by Sabre Rose
I tried to deny the thrill that shuddered through me at those words. Tyler was too intoxicating. He addled my brain. I needed distance to think. I pushed the plunger down and stood with my back to him. Footfall sounded across the wooden floor. Tyler’s hand brushed my hair to the side, leaving my neck exposed and vulnerable. His lips were hot and soft when they pressed into the tender flesh. I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply as the sensation of his mouth on my skin sent tendrils of desire to the parts of me I wanted to ignore.
I stepped away. “Tyler.”
The hesitation of his gaze was gone, replaced with scorching hunger. He stepped forward, caging me against the counter. “Lauren,” he growled.
I moved, sidestepping his advance. “I can’t think when you’re this close.”
Indecision danced in his eyes. He adjusted the visible bulge in his pants. “What do you need from me?”
I laughed. “Not to be Gabe’s brother.”
“And that’s your only hesitation? Gabe?”
“Yes.” I shook my head. “No. Maybe. I don’t know, Tyler. I feel like I barely know you. My brain is scattered when I’m around you. I don’t think clearly. I don’t think about what happens next. I only think of now. That’s not who I am. It’s not who I want to be.”
“But do you want to know me?” He smirked then, the old Tyler, the confident Tyler returning with force. “I mean in more than just the carnal sense. Because that’s what I want too, Lauren. I don’t want to sneak about behind my family’s back to see you. I want you on my arm for all the world to see, and I want to be on yours and for you not to be ashamed that I’m there.”
I pushed the plunger down, forcing the grinds of coffee into submission. Ashamed is not a word I could use in relation to Tyler. No one would be ashamed to have him at their side. I poured the thick liquid into a mug and held it out to Tyler as though it were a shield between us.
He placed it on the counter, removing the barrier, and stepped close to me once again. “Do you want me, Lauren?”
“Wanting something and knowing what is good for you aren’t always the same thing.”
Tyler leaned back, resting against the bench and picked up the mug of coffee, bringing it to his lips. “Ask me something,” he said. “Ask me anything. I will answer anything you want to know. I’m an open book. Get to know me.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why can’t it be?”
“It’s—” I struggled to find the right words. How could I explain to this man that I wanted him more than I had ever wanted a man in my entire life? My insides were literally quivering as he stood there, dark eyes locked on mine with a lust I desperately wanted to quench, but, at the same time, I was scared. I was scared of hurting Gabe. Scared of the intensity of my feelings. Scared I would get lost in him. “It’s just that Gabe—”
Tyler let out a frustrated gush of air. “Stop thinking about him. Stop thinking about how it will affect my family or how it will look to others. Just tell me how you feel. I can see it in your eyes, Lauren. We are meant to be together and I am damned if I’m going to let my little brother ruin that.” He reached out and took my hand, tugging on it gently. “Come,” he said. “Sit.”
I sat beside him on the couch, knees pressed together and tentative as he relaxed beside me, his ankle hooked over the opposite knee.
“Let’s start with something easy. Cats or dogs?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
Tyler shrugged and took a sip of his coffee, running his tongue over his lips once he had swallowed. The sight was enough for me to squeeze my knees closer together. Tyler noticed and ran a finger over his bottom lip, rubbing it roughly, toying with my hormones. It was cruel the way he played with me.
“Are you a cat person or a dog person?”
Smudge entered my mind and I wondered where he was. It wasn’t like him not to greet the stranger in his house. “Dog,” I said firmly.
“See?” Tyler sat forward. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now I know something about you that I didn’t know before. I also prefer dogs over cats. Your turn.”
I scooted back on the couch a little, adjusting myself, hooking my feet under my knees and twisting to face him a little more. “What’s your favourite flavour of ice-cream?”
“Straight to the tough questions, huh?” Tyler rubbed his chin, feigning the thought-provoking nature of the question. “Cookies and Cream. You?”
“Vanilla.”
