Chapter Seven #2
“Nothing out of the regular ink and bodily fluid stains.”
“Tyler, was that the day I won the bet about mom? Where are the parents anyways? I brought Sunny here to shove her in their faces.” Sam scans the crowd once more.
“It’s all on the heir tonight.” Tyler raises his glass. “As for the coffee, yes, I was going there because of our bet. I wasn’t going to, if I'm being honest, but I guess something just called me in there that day,” he eyes me.
Shameless flirt. Both of them are.
“Ugh, I’m so glad I was the one who didn’t get the dick during conception,” Sam mumbles.
I bark out a laugh, Tyler along with me.
“You’re welcome sister. I’ll carry the burden for the both of us,” he says. As if, it were an underlying truth to their family. It makes me wonder what went on behind closed doors with the family they seem to loathe.
“All eyes are on you, Tyler. I’m just here to be your moral support,” Sam says.
By the way the tone of the party changed as he walked into the place, I know what Sam said is true.
You are a powerful man, Tyler.
And all I see surrounding him is magic.
Wild, dark magic.
Late nights have been far and few between save for the nightmares that plague my mind. Isolation has been my comfort with work as the exception. Needless to say this night, while a breath of fresh air, is also exhausting.
After Tyler went off to do heir type things and Sam escaped into a cleaning closet with a man, I decided it was my cue to leave. I try to get to bed early in hopes to tack more hours onto the few I already get, but it never happens.
I’m still haunted by you.
Shooting my friend a text that I’m heading home, I start for the exit of the rooftop.
My apartment isn’t too far, maybe only a few miles.
My feet may scream from walking it in heels, but I can do it.
Or just take my chances and walk the city barefoot.
I don’t care. My bed is calling my name, even if I won’t get the sleep I hope for.
Just a few strides from the exit is when I notice a shadow engulfing my own. I turn around to see emerald eyes staring at me.
My first initial thought of him plays on repeat in my head. He is the most attractive man I have ever met. Ryan was handsome, there’s no doubt about that, but Tyler, he’s devastating.
Harsh, yet soft. Broken, yet whole. Confident, yet humble. Warning yet welcoming. A predator but so human. Something about him screams danger, but it only makes you want to fall into him more. He’s the perfect predator. And someone I should probably avoid.
“Slipping away so soon?” He asks.
“I’m going to miss my bedtime.”
His smile widens into a grin as a chuckle leaves his lips. “How are you getting home?”
“I figured I’d just walk.” I motion out to the city.
I truly love walking in this city. It’s so beautiful, and it gives me time to clear my mind. It hinders me from having to go back to a quiet apartment, stuck in my own thoughts and nightmares.
“I won’t have that.” He takes a step closer.
I blink a moment of shock and click my tongue. “I don’t think anyone asked for your approval.”
A smile reappears at the corner of his mouth like he enjoys my bite. “Please,” he offers. “It’s unsafe for you to walk alone. Let me at least get a car for you.”
“I’d rather walk.”
“Then let me walk with you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
He steps towards me, closing in the space between us. “I don’t have to do anything.”
I look up at him, refusing to wave my white flag, despite the fact I gnaw the inside of my cheek.
“Please, Sam would never forgive me for letting you go alone. My balls will be pinned to the wall.” He tries to lighten the mood.
I fight the smile pulling my lips. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”
He reaches behind me, opening the door for me to exit and greets the security guard there.
Immediately he’s taking his jacket off and placing it over my shoulders. “I noticed you rubbing your arms. It’s a bit chilly. I imagine that wasn’t your outfit of choice, but Sam is an adamant person.”
Sam has a very particular style, so I’m not shocked he picked up on the fact she made me wear this two piece dress that covers most to nothing with its hip thigh slit and spaghetti straps.
“Seems like you guys share that in common. Thank you. Don’t you have to tell anyone that you’re leaving?” I ask. He’s the one who is supposed to be in charge of this, after all.
“I won’t be missed,” he whispers and winks. “Shall we?” He motions for the door that exits the building leading to the city.
Within minutes my heels are off my feet, and to my dismay, Tyler swipes them from my hands to carry them on our walk.
“So,” I start. “You’re the heir to your family’s fortune. Sounds medieval.”
He smiles with a nod while watching the ground. “If that’s what you want to call forced into and legally bound to a company as soon as you came out of the womb. No ifs, ands or buts.”
“Isn’t there always a choice, though?” I eye him.
A muscle feathers in his jaw as he contemplates his response, looking up to the sky. “I can’t tell if this is the easier or hardest choice, to be honest. It’s complex in a world like mine.”
“I guess you should ask yourself if it’s truly what you want to do and if not, why waste your time?”
He laughs, deflecting my comment. “So, you’re a nurse? What sparked that?”
I side eye him at his rebound. I’ll respect it, though. God knows I want people to when they ask about my past.
