He hauled her into his arms without another word. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but didn’t rest against his shoulder this time. He shifted her in his arms and tipped his head upward.
“The sunrise is pretty,” he said, his tone still perfectly neutral.
She looked up at the sky, her breath catching in her throat. The pinks were now melded with oranges and reds, and the sky was almost blue. The colors were so vibrant and beautiful and perfect. She’d never have thought she would see a sunrise while cradled in Tyler’s arms. Even in Mexico, she hadn’t gotten to watch the morning arrive with him, because he’d left her.
If she weren’t careful, he’d do it to her all over again. She was only protecting herself by pulling away now. Which only made it even harder to keep him at a distance.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Yeah. It’s beautiful.”
“Absolutely perfect,” he said, his voice hushed. When she glanced up at him, more out of habit than anything else, he was watching her with hooded eyes. Not the sunrise. “Red, I know we have a hell of a lot of—”
Loud voices came from the left, cutting him off, and Christine recognized one of them. It was Julie and another man. Maybe Reed? Christine looked through the trees, catching a brief glimpse of color. Any second now, they’d be here. Saved by the bell.
“You can put me down now,” she said.
His grip on her tightened. “Just because we have help doesn’t mean you’re walking yet. I’ll carry you to the resort, and I’ll take you to your room. Then, and only then, will I put you down.”
“Yes, sir,” she bit off, hating the way he was acting—all bossy and domineering again. Hating that she’d made him act this way with her behavior.
Julie stumbled into view, with Reed right behind her. Judging from the tight lines around both their mouths, Christine would place her money on the fact that they’d been fighting. Julie rushed forward, her brow crinkled. “What happened?”
Christine opened her mouth to reply, but Tyler cut her off. “Ankle sprain.”
Julie paled. “Oh, you poor thing. Let’s get you back to the resort right now. Ice and elevation, that’s what you need. We’ll get it fixed up real good. Don’t you worry, sweetheart. I’m going to have room service bring you up a big old cup of coffee and some chocolate. Aunt Sylvie always said there’s nothing you can’t cure with chocolate and time.” She patted Tyler on the arm. “Can you carry her the rest of the way or should—”
“I’ve got her.”
Christine balled her fists. “I can—”
“I said I got it,” Tyler snapped. It. Not her. “Julie, you can go lead the way with Reed, since you have the flashlight.”
Julie raised a brow at Christine but nodded. “Fabulous. Let’s get moving.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tyler stood in the crazy, crowded lobby, watching everyone fight to be heard over one another. He was getting sick of the ever-increasing noise all around them. His patience was wearing dangerously thin. Especially since he wanted to put Christine down in her bed, and go to his room for some fucking peace and quiet.
Ever since she’d woken up cold and distant, he’d been on edge and ready to snap. It’s not like he’d expected her to be in love with him or anything, but here he was thinking about the future, and she was pushing him away. It was as if they were already a done deal.
In her head, maybe they already were.
“Guys, I’m fine.” Christine let out a sigh. “Seriously.”
No one heard her. They just kept planning and shouting and talking. Tyler pulled her closer and looked down at her. She had bags under her eyes and looked as if she would pass out at any given time. He hugged her closer and cleared his throat.
“Excuse me.” No one turned around. “Excuse me!” he shouted.
Everyone stopped talking and turned around. His mom stepped closer, her blue eyes wide with concern, and rested her hand on his arm. “I’m taking Christine upstairs. She needs to rest.”
“But shouldn’t a doctor check her out?” someone asked from the back of the crowd. He couldn’t even see who, that’s how crazy the lobby was right now. All he could see was a fake tree. “Make sure she’s okay?”
He shifted her in his arms. “She doesn’t need another doctor poking at her. I already checked her out, but if the pain persists, she should get an X-ray. Until we give it some time to heal, we’re wasting all of our time arguing about it. I’m taking her up to her room for some sleep. Don’t disturb her for a couple of hours.”
Julie nodded. “If you’re sure…?”
