to make up the couch for you.”
She jumped and spun around, already clutching at her chest and prepared to yell at him for surprising her but when her eyes found him standing there her throat went dry and words escaped her. She blinked rapidly as her already nervous heart thumped too hard in her chest. It took her brain a moment to catch up to what she was actually seeing.
Tyler had changed while she was in the shower. Instead of his suit, he now wore a simple pair of gray sweatpants and absolutely nothing else. He was standing at the end of the hallway and she knew he’d been in the bedroom just like she’d imagined. Only she hadn’t imagined him changing, half-naked, not until now.
Oh my God, her imagination could not have done him justice.
His shoulders were broad. She’d known that. She’d been clinging to his back earlier on that motorcycle. What she hadn’t known was that beneath his suit and jacket, there was rippling muscles and ink that wrapped lovingly around each beautiful piece of him that she could see.
A black raven in flight was tattooed on his right pec. His left arm was completely covered from shoulder to elbow in a complex scene that was hard to make out at this distance. She saw a snake wrapped around his arm, an apple, and a skull. She could just make out letters on the underside of his other bicep but she couldn’t make out the word. But there, on his hip, drawing her gaze down to the impressive cut of muscle that was indescribably sexy, was a banner with a word she could easily read.
Sinner.
“Ashtyn?”
Her eyes jerked back to his face and she could feel the heat of embarrassment creep over her neck, “Huh?”
“What?” He blinked back at her.
“What?”
She paused and tilted her head at him. Why did he look as shell-shocked as she felt? She caught his eyes skating down her body before he cleared his throat and glanced away. She gave herself another once-over but still didn’t understand. Her tank top wasn’t low cut. Her breasts weren’t on display. Her matching boxer short pajamas weren’t anything special either. She flushed a brighter red, realizing he must be embarrassed to have caught her looking at him so blatantly.
“I uh…” Tyler cleared his throat again, “I was just bringing out an extra pillow but I’ll uh, just leave it here. Your sandwich is on the counter. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He turned on his heel and disappeared back down the hallway. Ashtyn watched him go with what she knew must be a dumbfounded look on her face. He disappeared into his bedroom and she frowned at the weird exchange.
If he was weirded out by her looking at him, he really shouldn’t parade around half naked. That was his own fault. She was a newly single woman and he was hot. There was no denying that fact. He should put on a shirt if he didn’t want her drooling all over his place.
She tossed the pillow he’d put in the chair over onto the couch with the other items and then decided she should eat before making up her bed for the night. She shot another glance down the hallway but when she still didn’t see Tyler, she skirted into the kitchen to find two plates made up on the counter. A smile automatically tipped her lips upward when she took in what he’d made for them. She’d been expecting two pieces of white bread with a slice of meat and processed cheese slapped together but Tyler had surprised her yet again.
There were two plates, decorated beautifully with a unique southwestern pattern. Each plate held half of a sub sandwich. Wheat bread, what appeared to be Swiss cheese, a heaping of turkey, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and lettuce created a sandwich that made her stomach rumble.
“There are grapes in the fridge if you want some or I think there’s a bag of Baked Lay’s in the cabinet.”
She didn’t completely jump out of her skin this time when his voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. She glanced over at him and wasn’t sure if she should thank the good lord or curse the devil. Tyler had gone back to his bedroom to put on a shirt. The simple black t-shirt covered all of the beautiful muscles and ink so that she couldn’t help but wonder if she had imagined it all to begin with.
“Uh… grapes.” She forced her mouth to work, “If you don’t mind.”
“Wouldn’t have offered if I did.” Tyler moved past her to the fridge and pulled out a carton of large green grapes.
“Thank you.” She took the plastic carton and poured a handful onto the plate in front of her and then paused, “Is one of these specifically for me or…”
“Nah. I just made one sandwich and cut it in half. Hope it’s up to your expectations, princess.” He smirked
and then leaned back into the fridge, “Beer or water? Unfortunately those are the only options at Hotel St. James this evening.”
She stifled a smile, “Beer?”
“Good choice.” He pulled two bottles out and used his hip to shut the door of the fridge. The bottles clinked together as he moved to a drawer and pulled out a bottle opener. He glanced over at her and nodded towards the other plate, “Toss some grapes on mine too.”
“Sure.” Ashtyn gave him a small pile of grapes and then resealed the carton and turned to put it back in the fridge.
“Trade ya.” Tyler was right there behind her again and he offered one of the beer bottles to her so she took it and let him put the grapes back in the fridge. “We can eat in the living room. I don’t have a dining table or even barstools for that matter.”
She nodded and picked up her plate in her free hand, carrying both it and the beer he’d handed her back out to the living room and curling up cross-legged on the couch. Tyler followed her out a moment later and collapsed into the chair with a heavy sigh. He tipped his head back and drank several long drags from his bottle of beer before he gave another sigh, one that sounded far more content, and put the bottle on the side table to focus on his food.
Ashtyn forced her eyes away from him and onto her own plate, “Thanks for the sandwich.”
“You’re welcome.” He took a bite of his own and she felt him watching her as she tried to sneakily peel hers apart without him noticing. “Problem, princess?”
She huffed out an irritated breath, “I told you to stop calling me that.”
“Mmhmm.” He pointed at her sandwich with his pinky, “What’s offended you about the sandwich I made?”
“I don’t like tomatoes.” She huffed, “That’s all.”
He gave her a skeptical look, “Really?”
“Yes, really.” She gave up being sneaky and picked up the top half of the sandwich, using the tips of her fingers to pull the sliced tomatoes off and set them aside with a flick of her wrist. “I can’t stand the texture of them.” A small smile had quirked his mouth when she glanced back at him and she frowned, “What?”
