“Yes, I come here often,” he said. “It’s a great place to run, or to come to sit down for lunch. Sometimes I enjoy simply sitting on the benches and letting my mind clear of all the chaos from a busy day.”
“I … um … just didn’t realize you worked around here,” she finally muttered.
“We’ve never talked about my work, so how would you know where I spend my days?”
He could see he had her flustered. He’d been pretty sure she had known exactly who he was from the first time they’d met in the bar. Now, he had no doubts. This woman was after something, and what he suspected was she had some sort of ploy to extort from him. He just didn’t see how she planned on doing that. Maybe that was why he was still seeing her. Because he hated to have questions go unanswered.
“I guess that makes sense,” she said, quickly recovering with a false laugh. Then she placed her hand on his leg and gently rubbed it.
Her ploy of touching him so he would quit asking questions almost worked, as he wanted this woman so badly he was pretty much walking around with a permanent erection. But it was Tyler’s turn to be in control. Her touch sent flames through his body. But he also knew that his touch on her caused her intelligence to dim. So he fought back with a touch of his own, grabbing her hand and winding his fingers through hers.
The problem with all the touching was that he wasn’t sure who it affected more – him or her. Only time was going to tell. He would have this woman, though, that was something he had no doubt about.
“You must work nearby,” he said, looking out toward a group of nearby office buildings.
“Yes, not far from here. If it’s a nice day, and it isn’t very often here, I enjoy coming down to the park for lunch and a walk. I was just finishing up and getting ready for a little exercise,” she said, pulling her hand away from his and gathering up what was left of her lunch.
She got up and threw the leftovers and the wrappings in a nearby trash bin.
“I have time. I’ll walk with you. Then you can show me where you work,” he told her, linking their hands together again.
“If I take you by my workplace, there won’t be any mystery between us anymore. Then things aren’t nearly as exciting,” she said, again with the shaky laugh.
“At what point do we just open up?” he said, stopping her when they came to a stand of trees.
He walked her a little off the trail so they could have some privacy.
“What’s the rush, Tyler? We’re having a good time,” she said, resisting him, but only a little.
“I’m not in a hurry, Elena. I just might want to know a little bit more about the woman I plan on taking to my bed.”
“Do you always know the women you take to your bed?”
Tyler was taken aback by the hostility of that question.
“Since I’ve grown up, I do,” he said with hesitation.
“So not always.” It wasn’t a question.
“No, not always. You know what they say about boys being boys,” he told her with a laugh he didn’t feel.
Her eyes narrowed the slightest bit before she masked her expression. “Yeah, I guess boys will be boys,” she told him.
“What is going on here, Elena?”
“Nothing. I’ve just got a lot on my mind and I wasn’t expecting to see you down here today. That’s all,” she said with a laugh before brushing up against him.
Tyler had figured out that when she wanted him to stop talking she initiated physical contact. Who was he to push her away? It’s all he wanted from her, right?
That thought didn’t sit too well with him. He had to harden himself to that. She was obviously after money. It was the only thing he could think of. She was a lawyer, but she’d only been practicing for two years, and he was sure she’d built up quite a bit of debt going to school, and living in Seattle. Her apartment was nice, but she had a roommate. Still, a two-bedroom in a decent area of Seattle wasn’t cheap.
What Tyler couldn’t figure out was how she was planning on exploiting him. The other thing he couldn’t figure out was why he was allowing this to continue. Did he want her that badly?
Apparently he did.
“What do you want from me, I wonder,” Tyler said, trailing his fingers down her cheek. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but he didn’t regret his words.
“Why don’t you stop wondering and give me a kiss before I have to get back to work?” she said.
Without further hesitation, she wound her hands behind his head and pulled him to her. It didn’t matter how many times their mouths touched. His body exploded with each brush of their lips.
He’d never actually put this much effort into being with a woman before. Yes, he’d had a few longer-term relationships, including the one with the woman he’d been about to propose to, but those had started so much simpler, and he’d definitely bedded all of the others a lot faster than this.
“I want you, Elena,” he growled, breaking away from her tempting lips. “Tonight.”
She shook her head slightly, obviously trying to clear her thoughts. He could see that she was as turned on as he was. Why was she continuing to stall? Maybe she was just a tease.
“Patience, Tyler. The longer we wait, the better it will be,” she said, taking a step back.
“I’ve waited plenty long enough,” he told her.
“Then I guess a little while longer won’t kill you,” she said, taking several steps away.
“This conversation isn’t finished yet,” he told her. Reaching down, he untucked his shirt trying to cover up the affect she had on him so he’d be presentable in public. From the way he was throbbing, scraping painfully against his jeans, he doubted he’d manage it anytime soon.