Then there was Drew Harper. The heir. The only child. He never socialized outside of his own socially and genetically superior crowd. Full of himself, Tyler thought. Given every advantage, his every whim catered to from birth. Who wouldn’t be at least a bit spoiled by all that money and attention? Rose swore he wasn’t that bad. A year older, they had been in some of the same classes.
She loved having her friend at Harper High; they and Dani now walked to school together. Unfortunately, the reason behind the switch was too disturbing for such a perfect day. Rose was safe — that was all that mattered.
Getting Drew Harper out of her head wasn’t quite as easy. They had never exchanged a single word — why would they? He didn’t know she was alive. When he was in town with his friends, he kept far away from the Harper Falls crowd. No matter what Rose said, Tyler thought he was a snob. Looking down his well-bred nose. The luck of the draw had put him on one side of the river. The better side — in some people’s opinion. He seemed to think he was doing the rest of the world a favor by just breathing the same air.
And yet.
Tyler sighed. In spite of all that, she had a bit of a crush.
It was easy enough to justify. In the fall, she would be starting her junior year of high school. Still a girl, but with so many adult thoughts and feelings. Drew Harper was the perfect teen dream. Tall, dark-haired. He had an athlete’s body. Better filled out than most of the seventeen-year-old boys she knew. Then there was that face. He wasn’t pretty. He was…? Tyler didn’t know except when she looked, she wanted to sigh.
He could have starred in one of the movies she and her friends watched. Classic. That was the word. Drew Harper had a face for the ages.
Tyler was glad no one was around to see the blush that covered her cheeks. What silly thoughts. He was just a guy. A little better looking, true. But just a guy. If he made her heart beat a little faster when he smiled, so what? Nobody knew, not even Rose and Dani. When the silly crush passed, as it was bound to, she would be glad she had kept it to herself.
Tyler coasted around the slight bend at the end of the bridge. It was an interesting spot, one where she sometimes stopped. Like her little cove, it couldn’t be seen from either side of the river. If you stood and leaned over the rail, it was a sheer drop-off. Cliffs to one side, air to the other, and nothing but jagged rocks and water down below. The view was not for the faint of heart or anyone with even a touch of vertigo.
Tyler’s heart was just fine. As for vertigo? Just a movie starring James Stewart. When she leaned over, she imagined the bridge gone, that she could fly. She was just in the mood for that and anticipated the feeling when she saw him. Drew Harper. The subject of her late night fantasies. In her spot. Leaning over farther than even she would have dared. Ready to jump.
Tyler felt her stomach drop and her ears ring. Hadn’t she read somewhere that you shouldn’t startle a jumper? Yelling could precipitate his fall. Calm words, easy movements. That was the protocol. Tyler forgot it all and followed her first impulse — she shouted. Loudly.
“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
If he hadn’t been planning to jump, the loud voice from only a few feet away might have sent him over from pure fright. Luckily, he had a strong grip on the rail and steady nerves.
“Are you out of your mind?”
Drew rounded on the intruder. He was so incensed that he didn’t even look; he just grabbed a pair of arms and shook.
“No, I’m not out of my mind, but if you don’t stop that, my brain will be permanently rattled.
Tyler could tell the moment his annoyed anger slipped from his eyes and was replaced by… something she couldn’t quite identify. His hands softened their death grip. She tried to pull away; he was much too close for comfort. However, breaking free would mean a bit of a tussle and then she wasn’t sure she could get out of his hold. It would be embarrassing, struggling with someone stronger, all the time secretly hoping he wouldn’t set her free.
Tyler didn’t like her attraction to Drew Harper; it was uncomfortable, to say the least. She couldn’t let him know he affected her in any way, so she did the first thing that popped into her head — she kicked him. Hard. It didn’t get him to turn her loose, but it did get her another shake. And, Drew Harper, right up in her face.
Not the result she had been hoping for. Having him a hair’s breath away, his lips so close she could practically feel them on hers. She would have sworn to anyone who asked that she didn’t feel a thing. She would have been lying like crazy — to them and to herself.
“What is wrong with you, Jones?” Drew dropped his hands from her, reaching down to rub his shin. “First you try to scare the crap out of me. When that didn’t work, you try to kick it out of me.”
Tyler felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn’t meant to scare him — or hurt him. Both had been unpracticed reactions. She never had a problem with admitting when she’d done something wrong. She was neither too proud nor too stubborn to apologize when the situation called for it. Drew Harper deserved her contrition; she just couldn’t bring herself to tell him.
He did something to her brain. Scrambled it. And that scared her and pissed her off. Drew was out of bounds in every way. Why did he have to be the only boy who had ever made her heart rate accelerate and her usually sensible mind go all fuzzy? Tyler didn’t have the answer. She certainly wasn’t likely to get one standing here with him so close she could smell a hint of spicy cologne.
“You shave.”
Tyler wanted to groan. Why, oh, why, had she said that?
“I’m seventeen.” Drew shrugged, but there was a definite defensiveness in his voice.
