Until You

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Sure. Sounds fun.”

  “But let’s stay at my place tomorrow. Why don’t you pack for the weekend?”

  And this was where it had always started to unravel with her previous relationships. Men never understood her work schedule.

  She lowered her chopsticks and glanced up at him. “I won’t have the weekend free. Steph and I have some interviews on both Saturday and Sunday, and I have plenty of other things to handle.”

  “So you can get your project done before your last day?”

  “Yeah.” Then she waited for the irritation, or frustration, or outright anger. But it didn’t come.

  He shrugged. “Okay. Then how about you just treat it like a workday and come home to my place when you’re done?”

  “You’re not upset?” she asked in surprise.

  He laughed. “I had a life before you, Lanie.” Then he leaned closer and kissed her neck. “I have things to fill my time…until I fill you at night.”

  She sucked in a breath as her nerve endings lit on fire.

  His arm slipped around her back to hold her still as his mouth slid up her jaw. “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes…”

  Tyler sat back up with a satisfied smile. “That’s my girl.”

  His girl. He hadn’t meant anything by his statement—in fact, he’d turned his focus on his sushi roll—but still the comment made her smile. She was surprised she liked the idea of being his.

  They ate dinner, and Tyler told her about his dinner with his brother the night before. When they finished, they got dressed for the photo shoot, and Lanie searched her closet for a substitute pair of shoes.

  “Britt’s going to kill me, and I’ll deserve it. We shouldn’t have left that shoe in the hall.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and grinned. “I’ll take the responsibility for it.”

  She laughed. “What are you going to say? That you were so eager to get laid, I tripped on my dress, and we deserted my shoe in the hall?”

  His eyebrows rose with mischief. “What? You don’t think she’ll buy it?”

  “Maybe a little too well.”

  “How about you left it in my car, and I accidently threw it away?”

  “That excuse only works if we were both extremely drunk, and in combination with your car, that sounds extremely irresponsible.”

  “Where’s the shoe you do have?”

  She grabbed it from the bottom of her closet and held it up. “Do you think one shoe is better than none? Am I supposed to hobble around on one foot? Or wear two different shoes?”

  He laughed and pushed her onto the edge of the bed. “Oh ye of little faith. You underestimate my skills.”

  “Oh,” she teased, “I’m well aware of some of your magnificent skills, but I suspect Randy might have a thing or two to say if you start seducing Britt.”

  “Lanie, when you’re in the room, there is no one else but you.”

  “And when I leave the room?” she asked playfully.

  His smile fell, and he turned surprisingly serious. “There’s no one else then either.”

  His answer shocked her, but then he shocked her more when he turned around and left the room. “Where are you going?”

  “Stay there.”

  “So our plan is for me to hide in my room?” she called after him.

  Seconds later, he stood in the doorway with his hand behind his back and a cheesy grin on his face.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, realizing how much she loved this playful side of him. She’d never had this in any of her previous relationships, and she’d had no idea she even wanted it until now.

  He stepped into the room, placed a hand on his stomach and bowed at the waist, then stood. “Prince Charming would like to present you with this shoe.” Then he pulled her missing shoe from behind his back and held out the purple pump.

  “You found it.”

  “Someone turned it in to the property manager.” Grinning, he knelt in front of her, then seductively lifted the hem of her bridesmaid’s dress up to her knee.

  “What are you doing?”

  He looked up at her with his bad-boy eyes. “I have to try it on you, of course.” He slipped it on, then slowly ran his hands up her calf to her thigh.

  “I don’t remember it happening this way,” she pushed out in a breathless gasp as her body ignited. How did he turn her on so quickly?

  “This is our own X-rated version,” he said, leaning down to kiss her knee while his hand slid up to her panties.

  “We’ll be late,” she said without protest as he pushed her back onto the bed. “What will we tell Britt?”

