Page 25

I'm sure I shocked Tyler when I told him I wanted to transfer. His response was a lot more confused than Tayler's had been. That had quickly turned to happiness when he found out I was looking at the University of Chicago, only a few miles south of his apartment. It was just a fleeting thought, but I wanted to look into it. Duke wasn't my home anymore. It didn't have the people I cared for, or the man I loved.

My advisor had sent me emails with info papers attached to read about, all containing the subject of transfers. I was reading them off on my iPad during the flight to Chicago now. It didn't seem too difficult. Especially when UofC had the same, or similar, courses to the ones I'd been planning to take in the second semester. Now my only problem would be getting my parents on board. I wouldn't be able to talk to them in person until American Thanksgiving break. By some miracle, Tyler had a game in Toronto over a few days of my week and a half off. It was my plan to introduce Tyler to my parents, go to the game, tell them my plan, then leave again.

The woman I was sitting next to glared at me as my knees bounced with nerves. I ignored her, my music blasting loudly in my ears. When the pilot announced that we would be landing soon, I was ready. I was getting way too used to flying. Maybe that wouldn't be a problem by January. The thought made me smile down at my iPad.

Like the first time I'd come to Chicago, Tyler would be picking me up. I'd gone to my early morning class, then immediately gotten into an Uber that took me straight to the airport. Three hours later, I was sitting here almost landing at the airport. The anticipation to see Tyler was overflowing. I'd missed him miserably for the past month. It was part of the reason I couldn't bear to stay in Durham anymore. Life without Tyler was unbearable. Knowing he was so close to me now made my heart thump. I came alive with his presence.

My anticipation was off the charts. I was driving the woman next to me insane with my fidgeting. I was the first one to leap from my seat and grab my things. The lady scowled at me again, mumbling something under her breath. I ignored her, pushing for a spot in line to leave the plane. The tight walls closed in on me. I needed to get out of here and into fresh air. It wasn't just fresh air I needed.

Moving through the airport felt like it took a million hours. I waited in a hundred different lines before I finally was free to flee. My legs took me towards the exit, where I knew a shiny black Mercedes would be waiting for me. More importantly, where Tyler would be waiting. It was hard to not break into a sprint.

I left the doors, pausing to scan the cars. When I found the sleek vehicle, my grin was bright enough to light a room. Like before, there was a familiar figure leaning against the smooth finish. I almost broke into a sprint again. Tyler turned, his grin melting my heart.

I was at home in an instant. My arms wrapped around him tightly. Tyler's hands rested on my waist for a moment before he squeezed back just as tightly. I sighed out all of my worries from the past month. It was like I hadn't been able to function without his physical touch. Now everything was back to normal. How could I not move up here?

"Hey Halls. I missed you." He breathed lowly into my hair. I let out a mumble against his chest. He started to pull away, but I didn't let him. My fingers clawed at his back, keeping him close to me. "Come on, we gotta get home so we can get ready for Stromer and Tayler's." I smiled at that.

"Oh right. What did Tay say again? Dress as hot as possible?" Tyler rose an eyebrow.

"Did she? I didn't hear that part."

"She told me over FaceTime."

"Do you talk to her a lot?"

"Oh all the damn time. I talk to the other girls a lot, but Tay definitely has the most call minutes from me."

"I'm glad." Tyler opened the car door for me. I blushed at the gesture. He took my bags from my hand and placed them in the trunk. When he opened the door to the back seat, I tried to see what he was doing. I got chastised immediately. The reason revealed itself when he got into the driver's seat. Tyler presented me with a small bouquet of flowers. I immediately cooed.

"Oh! Dahlias! And daisies. Did someone tell you I liked dahlias?" I was happily shocked, but suspicious.

"Nope."

"Then how'd you know?"

"I have my ways."

"Tell me!" I whined at him. He shook his head.

"A gentleman never reveals his secrets." I left it go, shaking my head.

"Well thank you very much, Mr. Mysterious. Get driving, I wanna see my girlfriend."