“Plain old vanilla? I see I need to broaden your horizons.” Tyler's voice was peppered with amusement. “Right. Next question. Would you rather be poor and happy or rich and miserable?”
“Can’t I be rich and happy?”
Tyler shook his head. “That’s not the question.”
“It’s a stupid question.”
“Why?”
“Who would choose to be miserable?”
“Ask all the miserable rich people.”
“Are you miserable?” I asked.
“Sometimes,” he admitted. “It has nothing to do with wealth though, and you didn’t answer the question.”
“Happy,” I said. “I would choose to be happy.”
Tyler raised his coffee mug. “To happiness,” he said. He took a large gulp, draining the contents and inched forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You’re not asking any questions.”
“What do you do for fun?”
“For fun? I don’t really do fun. I work. That’s about it. Rather boring.”
“I would hardly call that an answer. Surely there is something you enjoy doing in your downtime.”
“Does working out count?”
“No.”
“Playing cards? I host a monthly game of cards with some of the staff at the company. Does that count?”
“It will do.”
Tyler’s cell phone rang again. He sighed and looked at the screen, swiping to accept the call. “What?” he demanded, somewhat abruptly. “Yes, yes, I know. Cancel it. Yes. I know. Tomorrow. Reschedule for tomorrow. I’m a little caught up right now.” He paused for a while, turning away slightly. “I know,” he said forcefully. “Goodbye.”
“What were you like as a child?” I asked.
“It was my turn,” he insisted.
“I didn’t know there were rules.”
“There are always rules.”
“Answer anyway.”
Tyler smiled. “As you know, I am the eldest. Let’s just say it held a certain level of responsibility that the others never knew. My father had high expectations of the firstborn.”
“Do you regret it? Following in his footsteps.”
Tyler shook his head, his knee jiggling. “I love my work. I love the challenge it brings. I wouldn’t change it for anything. The expectations of my father I might change, but not my career.”
“He certainly seems like he knows what he wants,” I said.
“We Thornton men usually do.”
I laughed. “I love how you talk about yourselves like that. Like you are a certain breed.”
Tyler shrugged. “In a way, we are. Dad made certain of that. He was…” Tyler paused, searching for the right word. “Very demanding. Very sure of what he wanted and he went after it. He required the same of his children. I was the only one who took up the challenge. Jake pretty much ran away from it. And Clark—” He stopped abruptly, falling away to nothingness. “He was the best of us. The only one of us not plagued with darkness. The only one not obsessed with drink, pain, or work.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached over and placed my hand on his knee, stilling the jiggling that started the moment his father came into the conversation. Tyler’s eyes locked on my hand.
“My turn now.” He cleared his throat, his voice deepening. “Do you still love him?”
I removed my hand. “Tyler.”
“It’s a legitimate question. Do you still love Gabe?”
“In a way,” I admitted.
“In what way?”
“In the way that I feel bad that I’ve hurt him. That I don’t want to hurt him any more than I already have.” I hooked my feet out from under me and pulled my knees to my chest. Tyler reached over and pushed away a strand of hair that was hanging over my face. Tears sprung to my eyes.
“My god, Lauren,” he said hoarsely. “What are you doing to me?” He moved along the couch and pulled me close. I collapsed against his chest, breathing in the scent of him. I wasn’t sure why I was crying. I wasn’t sure if it was for myself, or for Gabe, or for the ache of longing that felt like a chasm in my chest. Tyler’s hands feathered over my hair, running over the messy strands that had fallen from my hair tie. He shushed me, telling me he was sorry over and over, as though all of this was his fault and not mine. I knew better though. I knew this was all my doing.
“I will make you forget him, Lauren. I will do everything I can to make you forget him.”
Pressed into his chest, his hands running over my hair, his breath brushing against my scalp, I knew my tears were because of the things that were to come, because I couldn’t resist this man.
