Page 28

Chapter 27

Tyler

T he entire game, I could only think of two things: crushing the Destroyers and getting Lily home and out of that shirt. I knew putting my name on the back of her would make me feel all kinds of things, but I wasn’t expecting to feel like a caveman. Testosterone races through my veins and I know it sounds unhinged, but I need to brand her, claim her, piss in a circle around her. She’s not his; she’s mine.

Dean telling me that Lily’s always had a thing for me shifted our years together and made me see some of our interactions through a different lens. The subtle glances, the blushing, and then there were how her hands shook as I led her onto the dance floor at Lance’s wedding. Maybe subconsciously I always knew, but given that she is younger than I am and forbidden because she’s Lance’s sister, I never allowed myself to look at her that way.

Until these past few months.

It’s hard not to see her when she’s the brightest, most beautiful thing in any room, and more than anything, I know I’m ready. I’m ready to cross that line and suffer through the consequences of Lance.

“Dean told me to tell you it’s time for you to come home.” I glance at her to see her reaction, and she doesn’t disappoint as her jaw drops open.

The ride home has been mostly quiet. Both of us are sneaking peeks at each other, but hell, I’m ready to stand in front of her, to bare it all, and be the only one she sees.

“Tell me you’re joking.” She shifts in her seat to look at me more fully.

“He also wants me to tell you to text him back.”

Her hands are lying in her lap, and slowly, they curl into fists as mine tighten around the steering wheel. Her talking to him again makes me irrationally angry, and my stomach aches.

“And what did you tell him?” She’s completely exasperated.

“To fuck off.”

A laugh escapes her, and I look over to see my favorite color twinkling and a smile stretched from one side of her face to the other.

“Oh my God. That is the best thing I’ve ever heard. I would have loved to see his reaction,” she tells me, and the muscle behind my rib cage swells.

“I didn’t bother to stick around. I’d heard enough.”

“I still have a hard time reconciling with myself that I stayed as long as I did. I don’t know what I was thinking was going to change.”

Her vulnerability punches me in the gut. Other people have treated us badly, and I know from firsthand experience that it’s easy to go down the “what-if” road. What if I’d seen the signs sooner? What did I do or not do to make myself look like the biggest idiot in the world? What if she had opened her eyes to his ways and left him sooner? What if she hadn’t wasted all those years?

“It doesn’t matter,” I tell her.

“Somedays, it still feels like it matters. I just feel so stupid.”

Coming up to a red light, when the truck stops, I lean over and wrap my hand around the back of her head. While her hair brings me to my knees, her eyes steal my soul. Staring into them, I tell her the only thing that matters going forward.

“You’re right where you’re supposed to be. I believe everything happens for a reason, and through all of this, it brought you to me. Let’s not think about the past anymore. Let’s live in the present, and maybe soon talk about the future.”

Her eyes turn glassy, but I can’t have that. Leaning forward, I pull her to me, and for the second time, I kiss her. Taking her bottom lip between mine, I gently suck on it before sliding my tongue against hers. This kiss isn’t full of pent-up longing like the other. It’s tender and sweet. This kiss says, “I’ve got you, and you’ve got me.”

That is until her hand slides over and up my thigh, coming very close to my dick as she reaches for my shirt to pull me closer.

I groan at the same time a horn behind us honks. We pull apart, she smiles at me, and my heart shudders in my chest.

The rest of the ride home is quiet. I’ve turned on the radio, and country music drifts through the speakers. Clouds are rolling in for an afternoon shower, and my mind spins in every direction about having her in my bed while it's raining.

As I turn down my street, my brain and other parts of me think, “Finally,” when beside me, she sits up straight and quietly says, “Oh no.”

“What? What’s wrong?” I ask her, glancing her way and then toward my house to see what she’s looking at.

She turns to face me, and there’s worry etched onto her face. “Morgan’s here. I promise I didn’t invite her here. I didn’t even tell her your address.”

My gaze swings back to the house again, and there parked on the street out front is a gray car. A mix of emotions swirls through me. The first being the night I had planned for us has now been ruined, but the second is why is she here? Why is she at my house? I don’t like people coming to my house.

“You didn’t tell her my address? And she didn’t tell you she was coming?”

“No and no. She’s like this, though. Sometimes I know she’s coming, and other times, she just appears. The last time I saw her was at my parents' house. I let her know that I had left Dean, and within an hour, she had shown up with champagne and tacos. She strode into the kitchen and dumped her bags and purse on the counter and said, ‘Let’s celebrate.’”

“How does she find you?”

“I share my location with both her and Lance.”

She shares her location. Now that she’s said it, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for her, but for me, that sounds like a nightmare. People always know where I am. It feels like zero privacy. Privacy I’ve been very vocal about needing.

“I will ask her to leave,” she says. She’s nervous with me, and I hate that I’ve somehow made her this way by my rules.

I pull into the driveway, and through the rearview mirror, a petite blonde pops out of the car all smiles and waving a bottle of champagne. Just like Lily said.

“She brought champagne,” I mumble, trying desperately not to show my frustration.

“I told you she does that. Seriously, though, we will go to a hotel. I will quickly pack a bag, and we’ll be in and out.”

I let out a deep sigh.

I like this girl. A lot. I also like having her at the house with me, and I invited her to indefinitely be my roommate. If I want her to stay, then I’m going to need to bend on this one rule. Just a little for her. I know demanding that she basically never invite anyone over isn’t being fair, especially if she’s supposed to make this her home too. And this girl, Morgan, she isn’t just anyone. She’s her best friend and business partner. I need to let it go. I have to.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine,” I tell her, resigned to the fact that in just a few minutes, she’ll be inside my space, and I will not be getting the opportunity to finally be inside my girl.

