Only This

by Hadley Quinn

  Tyse slowly nodded. “Yeah, I was a little distracted.”

  He jutted a thumb toward Sarah and she wanted to crawl under the seat, especially when the officer leaned down again to look at her. She knew that Tyse was being playful, but it didn’t help her feel any better.

  The cop didn’t say anything for several seconds, but Sarah could swear he was trying not to smile.

  “Let’s see your license and registration,” he finally stated somewhat indifferently.

  Tyse reached over to the glove box first, and then slid his wallet out of his back pocket.

  “You been drinking at all?” the officer asked as he took the information from Tyse.

  “Nope, not at all,” Tyse answered. “Like I said, I was paying attention to prettier things. I’d tell you it won’t happen again, but I’d be lying. It’s hard to take my eyes off of her. But I will be more careful next time.”

  The cop leaned his head down again and looked over at Sarah, seeming amused. Then he glanced down at the information in his hand, and looked at Tyse again to study him for a few seconds.

  “Are you who I think you are?” the officer asked almost hesitantly. He took a step back and seemed to look over the car itself for a few seconds too, and then returned his attention to the driver to wait for an answer.

  “If you think I’m just a regular guy taking my girlfriend to get something to eat, then yeah, that’s who I am,” Tyse replied casually.

  Sarah cast a quick glance at him. He didn’t seem upset or bothered in anyway, but his cool demeanor and pleasant smile may have suppressed it just enough. She was glad that the cop either caught on to Tyse’s suggestion to disregard who his family was or decided he didn’t even care, but he handed back the information in his hand with a nod.

  “Try to pay attention to the road a little more?” he lightly smiled. “Tell your grandfather that Officer Hughes sends his regards. You have a nice day now.” He gave Sarah a polite nod as well, and then he left for his patrol car.

  Sarah let out a deep breath of air and wondered how long she’d been holding it. Tyse only chuckled and she glared at him playfully.

  “There is nothing funny about any of this,” she said, trying not to laugh.

  But the whole situation was just totally weird and awkward that she couldn’t help it, and after a few seconds of trying to hold back, she and Tyse started laughing out loud together.

  “It is funny,” he finally said, shaking his head. The smile on his face was absolutely adorable, and even though she was utterly humiliated, she couldn’t be mad at him for finding humor in it all.

  “Fine, it’s funny but not really,” she admitted. “He could have written you a ticket for reckless driving.”

  “With an added notation that said ‘because hot girlfriend was in his pants.’”

  She smacked him in the arm, but when Tyse started to laugh again, she couldn’t help but laugh with him. It was definitely an experience to remember, and even though she couldn’t help the fact that she’d been worried about it, she was kind of glad to have witnessed more of Tyse’s personality. He’d been so calm and laid back. It seemed that no matter the circumstances, she was always happy that he was the one she was spending her time with.

  That spoke volumes.

  ***

  Dinner with Tyse was enjoyable. They stopped for fried chicken in Woodland Hills, but Sarah felt too anxious to really eat much. She was with a date whose sex appeal was off the charts, but he was also incredible company. He was easy to talk to, listened like she was the only person in the room, and seemed to genuinely care about whatever she had to say.

  However, she felt a little guilty halfway through dinner when all she could think about was kissing him again, and rather than listen to some of the actual words coming out of his mouth, she was staring at his lips and focusing on the sound of his voice instead.

  “Don’t you think?” Tyse seemed to ask more deliberately as he watched her intently.

  How many times had he asked? And what did he ask? He was studying her carefully, waiting for an answer to something.

  Sarah smiled uncomfortably as she met his eyes. “I’m sorry, I was…spacing out.”

  “I give you the biggest confession of my life and you’re not even paying attention?” he asked with a raise of his brow.

  She could tell he was just messing with her, but she still felt bad. “I’m sorry, I was…”

  “I’m that boring?” he barely smiled.

  “Actually I was thinking dirty thoughts about you,” she admitted.

  Both of his eyebrows rose and then he fully smiled. “Oh? And will I be privy to these dirty thoughts?”