Tyler complied, changing the gear into drive. He started into the flow of traffic. As soon as we pulled onto the bridge that revealed the city skyline, I took a picture of it. The photo included Tyler's hand on the wheel, Mercedes sign in full view and expensive watch visible. Out of the driver's side window and part of the windshield, the skyline stretched blue and shiny. I added the picture to my Instagram story, including a little sticker that placed me in Chicago. I added another one that blinked 'Home Sweet Home' over and over again.

Tyler shook his head at me when I looked back up from my screen.

"If we're dressing fancy I'm posting a picture tonight." I smirked.

"Then you'll be happy with the dress I brought." Tyler's face looked strangled.

"Please tell me it's that blue one."

"Bingo."

"Goddamn you looked good in that. You have no idea how much..." Tyler trailed off, looking sheepish. "Sorry, it's too soon to be saying stuff like that out loud."

"Is it? I mean...we didn't keep much quiet at the beach." My heart was thumping. Did I want to Tyler to finish his sentence. Maybe when we were back at the apartment.

The drive couldn't pass fast enough. I was itching to fulfill the tension between us. By the time we reached the apartment, I didn't bother waiting for Tyler. I grabbed his hand, not caring about the flowers still in the cup holder.

Inside, I dropped my bags just inside the door. I bit my lip, looking up at Tyler.

"You can finish that sentence now. The one about the dress." Tyler smirked at me. My breath hitched as his hand crept to my neck, his thumb tilting my chin up.

"That dress made me want to do the unholiest things to you. It made me want to tear it right back off and appreciate you." His face had crept closer to me. I let my lips part slightly. His other hand found my waist, pulling my body closer to him. I gasped when his thumb dug into my hipbone, pushing my sweater up. The sensation was nothing compared to the way he kissed me.

There was so much emotion behind it, completely different than the first time we'd kissed. There was the pain of being apart, the hunger of two people who could barely survive like this much longer. I lost myself in the feeling of his lips moving against mine. When he pushed me back until I hit the wall, I didn't mind. The added support allowed me to kiss him with more passion. His hands fully slipped under my sweater, gripping my sides tightly. I groaned as he leaned into me, our chests brushing. One of my hands moved to his bicep, gripping it tightly. Before I completely lost control, I pushed him back slightly. Both of our chests were heaving with the intensity of the kiss.

"Is Kirby home?" My words were louder than I intended them to be. The response didn't come from Tyler.

"Yes, he is. And he doesn't appreciate walking out of his room to see you two practically having sex on the wall. Some decency, please?" I'd never seen Tyler look more pissed off.

"You're a piece of work Dacher."

"I try." The sarcasm in his tone was obvious. I flinched when Tyler moved out of the way. Making eye contact with Kirby had been a mistake. There was a mix of deadly emotions in his face. He looked rough. I looked down guiltily.

"Sorry Kirby." I reached for Tyler's hand, pulling him down the hall. As soon as Kirby was out of sight, Tyler moved to kiss me again. I put one hand on the center of his chest, holding him back. "We can't. Not with him here." I motioned with my head to where Kirby was. Tyler let out a sigh, stepping back. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry. It's hard to relax after you threw that at me." I smirked at him.

"We've done worse." Tyler's eyes flashed.

"Yes. And I've missed it." I shook my head.

"Can you go get my bags? I'm going to call Tay."

When Tyler had left the bedroom, I dialed Tayler's number. It only rang once before she picked up.

"Hello, are you here yet?" Her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Yeah, we just got back to Ty's. What time do you want us to come over?" She squealed.

"Four. That's when Lex and Lynds will be here. Oh I can't wait until then. What are you two doing until then?" Her tone was teasing. I blushed, remembering the heated kiss that had just happened.

"Uh..."

"That's what I thought. I'll let you get back to it. Remember, dress hot as hell tonight. We're gonna blow the neighbors out of the water with our dinner party fashion."

"Got it. See ya then, Tay."

When my bags were back in front of me, I dug around until I found the blue dress. Tyler watched me with heavy eyes.

"You're gonna torture me tonight."

"That's the idea."

"Not fair. Especially if you wear heels." In response, I pulled out the strapped silver stilettos and dangled them in the air. Tyler groaned. "Trying to kill me woman?"

