by T. K. Leigh
But I was worried he was too perfect, too good to be true. I wanted to spend every waking moment with him, but I never wanted to see him again after Friday. I wanted to give him my body, my soul, my everything, but I wanted to keep all of those things under lock and key. He confused me and made me feel emotions ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other. I felt bi-polar, wondering if this was normal. How could it be?
As we drove north, the hotels and restaurants transitioning into tall condo buildings, Tyler pulled into a vacant beach lot and cut the engine.
“My building…,” I said, confused. He faced me, his eyes intense, and he cut me off from finishing my sentence with the mere look he was giving me. His chest heaved and his nostrils flared as he leered at me, his stare animalistic.
“Show me,” he growled.
A rush of excitement and nerves washed through me. I swallowed hard.
“Show you what?” I asked hesitantly.
Reaching across the console, he grabbed my hand and pressed it on the readily apparent bulge between his legs. My eyes grew wide.
“How you handle a stick. Show me,” he ordered once more.
My mouth going dry, I kept my eyes glued to his and kneaded his erection that was pleading to be set free. Not caring if any passing beach-goers were witness to our act of intimacy, I slowly lowered the zipper of his jeans.
“Hmmm… I thought so,” I said.
“What?”
“Boxer briefs. You have too nice a body to want to add any bulk.”
“You’ve been checking out my body?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
I nodded and reached into his briefs, pulling out his arousal. Wrapping my hand around it, I began to tease him, my motions slow and deliberate. I could tell he was on edge and I didn’t want the moment to be over before it even began.
He leaned his head against the seat, letting out a low hum. “Damn,” he breathed. His eyes flung open and he grabbed the back of my neck.
“What are you doing to me, Mackenzie?” he asked, his voice warm and reverent.
“I’m showing you how I handle a stick,” I replied, smirking as I readjusted myself and lowered my head, about to take him into my mouth.
“Mackenzie,” Tyler said. “You don’t have to…”
“I want to.”
Before he could protest any further, I wrapped my lips around his rather impressive erection. As I began moving up and down, feeling him harden even more in my mouth, I couldn’t help but think everything about Tyler was perfect. From the way he looked out for me, to the way he always knew exactly what to say that would cause my stomach to flutter, to the way he caressed my name. It was everything I had always wanted, but didn’t think I would ever find…that I didn’t think I wanted to find.
He wrapped my hair around his hand, tightening his grasp. His breathing grew uneven and came in faster intervals, and I knew he was close to unraveling. I increased my motion, baring my teeth just slightly and gently running them against him.
He clenched his fist in my hair, pulling tightly as his entire body grew rigid. He moaned my name, pumping with the rhythm I set before releasing inside my mouth. I continued my motions, his orgasm never seeming to end.
“Fuck, Mackenzie.”
I looked up at him once the last of his tremors had subsided. Sitting back in my seat, I licked my lips in a playful manner.
“Mmmm… Good to the last drop,” I joked.
A smile crossed Tyler’s face and he cupped my cheek. “Get back over here.” He pulled me toward him. “Thank you,” he whispered against my mouth.
“You’re welcome,” I responded, my voice soft and wavering slightly in response to the emotion that was evident in Tyler’s tone.
Tenderly, his lips met mine, and I sighed into his mouth. He breathed into me, as if he was giving me life. Our previous kisses had been ravenous and intense. This one was completely different. It was delicate and full of grace, his motions almost timid as our tongues met briefly.
“I’m a broken man,” he admitted, leaning his forehead on mine as he lovingly caressed my face.
“Everyone’s broken in one way or another, Tyler,” I responded, feeling uneasy with his sudden frankness.
“Not like me. Some days, I feel like I’m barely hanging on. But I haven’t since I met you.” He opened his eyes. “For the past six years, all I’ve felt is pain. I know this sounds crazy but, whenever I’m with you, I find meaning in that pain.” He held my face in his hands, but I remained speechless, his impassioned words overwhelming me.
“So whatever this is and whatever it’s going to be, know that I’m all in, Mackenzie. You have enchanted my heart and, for the first time in years, I feel alive, even when I’m not with you. I know we just met and I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t expecting to be so captivated by you.” He took a deep breath. “But I am. I am unimaginably bewitched by you. I’m all in, Mackenzie,” he repeated, his voice full of passion and magnitude.
“In pain, there is healing,” I whispered. “There is forgiveness. There is rebirth. Well, at least that’s what my papa used to tell me before he−”
“Shhh…” Tyler responded, brushing his lips against mine. “We have plenty of time to swap sob stories later on.”
“On Friday, you mean.”
He pulled back, cranking the engine once more. “Of course. On Friday.” He winked.
He knew as well as I did there was no way I would be able to walk away from this man after our one night together, regardless of the constant back-and-forth of my emotions. I needed him, and not just his body. I needed all of him. All of his pain, his sadness, his tenderness, his dominance… All of the many facets that encompassed the man sitting next to me, I wanted. I just hoped what he said was true, and that he was all in. Because I had a feeling I was all in, too.
