What?! Another Mistake #5
His tongue ventured into her mouth. Tyler had the type of kiss that literally pulled the breath out of her in soft moans and throaty whimpers.
His hand fisted in her hair, angling her head as he deepened the kiss.
It seemed like the last week of trying to keep their distance had made them both a little crazy and now their mouths were trying to get as much as they could of each other, desperate to make up for lost time.
Just when she was about to lose all sensibility, he stopped and pulled away.
“Well, that was…that was great…Wasn’t that great?”
Her eyes shut involuntarily. Fuck, not this again.
He shifted on the bed to create more of a distance between them. “That was just one of those moments that was…so great…so great. But it’s…it’s also one of those things we said we wouldn’t do again.”
She sat there uneasily, staring at him in bewilderment. “You kissed me this time.”
He nodded. “Yeah. You kissed me, now I kissed you. One for you, one for me. We’re even.”
“We made a deal that my kiss never happened, so technically it’s one for you, zero for me.”
“Leave it to the accountant to keep track.” He quickly stood up.
This was turning into a very odd night. She tossed the pillow off her legs and stood up as well with every intention of marching him straight to the door, but he didn’t take one step.
He just stood there, rigid, frozen. The only part of him that moved was his eyes, taking her in from head to toe, and the wanton hunger she saw there was already weakening her resolve.
“Make that two for me,” he said.
“What?”
He grabbed the back of neck and pulled her towards him, capturing her lower lip between his teeth. She didn’t even try to resist. So much for marching him to the door.
That kiss was doing strange things to her.
So heated. So hungry. Strong arms slipped around her waist, pressing her hard against him.
She caressed one leg between his thighs, the fine hair on his calf tickling her skin.
He let out a deep groan and broke the kiss again.
He didn’t release her, though, his arms remaining firmly around her.
“God, those lips,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Again?”
“One more time couldn’t hurt.”
He slammed his mouth on hers, pushing her back until they collapsed onto the bed.
She was past the point of trying to understand this man.
She didn’t know what was going through his head.
All she knew was that she didn’t want him to stop.
No man had ever kissed her this way, made her feel this way.
And now the one man who turned her into a quivering mess just had to be Tyler Fucking Evans. Ugh! Barf!
A firm hand gripped her thigh and she clutched his bare shoulders, feeling his muscles tense beneath her fingers. He was all man. Rough and Strong. Every inch of him was hard. Every inch.
His mouth moved down her neck and he undid the top two buttons of her shirt. Warm lips kissed her between her breasts and they began to ache for his touch.
He moved lower, kissing her over her shirt.
And then he went lower and she gasped, feeling the warmth of his mouth on her navel.
And then he went lower and she almost cried out.
And then it stopped.
She heard a loud thud and her eyes instantly opened. She lifted herself onto her elbows to look around the room, but she couldn’t see him. He was six-foot-two! A man that size couldn’t just disappear. Had this all been a dream?
“Tyler?”
He popped up from the other side of the bed. “I think that’s enough,” he said breathlessly.
A frustrated groan rumbled in her throat and she threw herself back down on the bed. She felt very much like a bedside lamp, being turned on and off in a matter of seconds. She used her forearm to cover her eyes and allowed herself a little time to cool down before she entertained his craziness.
“This isn’t something either of us want,” she heard him say.
She quickly sat up and stared at the very clear evidence of his arousal beneath those running shorts. “You sure about that? Looks to me like one of us wants something.”
He nodded, looking down at himself. “Yeah, it does look that way.”
“I think I know what you want, Tyler,” she said, slowly running her tongue over her lips.
“You are…mmm…you are making it really hard to resist you, Jordan.”
She shrugged. “So stop resisting.”
He didn’t need much more convincing than that.
He pushed her back against the bed and his hot mouth was on hers again.
It only lasted a few seconds before he lifted off her.
“Bad idea! Very bad idea!” He sounded like he was scolding himself.
“Let’s just…let’s just leave it at four for me and nil for you. ”
She tugged his vest and brought his body back down on hers. “How about four for you and one for me?”
She buried her hands in his hair and kissed him, giving very special attention to that sexy bottom lip.
He was an amazing kisser, but her body had reached the point where kissing wasn’t enough.
Slipping her hand under his vest, her fingers glided over his taut stomach.
She wanted to see his body, curious to know if it looked as good as it felt.
She eagerly caught the material at its edges.
He lifted himself up a fraction and in one swift motion, she pulled it off.
Oh!
Dear!
God!
Would it be considered rude to stare? Because that’s about all she could do at that moment.
Her eyes documented everything. The hard wall of his chest. The six blocks down his stomach.
The thin line of hair starting at his navel and disappearing beneath those shorts. She wanted to lick him all over.
Enough staring. More touching.
Pulling him down to her again, her fingers scraped down the hard ridges of his back. This make out session was becoming a frenzied, manic build of insatiable need. She was scratching his shoulders. He was biting her lip. His kisses were insistent, impatient, completely unrestrained.
She wrapped her long legs around him, tightening her grip until she felt his cock pressing against her at just the right spot. He groaned, purposefully shifting his hips and she could feel his thick tip penetrating her through her thin shorts. She gasped, wanting more, needing more.
Fervent lips were on her neck, setting her skin ablaze.
The rest of the buttons on her shirt were quickly undone and a big hand slid up her stomach and onto breast. It drove her wild.
Everything he did was driving her wild. His fingers slipped beneath her bra, teasing her nipple as he continued rubbing his hard length between her thighs.
Her hand moved down between their bodies, but when she reached the waistband of his running shorts, he immediately shot up off the bed.
His eyes took note of her unbuttoned shirt before moving to his bare chest and it seemed like he only realized then what had happened in the throes of passion.
“Why are we getting naked?!”