Oh, boy, Tyler thought. The male ego. She knew for a fact that neither of her brothers had needed to shave until they were out of high school, though they had all the paraphernalia needed and made a big production of miming the process every day. Her mother made a big deal about it, feeding their need for validation at every turn.
Well, Drew Harper could stroke his own ego. Wow, that sounded dirty. She might have been just shy of her sixteenth birthday, but she knew a double entendre when it skirted through her head. Thank goodness she had kept that one to herself.
“Congratulations. Next comes eighteen.” She spoke as if he were five.
“You are living up to your reputation.”
“I have a reputation?” The idea pleased her beyond measure.
“Bitch.”
“Bastard.” If he were going to start throwing around nasty insults, she would show him that two could play at that game.
“No, I wasn’t calling you one, though you deserve it. That is your reputation. Hot, but a real bitch.”
“Oh.”
Tyler wasn’t insulted. If anything, she was back to being pleased.
“You think I’m hot?”
“I also think you’re a…” Drew seemed to think twice about using the word again. “Ballbuster.”
“Just so you know? Guys might think that’s an insult, most girls don’t.”
“Good to know.”
He sounded like he meant it. Like he appreciated a bit of insight into the female psyche. Tyler turned her head slightly to the side, contemplating the young man in front of her. Not boy. She would have to stop thinking of him like that. Drew Harper was on the verge of taking that next step. No longer a child, almost a man. It was impressive. Her brothers were older, M.J. almost twenty-five, Kyle less than a year younger. They were still boys. Tyler often wondered if they would always be.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You change the subject fast.”
“Can’t keep up?”
He looked at her — long and hard. Tyler didn’t know what he was thinking, but she liked the way his gaze never wavered. Dark, chocolate-colored eyes assessed her with an honesty she’d never seen before. The boys she knew would have looked away by now, fumbling for something to say. Uncomfortable with silence. She stared back, almost daring him to blink
first.
He did, but it was slow, deliberate. Tyler felt a funny tingle in the pit of her stomach. She had read about physical desire — this was the first time she’d felt it.
Panicked, she decided it was time to go. No hidden cove today. Drew Harper was dangerous to her peace of mind. She needed to get as far away from him and his disturbing gaze as possible.
She picked up her bike. In all the excitement, she had let it fall onto the hard surface of the bridge. Giving it a quick once-over, Tyler was relieved to see that her careless action hadn’t resulted in any injury to her only mode of transportation outside of her own legs.
“Hey,” Drew called out when she would have ridden away without a backward glance. “You never told me why you yelled at me earlier. You sounded worried.”
Tyler glanced over her shoulder and shrugged.
“I thought you were about to pull a Billy Joe McAllister.”
“A what?” Drew called out after her.
Not stopping, Tyler yelled, “Look it up, Pretty Boy.”
TYLER TURNED OFF the torch and stood back. She gave the statue a once-over with a critical eye. It was good, really good. She stopped at great, not out of any misplaced lack of ego, but because she hadn’t gotten there yet. But she would. This would be the best thing she had ever done — it would be great.
Her musings about Drew hadn’t stopped the flow of her artistic creativity. It had never been a problem for Tyler to do both — work on a project, and work through a problem. Not that rehashing their first real meeting had solved any problems. But it had reminded her of how strong the connection had been from the very beginning. It got stronger and stronger. She had been in the thrall of her first love. The intensity had been breathtaking — overwhelming.
Moving her shoulders in a circular pattern, feeling the pop in her neck, reminded Tyler that she had worked past the two hours she had designated for the evening. All traces of sunlight had left the sky. There was no moon or stars to illuminate the dark night. It would rain before morning if the clouds that started to roll in that afternoon were any indication. Too soon for snow, too cool for a refreshing summer storm. It might not yet officially be fall, but it was in the air and any precipitation they got would have a cold, gray feel to it.
That was fine with Tyler. In fact, in anticipation, she hit a button to open several of the high-placed windows. A nifty feature she had installed along with the automatic blinds. She had them installed judiciously, sporadically. Partly because the price was dear. Mainly because she never wanted her place to be light tight.
She couldn’t stand the thought of being in a black box. She was five years old when her brothers locked her in the basement closet. What a great joke. They then proceeded to leave the house for the rest of the day, “forgetting” they hadn’t let her out. It wasn’t until three hours later when her mother arrived home from work that Tyler was set free. She had cried herself to sleep but her voice was hoarse from the screams that went unanswered and she never again liked the dark. For some reason, small areas didn’t bother her as long as she had a light. But the dark — it was her enemy.
Right now, she was fine with the lights by her work area. The cool air from the now open windows was welcome, not too cold, bracing. Tyler breathed in. It could cost an arm and a leg to heat a place with such high ceilings and almost no walls. Insulation had been almost nonexistent. Another expense she hadn’t needed. In the end, it had been a wise investment. The electric company had given her a price break and her bills were a fraction of what they would have been without the fiberglass that had been pumped into her walls.
Then there were the solar panels that covered her roof. The bank actually balked at increasing her loan when she’d put in for the money. How could they not see the benefits? Well, Tyler took care of that. She went to her meeting with the bank manager, armed to the teeth with information. Power. The more you knew, the better your research. The more graphs and charts, the better your chances of moving the decimal point on her already sizable debt.