  “Not right now.”

  “How come?”

  “Because I’d want to act on them and don’t want to interrupt your dinner,” she nodded to his plate.

  He glanced down at what was in front of him, like he was debating it, and then he eyed her across the table. “How dirty are your thoughts?”

  She considered that for a few seconds. “Not really that dirty. They were just getting a little dusty so far.”

  He seemed to refrain from laughing but pushed his plate away from him. “I’m done anyway.”

  Tyse motioned for the check while Sarah bit her lip in thought. Did she really want to rush him out of here? Yeah she couldn’t get her mind off of him, but once they left the restaurant, they’d be heading toward a new level in their relationship. It was what she wanted, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about it.

  The ride to his place in Agoura Hills was a blur. Tyse held her hand almost the entire way from the restaurant and even though they conversed in general, Sarah couldn’t remember a word that was said. It wasn’t that she didn’t care to listen or contribute to the conversation; it was just that her mind was occupied with memories of their time on the couch in the Blue Room. And once Tyse pulled up to a nice one-story home a few minutes off the freeway, she realized her pulse had almost doubled its pace.

  “Well, welcome to my humble abode,” Tyse smiled at her as he stepped out of the Challenger.

  While he came around the front of the car to open her door, Sarah took the opportunity to inhale two deep breaths of air. She stepped out when he held the door open and she took a few seconds to study the house and yard. It was pretty simple but looked very well maintained—from the outside, at least. She didn’t know much about his life other than the fact that he lived alone and worked a ton of hours every week. She could have been surprised that the grass was even trimmed, but knowing how responsible and organized Tyse seemed, she wasn’t surprised that he kept his house in order.

  “It’s really nice,” she commented as they walked to a side door next to the garage.

  “Oh, thanks.”

  He smiled as he unlocked the door. They entered a hallway, passing a utility room to step into a family room that was attached to the kitchen.

  “This place works nice for me,” he told her. “I lived with Jay for a—”

  “Rawk! Hey motherfucker!” came a screech from somewhere in the house.

  Sarah’s eyes went wide, but then she started to laugh. “Was that a bird?”

  Tyse chuckled, pretending to hang his head in shame. “Yes, that’s a bird.”

  He motioned for her to come around the corner to face the front room, and pointed to a cage in the corner. There was a green parrot inside, pacing back and forth.

  “This is Geraldo,” Tyse told her. “But he’s more familiar with the name Fucktard.”

  Sarah’s mouth dropped open but she couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh my gosh, Fucktard? Who named him that?”

  With a sigh Tyse answered, “I don’t quite remember. Camryn, I think. It’s Melanie’s bird, but Jay’s remodeling some of their house right now and he wanted the bird out of the way. Melanie insisted I needed the company.”

  Sarah only looked at him for a few seconds, wondering if she should continue on that subject. She didn’t like the idea of anyone being
lonely, but she kind of liked that it implied there weren’t many females in his life.

  “Well hello, pretty bird. Nice to meet you,” she greeted.

  Maybe she expected the bird to say something in return, but he didn’t.

  “Does it say anything more than ‘motherfucker’?” she asked with a laugh.

  “Yes, he does,” Tyse seemed to warn. “You might not want to get him started.”

  “He’s got a filthy mouth?” she almost snorted. Why was just the thought of that funny to her?

  “Yeah, he does. I mean I could get him to talk if you really want me to, but he might not shut up if we want to watch a movie.”

  She took a step closer to the bird and eyed him. He seemed to be eyeing her right back, which was interesting. It was almost like he was measuring her up from his perch.

  “I’m too curious,” Sarah decided. “What can he say?”

  Tyse sighed and shook his head playfully. “Are you sure you won’t get offended?”

  She laughed again but answered, “Nope. A bird that can say ‘motherfucker.’ I’m dying to know what more he can say.”

  Tyse actually opened the cage door and said, “Hey buddy. How ya doing today?”

  “Rawk!” The bird used his beak to grab onto the cage and then his feet followed until he was perched on the open door.