  He pushed her dress up to her waist and tugged down her panties within seconds. A wicked smile crossed his face as he knelt between her bare legs. “That you met the Big Bad Wolf.”

  “Wrong fairy tale…” she gasped as he began to distract her.

  He looked up at her and grinned. “My version’s much better.”

  * * *

  On Friday, Tyler showed up at Lanie’s front door at seven thirty, surprised at how eager he was to see her. He’d dropped her off at her office that morning less than nine hours ago, but he was still blown away when she opened her door.

  She was gorgeous.

  They’d decided to go casual since they both dressed up for work, and thankfully, the weather had significantly cooled over the week. Lanie was wearing a fitted long-sleeved black T-shirt with a green scarf, and a pair of jeans that hugged her thighs and ass and were tucked into black boots. Her long dark hair was pulled into a wavy pony tail.

  A wave of lust washed through him when he saw her, and he resisted the urge to drag her to her bed. This night was to prove there was more to them than just sex.

  Still, he couldn’t let her appearance go without comment. “How do you look more sexy every time I see you?”

  “I was about to ask you the same,” she said seductively, taking in his blue long-sleeved Henley and his jeans. Then her gaze lifted to his forehead. “Hey. You don’t look like Dr. Frankenstein anymore.”

  He grinned. “Got my stitches out this afternoon. Now I won’t scare small children and pets.”

  Her grin turned sexy. “You don’t scare me.”

  He wanted to take her to her bed right now and—no. They were going to see this movie. Even if it was a rom-com. “You’re still good with seeing the movie first and then going to eat?”

  “Then we can take our time at dinner.”

  “Where’s your bag?”

  He’d been worried she wouldn’t stay, so he was relieved when she pointed to her leather duffel on the living room chair.

  He picked up the bag and led her to his car. When they were inside, he asked, “Any offers today?”

  She laughed. “No job offers, but the FedEx guy offered to deliver his package.”

  Tyler jerked as bolt of jealousy shot through him. He gripped the steering wheel and turned to face her. “Are you serious?”

  Surprise filled her eyes. “Relax. I was joking.”

  He started the car and backed out of the parking spot, trying to slow his pulse.

  “I’m sorry,” she said in confusion. “That really bothered you.”

  “I was just worried,” he said. “That would have been totally inappropriate.”

  “You say things like that all the time.”

  “The difference is you and I are in a relationship.”

  “Is that what this is?” she asked quietly.

  He stopped at a stop sign and turned to her. “We’re deep in the middle of this arrangement or commitment or whatever you want to call it. I prefer to call it a relationship. This is real to me, even if it’s going to end if you leave.”

  They drove the short distance in silence, and Tyler regretted his overreaction. When they got out of his car in the parking garage, he pulled her to a halt and searched her face. “Hey, I’m sorry.”

  “No worries.” She glanced up at him with a guarded look.

 
“I shouldn’t have made a big deal of any of it.” He paused and decided to be honest. “I was jealous.”

  “Of the imaginary FedEx guy?”

  “He wasn’t imaginary in my head. And it was stupid, I know. I’m sorry.”

  She reached up and gave him a kiss. “I think it’s cute.”

  “Oh my God,” he groaned. “Not the ‘cute’ thing again. I’m going to call you cute.”

  He took her hand in his, and she looked at their clasped hands in shock but then relaxed as they walked to the theater. He understood her surprise. He was surprised himself.

  She smiled at him as they waited in line to buy their tickets, and he was surprised at how happy he felt. Was this what it had been like for Randy with Britt, and Kevin with Holly?

  After they bought their tickets, they were walking toward their theater when Tyler heard a male voice call his name.

  If it was male, that meant it wasn’t an ex-lover. Thank God.

  The man moved closer, and Lanie stiffened slightly.

  “Victor,” Tyler said, putting his arm around her, confused by her reaction. “You on a date?”

  “Nope, flying solo. But I see you are.” Then his eyes widened. “Lanie. I’m surprised to see you here.”

