Chapter Sixteen
Christine didn’t know what to do with the Tyler standing in front of her right now. He was charming and the look in his eyes changed while saying sweet things. Really, really sweet things. Now he wanted to dance, after he just finished telling her how much he despised dancing?
That had to mean something.
Whatever it was, it made her pulse race and hands tremble. If she dug into it like she would with a story she was presented with, she would have the answer within seconds. But this wasn’t her job, it was her life. Right now reality was scary as heck. Way too scary to jump in with both feet looking for answers she may or may not want to find.
God, she was supposed to be avoiding him now. But she didn’t want to. She wanted to be in his arms and dance with him. No matter what happened, that wouldn’t change. She liked him. Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen for him all over again.
Thoughtless. Careless. Unavoidable.
She looked up at him, her heart wrenching at the warm look in his bright-green eyes. How could she have gone so wrong? “I can’t. Doctor’s orders. My doctor gets cranky when I don’t listen.”
“He sounds dreadful,” Tyler drawled. “Now stand up before I make you stand in front of this whole room. I will, too.”
Oh, she knew that. She struggled to her feet, making sure not to put her weight on her foot. “What are you going to do? Carry me around the dance floor like a child?”
“Yep, pretty much.” He hauled her close, squishing her breasts against his hard chest. His gaze dipped to her mouth before returning to her eyes. Her entire body tingled with need. “You’re the same height as Mrs. Morris, you know.”
She clung to him and laughed. “So it’ll be just like old times?”
“Except with her, I didn’t want to get up her dress the second the dance ended.” After dropping that bombshell, he lifted her weight effortlessly, leaving her feet dangling in the air, and swung her in a sweeping circle. “First rule of dancing? Make big circles. It makes you look like you know what you’re doing.”
She laughed again and clung to his shoulders, her head spinning and her heart soaring. Is this what true happiness felt like? She didn’t want this moment to ever stop. Didn’t want real life to intercede any time soon. “Is that so?”
“It is.” He did an elaborate turn, his grip on her never loosening. “It works for me, anyway. Mrs. Morris told me I had the prettiest polonaise she’d ever seen. To this day I have no idea what the hell that means.”
“Oh my God. Really?”
He dipped her low, his chest pressing against hers. Her nipples hardened and her stomach tightened. Being this close to him drove her body crazy, no matter how much she tried to avoid it. He lowered his face to hers until their noses touched and gave her a seductive grin, his hand on her lower back sliding even lower. “Really.”
He straightened her and twirled her so fast her head spun. She laughed. His laugh mingled with hers, clear and bright and glorious. She met his eyes, the smile fading off her face. He looked at her as if…as if…she mattered.
As if they were something.
She wanted to freeze this moment in time—maybe in one of those pretty snow globes her mother used to collect. Where a perfect scene was captured.
This scene, this moment? It needed to be remembered.
She tightened her hands on him, hesitating. This moment felt so deep and powerful that she was afraid to open her mouth and break it. Especially since it was all based on a silly list designed to make her more sexually adventurous. Then it had shifted slightly to include a little payback.
It all felt wrong now, even if she’d failed in her “get him hot and leave him” plan. The next day, they’d had sex. Twice. At least he would never know about her botched payback plan, if you could even call it that. To him, this would just be a fun weekend spent with an old flame. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“I do.” He met her eyes, and his fingers flexed on hers. He stared down at her, his green eyes so pure and bright that it hurt. “I really do.”
She bit down on the corner of her lip, her gaze held captive by his. “But why?”
“Because…” He took a deep breath, his grip on her tightening. “Because you’re special to me. You know what sent me running last time? The feeling we might be something huge if I let you in. That’s why I left. That’s why I ran away.”
Her chest tightened. She had to stop him right now. Had to stop him before things went too far. “Tyler…don’t say anything else.”
“You’re not stopping me from talking, damn it.” His fingers tightened on hers. “And you can’t stop me from caring, either.”