  “Hey there,” Tyse spoke quietly. “What’s new, pal?”

  “Rawk! Heyyyy motherfucker!”

  “Yeah, we already caught that one. Why don’t you show Sarah how extensive your language is? I’m sure you’ll impress her.”

  “Hey motherfucker!”

  “Okay, we got that much. Has Jay been ignoring you lately?” he smirked.

  “Ah-ah-asshole!”

  Sarah couldn’t help it and laughed out loud. “Is he calling Jay an asshole?”

  Tyse smiled with a shrug. “I wouldn’t doubt it, but he usually just repeats what people say. Apparently he’s been copying the baby crying lately.” He looked at the bird and simulated a baby’s cry when he said, “Wahhhh.”

  “Wahhh! Wahhh!” the bird repeated.

  “It’s his newest thing,” Tyse told her when Sarah smiled.

  “Wahhh motherfucker!” the bird added.

  “Oh my gosh,” Sarah covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. “Surely the baby doesn’t cry like that.”

  Tyse laughed and said, “Not that I know of. Melanie would shit a brick. She’s actually been talking about getting rid of the bird when Cade gets older. This guy is so polluted with foul language she doesn’t want Cade picking up on it someday.”

  “Rawk! Cocksucker!”

  Sarah’s eyebrows rose with surprise. “Um, yeah, I’d worry about that too,” she lightly laughed.

  “Hey ah-ah-asshole cocksucker!”

  “Okay, pal, back in the cage,” Tyse told him, shooing him inside. The bird moved back to his perch inside and Tyse shut the door.

  “Give it to me, baby!” came another phrase as Geraldo paced back and forth on the perch.

  “Wow, you’re forward,” Sarah laughed out loud.

  “Jeez, man,” Tyse shook his head. “That’s a new one I haven’t heard.”

  “Make it hot! Give it to me, baby! That funky stuff!”

  Sarah gaped at Tyse and said, “Oh. My. Gosh. He’s singing Rick James!”

  She could not stop laughing.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sarah noticed that Tyse looked just as surprised as he shook his head. “With my brother, why does that not surprise me?” he laughed.

  “Make you hot, give it to me!” Geraldo continued, pacing back and forth on the perch. “Your body, c’mon girl!”

  Sarah ended up laughing so hard, she couldn’t even breathe. A parrot that could sing Rick James just could not be topped. It was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. And the best part was that the bird had that parrot sounding voice, but you could seriously understand every word he said!

  “C’mon girl, c’mon girl!”

  “Holy shit,” Tyse laughed, shaking his head.

  “I’m sorry, but that’s the funniest thing ever!” Sarah laughed with him when she could finally speak.

  “Rick James?” Tyse asked the bird.

  “Rick James?” the bird repeated back.

  “Oh my God,” Tyse shook his head again. “You’re too much. I think it’s bedtime for you, anyway.”

  “Give it to me, baby!”

  “Okay, pal, maybe another time,” Tyse chuckled, pulling out a sheet from under the cage. “Goodnight, buddy.”

  “ ‘Night buddy buddy,” the bird answered softly, bowing his head slightly.

  “Aww, that’s sweet,” Sarah cooed as Tyse covered the cage.

  “Uh huh,” Tyse joked. “He charms you with profanity and Rick James and then slays you with ‘night buddy buddy.’”

  “Yes,” she smiled with agreement.

  Tyse froze for a few seconds and looked at her with awe. “Wow, how did we even come to this point?” he asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

  “You mean before we got serenaded with Rick James lyrics by a parrot? Well, you were telling me that you lived with Jay before you moved here. I think hearing Jay’s name might have set the bird off.”

  “Ha, quite possibly,” Tyse smiled.

  “So finish what you were saying,” she said as they returned to the TV room.

  “Oh, I was just saying I lived with him for a couple months when I moved to the area, but when Melanie moved in, I moved out to give them some space as a family.” He motioned to the couch and said, “You can make yourself at home. The movies are in the cabinet to the right of the TV if you could pick one out. What do you want to drink?” he added as he entered the kitchen. “Water, soda, beer? I think I have orange juice, too.”