“It’s not fine. You explicitly made no visitors one of your rules, and I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, but that was before you decided to stay as my roommate. You are staying, right?”

“Yes. I’d like to,” she says, still a little nervous and appearing a lot shy.

“Then it’s settled,” I tell her, smiling so she knows I’m not mad. Briefly, my mind skips back to Dean. Is this how it was between them? Something would happen that would make him upset, and she’d get nervous and apologetic? I understand that she’s wary because technically, this does break one of my rules, but I’m not mad about it. It is what it is.

“This feels wrong.” She frowns.

“Lily, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s fine. Your friend is here to see you, so let's go say hi.” I unbuckle my seat belt and open the door.

“Tyler,” she calls my name, and I turn back to look at her. “For what it’s worth, I was really looking forward to a different kind of evening.”

You and me both.

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I sure do hope you’ll hold me. Tight,” she teases, and I groan.

“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

“Trouble? No,” she draws out. “That’s not exactly how I would describe me,” she says with a sparkle and a little mischief in her eye.

My stomach tightens as blood runs south. Damn, all this girl has to do is look at me and toss some flirty phrases my way for my dick to respond. Something tells me she isn’t trouble per se, but it’s me, I’m the one who’s in trouble. Even if I thought I would be able to maintain some level of control over this, us, I’m now certain I was wrong. She’s going to own me.

“Oh, Lil.” I shake my head at her, and she giggles as she throws open the door and jumps out. I watch as they run to each other and the two of them embrace in the middle of the driveway and laugh.

“What are you doing here?” Lily is so happy to see her. I feel bad that for a moment her joy was overclouded by worry over my reaction.

“I came to celebrate! How could I not? The minute we hung up the phone after you told me about the book signing, I knew I needed to come. Plus, you’ve been here long enough. It was time for me to visit and see what you’re up to.”

At this point, I’ve gotten out and rounded the bed of the truck, as I’ve reached in to grab my bag, and she spots me.

“You must be Tyler,” Morgan says, all smiles. She thrusts out her hand for me to shake, which of course I do. “I’m Morgan. It’s nice to meet you.”

I glance at Lily, and she’s raised one brow at me, glancing back and forth between our connected hands and my face, obviously remembering that I wouldn’t shake her hand. I roll my eyes, then take a step back. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Isn’t this just so exciting?” She turns back to Lily. “I can’t believe you got invited to do a signing at Between the Pages Bookstore,” she squeals. “We have to celebrate.”

“But I haven’t agreed to do the signing.” She laughs at her friend. That sound is like music to my ears.

“I know, but it’s still a big deal.” She shakes her arm.

“How long are you staying?” Lily asks.

“Just a couple of days. Gage can’t handle it if I’m gone much longer than that. He claims his world starts to fall apart, and he’s lost without me.”

Lily grins. “Gage loves you. He should be lost without you.”

“I am kind of awesome like that.”

“Listen, I’d be lost without you too.”

Morgan looks at me, then back at Lily. “I don’t know. You look like you’re doing all right to me.”

Lily’s gaze finds mine, and the smile on her face grows. I can’t help but to return her smile as a wave of affection for her washes over me. She is doing all right. Much better than when she arrived, and I’d like to think I have a little bit to do with that. I know I’m better now than I was before she was here. Life feels fuller, more complete.

“Well, if you’re only here for a few days, then I know the perfect place for us . . . the beach,” she says, her eyes still on me. She knows I’m bending my rules for her, but she also respects them. For that, I fall a little bit more.

“Oh, the beach does sound nice,” Morgan says, breaking the moment between us. “I did bring a bathing suit.”

“Great. Then let’s get me packed.”

It doesn’t take long for Lily to pull her things together. I keep Morgan entertained, or I should say she entertains me as she gushes over all the details of my house, mainly the fish tank, but as they’re ready to leave and I walk them to the front door, Morgan glances between the two of us and excuses herself, leaving us in the foyer. The shared look between us grows heavy, and my heart suddenly aches at the thought of her leaving.

Taking a step toward her, I slide my hand to cup the back of her neck, while my fingers get a little tangled in her hair. I’m not unaware of the chemistry pulling us together. I think it has been since the moment she arrived, but definitely since we uncapped it in the parking lot. I can’t keep my hands off her, and I don’t want to.

“All these years, I don’t know if it’s that I wasn’t allowed to or if I just didn’t because you’re his sister, but now, I can’t stop. I don’t want to. You’re all I see, and you’re so beautiful,” I tell her quietly.

She takes a step closer to me, her hands finding my chest, and her eyes slip shut. When she opens them, there’s an earnestness in them that I’m certain she doesn’t show many people.

“I haven’t felt seen in a really long time.”

“Isn’t that a tragedy.” My thumb strokes the side of her neck, and her lips part at the sensation.

Bending down, I brush my lips against hers. “I’ll miss you, but I hope you have fun.”

She steps into me and wraps her arms around me. Her head falls just under my chin, and I drop it as we embrace. I could stand here and hug her forever. Having her body flush with mine, my size is so much bigger in the way I envelop her, it’s where she belongs. Next to me. With me. She’s always been just my best friend’s little sister, but after today, after that kiss, I don’t care what anyone says. She’s now mine.