“You’ll bring her back in one piece.” Josh tossed him a key ring.
Like I have a choice in that tank. “Thanks, man.”
He found the car in the underground parking garage—Josh had saved for months to buy it. Said it reminded him of one he’d had before. Tyler dropped into the driver’s seat, ignoring the broken springs and cracked vinyl. Tires squealed as he peeled onto the main road. Irritation mingled with his confusion and frustration as he navigated city traffic. But within a few moments, he’d made his way to the freeway. He floored it and raced ahead of the smattering of mid-morning cars.
He had to get away. From his memories, from his past, from all of it. He needed to figure out a way to move past this.
Death, second chances, love, hurt, betrayal. Kaylee. I don’t even know where to start unravelling this mess. His head felt like a box of puzzle pieces, and if he rattled it too hard, it just made it harder to find the edges.
He wove between and around cars. There were too many people around. He couldn’t think. Then his own voice came back to him from the night before. I would spend an eternity looking for a second chance to have you.
As he left the traffic behind and moved onto the open freeway, the thrum of the road under the tires soothed his senses. He hadn’t known where the comment came from, but it felt right saying it. So what had changed between last night and now? He remembered. The rejection. The pain. Dying.
But that also meant he remembered how much Kaylee meant to him—holding her, hearing her, tasting her. There was a reason he had proposed the first time, and he didn’t want to make the same mistake again. It was time he learned from his past.
Chapter 9
Kaylee stepped back into her apartment and leaned her head against the door to shut it. The finish was cool against her forehead, but it didn’t soothe the confusion inside. So he was gone. Whether or not yesterday was real, it had passed.
“Damn it!” Her yell echoed through the room, and she slammed the side of her fist against the door. Who the hell did something like that? Who sent a woman the one man she loved, and then snatched him away again?
Or maybe she really had dreamed it. She was questioning so much. How had her entire life been flipped upside down in a single day?
She shuffled to her dining room table and pulled out her laptop. It had been hard enough to move on the first time. So difficult that she’d still been trying. She didn’t know how she was going to heal from this. Who did something like that? Who were those cupid fucks to screw with her life like that?
Or maybe they weren’t as noble as they claimed. Maybe they’d lied to him about that. She couldn’t bring herself to believe he’d lied to her. Or maybe he had. Maybe if she could convince herself the entire thing was just one sick prank, she’d get over it faster.
Right. Let’s go swim in some more denial for another few years. That sounds like fun.
She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring at her computer, arguing with herself. Long enough that the sun had vanished to the other side of the building, leaving dusk in its place.
A knock echoed through her cluttered thoughts, drawing her back to the now. She wasn’t in the mood to see anyone. Loneliness seemed far more appealing than it had yesterday. It felt safer. She yanked the door open without checking to see who it was, fully prepared to tell whoever was on the other side to go to hell. Her heart leaped into her throat and then plummeted into her stomach.
His pale gaze met hers, and a sheepish smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. The face was wrong, but the expression was so familiar it ached. “Hey, Kelle-Belle.” A faint southern accent lined his greeting. Everything about him, from the way he leaned against the frame to the uncertain look in his eyes, was Tyler. Everything but his appearance.
“Devin?” She didn’t know what else to say. If this was more of whatever had happened yesterday, she was going to cling to it for all it was worth.
He let out a tiny laugh. “You know, I’ve always hated my middle name. No clue why they made me use it.”
It couldn’t be. Hope surged inside, pushing aside doubt and grief. “Tyler?”
“It’s me.”
Her smile appeared involuntarily. She closed the distance between them and grabbed his T-shirt in her fists. Tilting her head up, she pressed her lips to his. His fingers wrapped in her hair, and he crushed against her, holding her tight. His tongue traced along her lips and then slid into her mouth, dancing with hers. Her chest threatened to burst with euphoria. God, it felt so incredible to have him back. He was really there.
She frowned when he pulled away, hating the pain echoing in her chest.
He studied her, his expression neutral. His finger traced over her pout. "I can’t believe I forgot you. Never again, I promise. I swear on anything and everything."
The contact made her heart race. "It doesn’t matter. I’m just…I can’t believe you’re here. You’re real, right?"
His lips brushed the outside of her ear, and his whisper sent a pleasant chill down her spine. "One hundred percent, grade-A solid. It’s me."
Relief flooded her. The adrenaline from her confusion was rapidly becoming a need to feel every inch of the man holding her. She couldn't fight her smile and pulled his face back to hers, kissing him hard. "I missed you so much."
His mouth glided down her throat. "I know it sounds weird, since I only just got my memories back, but ditto."
She sighed in contentment and rubbed against him. She didn’t want to ask, but she had to know. "Are you just here for the day again?"
"Today." He nipped the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder. "Tomorrow. As long as you’ll let me stick around."
The tender seduction, the affection, she had missed it even more than she’d realized. "Be careful with promises like that. I might take you up on them."
He tugged her back to him. "I'm okay with that." His hands slid into her back pockets and squeezed her ass. "We can start simple and go from there."