  “Hmm, water is fine for now,” she replied while opening the movie cabinet. She glanced through the titles, noting the ones that caught her eye. Then she selected one and placed it by the DVD player, just as Tyse set two bottles of water on the coffee table.

  “Ha, one of my favorites,” he smiled as he noticed her choice. He picked up 10 Things I Hate About You and slid the disc into the player.

  “Oh?” she inquired as she watched him carefully. “You’re not disappointed that it isn’t an action flick with lots of blood and carnage?”

  “Why would I care what’s playing?” he smiled casually as he used the remote to get the movie started. He turned for the couch and sat down, patting the spot next to him. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. I’ll just be staring at you the whole time anyway.”

  She returned his smile and joined him on the couch. Tyse put his arm around her as he adjusted the volume on the TV, and Sarah took the opportunity to lay her head against his shoulder. It was such an informal setting—relaxed and overall just a pleasant moment—she almost forgot about her nerves. The key word being almost. There she was—in Tyse’s house, on his couch, alone with him, and full of sexual energy buzzing through her from earlier—trying not to think too much about what being together for the first time was going to consist of.

  When they were five minutes into the movie, Tyse pulled his legs up onto the couch and Sarah followed suit. She laid her head on his chest as she stretched out next to him, and she could tell his heart was beating heavily.

  Oh my, what the sound of that did to her…

  For the next twenty minutes, Sarah laid there against him, wishing she had the guts to be a little more aggressive like she’d been earlier. Her beating heart hadn’t slowed down since being turned on by the rhythm in his chest. But he’d been a perfect gentleman lying there with her, his fingers only lightly running along her arm or back, or softly through her hair. It was such a conflicting feeling; being so content with his soothing, gentle touch while her heart performed pirouettes in her chest.

  Finally Sarah raised her head just enough to be close to his face. Tyse looked at her for several seconds, almost like he was waiting for her to let him kn
ow what she wanted. She stretched forward just enough to reach his mouth, and as soon as he took ownership of her lower lip, she was pretty much a goner. The way he did that completely captured her heart and ignited every sensation that went with it.

  That was it. She truly had never been with a guy that kissed the way Tyse did and it shot pleasure signals through her entire body every time. She could feel her panties dampen between her legs, a continuation of earlier. Not being able to get relief from that yet had been uncomfortable for a while. The whole getting-pulled-over incident had temporarily distracted her, but then she’d barely made it through dinner. She felt taking it slow was reasonable and necessary, but damn it… It was hard to do with Tyse!

  He’d moved her slightly to the side of him at some point, and when his hand pressed firmly across her hip and to her ass, the need between her legs intensified. She responded by kissing him harder, unable to help the moan that came out of her mouth as he took hold of her body more decisively. Why did something as simple as lying on a couch kissing this guy send her heart into a crazy fit in her chest?

  “Do you want to go somewhere more comfortable?” he asked her.

  Sarah realized her hand was in his pants, gently stroking him. At the same time, he was inside her panties as well, and she finally understood why she was about to orgasm right there on the couch. She lost all sense of time and concern with Tyse. His ability to take her to a different world seemed to happen effortlessly.

  “Or…we can stay here if that’s better for you,” he added when she didn’t answer.

  He was smiling at her, waiting for a response, but he’d also stopped touching her and that was not okay at the moment. She wanted him to keep going.

  “Okay, let’s go,” she replied breathlessly. She stood from the couch, ready to drag him wherever she needed to, but realized she didn’t know the layout of his house.

  “This way,” he told her, seeming to sense her eagerness.

  At least, that’s what the little smile on his lips appeared to add. Sarah didn’t care as long as the feeling was mutual, but maybe she needed to slow it down a bit.

  He stopped her in the hallway and leaned her gently against the wall. His forearm rested on the wall above her head and he used his other hand to softly touch the side of her neck. Just that little bit of contact against her skin and the close proximity of his body was all consuming. He barely brushed his lips against hers and it was just as sensual as a deep, penetrating kiss.