I tilted my head until my lips found his, fumbling and hesitant at first until he took control, our lips moving in unison, his hands roaming over my shoulders, down my back, crushing me against him. The gentle groans that escaped him only served to fuel the urgency of my desire. His lips were instruments of wonder. I threaded my fingers through his hair, twisting into the dark strands as he shifted back on the couch, creating room for me to climb onto his lap, our lips still locked. I didn’t notice as the dampness from his clothes seeped into mine. I was desperate for him. I needed him.
Tyler’s hands fluttered down my side and slipped under the material of my t-shirt. He fumbled with the clasp of my bra, moaning contentedly into my mouth when the latch released and his hands engulfed my breasts. We were passion and urgency, burning with desire, our brains flooded with the rush of blood.
I needed to see him. I needed to feel his flesh under my fingers, so I tore at his shirt, not caring as the buttons flew off in the rush. Tyler sat up a little, mouth still devouring mine as he wrestled out of the damp shirt. As soon as he was free, he tore himself away from our kiss and grabbed the hem of my t-shirt, ripping it over my head and tossing it to the ground alongside my discarded bra. Taking both my breasts in his hands, Tyler studied them for a moment, his eyes dark and intense, before slowly lowering his mouth to my nipple and swirling his tongue over the stiffness. Between the thin material of his dress pants and my sweatpants, his hardness pushed against me like a rod of steel and I ground against it.
“My god, Lauren,” Tyler panted. “I want to taste you. I want to be inside you.”
Movement flickered in the corner of my vision. A car out the window.
“Shit!” I exclaimed, bending down to hide.
“What?” Tyler sat up to peer out the window.
“Who’s that?”
“Peta.”
“Peter? Doesn’t look like a Peter to me.”
3
LAUREN
Tyler laughed as I scrambled from his lap and fell to the floor, hiding under the sill of the window as Peta walked past. Thankfully, the net curtains hid us from view. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and hid my bra under the couch.
“Peta,” I said, throwing Tyler’s shirt at him, “is my best friend and also my boss.”
“At the coffee shop?”
I nodded as Tyler threaded his arms through his shirt sleeves and adjusted the collar around his neck. It was only as he started to do up the buttons that he looked back at me, eyebrows raised. There were no buttons.
Peta knocked on the door. “I’ve brought you coffee and food for your hangover,” she shouted, and banged some more. “How’s that knocking working on your head?”
Smoothing the hair from my face, I pulled open the door with a ready smile plastered on my face. “Hi,” I greeted chirpily.
Peta frowned. “That does not sound like the voice of someone who is hungover.” She barged past me and walked towards the lounge where I knew she would find Tyler. “So?” she threw over her shoulder, “Did you hear from—Oh.”
Stopping in the middle of the room, Peta’s eyes canvased Tyler, the corners of her mouth turning upwards, her gaze shifting from his exposed chest to the cushion carefully positioned over his lap, then to the sprinkling of little white buttons on the carpet and finally to my dishevelled appearance. I crossed my arms, attempting to cover myself.
“Oh,” Peta said again, smirking. She moved across the room, tucking the paper bag of food under her arm and holding out her hand. “You must be Tyler. I’m Peta.”
Tyler moved uncomfortably, getting to his feet, the cushion from the couch still firmly held in place, while holding out his free hand. “Yes. Tyler Thornton. Nice to meet you, Peta.” His smile lit up the room, despite the comical placement of the cushion.
Peta shook his hand and then dumped herself on the couch, patting the space Tyler just left and indicating for him to sit back down. “Did I interrupt something?”
“Not at all,” I replied at the same time as Tyler said, “You could say that.”
I glared at Peta, trying to telepathically send her the signal to leave. She got it but chose to ignore, her eyes glinting with mirth as she angled herself towards Tyler. “So, Tyler Thornton.” She said his name slowly. “Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” he asked, raising that one eyebrow that mimicked Gabe’s so convincingly.
Peta turned to me slowly, her eyes wide, and smiling mischievously before turning back to Tyler. “Everything. You can start with everything.”
“From the looks you and Lauren are sharing, I’m gathering that you may already know something of me.”
