Chapter 13
Audrey
Iwant to cry for Tyler. If anyone can understand the pain of being abandoned by their father, it’s me.
The anger that, if I had to guess, he was using to cover the years of heartbreak ripples off him in waves.
His jaw muscles tic every few seconds as he drives toward my apartment.
Before we were interrupted, we were having a wonderful time. I hate how our dinner ended.
I don’t know what he needs right now, so I stay quiet, but I can’t stop my gaze from cutting over to him. Even angry, he’s incredibly sexy.
He pulls into a parking spot and turns off the engine, but doesn’t make a move to get out.
I rub my palms up and down my thighs. “Tyler, you don’t have to come in if you need to take a little time for yourself. We can just say goodnight here.”
My words seem to pull him back, and he twists in his seat. He reaches across the console and captures my hand. Gently bringing it close to him, he presses a kiss to the back. Butterflies flutter in my stomach at the soft affection.
“Audrey, I can assure you, there’s nowhere else I would rather be right now.” Our hands drop to his thigh, and he smiles. “Besides, you promised me ice cream.”
His infectious grin has my lips pulling up to match his. “That I did.”
We both climb out of his truck and walk hand in hand toward my apartment. Some of the earlier anger seems to have left him, but there’s still a dullness to his usual cheerful disposition that I hate.
Once we make it inside, I direct him to the couch before heading into my kitchen.
Even though I didn’t get much information from him about his job before we were interrupted, I decide I’m not going to push him any more tonight.
As much as I want to get as much information about my dad as possible so I can help my mom, the selfish part of me wants to enjoy the rest of the evening with Tyler.
I grab two beers and a carton of mint chocolate chip with two spoons. Rejoining him in the living room, I sit on the couch beside him, leaving a little space between us. He takes the beers and ice cream from me, glaring at the gap.
“Audrey, get your ass over here.” His low, deep voice does things to me, and I can’t help but comply.
He sets the ice cream on the cushion next to him and opens the beers as I wiggle over until our thighs are touching.
I curl up a little, so I can get closer to his side while keeping the skirt of my dress tucked around my legs so as not to accidentally flash him.
If I’m going to embrace being with him tonight, I might as well go all in.
The pleased look on his face when he hands me the beer brings all the butterflies soaring back.
He takes the two spoons from me and tosses one onto the coffee table. “We won’t be needing that.” After securing his beer between his thighs, he picks up the ice cream and digs the spoon into it.
I huff a laugh. “Why not? Do I not get any?”
Tyler’s sexy smirk goes straight between my legs as he lifts the spoon to my mouth. “Yes, mama, you get some. And I’m going to feed it to you.”
I might be embarrassed by the whimper that leaves me when I think about this moment later, but right now, I don’t care.
His lips part slightly, his eyes locked on mine.
The cold spoon slips between my lips and lands on my tongue.
I swallow another whimper along with the ice cream when his tongue darts out and licks his lips.
When he removes the spoon from my mouth, he clears his throat and gets another bite, and this time, puts it in his mouth.
Needing to douse the heat from this moment, I ask, “Do you want to talk about your dad?”
The hard rise and fall of his chest tells me everything I need to know.
“Don’t feel pressured to. I just want you to know you can.” I hesitate before adding, “Because I know how you feel.”
He tilts his head and stares at me before getting another spoonful of ice cream and holding it up to my mouth. “So you have your own daddy issues, do you?”
After swallowing, I mutter, “You have no idea.”
The sad smile on his face makes me loathe that he has his own story, knowing how painful mine is.
“My dad didn’t want anything to do with me when my mom got pregnant in high school.
As soon as he graduated, he left town.” He feeds me another bite.
“I saw him once when I was younger, then he went to prison, and now, I guess he’s out.
He got in contact with my cousin, saying he wants to see me. ”
“And how do you feel about that?”
He shrugs as he sets the bottle on the coffee table with the ice cream. “Definitely conflicted. I just don’t understand why now? I’m almost thirty. He’s had plenty of time.”
I place my hand on his thigh in comfort, and I secretly love the solid heat beneath my palm. “I’m so sorry, Tyler.”
Tyler abandons the spoon in the container and wraps his hand around my thigh that’s propped up against his. “What about you? Do you see your dad?”
The sardonic laugh feels brittle in my chest. “No, unlike yours, my father’s never wanted to see me.”
Tyler frowns. “Never? Does he know about you?”
“Oh, he knows about me, alright.” I take a sip of beer to give myself a moment to gather my thoughts. I don’t talk about this very much, and it’s never easy. “It’s a tale as old as time. Businessman knocks up his receptionist, then gives her money to go away and never ask him for another dime.”
“Asshole,” Tyler mutters as his grip on me tightens.