He sounded panicked, confused, like he had just found out there might be an alien lurking in the room. Crazy, dramatic, and just so typically Tyler. She dropped her head back and coughed out a small laugh. She needed to laugh because if she didn’t, she would end up punching him in the face.
He stood there for almost a minute, breathing like he had just run a marathon with a thin layer of sweat glazing his skin. He stared at her in silence, his eyes glued to her chest for a considerable time.
“You’re staring at my breasts again.”
A flippant hand was waved in her direction and he didn’t even bother averting his eyes. “I know.”
This was a peculiar state of comfortableness she found herself in. He was openly staring at her breasts after freaking the fuck out and both of them were okay with this behavior. When did that happen?
“You want to end it at four for you and one for me?” she asked.
“There were casualties in that last one, Jordan. We lost some of our clothes. That counts as two for you.”
She smiled and stood up as he pulled on his vest. He tugged her shirt until she moved closer and he began buttoning it up.
He ran his hands up her arms and cupped her face, his thumb tracing over her lips.
“I’m gonna go ahead and make it an even five.
” He kissed her again. This time it was slow and gentle.
All his kisses so far had said: I want you.
But this one was different. This one said: I like you.
“Five isn’t an even number,” she pointed out when he broke the kiss.
“Oh, right.”
He claimed her lips with the same slow intensity and she took it all in, savoring it because this probably wasn’t going to happen again. It was a long while later when he finally released her and made his way to the door.
“Shall I prepare for another day of awkwardness tomorrow?” she asked.
“Let’s deal with tomorrow tomorrow, okay?
” He stopped once he was outside, looking completely enamored as he gently grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
“You’re so…tall.” It was a fact. She was tall, but she had never heard anyone say it like it was a compliment before.
He plucked a quick kiss on her lips, as if her height made it impossible for him to resist. “So tall.”
It was time to end this weirdness. She really couldn’t take much more. “Goodnight, Tyler,” she said with half a smile.
He smiled back and slowly walked away. As she closed the door, she found herself replaying everything out in her head.
Yeah. That happened. They dry-humped. And now he was gone.
She needed a Tyler-handbook so she could decipher all these mixed messages.
The man was crazy, but she liked him so much it was driving her fucking loony.
Tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow she would try to get some answers.
But tonight she just needed some alone time to work off the frustration he had so charitably bestowed on her.
Thanks a lot, boss!
* * * * *
The next day wasn’t awkward at all. It was filled with cute sideway glances and playful smiles. From a knowledge point of view, it was a total waste because she hadn’t heard a single word that had left Jack’s mouth.
During the first tea-break, Tyler had suggested that they cancel one driver and drive back home together.
She’d agreed but now as they left the conference room, she started feeling anxious. What were they going to talk about for three hours? Should she bring up what happened last night, or did the deal preclude her from talking about that as well?
He carried her bags to the waiting car outside the hotel and after dropping them in the trunk, he opened the back door for her.
She had never really noticed it before, but Tyler was a real gentleman.
It was so ingrained in him that it didn’t seem forced or out of place.
Brian, the douche-face, didn’t even get out of the car when he picked her up for a date.
He’d just honk in the street and expect her to rush out.
She was no lady but she appreciated the sentiment.
She slipped into the backseat and shifted to the other side so he could get in too. The first few minutes were quiet and more and more questions came to lips. She just couldn’t find a way to actually ask them.
“Jordan,” he said, breaking the silence.
She turned to look at him but said nothing in response.
His eyes met hers and he continued. “I don’t want to lead you on. I’m not that type of guy. I don’t do flings. I don’t do one-night stands. I don’t do…boo…booty calls.”
He looked so uncomfortable using the phrase that she had to pull her lips in to stop a laugh.
“I want you to understand something. It’s not that I’m not attracted to you. Last night proves that I am very attracted to you. But I don’t want to lead you on. I was in a relationship for three years and…there’s a lot of things going through my head right now. This is—”
“I get it,” she cut in.
That made a lot of sense and she felt stupid that she hadn’t been able to figure it out herself.
He and Trisha had broken up only four months ago.
How could she have possibly thought he was ready for another relationship?
The rebound-girl was definitely not a title she was chasing.
She wasn’t hurt, just disappointed. She wasn’t looking to get into a relationship with him, but a fling would have been really nice. Ah, well. At least he was honest.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not mad. But if you want me to respect this professional relationship, you’re gonna have to stop being so hot…and adorable.”
He smiled, so wide it reached his eyes. Was it possible that she’d made Tyler Evans feel uncomfortably…
shy? Just when she told him to stop being adorable.
Unable to keep eye contact, he turned and looked out the window.
This was probably the most unbelievable thing she had ever seen.
Here was this rich, sophisticated guy, who was voted sexiest man of the year by a few tabloid magazines.
He dominated boardrooms and commanded respect with his presence and yet he couldn’t take a simple compliment.
A by-product of his long-term relationship was that he was completely oblivious to the women who drooled all over him, but it was still pretty unbelievable.
He waited a few seconds before turning his attention back to her. “Therein lies the problem, Jordan,” he said, still trying to hide that goofy grin. “Charm like this can’t be turned off. It’s not my fault I have the ability to make them good girls go bad.”
Her giggles came out so hard she almost choked. “Did you just quote Cobra Starship? How do you even know that song?”
“I told you I have a wild side.”
“Total bad-ass,” she agreed with a nod.
They continued chatting for the next three hours and she felt it, that gooey, icky feeling inside her. Mush mixed with sludge mixed with complete, disgusting soppiness. Ugh! Barf!
She had to force herself not to feel it because whatever she’d shared with him had ended before it even began. She made a vow to herself during that drive that she would absolutely, positively, under no circumstances, fall for Tyler Evans.