Chapter Sixteen
Christine didn’t know what to do with the Tyler standing in front of her right now. He was charming and the look in his eyes changed while saying sweet things. Really, really sweet things. Now he wanted to dance, after he just finished telling her how much he despised dancing?
That had to mean something.
Whatever it was, it made her pulse race and hands tremble. If she dug into it like she would with a story she was presented with, she would have the answer within seconds. But this wasn’t her job, it was her life. Right now reality was scary as heck. Way too scary to jump in with both feet looking for answers she may or may not want to find.
God, she was supposed to be avoiding him now. But she didn’t want to. She wanted to be in his arms and dance with him. No matter what happened, that wouldn’t change. She liked him. Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen for him all over again.
Thoughtless. Careless. Unavoidable.
She looked up at him, her heart wrenching at the warm look in his bright-green eyes. How could she have gone so wrong? “I can’t. Doctor’s orders. My doctor gets cranky when I don’t listen.”
“He sounds dreadful,” Tyler drawled. “Now stand up before I make you stand in front of this whole room. I will, too.”
Oh, she knew that. She struggled to her feet, making sure not to put her weight on her foot. “What are you going to do? Carry me around the dance floor like a child?”
“Yep, pretty much.” He hauled her close, squishing her breasts against his hard chest. His gaze dipped to her mouth before returning to her eyes. Her entire body tingled with need. “You’re the same height as Mrs. Morris, you know.”
She clung to him and laughed. “So it’ll be just like old times?”
“Except with her, I didn’t want to get up her dress the second the dance ended.” After dropping that bombshell, he lifted her weight effortlessly, leaving her feet dangling in the air, and swung her in a sweeping circle. “First rule of dancing? Make big circles. It makes you look like you know what you’re doing.”
She laughed again and clung to his shoulders, her head spinning and her heart soaring. Is this what true happiness felt like? She didn’t want this moment to ever stop. Didn’t want real life to intercede any time soon. “Is that so?”
“It is.” He did an elaborate turn, his grip on her never loosening. “It works for me, anyway. Mrs. Morris told me I had the prettiest polonaise she’d ever seen. To this day I have no idea what the hell that means.”
“Oh my God. Really?”
He dipped her low, his chest pressing against hers. Her nipples hardened and her stomach tightened. Being this close to him drove her body crazy, no matter how much she tried to avoid it. He lowered his face to hers until their noses touched and gave her a seductive grin, his hand on her lower back sliding even lower. “Really.”
He straightened her and twirled her so fast her head spun. She laughed. His laugh mingled with hers, clear and bright and glorious. She met his eyes, the smile fading off her face. He looked at her as if…as if…she mattered.
As if they were something.
She wanted to freeze this moment in time—maybe in one of those pretty snow globes her mother used to collect. Where a perfect scene was captured.
This scene, this moment? It needed to be remembered.
She tightened her hands on him, hesitating. This moment felt so deep and powerful that she was afraid to open her mouth and break it. Especially since it was all based on a silly list designed to make her more sexually adventurous. Then it had shifted slightly to include a little payback.
It all felt wrong now, even if she’d failed in her “get him hot and leave him” plan. The next day, they’d had sex. Twice. At least he would never know about her botched payback plan, if you could even call it that. To him, this would just be a fun weekend spent with an old flame. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“I do.” He met her eyes, and his fingers flexed on hers. He stared down at her, his green eyes so pure and bright that it hurt. “I really do.”
She bit down on the corner of her lip, her gaze held captive by his. “But why?”
“Because…” He took a deep breath, his grip on her tightening. “Because you’re special to me. You know what sent me running last time? The feeling we might be something huge if I let you in. That’s why I left. That’s why I ran away.”
Her chest tightened. She had to stop him right now. Had to stop him before things went too far. “Tyler…don’t say anything else.”
“You’re not stopping me from talking, damn it.” His fingers tightened on hers. “And you can’t stop me from caring, either.”
She shook her head slowly, as if in slow motion. Everything was about to crash down on her head. She knew it. “You really sh-shouldn’t.”
“Yeah, I should. I’m not running away this time, Red. I want to let you in. I want you.” He looked down at her, his eyes warm. He had no idea what he was doing to her right now. This wasn’t supposed to happen. “I don’t want to go back to ignoring you like before. I don’t want to stop talking the second this wedding is over. I want to take you out on a real date. We can do this again, but the right way. I know this sounds absolutely insane, but I made a few calls, and there are some openings at a great hospital in Denver. I took the job, Red. We’re going to be in the same city.”
Oh my God. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to move to be with her. Actually move. This was huge. Gigantic. Amazing. When she got home, he’d be there—oh, crap.
She wasn’t going to be there anymore. How could she have forgotten, for even a fraction of a second, that she was moving? He had no idea. She hadn’t told him.
The whole room spun around her, and she closed her eyes tight. “Tyler…I-I need to sit down. I think I’m going to pass out.”
Tyler’s fingers flexed on hers, but he led her back to her chair, gently guiding her to sit. “I didn’t think it would be that much of a shock, considering how this week has gone so far. Put your head between your knees and breathe in small spurts.”