“It just brought so much opportunity and I like to help people. I don’t have any more of an explanation than that. I just love what I do. The thrill. I can’t imagine having to sit at a desk for hours.”
“I can appreciate that. That’s all you need anyways, right? What kind of nurse are you?” He watches me as we walk.
Tyler is the kind of devastating that shouldn’t exist. It’s damaging, it’s daunting, it’s otherworldly. His size alone is something not seen often. A body tall and lean, packed with muscles that his white dress shirt hugs in all the best ways.
For a moment, I wonder if he’s cold in the chill of the night, but realize quickly a man his size must radiate enough heat for the both of us. So I inch a little closer.
“I’m a trauma nurse,” I reply.
“So, what you’re telling me is, you’re a badass?” He smiles, inching a bit closer, too.
My heart does something, but I can’t quite pinpoint it. Aside from necessary interactions at work, this is the first leisure conversation I’ve had with a man since Ryan.
“If that’s what you want to call it. It doesn’t always feel like that.” I watch the street ahead.
Ryan never appreciated my job. In fact, when he took over his parents' business, he expected me to quit my job and stay home. For what? I have no clue. It was just another form of control.
“And you travel?” he asks, still keeping his eyes on me, our arms almost touching at this point.
“Yes. This is my first assignment, actually. I’ve never been to a place like this before.” I look up at the city night sky, the buildings around me, the moon and city lights glimmering along the water in the harbor.
Regardless of the hour, it’s all still so full of life, even when people are sleeping comfortably in their homes, there’s still people wandering the streets. Restaurants, bars, all filled with people smiling, laughing, sharing food and drinks.
“Where are you originally from?” He fires another question.
“So many questions. What’s with the third degree?”
He’s analyzing me, and rightfully so, considering I’ve become one of his sister’s closest friends. With having so much money comes risk and trust issues on people's intentions. I realize very quickly this isn’t curiosity, but interrogation.
“Well, what else are we supposed to do, walk in silence?” He teases.
“I would’ve been if you didn’t insist on coming with me.”
He grins, like he enjoys this banter between us. Something Ryan never enjoyed. He said I had a smart mouth.
“I’m from a small town in California on the coast,” I finally say. It isn’t too much to give, but maybe just enough to suffice his need for information on me. Before I can try and ask him a question, he fires another one.
“Did the town bore you? Is that why you left?”
His eyes are intent on me, unwilling to move, almost desperate to hear my answers. I’m curious why he feels so invested in me. This now feels beyond wanting to protect his sister.
“No. Not at all.” I mean it. “I love my hometown and when I feel ready, when I can, I’ll most likely go back.”
Tyler chuckles. “A girl named Sunny from a little beach town in California.”
“Yeah, my parents are very unoriginal.”
“I like your name,” he admits. “Sunny.”
Yeah, I kinda like the way it sounds laced with your voice.
We approach my small apartment building nestled in the back streets of Boston. And surprisingly, I wish we had just a little more time.
“Thanks for walking with me.” I halt in front of the apartment building.
Tyler hands my shoes back. “Any time. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around again.” He takes my hand in his, pressing his warm lips to it. “Goodnight, Sunny.” Regardless of his goodbye, he stands like a pillar in the darkness, waiting until I’m inside.
Once I walk in, I peer out the window of the door and see a smile curve the corner of his mouth. He places his hands in his pockets and shakes his head as he turns around, disappearing into the night.
I turn around and press my back to the door, looking up at the stairs leading to my apartment. With a deep inhale, my nose is filled with a faint citrus and salt scent.
He didn’t take his jacket back.
TYLER
Such a sad girl for someone named Sunny, and I’m determined to figure out why that is.
Walking back to the hotel to get my truck, her name plays in my mind over and over because I finally have the answer to my greatest question.
Sunny.
Despite her demeanor being the opposite of her name, my obsession has only rooted deeper.
But one thing she does have is fire. An inferno waiting for her moment.
Ready to incinerate you the minute you invade her space.
Yet, I can’t help but want to sit in her flames, accepting all the raging light and fire she gives me, ready to burn just for her.
God it was so hard to get her to crack a smile, no matter how many I gave her. Even then, she didn’t. Not once.
I want to take the brokenness out of her eyes, make her whole because of me. Of course, of course I understand what it feels like to be partial. I’ve been feeling like that my whole fucking life. Nothing has ever made me feel complete. Almost, but never quite actually there.
Until her.
A broken man finally finds something that awakens the parts he thought were long dead.
A glimpse into what it's like to be whole. A fire that somehow bleeds through what he thought was impenetrable darkness. Yeah, he’s going to become obsessed with it.
One glimpse at her told me everything I needed to know; that there is something connecting us, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
So that’s when I pull my phone out and text my sister to invite Sunny to family dinner. I want to know more about her and why her light has been dimmed so much.
That way I can put it in its fucking grave.