The short drive to my condo was silent as my thoughts consumed me. He turned into the driveway and punched in the code for the security gate, surprising me.
“Do I even want to know how you know that?”
Glancing at me, he responded, “Probably not. On paper, I’m an owner of a company that can probably access more information than you care to think about.”
“You’re an owner on paper of a lot of things, aren’t you?” I asked, referring to both the security company and the club.
“I suppose.” His response was curt and I could sense he didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t know much about him, but I could only assume there was some reason he wasn’t interested in following in his brother’s footsteps and going into the private security business.
“How are you going to get home?” I asked as he pulled into the parking spot with my unit number on it.
He gestured toward a large SUV idling at the front of the building and my eyes followed his bodily command.
Gasping, I snapped my head toward him. “Was he following us?”
A devilish grin crossed his face and he nodded. My eyes grew wide and I was sure my face was a brilliant shade of red.
“Don’t worry,” he said, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on my neck. “He works for me and is trained to be very discreet.”
“Hmmm… I’m not sure how I should take that.” I tore away from him and opened the door, taking long, deliberate steps toward my building. As I was about to swing the glass doors to the lobby open, I felt a presence behind me, that familiar tingling whenever Tyler was nearby coursing through every inch of my body.
“You don’t have to walk me in, ya know?” I said, spinning around to face him.
“You need your keys,” he responded, handing them over. “And your laptop.” He shrugged my commuter bag from his shoulder and placed it on my arm. “And yes, I do need to walk you in. My mama raised me to always walk a lady to the door and, truth be told, she scares me. And your door is not the door to your building. I’ll see you to your condo.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping you’d say that. If you were just going to drop me off a
nd then leave… Well, that would have knocked you down a few pegs.”
A brilliant smile crossed his face. “So I’m still in good standing with the beautiful Mackenzie?”
“Yup. For now.” I winked, allowing Tyler to open the door, and proceeded through the elaborate foyer.
“Hey, Paul,” I called out, approaching the security desk. “Paul, this is Tyler. Tyler, Paul.”
The two men shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Tyler.”
“Likewise.”
I felt a hand on the small of my back and continued past the desk toward the bank of elevators. Tyler leaned down, his breath dancing on my nape, and pressed the button. I was still in a state of hyper-arousal and every touch of his hand or whisper of his breath on my skin forced sparks to continue to erupt throughout my body.
We stood in an awkward silence as we waited for the elevator, his hand slipping down, his fingers grazing the sliver of exposed flesh on my lower back. My heart was racing, the longing I felt causing me to lose all sense of where I was.
A loud ding sounded, breaking me out of my lust-filled thoughts, and I clambered into the waiting elevator.
“Oh, wait, I almost forgot,” Paul said, grabbing my attention. I placed my hand on the elevator door and leaned out. “I got a little nervous after your questions this morning and I had some of the day staff look through the footage from last night. They did find something suspicious in the camera feed of the exterior of the building. I can look into it further, if you’d like. I still have a lot of contacts on the force.”
“It’s nothing,” I replied quickly. “I just drank a lot last night, Paul. I’m sorry I said anything. Please don’t waste your time.” I stepped back into the elevator and the doors closed instantly, whisking us to the twelfth floor.
“Care to tell me what that was all about?” I could feel the burn of Tyler’s eyes on me.
I kept facing forward. “No, I don’t. It was between Paul and me.”
“Mackenzie…,” he said slowly. “What happened last night?”
“It was nothing, Tyler. Honest. I just got spooked by an old acquaintance when I got home after I left the club.”
He narrowed his gaze at me, a protective but scared look about him. “But Eli was supposed to check your condo.”
“He did. It’s just… This guy used to be a Ranger so he’s pretty good at hiding.”
“Who is this guy?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Do you think it’s the same person from the club?”
“No. Definitely not. It was just someone I thought I knew, but I was wrong…” I trailed off.
“An ex?”
I met his eyes and nodded.
“What happened?” He took a step toward me, brushing the small scar on my forehead from where I had fallen the night before. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“That’s a loaded question,” I snapped. “He just wasn’t right in the head. He’s a tad schizophrenic. And…”
“Yes. Go on.”
The elevator slowed to a stop on my floor and I was thankful for the escape.
“It’s nothing. He just… No one could prove it, but I know he’s responsible for my mother’s death.”
I ran out of the elevator, my steps deliberate and long as I tore down the hallway toward my condo. Agitated, I dug through my purse for the keys I had just a minute before, wanting to get inside. I felt exposed and desperately needed the normalcy of the four walls of my home.
“Mackenzie,” Tyler soothed, running a gentle hand down my arm. “Please, let me help.” He followed my arm into my purse and grabbed the keys, placing one of them in the door. Once the lock gave, he pushed the door open. He lowered his mouth to my neck, his hand still tenderly caressing my arm. My taut stature visibly relaxed at his simple touch.