She did as he suggested, her eyes still closed. At least she couldn’t see him staring at her with concern in his eyes. She didn’t deserve his kindness. She’d played him and he didn’t even know it. Used him to complete her stupid list, because she’d wanted any excuse to be with him. To spend time with him. “Water,” she croaked. “I need water.”
“I’ll go get it,” he said, his voice tight.
Obviously. She’d just had a panic attack when he’d told her he wanted to be with her—that he was willing to move to a completely different state to be with her. She couldn’t blame him for his terseness one bit. But she hadn’t been expecting that at all. She was leaving, for the love of God.
Moving to Maine. He was too late.
Silk rustled, and a hand rested on her knee. “You all right, honey?”
Mrs. Dresco squatted in front of her. “I’m fine. I’m just…I made a mistake and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“What mistake did you make?” Tyler asked, his voice tighter than before. “Can you excuse us, Mom? We need to talk.”
Mrs. Dresco nodded, looking between Tyler and Christine with curiosity clear in her eyes. “Of course.”
Tyler watched her go, and knelt at Christine’s feet in her place. He handed her the glass of water, and she took it gratefully. “Drink it all.”
Christine gulped down the water and lowered the empty cup to her lap. She clung to it as if it would give her all the answers in the world. As if it would fix this current mess she’d found herself in. He wasn’t supposed to want more from her—and she wasn’t supposed to, either. That possibility had never even occurred to Christine.
But he did. If she was being honest? So did she.
But she didn’t know how to get it.
“Tyler, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Wait. Let me go first.” He placed his hands on her legs, squeezing gently. “
Look, I know it’s a big step for you. To trust me again.” His fingers flexed on her. He caught her gaze, his own vulnerable and raw and open in a way she’d never have expected. He laughed again, the sound hoarse. “I know it’s crazy that I’m willing to move to a different city after a few days back in each other’s company—believe me, I know—but hell, it worked for Kady and Colt. Why can’t it work for us?”
“Tyler,” she said, her voice breaking.
He squeezed her hands. “We can make this work between us. I know it. I could make you so damned happy, if you’ll let me. Just let me.”
She had a feeling he could, too. She’d never felt as alive as she had when she’d been in his arms. But what was she supposed to do? He’d taken a job to be with her, and she wasn’t even going to be in Boulder anymore. Was she supposed to give up her new job back home, because he was ready to move to her city to be with her in some blind leap of faith? Give up her job back home with her brother, whom she missed like hell, to give them a chance at becoming something?
She couldn’t do that…could she? God, she didn’t know.
This was a huge thing. Freaking huge. Her heart sped up, choking her when it seemed to leap into her throat. She’d never expected this to happen. Not in a million years.
She’d fallen hard for Tyler back in Mexico, and a small part of her had always fantasized about him crawling back and confessing he was in love with her. Begging her for another chance with tears streaming down his cheeks or something else equally ludicrous. She would laugh and tell him no, and he would crawl away brokenhearted.
But now he was here, and he’d told her he wanted to be with her…and she had no clue what to say because she wanted to be with him, too.
“Red,” he said, his voice low. He caught her arms in his hands, squeezing gently. “Say something. You’re kind of freaking me out here.”
She’d been silent too long. He watched her as if he’d handed her his heart and she’d stomped on it with a stiletto. “Tyler, I’m moving.”
His fingers twitched on her. “I know. You have to leave your old apartment. But we can make sure it isn’t too far from my new place. We can coordinate this ahead of time.”
“No, you don’t get it. I’m moving moving.” She took a deep breath and added, “Back home, to Maine. I leave next week.”
“Maine,” he said, his voice hollow. “You didn’t think this was pertinent information to share with me before?”
“No, I didn’t.” She crumpled her dress in her fists and started babbling. “When I came here, I made a list of things to do before I left this part of my life behind me. I was supposed to find random men and do crazy sex things with them, but I saw you and I couldn’t think of any other guys. Then my whole list became yours, in a way.” She laughed uneasily. “We had sex outside. Kissed in an elevator. Heck, I even got a little payback when I—”
“Payback,” he echoed. He let go of her, his face going pale. “Jesus.”
“Yeah. Stupid, huh? I even wrote it on my list. Get payback on Tyler. But it turned into so much more.” She laughed nervously, knowing she was making a mess of trying to explain herself. But her head was still reeling from his desire to see her again. Never in a million years had she expected him to want more. “You weren’t supposed to want more than a fling. Neither was I, but now—”
“Shit.” He stood and backed away from her, watching her with a look in his eyes that said he half expected her to strike if he got too close. Like a poisonous viper. “I never stood a chance with you, did I? It all makes sense now.”
Wait. What was he talking about? What made sense? He wasn’t making any sense at all, even if he thought he was. “W-What do you mean?”
Tyler laughed and looked up at the ceiling. “This was never anything more than a game to you. The list you kept mentioning, it’s why you immediately backed off of me once you had sex with me again. I’m an idiot for not seeing it sooner. You set me up. You seduced me so you could break my heart. Just like I did to you.”