I stare at where my hand is on his thigh.
Not lifting my gaze, I start tracing a circle on his leg as I continue.
“Yeah, made my mom sign something that said she was giving up child support in lieu of the twenty-five thousand. Which isn’t enough to raise a child, but my mom felt like she had no other option. ”
“So he never even tried later in life?”
I raise my eyes to meet Tyler’s, my heart clenching as old childhood pain comes slithering back to the surface.
“No. One time, when I was maybe ten, we saw him in a restaurant. He passed by us, and I remember him looking at my mom. And there was just…nothing in his eyes. I don’t even think he recognized the woman he knocked up. ”
My mom never withheld his identity. She said she wanted me to be aware so I’d never unknowingly be in a situation where I didn’t know I was interacting with my father.
“That’s fucking awful, Audrey. I’m so sorry.”
I blow out a quick breath, letting a smile move onto my lips even if I don’t feel it. “It’s okay. He’s an asshole.”
His laugh is low as he reaches up and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. Goosebumps crawl down my body from where his fingertips brush my skin.
“He’s missing out on one amazing daughter.”
My skin heats from the way his deep voice rasps out the compliment.
“Your dad missed out on you, too,” I whisper as our gazes lock.
A sad smile curls his mouth as he reaches up and slowly swipes his thumb along my bottom lip. “No more talking about that shit.” Moving from my lips to my cheek, he gently caresses my skin as his eyes and smile morph from sad to wistful. “You know the first time I saw you?”
I shake my head, even though I know exactly when he first saw me. My heart hammers with the anticipation of hearing him tell me about it from his perspective.
“You were walking across the parking lot of the coffee shop. I think I stopped breathing when I saw you, that gorgeous hair framing your breathtaking face.”
My nipples tighten into peaks when his tongue runs over his bottom lip, drawing it between his white teeth.
Before I can take my next breath, Tyler reaches over and grasps my waist tightly, lifting me so I’m straddling his lap, my dress bunching on my upper thighs.
Goosebumps run down my back as his hands trail up my sides and stop when they’re on either side of my neck.
I’m sure he can feel my heartbeat thundering under his palm.
“Audrey, I want to kiss you.”
My lips lift in a genuine smile now as desire flips my stomach. “Do it.”
His sexy smirk returns. “I like it when you boss me around.”
I shake my head with a laugh before his lips cut it off. I sigh into him as his lips move against mine effortlessly, reminding me of the perfection of our first kiss. I’m so happy that this kiss proves what I’ve spent days thinking about wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
Tyler shifts his hips, and I moan as his hardness rubs against my clit.
Besides his jeans, the only thing between us is my thin thong.
Tyler’s hands leave my neck to grip my hips as he tilts his head to deepen our kiss, making me moan.
My arms wrap around his shoulders, and my nails dig into his back as my arousal grows, and I grind against him.
The movement pulls a groan from his chest and has his powerful hold urging my movements.
I gasp as he hits the perfect spot between my legs.
Tyler releases my lips, only to move his to my neck. Soft nibbles and kisses have me panting and shifting my hips even more, chasing my pleasure as he whispers against my skin, “I lied to you, baby.”
My eyes fall closed as my head tips to the side to give him better access to my neck. “About what?” I ask through another moan.
Tyler lifts his hips to increase the friction between us. “I want to make you come. Just like this.” His tongue laves up my neck before he nibbles on my earlobe. “I want you to ride me until you come.”
I whimper at his words and the pressure on clit.
“Do you want that, Audrey? Do you want to come on my lap?” One of his hands leaves my hip and cups my breast instead. He squeezes it gently and tweaks my nipple through the top of my dress and bra. “I need your words, Audrey.”
“Yes,” I moan with an eager nod. “I want that.”
“Good.” He recaptures my lips in a kiss that ignites me even more than before. Something I didn’t think was possible.
The grip on my hips turns bruising as we move in sync. My body starts to tingle as I bury my face in his neck with a gasp, taking my turn to run my lips over his neck. “Tyler.”
“You’re so fucking sexy. Come, sweetheart. Come on me.”
I circle my hips and ride his jean-clad cock until I’m gasping for breath through my orgasm. Tyler groans as he moves his hips against me a few more times, extending the blinding pleasure blazing through me.
His body tremors under mine as another deep groan vibrates through, one I can feel where I’ve collapsed against him. With one hand staying on my hip, the other runs up and down my back. Both of us are breathless, basking in the afterglow of whatever that just was between us.
I don’t want to break the bliss of this moment, but I need to know one thing…
“Tyler, did you just come in your pants?”
His chest jumps with a laugh. “First time in my adult life.”
I bite my lip to hide my smile. This may be the most unexpected best date I’ve ever had.