Images flooded her mind, and she didn't try and hold back the fantasy. That didn't stop her from teasing. She brushed her lips over his. "You're assuming I want you around that much."
"I'm cocky like that." He trailed his tongue along the edge of her ear, voice soft. "Pun intended."
She was startled when he spun her away. He pulled her close again before she could react, and her back rested against his chest. He laid a row of kisses along the back of her neck, hands sliding under her shirt and resting on her stomach.
"This is okay, right?" The slightest trace of doubt tinged his question.
Her smile grew, and she molded her back to his front, enjoying the heat between them. "It's perfect. It's fantastic. Yes."
She closed her eyes and sank into him, trying to focus on every sensation at once. He cupped her breasts. His thumbs and forefingers glided along the twin mounds, finding her nipples and brushing them. She arched her back and sighed at the feathery touch.
"So glad." One palm slid down her arm. He grasped her hand and kissed the edge of her ear again. "I love that you kept the living room the same, but maybe you could give me a tour of the place and let me see if you changed anything else? Starting with the bedroom?"
When he pulled away, her every nerve ending burned with a need for more. She met zero resistance when she tugged him toward her room.
He pushed the twisted navy sheets and a matching comforter aside, and then sat at the edge of the bed, gesturing for her to join him. Her pulse raced in anticipation, and she realized she was nervous. The absurd thought almost made her giggle, but she bit it back. After everything they'd been through, it amazed her that this sent butterflies through her stomach. It was nice.
She sat next to him, sighing when he cupped her cheek. She rested a hand on his chest and leaned in. Their gazes locked on each other, and a moment's hesitation hung between them. When their lips met, his kiss was tender. Tentative. But when she slid her tongue over his bottom lip, hunger overtook hesitation. The flutt
ers in her gut were swept away by want. She found the bottom of his T-shirt and tugged, loving his bare skin against her hands when she pushed the top out of the way.
He peeled off the rest of his clothing, tossing it in a corner. With a wicked smile, he stripped her shirt off too. His pale eyes lingered on her frame. She swore she could feel his gaze as it followed her curves. He pulled her close again, and she sighed at the skin-on-skin contact.
His thumbs glided over her stomach, her ribs, and then the sides of her breasts. Her fingers searched for a hold in the definition along his back, memorizing every ripple and muscle as he moved. With a suggestive nudge from his shoulder, she fell back. The cool sheets caressed her exposed skin.
He propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. He traced a line down her cheek.
Another hesitation rocked through her. If he remembered, then he knew what had happened back then. She didn’t want to bring it up, but she had to get it out. Her voice was soft. "I shouldn't have pushed you away back then."
He wrapped his fingers in her hair and tugged her head closer. “I’ve been thinking about this all day. Maybe I should have taken longer, but I couldn’t stay away once I figured it out. And it was so obvious once I saw it.”
“But—”
“The last few years have taught me dwelling is necessary to figure some things out, but it doesn’t do much good once a person has their answers. It's in the past."
He brushed his lips over hers, and then trailed them down her neck and over her collarbone, while his fingers followed a similar path over her stomach. He fumbled with the button on her pants for a moment before tugging hard enough to force the zipper apart.
His rough tongue grazed her nipple. She gasped at the sensations rippling through her and arched her back, moving closer to his touch. He nibbled and sucked the hard nub. His hand dipped under the elastic of her panties and caressed her mound.
Her hands at the base of his neck, she held him in place, trying to focus on every touch at once. He skimmed her lower lips. She thrust her hips forward, wanting more of his touch. He dipped his fingers between her folds, sliding up and down, pressing harder until he was tracing circles around her aching button.
She rocked against him, her climax building inside. Her head felt like it was filled with helium. She whimpered as she came, still grinding on his hand, pulling back as the contact became too much.
His lips brushed the outside of her ear. "I’m not interrupting anything today, am I?"
"No, definitely not." She tugged the waistband of his jeans. Even if anyone was waiting for her, they could wait.
He pushed them to the floor. She lifted her hips off the bed long enough for him to strip the rest of her clothing. A few seconds later, he nudged her. "Roll on your side."
More memories, pleasant and warm ones, rushed through her, and she did as he asked, already growing slicker with anticipation.
The bed shifted as he knelt behind her. He propped her top leg up and straddled the bottom one. Her sigh when he nudged her opening grew into a gasp as he pushed inside. His frantic movement increased, slamming against the right places with each thrust. She felt a new tension building inside.
His breathing became shallow, and then turned to a staccato of grunts. A climax built inside her again, and then washed over her and lingered. He pushed hard against her, and a new wave of need and relief joined her pleasure as she recognized the sound of his own orgasm.
He slowed, and then stopped, but the warm glow inside her didn’t vanish.
He leaned forward, forehead resting on her shoulder. Every touch was so familiar and incredible. His lips brushed her arm, words vibrating against her skin. “This is going to sound nuts, but I missed you so much.”
A smile threatened to split her face. “Nuts like you coming back to life and finding me in a sea of everyone after two years apart?”
He gave a light laugh and slid out of her when he shifted his weight to lie behind her. His arm draped over her waist, and his breath was warm on the base of her neck. “Yeah, nuts like that.”