She bit down hard on her lip, not sure what to say. It was true, kind of. “That’s not what I meant. It wasn’t all for that.”
“Bullshit.” He laughed again, throwing his hands out to the side. “Did you add get payback on Tyler to your fucking list, or not?”
She swallowed hard, her whole body hurting as if he’d physically harmed her, and stood up. “I did. But—”
“No matter what, you knew this week ended with you on the other side of the country. You didn’t care if I fell for you, or wanted more. If I did, it was like a bonus, huh?” He pointed a finger at her. “Hell, if anything, it would only make leaving sweeter.”
She shook her head and blinked back tears. “No. Getting payback on you was only one little item on my list, and I got it the night I left your room. I wanted—”
“You mean after you left me high and dry?” He placed his hands behind his head and tugged on his hair. “You’ve been planning it this whole time. It all started in that lobby when you left me and texted me, goading me on, and it finished here. All that was left was the big reveal so you could laugh in my face.”
“No. That’s not true!” She stood and took a step toward him, but he shot her a look that froze her right in her tracks. Swallowing past her aching throat, she held her hands out in plea. “I told you, I wanted that for a fraction of a day, but changed my mind and crossed it off my list after that night. You have to believe me. Somewhere along the way—”
“Do you honestly expect me to believe a word you say to me now?” He covered his face with his hands, a harsh laugh escaping him. “Fuck me.”
“Tyler, please. I—” She clenched her jaw. This was a mess, and she was only making it worse by trying to explain herself. “I didn’t plan all this. You’re wrong about me.”
“Yeah. I really was.” He clasped his hands behind his neck and let out a harsh laugh. “Congratulations. You won. You fooled me real good—now get the hell away from me.”
His voice rose with each word until he was almost shouting at her. She backed up a step, her ankle throbbing at the swift gesture. All around them, people stopped dancing and started watching. “Tyler, stop it. People are looking at us.”
“I don’t give a damn,” he snapped. “You had to make me fall for you, didn’t you? You wanted to see me hurt. Admit it.”
She glanced over her shoulder and saw everyone watching and whispering. He was making a scene. So much so that she couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “Let’s go to my room and talk in private.”
“No.”
“No?” She let out a loud breath and glared at him. “I refuse to do this in front of everyone. I didn’t confront you in public, and you don’t get to do it to me.”
“The hell I don’t. Answer me, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“Fine,” she shouted back. “For a short time? I wanted to see you freaking hurt.”
He rubbed his forehead. “Son of a bitch.”
“What’s wrong?” She poked his shoulder with her finger. “You wanted the truth, right? Well, yes, a small part of me, at one time, wanted to hurt you. Key word? Wanted. I wanted to hurt you a little bit, just like you hurt me. I didn’t want to want you so badly it hurt to breathe without you. But that’s what I got.”
He made a broken sound and gave her his back. His whole body trembled with emotion. She’d never seen this side of him, and she wished she could take it all back. Everything. But it was too late for that, wasn’t it? “I can’t believe I fell for this.”
“Like I said, it’s what I wanted. But that changed when—”
Kady came running to their sides, out of breath. “Why are you shouting at each other?” Her gaze flitted between the both of them. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on between us,” Tyler said, his eyes on Christine the whole time. “Nothing at all. This is nothing to me. You are nothing to me.”
Kady looked at Christine, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Christine?”
&nb
sp; “He’s right.” She wrapped her arms around herself, getting the message loud and clear. He was done with her. “It’s n-nothing. I’m going up anyway. I don’t f-feel well.”
Christine limped toward where her crutches stood, her heart shattering at the way he stood there, looking broken and angry all at the same time. This wasn’t what she wanted. She needed to get away. Needed to think.
“Stop walking on your damn ankle,” Tyler snapped. He grabbed her crutches and shoved them in her hands, stalking past her and leaving without another word.
Christine watched him go, her heart shattering with each step he took away from her. It was over. They were over. She’d won that fight. Then why did she feel as if she’d lost? Maybe because she had. She’d lost him.
Kady shook Christine’s arm, her eyes narrow. “What happened here? What did you say to him?”
“I-I can’t,” Christine said, shaking her head. “I can’t do this. I have to go.”
Christine turned and swung toward the door, her breathing coming fast and hard. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was about to cry. But she didn’t do that anymore. Not since Tyler had left her in alone Mexico.
“Christine!” Kady called. “Get back here!”
Nope. Not happening.
She’d rather break her other ankle into a million freaking pieces than talk to anyone right now. From the back of her mind, behind the pain and fear, she heard someone stop Kady from following her. Colt, maybe? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she escaped before she broke down and cried in front of everyone.
She hobbled toward the doorway, the overwhelming grief squeezing her chest tighter and tighter with each step. She needed to get out of here. Needed to get away from all the prying eyes and curious stares. She focused on the door, refusing to look anyone in the eye. Focus, Christine, focus. Once you get to your room, you can break.
But not a second before.
“What the hell is wrong with everyone?” Kady shrieked.
Falling for the Groomsman Page 14