Unlike Rose and Dani, Tyler didn’t have unlimited cash flow. She made some good sales, some important ones. But most of that money went into the down payment on this warehouse. The bank, for the moment, owned most of it. She had a plan. If things continued the way they were, it would all be hers in just a few years.
Tyler Jones was an up-and-coming artist. She might not do what she did for a big paycheck; she wasn’t a fool. Her commissions were growing and so was her asking price. She would have created for free — luckily, she didn’t have to.
Carefully packing away her tools, Tyler gathered up the empty water bottles that were littered all around the work area. She kept a supply handy and drank from them absently. It stopped being a surprise to find so many. She would gulp one down when she was thirsty.
As she piled the bottles into the dark blue container, Tyler noticed the recycling bin was close to full. She searched for what day it was. Still Saturday. The city truck wouldn’t be around until Tuesday for their weekly pick-up, but she didn’t expect to be adding much more before then. She was just reaching to close the lid when there was a loud pounding on her front door.
With a frown, Tyler walked across her room. She looked through the peephole. Not something she always did, but it was late and weird things had happened lately. It did tend to put a person on guard.
What she saw was so unexpected — startling — that it took Tyler a moment to gather her wits and release the locks on the door. Pulling it back, she was greeted by a sight she had never expected to see.
M.J. And right behind him, holding her brother’s arm in a vice-like grip — Drew Harper.
CHAPTER THREE
“TELL THIS ASSHOLE to get his hands off me.”
M.J. spat out the words, struggling to pull free of Drew’s hold. It was like a piece of lint trying to fight its way out of a wind tunnel.
Drew was tall, muscular. His body was fit and hard. M.J. had never taken care of himself. He had the same build as Tyler. Above average height, a frame that ran to skinny. When he was younger, his face had attracted women with little effort. Handsome, almost pretty, he never had to work to get what he wanted. His mother indulged him, his father left him to be whatever he wanted, and his girlfriends stupidly picked up the tab — whether it was at dinner or a department store. M.J. had ridden the genetic gravy train from birth.
But now, well past thirty, his looks were on the downswing. Too much alcohol, drugs. Too many high calorie, nutritionally void meals. And the closest he got to exercise was walking from his front door to his car. His once rangy body had developed a pronounced pot gut that he tried to hide with baggy t-shirts and oversized jeans.
Even with five feet separating them, Tyler thought he smelled only slightly less objectionable than a garbage dump. Greasy, matted hair, patchy beard — it never did grow in right — and bloodshot eyes completed the none-too-appealing picture. M.J. had never cared that much about his appearance, but this was bad even for him.
He was on one of his post bender run-offs. Brain fuzzy, looking for a place to crash, and if lucky, something to steal to put a few bucks in his pocket.
“Your alarm went off about ten minutes ago. Didn’t you hear it?”
Tyler shifted her gaze to the man behind her brother.
“I turn off the sound when I’m working.”
“Well, what the fuck, Tyler? There’s a reason you have the thing.”
“I’m well aware.” She almost called him by name, something she had avoided for over a year. It was silly, but Drew stuck in her throat.
“Do you mind?” M.J.‘s whine broke the silent messages she and Drew passed with their eyes.
“What are you doing here, M.J.?”
“I need an excuse to visit my sister?”
“He was trying to jimmy the back door. Luckily, it’s well locked up. Not that he was going to get in with this.”
Drew used his unoccupied hand to hold up a straightened coat hanger.
“Really, M.J.? This is a building, not a car.”
“It worked before.” He mumbled under his breath. But it was loud enough for Tyler to hear. Unfortunately, if she could understand her brother so could Drew.
“He’s broken in before?”
Drew tightened his grip, ramming M.J.‘s arm up into the middle of his back.
“Hey, that thing breaks.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“This is ridiculous.” Tyler stood back and motioned for Drew and her brother to enter. She closed the door behind them and stood with hands on her hips. God, what a pair. You would never know that M.J. was ten years older — he looked twenty.
“Why are you here?”
“Who are you talking to?” Drew asked. “Cause if it’s me, you already know the answer.”
“Actually, I was talking to both of you.” Tyler turned to Drew. “But since you’re the first one to speak up. It was agreed that either Jack or Alex would take care of my security system. You shouldn’t be here.”
H&W security, owned by Jack Winston and Drew, was a billion dollar software empire. They had earned every dime the hard way — through working long, tireless hours and their own brains and ingenuity.
When Drew had left Harper Falls, the day after high school graduation, he hadn’t taken a dime of the Harper fortune. He’d been blessed with a good, sharp mind. It earned him a scholarship and he worked to pay for what that didn’t provide. Unlike her brother, he earned his own way. Just another reason it was becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain her hate. She wanted to. It would have made things infinitely easier. But when she looked at him, she no longer felt the red-hot jolt that used to seethe through her veins. The heat was still there, but it had less and less to do with anger.
“In case you’ve forgotten, our friends are nesting. Two by two, and all that crap. As the last single guy, I now handle late night calls.”
If You Only Knew (Harper Falls #3) Page 3