She scooted to rest her back as tightly against him as she could. She had zero interest in being anywhere else just then, but she couldn't find the words to convey her jumble of thoughts.
Chapter 10
Tyler draped an arm over Kaylee’s hip, his hand resting on her stomach. It felt so right. He didn’t know how he’d survived so long without it. There was still one thing they needed to discuss. Okay, there were probably several, considering he’d just walked out on the people who had brought him back, and who had provided for him. But that could wait at least a little longer. There was something more important he needed to tell her first.
He traced his lips over the back of her neck. She felt, smelled, and tasted incredible. He burned every sensation into his thoughts before speaking. “About what happened. Back then.”
She stiffened underneath him, her breathing going shallow. Her, “Okay?” was timid and quiet.
He stroked a thumb across her skin, trying to reassure her with the motion, and then poured every ounce of sincerity into his voice. “It’s not your fault.”
Her laugh shook her entire frame. “It is.”
“No.” He kissed her shoulder. Summoning the conversation he’d had with himself as he drove earlier, he tried to piece it together more eloquently and without any of his fury and confusion. “You told me what you were feeling. I can’t fault you for that, and I don’t want to. There’s no reason to make that kind of commitment unless we’re both ready.”
She relaxed and leaned back into him. “I really am sorry.”
“Don’t be. Never, ever be sorry for that.”
“I missed you so much.” Her voice cracked. She swallowed, and a heavy silence hung between them. “I’ve missed you so much, and I don’t want to let you go, but back then, I really did mean it.”
“What about now?” He winced the moment the words were out. He was already pushing again, and he needed to step back.
She pulled away, and cool disappointment washed over him. Rolling onto her back, she looked up at him and tugged his arm back around her waist. Her gaze was soft and contemplative. “It’s been two years, and while I haven’t changed a whole lot, we’ve both lived separate lives.”
Hurt tried to worm its way back through him, and he shoved it aside, but he didn’t interrupt.
She traced a finger down his cheek. “But I still love who you were then, and I suspect I’ll still love who you are now. And I really hope you plan on sticking around long enough to mend those tears, because right now, I never want to let you go. I want you back in my life forever.”
“Which is good in more ways than one, since, even though the company forgave me for breaking every single rule I could in the last twenty-four hours, I don’t know if they’ll let me back since I know where my second chance is.”
She tilted her head up enough to kiss him on the lips before dropping back again. “Stay here? Please?”
“Absolutely. Definitely. For as long as you’ll have me.” A strange tingle rushed through him, filling him with warmth and relief, pushing any other doubts aside. It was almost electric, and like nothing he’d ever felt before. A memory tickled his thoughts. No, it wasn’t completely foreign. It was almost like…The day they’d brought him back.
A knock filled the apartment, and he felt Kaylee jump under his arm. She relaxed again, and then tugged him closer. “Ignore it.”
He wanted to. Oh so desperately. He wanted to stay wrapped around her forever. But they had time now, and a strange compulsion had joined the spark flowing through him. He pushed out of bed and pulled on his jeans. “I’ll be right back.”
He shuffled back into the living room and yanked open the front door. A large box sat in the hallway, but there was no one around. An envelope was on top. It was Kaylee’s apartment, so it was probably for her. But something told him that wasn’t right.
“What does it say?” Her timid voice inter
rupted his musing.
He spun to find her standing behind him, sheet wrapped around her like a toga, and fear dancing in her eyes.
“Open it. Read it,” she prompted.
He nodded and slid the flap open on the envelope. A single sheet of white paper was inside. He should be nervous. Afraid like she was. But anticipation told him he needed to read the letter. He spoke as he read.
Tyler,
You’ve been invaluable to us over the past few years, and we can’t thank you enough for your service. However, your time as a cupid is at an end. All your possessions are in the box. We’re sorry, but we can’t let you come back to the building. It’s for cupids only.
Congratulations on your second chance. Not many people ever find one, but you deserve it.
The Company
As he read the last word, the paper sparkled in his hand and then disintegrated, turning to glitter and vanishing completely before the sparkles hit the floor.
He looked up at Kaylee. “You’re sure you want me around? Because apparently I’m looking for a place to live.”
She threw her arms around his neck, her entire frame rubbing against him, and kissed him hard. “I’m so not letting you go again. Not ever.”
He rested his hand on the small of her back, holding her close, memorizing everything around them. “Yeah, me neither.”
He held her for several minutes until her whisper brushed his skin. “Bring the box inside. Close the door. Give us some privacy.”
He was reluctant to let go of her again, but she had a point. He hauled his possessions inside and dropped them at the edge of the living room. Even though it only fell a few inches, the impact was enough to pop one of the flaps open.
Something caught his eye, and his brow furrowed.
“What is it?” Kaylee’s question was lined with the same apprehension that coursed through him.
He kneeled and opened the box the rest of the way. Sitting on top of his meager collection of clothes and books was a small, velvet box. The sight of it echoed in his head, combining with his newly recovered memories.
Operation Cupid Page 5