She shook her head slowly, as if in slow motion. Everything was about to crash down on her head. She knew it. “You really sh-shouldn’t.”
“Yeah, I should. I’m not running away this time, Red. I want to let you in. I want you.” He looked down at her, his eyes warm. He had no idea what he was doing to her right now. This wasn’t supposed to happen. “I don’t want to go back to ignoring you like before. I don’t want to stop talking the second this wedding is over. I want to take you out on a real date. We can do this again, but the right way. I know this sounds absolutely insane, but I made a few calls, and there are some openings at a great hospital in Denver. I took the job, Red. We’re going to be in the same city.”
Oh my God. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to move to be with her. Actually move. This was huge. Gigantic. Amazing. When she got home, he’d be there—oh, crap.
She wasn’t going to be there anymore. How could she have forgotten, for even a fraction of a second, that she was moving? He had no idea. She hadn’t told him.
The whole room spun around her, and she closed her eyes tight. “Tyler…I-I need to sit down. I think I’m going to pass out.”
Tyler’s fingers flexed on hers, but he led her back to her chair, gently guiding her to sit. “I didn’t think it would be that much of a shock, considering how this week has gone so far. Put your head between your knees and breathe in small spurts.”
She did as he suggested, her eyes still closed. At least she couldn’t see him staring at her with concern in his eyes. She didn’t deserve his kindness. She’d played him and he didn’t even know it. Used him to complete her stupid list, because she’d wanted any excuse to be with him. To spend time with him. “Water,” she croaked. “I need water.”
“I’ll go get it,” he said, his voice tight.
Obviously. She’d just had a panic attack when he’d told her he wanted to be with her—that he was willing to move to a completely different state to be with her. She couldn’t blame him for his terseness one bit. But she hadn’t been expecting that at all. She was leaving, for the love of God.
Moving to Maine. He was too late.
Silk rustled, and a hand rested on her knee. “You all right, honey?”
Mrs. Dresco squatted in front of her. “I’m fine. I’m just…I made a mistake and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“What mistake did you make?” Tyler asked, his voice tighter than before. “Can you excuse us, Mom? We need to talk.”
Mrs. Dresco nodded, looking between Tyler and Christine with curiosity clear in her eyes. “Of course.”
Tyler watched her go, and knelt at Christine’s feet in her place. He handed her the glass of water, and she took it gratefully. “Drink it all.”
Christine gulped down the water and lowered the empty cup to her lap. She clung to it as if it would give her all the answers in the world. As if it would fix this current mess she’d found herself in. He wasn’t supposed to want more from her—and she wasn’t supposed to, either. That possibility had never even occurred to Christine.
But he did. If she was being honest? So did she.
But she didn’t know how to get it.
“Tyler, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Wait. Let me go first.” He placed his hands on her legs, squeezing gently. “
Look, I know it’s a big step for you. To trust me again.” His fingers flexed on her. He caught her gaze, his own vulnerable and raw and open in a way she’d never have expected. He laughed again, the sound hoarse. “I know it’s crazy that I’m willing to move to a different city after a few days back in each other’s company—believe me, I know—but hell, it worked for Kady and Colt. Why can’t it work for us?”
“Tyler,” she said, her voice breaking.
He squeezed her hands. “We can make this work between us. I know it. I could make you so damned happy, if you’ll let me. Just let me.”
She had a feeling he could, too. She’d never felt as alive as she had when she’d been in his arms. But what was she supposed to do? He’d taken a job to be with her, and she wasn’t even going to be in Boulder anymore. Was she supposed to give up her new job back home, because he was ready to move to her city to be with her in some blind leap of faith? Give up her job back home with her brother, whom she missed like hell, to give them a chance at becoming something?
She couldn’t do that…could she? God, she didn’t know.
This was a huge thing. Freaking huge. Her heart sped up, choking her when it seemed to leap into her throat. She’d never expected this to happen. Not in a million years.