  “Hi, Victor,” she said with a smile, but Tyler could tell it was forced.

  Unease washed over him. “You and Lanie have met?” But as soon as he asked the question he remembered where it had likely happened. Victor’s answer confirmed it.

  “At Randy’s shindig. But I’m surprised she’s out with you.” He gave Lanie a skeptical look. “You said you had a boyfriend…Aiden, in Atlanta, right? The attorney.”

  Lanie cast a sideways glance at Tyler, then back to Victor. “Yeah, that’s right. We’re not together.”

  “So how do you know Tyler?” Victor asked.

  Tyler’s hand tightened on her hip and he tugged her closer. “We’re both in Randy’s wedding.”

  “I’m surprised you have time to date right now,” Victor said with a sneer. “I figured you’d be burning the midnight oil with your new case.”

  Oh, shit. Surely Victor wasn’t stupid enough to mention the name Margo Benson. His carelessness had already cost him the case and earned him a five-day suspension for shooting off his mouth. Not that Tyler was worried about Victor jeopardizing his career. But with all the other complications of their relationship, Tyler didn’t want Lanie to find out that all the extra hours he was putting in at the office was his attempt to shut down the new Margo Benson Boutique. She didn’t seem like the type of woman to freak out over a clothing store, but he kept hearing that this wasn’t just an ordinary boutique. Women had been known to send death threats to attorneys who had tried to stop a previous opening. He wasn’t taking any chances. “You of all people know I work hard but find the time to enjoy myself.”

  “Yeah. The golden boy,” Victor sneered. “You get it all. Including Lanie. Lucky you.” Victor studied Lanie with an outright appraisal that had Tyler’s hair on end.

  The way Lanie’s body stiffened clued him in that she didn’t appreciate it either. Ignoring Victor, she took a step toward the theater. “Tyler, we better go or we might not get good seats.”

  “Yeah, you two go enjoy the movie,” Victor said bitterly. “I’d hate to ruin your evening.”

  Tyler steered Lanie away from his colleague, muttering under his breath, “Stupid bastard.”

  “What was that about?”

  “Victor’s a screw-up who likes to blame everyone else for his issues. Me included.”

  Lanie looked up at him with a guarded expression. “It sounds like you know him pretty well.”

  Tyler tilted his head. “We work in the same firm, but we’re not really friends. Why the interest?” He couldn’t ignore her reaction when she’d seen him.

  “Just curious.”

  No. It was more than that. There was guilt in her eyes. Why? “What happened at the barbecue?”

  “I met Victor,” she said, looking nervous. “And I could tell he was interested in me. I didn’t feel like dodging his advances, so I told him I had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, we women do it all the time, but given our current situation, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression.”

  “So you told him that Aiden is your boyfriend? Is he an attorney?”

  She pushed out a huge sigh and raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “I can’t remember how the conversation went, but he asked if I liked attorneys, and I said yes and ended up telling him that my boyfriend was an attorney in Atlanta because he said he might know you.” She shook her head. “I mean him. My boyfriend. I had to throw him off.”

  “Wait.” He paused. “You were talking about me?”

  She looked up with pleading eyes. “Please don’t read too much into this. You and I just started seeing each other, and given the fact that I was at Randy and Britt’s house and that you work with Victor, I couldn’t very well tell him that I was seeing you. So I told him my boyfriend was in Atlanta. And then later Britt and I had our fight, and she was grilling me about my relationships, and Victor volunteered about my boyfriend in Atlanta. Britt put two and three together to make four and now Aiden’s invited to the wedding.” She ran a hand over her head. “It’s such a mess.”

  The relief that washed through him was almost palpable, but damned if he knew why. “You were talking about me.”

  “Please don’t think I’m another one of the crazies you’ve dated. I know exactly what this is.”