“Better?” he murmured.
“Yes. Thank you.” Taking a steadying breath, I entered my home, standing aside to allow Tyler to enter.
“Do you mind if I do a sweep of the place? Just to make sure…”
“Yes. Of course,” I answered quickly.
Nodding, he closed the door and strode to his immediate right into the sitting area, checking the windows and behind the drapes for anything suspicious.
“Nice view,” he commented once he approached the large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean.
“Thanks.”
He made his way from the sitting area and into the dining area, still scanning for anything that seemed off. “Do you know how he got in?” he asked, walking into the kitchen.
“No,” I said, shrugging. “I guess he could have easily picked the lock.”
“Hmmm,” he responded. “Perhaps you should invest in some better locks. How many bedrooms are there?”
“Three. This way.” I started toward the hallway off the open living area, but he grabbed my arm, preventing me from going any farther.
“You stay here while I check it out. I know this area is secure.”
“Okay,” I said, standing frozen in place as Tyler proceeded down the long corridor, checking each room individually and somewhat thoroughly.
“Mackenzie?” he called out.
I ran down the hallway and into the master bedroom.
“Yes?”
“Did you leave that window open?” he asked, gesturing toward my bed where a window was wide open, the curtains blowing with the ocean breeze.
“No. I didn’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh no!” I shrieked. “Where’s Meatball?” I frantically began running through my condo, praying my less than intelligent specimen of a cat didn’t see the open window and decide it would be fun to see if he could fly.
“Who’s Meatball?” he asked, following me into one of the guest bedrooms.
“My cat.” I knelt down on the ground and began searching underneath the beds, knowing how much he liked to sleep in warm, dark places.
“You mean this guy?”
I bolted upright immediately, banging my head into the box spring.
“Fuck!” I exclaimed, rubbing the back of my head as I slowly crawled out. Relief washed over me when I observed Tyler standing in the doorway, Meatball walking in and out of his legs.
“Is this your cat?”
I nodded. “Adorable, isn’t he?” I walked toward him and picked up the fifteen-pound cat in my arms, nuzzling him against me.
“It doesn’t look like he’s missed a meal.”
“No. He certainly hasn’t.” I scratched his belly and gave him a quick kiss on the head before I allowed him to leap from my arms in search of his next napping spot.
“Back to the window in your bedroom,” Tyler said, his expression turning severe once more. “You’re certain you didn’t leave it open this morning? Maybe you wanted to let some air in and forgot to close it?”
“No. I’m positive it was shut. I never open the windows, not with central air.”
Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. “All right then.” He took a few steps into the guest bedroom and slid off his shoes.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, if I leave you knowing your window was mysteriously open, I won’t be able to focus. So I’m staying here. In your guest bedroom.”
“Not in my bedroom?” I gave him my most coy look.
“No. Not tonight, Mackenzie.” He walked to me and pulled my frame against his, his arms strong and making me feel safe despite the unease slowly creeping its way through my mind. Everything in my life had been going so well for years and now, in the past week, so much had begun happening again, almost reminding me I couldn’t hide my past and who I was forever.
“If I only get one night with you, I want it to be a night neither one of us will ever forget. A night I’ll use to remind myself that there is life after the lonely.”
“The lonely?” I asked, scrunching my eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s a state of mind, something I don’t wish on my worst enemies. A place where, no
matter what you try, helplessness and heartache find you, and nothing can chase it away.”
Cupping his cheeks in my hands, I kissed his nose. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to chase away the lonely, Tyler, even if for just one night.”
Tyler
“YOU CANNOT FALL FOR her,” I said under my breath. “This is a job, nothing more.”
I ran my hands over my face as I sat on the couch in Mackenzie’s living room, trying to give myself a pep talk. My heart was a traitor. It had shut itself in for years, not feeling anything. Not compassion. Not admiration. Certainly not love. But now, it was beating again. Worse, it was feeling again. With one kiss, Mackenzie had restarted it, had blasted through the fortress I had built around it.
But it wasn’t just the kiss that did it. It was everything about her. Her smile. Her eyes. Her voice. Her soul. It was beautiful. It was broken. And I wanted to be the one to put those pieces back together. But I knew that, even if I did, I would be the cause for her to break down once more.
“Hungry?” Mackenzie asked as she sauntered into the living area, her hair wet from a shower.
I shot my head up and quickly changed my forlorn expression into one of sincerity. As she made her way to the couch, I kept my eyes trained on her bare legs that a tiny pair of shorts left exposed. She sat down beside me, pulling her legs under her body.
I heard words coming out of her mouth, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying. My heart was thumping in my chest as I simply watched her lips move. They tasted better than I had thought they would. She kissed just like she did everything else in her life. She’d mastered the art, so much so that I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than when I could taste those lips again. Being near her, feeling her skin close to mine, our breath mingling, was euphoric, the sensation more intense and addictive than any high I had ever experienced.
I wanted more of her.
I needed more of her.