"Absolutely. Get used to it. It looks like the life of an NHL girlfriend consists of a lot of dressing up. You're gonna have to share every time." Tyler's eyes were dangerous.

"No way." I couldn't resist his affection for much longer. If anything, it was harder this time. Especially when he gave me that dark and heavy look that sent shivers up my spine. I stood perfectly still as Tyler stepped forward. His hand lifted to trail down my cheek. "I don't like to share." The way he said those words made my knees weak. Huskily, low enough that only I could hear them. I was done for. Oh, damn him.

I let him kiss me with the feverish hunger again. I couldn't stop if I wanted to. This time, there was no intent to just kiss. Tyler's hands pushed my jacket off almost immediately. I was left in just my thin sweater. Tyler's hands took ahold of my waist, pulling me towards the bed. Our kiss didn't break. My heart was slamming a million miles an hour. Of all the steamy make out sessions we'd had, none had quite had the same intensity and tension as this one. We were both hungry for each other in the most primal way.

My knees hit the back of the bed. I let myself fall back, pulling Tyler with me so that he was hovering over me. My own hands pulled at his sweatshirt. Tyler stepped back from me, grabbing the back and pulling it over his head. The motion flexed his abs in full view. I bit my lip at the sight. As soon as the sweatshirt was off, Tyler smirked at me.

"Look at me like that again, will you?" I sighed in content as he leaned in to kiss me again. His lips soon left mine, peppering down my jawline. He paused by my ear, whispering quietly next to it. "Your turn." His hands took ahold of the hem of my thin sweater. I let him tug it over my head. When I was left in just a thin bralette, Tyler's eyes darkened with lust.

His mouth returned to my jaw, leaving light kisses before turning to my neck. His touch there was heavier and lingering. I felt his teeth nip at my skin lightly. The sensation made me gasp. I smacked at his arm feebly.

"No hickies." My words were barely audibly between my heavy breaths. He mumbled against my skin.

"I won't. But I'm not stopping." My eyes fluttered closed at the feeling. He knew exactly how to drive me crazy in a way no one else could. In a way no one else ever had.

Tyler traced a line of kisses across my collarbone before he continued down. His mouth traveled down the center of my chest, skipping over the band of my bra. I instinctively pulled my stomach in when I felt his touch on it. Tyler kept leaving light touches until he reached the waistband of my leggings. His hands crept up to grasp my hips. His fingers hooked under the waistband, tugging down dangerously. I was almost impatient. As if he knew, I was flashed an impish grin. Finally, Tyler tugged at the black material, working it down my legs. I kicked my feet free as soon as it was low enough.

His face came back up to mine. Eyes that were heavy and clouded with passion met mine.

"Will you let me do this Halls?" I didn't have to question what "this" was. I nodded mutely. Tyler's face relaxed. He pulled back again, undoing the belt to his jeans. I watched as he pulled them down, revealing his boxers. It took too long. By the time he came back to me, I was impatient again. My irritation at the length of time was short lived.

He kissed my neck in a spot that made my toes curl. I groaned involuntarily at the feeling. I immediately clapped a hand over my mouth. I didn't want Kirby to be privy to what was happening on this room. Tyler didn't stop, but I felt his smile against my skin. His hand traveled to the top of my underwear, hooking under it. I let him push it down far enough so I could kick them off. His lips left my skin for a moment so I could pull my bralette off.

Tyler left me for a moment, first locking the door, then grabbing something from the nightstand. I saw the flash of the square packet. My heart slammed in my throat. I had never wanted anything more. Especially when it came to Tyler. I watched as he pulled his boxers down.

"Are you sure?" I nodded again.

"Absolutely." Tyler's grin was huge. His hands pulled my hips up to him. I sucked in a shaky breath. Tyler moved so he was hovering over me. My fingers found his shoulders. His lips found my neck, sucking harshly. I didn't try to stop the motion this time. It felt too good.

I let out a breathy sigh as Tyler shifted. I rolled my hips against him. My fingernails dug into his back harshly. How could someone feel this good? How could I feel so at home with one person? How could someone feel this right? Oh, goddamn this man.

His head dropped next to mine. I just caught his murmur.

"I love you so damn much."