Jill Shalvis - Tangling With Ty

Time for oblivion, he thought, and reached for the bottle of pills. But a knock at the door stopped him. Since he couldn’t think of a single reason for someone to be knocking at his door at midnight, he ignored it.

It came again.

Struggling into a pair of sweat pants, he figured that since he didn’t feel like crying as he moved, he must be improving. Still, by the time he hobbled to the door, he was ready to sit down. And when he opened it, he nearly did sit down, right there on the floor. “Nicole!”

She stood there, arms braced on the jamb on either side of her, head down. When he said her name, she lifted her face. Her short, dark hair was up in spikes, as if she’d shoved her fingers through it repeatedly. She wore a spaghetti-strapped tank top under overalls. One strap had slid down her shoulder. Her smooth, sleek arms were taut, her tight little body quivering with tension.

But it was her eyes that held him now, as they were filled with so many things it hurt to look at her.

“I woke you,” she said. “I’m sorry, I’ll just-”

He wrapped his fingers around her arm to stop her from backing away. Skin to skin. The jolt nearly brought him to his knees. Now was a hell of a time to realize that with her standing right here in front of him everything suddenly felt good. Right.

He hated that. She was nothing but a damn string on the heart he didn’t want to feel.

“I shouldn’t have come,” she whispered.

No, no she shouldn’t have. Because now he didn’t know how to let her go.

“I just…I saw your light.” She lifted a shoulder, gave him a little smile.

The smile lifted him in a way it shouldn’t, and just like that, the funk was gone.

He’d have to dwell on that later because right now he wanted the feel of her. Needed the feel of her in a terrifyingly bad way.

“It’s just that Taylor said she hadn’t seen or heard from you,” she said. “And you didn’t make your check-up appointment the hospital gave you, and-”

With a little tug, he had her inside.

“So I just drove by, just to see…and well.” She smiled again, stopping his heart. “Like I said, I saw the light-”

He shut the door behind her. She took one step back, away from him, right up against the wood.

Perfect.

“So.” Her smile shook a bit now. “I just wanted to see for myself that you were doing okay-” She stopped when he planted an arm on either side of her head. “Are you going to say something?” she whispered, licking her bottom lip.

Oh yeah, he liked that little nervous gesture.

“Ty?”

“You want to give me a check-up?”

“I…uh…”

He found his own smile. “You’re nervous, doc. I know it sounds sick, but I like that. I like that a lot.”

She pressed her fingers to her eyes, which gave him better room to crowd her body.

So he did.

“You know what?” she murmured, still covering her eyes. “I’m going now.” Then she dropped her hands and shoved at his chest, which shot a white-hot arrow of pain right through his ribs. Doubling over, he groaned, vaguely aware of her horrified gasp.

“Oh, Ty-” Her hands came around his bare middle.

“Damn it-”

“I know, I know, I’m so sorry.”

He sucked in a careful breath and looked at her when she said it again. Her hands on his skin moved lightly, not a doctor’s hands, but a woman’s, as she murmured her apologies over and over, as she tried to soothe. And little by little his vision cleared so that he could straighten slightly.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“I’ll let you know when the stars clear from my head.”

“God. I’m so sorry.”

“I know.”

“I…wouldn’t hurt you on purpose.”

“I know.”

But she already had. Nicole could feel it. She just didn’t understand. He was the one who didn’t want a relationship. He was the one who’d kept her at arm’s length with his light, easygoing, teasing attitude. He was the one…

Wasn’t he?

“Nicole.” That was it, that was the only word to escape his lips, but his gaze seemed to say so much more. Eyes hot, he lowered his head so that their lips were only a breath apart. “Why did you come?”

She licked her lips again. “I told you, I-”

“ Why, Nicole?”

She closed her eyes, trying to hide the truth from him. She’d come to be in his arms. She’d come to give him what she’d held back all this time. She’d come to see if she was going crazy, or if this…this thing went both ways.

“Nicole?”

“Y-yes?”

“I should tell you, watching you struggle at this social stuff is an incredible turn-on. Knowing you’re usually buried in work, that you never look up from that work for anyone, and you are now…because of me…”

She stared down at his hand as it entwined with hers and tugged. Then she was staring at his strong, sleekly muscled back while he led her through the house.

“I’m taking you to my bedroom now,” he said over his shoulder. “Stop me.”

She kept following him.

He tugged her into a room lit only by the moonlight dancing through the wall of windows. Then he flipped on the light and she was blinking at him like an owl.

“I want to see this.” He stepped so close she could see nothing but him. Around her, she had an impression of a large room, an equally large bed with tossed blankets and sheets.

Then he backed her to that bed, his eyes glowing with intent and emotion. “I think you came for this, which just so happens to be what I’m looking for as well.”

“You- But you’re hurt.” Since when did she stutter? The mattress bumped her high on the back of her thighs. Her heart was drumming so fast and so loud it was a wonder he hadn’t asked her if she was having a heart attack.

“Say I’m wrong.” He lifted a finger and nudged off the other strap of her overalls. The bib fell to her waist, leaving just her thin tank top, which hid nothing from him, including the fact she was aroused. Very aroused.

His head dipped, and for a long moment he just looked, making her nipples tighten and pucker against the thin material all the more. “Nicole.” His voice was husky. “You’re not saying no.”

“I-”

“No starts with N.” He used both hands now, gliding his fingers up and down her arms. He met her gaze. Waited.

She licked her lips, which wrestled a low groan from him. And then he leaned in even closer. “Say it. Say no.”

“I don’t want to say it.” Almost before she’d finished, his mouth closed over hers. She opened to him and he groaned again. Then he was inside, tasting her as if he was a starving man and she was a ten-course meal. Which worked for her because suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, she was starving too, starving for this.

Breaking only for air, he raised his head and stared at her from slumberous eyes before he came at her again, changing the angle of the kiss, settling his mouth more firmly over hers. Her lips clung to his as her fingers fisted in his hair, holding him to the plundering, caressing kiss because she didn’t want him pulling back again. She wanted this mindlessness, craved this hot, sensual heat, and needed even more.

They broke apart for air again, and stared at each other. His hands lifted to untangle her arms from around his neck. He danced his fingers back up, wrapping them around her spaghetti straps. Still holding her gaze in his, he gave a hard tug, peeling the material down to her waist, exposing her bare breasts.

Dropping his gaze, his chest rose and fell with his uneven breathing as he looked at the breasts she knew damn well were too small. Thinking it, she lifted her hands but he caught them, held them at her sides.