“I’m sure.”
He gave them all a tight smile and headed for the elevator with long steps. The sooner he got her in bed, the sooner he could find his own and crash. And man, he needed some sleep stat. Maybe once he was rested, he’d be able to make sense out of the fact that he’d fallen for Christine, while she’d basically shoved him away the second the sun rose.
How fucking ironic was that?
“Hello? Earth to Tyler?” Christine tapped him on his chest. When he looked down at her, he stiffened. There was something in her eyes that made his heart lurch in reply. “Thanks for doing that. Rescuing me from the masses.”
At least her monotone voice from earlier this morning was gone. She sounded like herself again…whatever the hell that meant. The elevator doors opened, and he walked inside the elevator. “Don’t mention it. What floor are you on?”
“The same one as you. Five doors down.”
Five fucking doors down?
If he’d known she was that close, nothing short of a disaster would have stopped him from breaking down her door so they could finish what they had started the other night after she’d run away from him. But he didn’t say anything. Just watched the numbers climb higher as the elevator gained floors.
When it hit their floor, he stepped off the elevator and headed toward his room. “What’s your room number?”
“308,” she said.
He passed his room and kept walking until he stood in front of hers. “Do you still have your key?”
“Yeah. It’s right here.” She tried to swipe the card down the lock, twisting in his arms, but she couldn’t reach it. “You’ll have to put me down so I can open the door. I’m fine on my own.”
“Not yet. Just give it to me.” He plucked the card from her fingers and ran it through the lock. “I’ll put you down on the bed once we’re inside, but I don’t want you putting any weight on that ankle until absolutely necessary.”
She sighed. “You don’t have to—”
“Yes, I do,” he snapped. “Do you have to argue with me every time I fucking open my mouth?”
She blinked up at him, but the surprise was quickly overcome by anger. “Maybe if you weren’t always being Dr. McBossy, I wouldn’t.”
He kicked the door open and entered her room. There was no point in replying to that statement. It would only make her even angrier, and he’d done nothing but anger her ever since she woke up. He might as well quit while he was…well, behind. After laying her down on the bed, he st
raightened and glanced around. Her room was spotless. It looked as if no one lived in it right now. It was that tidy. He felt as if he made it dirtier just by stepping inside.
“Did you unpack at all?” he asked, smoothing his hair.
“Yeah.” She looked around her, blinking. “Uh, why?”
“There’s nothing out. Where your stuff? Perfume, makeup? Clothes?”
“Oh.” She flushed. “It’s all in the bathroom, and my clothes are in the closet. My suitcase, too. I like to keep things organized. When I get to my room, I take the first hour to unpack.”
He nodded, not sure why he was talking about this stupid shit when there was so much more to say. But maybe that was the problem. There was so much left unsaid that he didn’t even know where to begin. He crossed the room to the ice bucket. “I’ll be right back.”
“You don’t have to come back. I’ll be fine alone.”
He froze with his hand on the bucket, his left hand gripping the table edge so tightly he was surprised it didn’t crack from the pressure. She was so eager to be done with him that she couldn’t wait to shove him out the door. He’d be lying if he said that her willingness to get rid of him didn’t hurt. “I’m getting some ice for your ankle. I’m going to put it in a bag and set it on your injury. Once I’m done, and only once I’m done, I’ll leave you alone.”
He grabbed her key and the ice bucket, and slammed the door shut behind him. He headed down the deserted corridor toward the ice. He should have kept his hands to himself. No, that wasn’t true. He didn’t regret what they’d done. That was just the frustration talking. They were both exhausted and they both needed a few hours of sleep.
Later tonight, he’d talk to her again.
Try to find a way to ask her if she’d be interested in taking this a step further after the wedding was over. Hell, he was even considering the impossible: changing his life for her. To be with her. He was willing to try just about anything…if she was. But right now? It didn’t seem as if she was. It was probably just the exhaustion talking, though. They were both ready for some sleep. They both might be much more amicable to the type of conversation he had in mind after some R & R.