“You could say that.”
“Why don’t you start with what you know and I can fill in any gaps.”
“I know you have a younger brother.”
“Peta, please!” I scolded.
“What? It’s true,” she said, laughing.
“I think you should go.” I walked over to the couch and tugged Peta up. “I’m sure you have lots to do at the café.”
Peta resisted the pulling on her arm. “I’m sure it’s fine for a few more minutes. I’m interested in getting to know Mr Thornton here a little better.” Peta flicked her hair over her shoulder and battered her eyelashes until Tyler laughed.
I tugged at her arm again.
“Okay, okay,” she said, letting me drag her to her feet. “I will go. But you had better call me later, Lauren Greer.” I pulled her towards the door. “My husband is rather good at sewing,” she shouted back to Tyler. “He’ll be able to sort that shirt out.”
I shoved Peta outside and pulled the door shut behind us.
Peta grinned. “He’s even better looking in real life,” she said. “No wonder you couldn’t resist. If I had that hitting on me I’m not sure I would be able to resist either. My goodness!” She shook her whole body, as though trying to rid herself of the thoughts running through her head. “I think I’m going to need a cold shower.”
“Peta,” I hissed. “He could hear you.”
She slapped my arm. “Let him. I’m sure it’s nothing he hasn’t heard before.” We started walking towards her car. “So I guess you’ve made up your mind then?”
My whole body sunk. “I can’t seem to resist him, Peta.”
“It’s probably because you have eyes.”
I whacked her arm again.
“Okay, serious now.” She wiped the grin from her face. “Perhaps you should just stop trying to. You tried to resist Gabe and you made yourself miserable. Finally, you gave in but tried to keep it quiet, which made both you and Gabe miserable. Then you were with Gabe while being attracted to his brother, which, no surprise, made you miserable. Maybe it’s time you just let yourself be happy.”
“You really think?”
Peta took my shoulders in her hands and held my gaze firmly. “Yes, Laure
n Greer. That is what I think. I think you should march back in there and fuck the brains out of that man sitting waiting for you and not feel a wisp of guilt about it. You are not with Gabe anymore. Just let yourself be with Tyler.” She let go of me. “Either that, or just don’t be with anyone.”
“That’s probably the best idea you’ve had yet.”
“It’s an awfully boring one though.” Peta grinned.
I rolled my eyes and pulled her in for an embrace. “See you tomorrow,” I muttered into her ear.
Peta opened the door to her car and sat half in half out. “I expect a full report. I take it ‘hot lips’ in there will take you to collect your car?”
I nodded, rolling my eyes again.
Tyler was sitting on the couch, one ankle hooked over his knee, his open shirt exposing the tanned muscles underneath. “I like her,” he said. He held his hand out and I walked closer. “She gives good advice.”
I stopped, looking at him questioningly. “I believe she said something about fucking my brains out?” He grabbed my hand and tugged me onto him. “I liked the sound of that. Now, where were we?” he asked, his lips moving to my mouth, his erection already hard and pressing into me as he pulled me onto his lap.
“No you don’t,” I said, pulling myself away. “I can’t think that close to you.”
“You don’t need to think.” He pulled me back again but I stood firm.
“Will you give me a ride to the airport to collect my car?”
Tyler pouted. “I’ve driven all this way and you want to use me as a taxi?”
“No,” I said slyly. “That’s not what I want to use you for. But it’s what we are going to do.”
“As you wish.” Tyler stood. “But I really wish you had told me this before ripping all the buttons from my shirt.” His phone rang. Tyler looked down from where he had discarded it on the coffee table and scowled. “I’ve got to take this.” He picked up the phone and swiped accept as he walked into the other room.
His answers were short and direct. “Yes. No. I understand. Yes. I know that. I’m taking care of it now. Yes. Yes. You’ve said that twice now. Of course I know how it affects—” He sighed deeply and ran his hand over his face. “Yes. I know.” His voice was getting more strained and impatient. “Tomorrow. I know but—”