  He wished she’d tell him what this was, because he didn’t have a clue. All he knew was that she was right—she was unlike any other woman he’d dated. “So you and Aiden…?”

  “Are friends.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “I told you that, and I won’t lie. I’m not ashamed of my dating past, and I see no reason to lie about our current situation.”

  His lips twitched as he fought a grin. “Except to Britt and Randy.”

  Amusement filled her eyes. “Well…they’re the exception to the rule.” Her smile faded. “You agree with me, don’t you? About not telling them?”

  “I agree.” Especially after Randy had acted so weird when he thought Tyler might be interested in Lanie. For whatever reason, Randy didn’t approve. It hurt more than Tyler cared to acknowledge, but it only confirmed that Lanie was right. With all the wedding activities over the next few weeks, it was better to hide that they were seeing each other and then reevaluate their plan after the wedding.

  Then a new horror hit him—what if this was much more casual for her than it felt for him? He had to know.

  “Britt said you’ve called every man you’ve dated a friend.” He suspected he was going to regret this question. “And how do you classify me?”

  She gave him a teasing grin and tugged on his arm. “My leased lover. Now, let’s go find our seats.”

  He reluctantly conceded, and the movie started soon after they sat down, but Tyler kept running their encounter with Victor in his head. Had Lanie acted guilty because she’d let everyone think Aiden was her boyfriend and now he was invited to the wedding?

  Or because she was hiding something else?

  No. That was his past leaching in, trying to undermine what he had with her. She’d hit the nail on the head when she called out his insecurities. Temporary or not, he didn’t want what he had with her marred by them.

  He felt better when the movie ended and they walked outside into the cool evening. “Do you have a preference where we go for dinner?”

  She didn’t answer; instead she searched his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Before the movie…”

  “I was an idiot. If you hang around me long enough, you’ll see more of it. I’m sorry.”

  Shaking her head, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

  He involuntarily slipped his arms around her back and pulled her close, realizing she felt right. Like there’d been a huge hole and she filled it perfe
ctly. But what did he do with that realization? Especially when he only had three weeks left with her?

  But what if she accepted the VP position and stayed in Kansas City? He was surprised how excited he was at the prospect.

  “Now, about dinner?” he asked.

  She stretched up and kissed his cheek. “I’m open to anything.” The innuendo was blatant.

  He sucked in a breath to dampen his rising libido.

  But Lanie had other ideas, brushing her lips against his and biting his lower lip.

  “Maybe we should get takeout,” he grunted.

  She laughed and ran her hands over his chest, moving downward to his waistline. “I knew you were brilliant.”

  The buzzing in his pocket broke the silence.

  “Aren’t you going to get that?” she asked.

  “It can wait.” But something in the back of his head said it couldn’t. He pulled out the mobile, surprised to see his brother’s name on the screen.

  “Eric?” he asked as soon as he answered. “Can I call you back later?”

  “Tyler, I need your help.”

  Adrenaline raced through him. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m with these guys, and we’ve been drinking, and now they’re about to drive. I need a ride home.”

  Tyler glanced over to an alarmed-looking Lanie. “There’s no one else to get you?”

  “I knew I shouldn’t have called you! Fuck you!” Eric shouted and his words sounded slurred.

  “Eric. Wait. Don’t hang up. It’s just that I’m at the Plaza. It’s going to take me a good twenty-five minutes to get there. If you’re in danger and someone’s closer—”

  “I’m not in danger,” he said, sounding calmer. “I’m just about to get stranded.”

  “Then text me your address. I’m on my way.”

  “Tyler…thanks.”

  “You did good calling me, kid. I’ll be right there.”

  Tyler hung up, feeling guilty over the disappointment he felt that his evening with Lanie had been interrupted.

  “You need to pick up Eric?” she asked with worry in her eyes.

  He ran a hand over his head. “Yeah, he and his friends have been drinking. He’s okay, but he doesn’t want to get in the car with them. Gotta give him credit for that.”