* * * *
When Tyler knew Nevvie was sound asleep he called Thomas.
“Well?”
Tyler went into the bathroom and closed the door. “I could fucking cut diamonds with my dick. I think the party next Saturday will bring about quite a few changes.” He told Thomas about the evening.
Thomas was quiet for a moment. “Are you sure the party’s really necessary? I mean, why wait? Why didn’t you go ahead and do something tonight?”
“It has to be both of us together when this happens.”
Thomas didn’t reply.
“She’s asleep,” Tyler continued. “I made her a hot tea with bourbon and she’s out like a light.”
“Sound asleep?”
“Yes.” Thomas didn’t reply. “What?” Tyler asked.
“Go lay next to her.”
His heart raced, his pulse pounding. “Why?” he whispered.
“You’re smarter than that, Ty. She did this on purpose. The room reservation? It wasn’t an accident. She told Paterno to reserve one room.”
“What?”
Thomas laughed. “When I talked to her on the phone earlier I teased her about it, and she nearly shit herself. I think our girl has more of an evil genius streak than you, sugar.”
He stuck his head out the bathroom door. Stretched on her left side, her back to him, her auburn hair loose—his angel.
“Tyler,” Thomas insisted, “go lay next to her.”
“But—”
“She’s asleep, right?”
“Yes.”
“You know you want to. I want you to. I’m lying here, stroking myself right along with you. She won’t wake up, not if you made her drink strong.”
Tyler forced his feet to move. Had he danced with her earlier? Now he dragged two concrete blocks at the ends of his legs. He carefully climbed into bed, afraid of disturbing her.
“Are you in bed with her?”
“Yes,” he whispered. He stared at the nape of her neck, so close.
“Lay the phone by your ear so you can hear me.”
Tyler did.
“Touch her hair.”
“No!” he gasped.
“Shh.” Thomas paused. “Why do you want me to be first?”
Tyler squeezed his eyes shut. “Because I love you,” he whispered.
“When the time comes, I won’t do anything until after you make her come for us. She needs you to do that for her, and I want you to do the honors. Now reach out and touch her hair, sugar.”
With trembling fingers he did, imagining what she’d feel like stretched out naked next to him.
Thomas’ voice echoed hoarsely in his ear. “Stroke your cock for me. You know you want to. You know you want to come laying there next to her. Snuggle in close, right up against the back of her neck, that delicious little spot that makes her shiver.”
Unable to resist Thomas’ command he did, his breath coming in terrified, desperate gasps, wanting to please him, loving her, needing release.
“Run those talented fingers up and down your cock and think about what it’s going to feel like making her come for us.”
Tyler’s imagination ran wild, picturing her on the dance floor, praying when the time was right that she’d be hot and willing and ready—for both of them.
“I want you to come for me.” Thomas’ ragged, deep growl told Tyler he was close. He knew that sound like he knew the feel of his own cock. “You gonna come for me, lover?”
With a final gasp he did, rolling away and afraid he’d wake her, riding it out. He heard Thomas climax on the other end and took a deep, shuddering breath.
He grabbed the phone and staggered to the bathroom on shaky legs. “Okay.”
Thomas sounded out of breath. “Sleep good. Hold her tight. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Tyler cleaned up after he recovered, then peeked out the bathroom door.
She hadn’t stirred, had no idea what they’d done.
Moving carefully, he slid under the covers next to her, nestling his chin on her shoulder. In sleep she felt him and pressed her back tight against his chest, sliding her leg down his.
He put his arm around her waist and kissed her shoulder before settling into a deep sleep.
* * * *
Nevvie woke before the alarm. They had a long day ahead and she needed to get Tyler moving, make sure he had time to eat a good breakfast and get coffee or he’d be a mess later.
As he shifted against her in sleep, the night before came back and she fought a wave of nearly dizzying melancholy. She thought she was past this, had reconciled this.
She was wrong.
When they got home he’d go behind closed doors with Thomas and get his rocks off, leaving her alone and working her way through an eight-pack of C-cell batteries.
Worse, they still had two more nights in New York. She’d have to ask the front desk to find alternate arrangements for her. She could go across the street, see if they had any rooms.
“Good morning, sweet,” Tyler whispered, kissing the back of her neck.
Nevvie squeezed her eyes shut. “How did you know I was awake?”
He rolled her onto her back. “I heard you.” He stroked her cheek. “The way you sound when you’re trying not to cry.”
She buried her head against his chest and sobbed while he held her.
“Let it out,” he murmured, stroking her back. “Don’t keep it inside.”
“I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t. I’m not strong enough. I can’t spend years loving you guys like this with nothing to show for it. It hurts too much.” She hated admitting it to him, knowing now she had to either figure out a way to deal with it…or figure out a way to let them go.
“Do you trust me?”
“This has nothing to do with trust.”
“Do you trust me, sweetheart?” His soft whisper quieted her. She knew his still waters ran deeper than the freaking Atlantic Ocean. What wasn’t he telling her?
Hating herself, knowing she wasn’t strong enough to ever leave them, feeling fucking pitiful that she’d willingly spend her life accepting the crumbs they threw her way, she said, “Yes.”
The emotion in his voice startled her. “I promised you anything. I bloody well know what you meant. You have to trust me.”
“How do we get through two more nights like this?”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I need you with me. Please. We can do this.”
She took a deep breath and looked at him. “No more fucking dancing. Not while we’re here alone and can get ourselves in trouble.”
“Fair enough. Can I take you to a show tonight?”
She nodded.
“Now be a good girl, go get your shower, then I’ll get mine, right?”
She got out of bed, and the hotel room door caught her eye. “You didn’t flip the safety bar last night!”
“What?”
She walked over and closed it. “You can’t forget that, Ty.”
He smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, love. I forget, you know that.”
She took her things into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
* * * *
Nevvie felt Tyler’s eyes on her most of the day. He didn’t hesitate to take and hold her hand while walking from one event to another. She finally met Elliot in person, and Tyler’s agent, Steve Maris. She loved watching Tyler from the wings as he entertained the audience, sat on a Q&A panel with other well-known authors, the fans lining up for autographs after lunch.
She stood behind the table with him, opening the books to the signature pages, nudging slowpokes along to keep the line moving. She’d never seen this side of Tyler. She was used to Thomas’ business persona. Watching Tyler pound away at his laptop wasn’t the same as the deft way he handled the public. To see him the way others saw him was a strange experience, in a good way.
Others never saw the steamy, sexy dancer, or the man who walked out to the kitchen for morning coffee d
ressed only in his boxers. The man who carried her to safety after Alex’s attack, and who tenderly held her at the doctor.
She felt she had a secret—and of course, she did. The audience thought they knew Tyler, including a few aggressively adoring fans who followed him around most of the day until Elliot helped her turn them away. Nevvie did know Tyler. She would sleep in his bed that night—even if all they did was sleep—and she truly got to love him.
Sort of.
Nevvie admitted a smug satisfaction at the obviously smitten looks of a few fans, male and female. Tyler was all hers.
Well, as much as she could have him. She knew she didn’t have to worry about anyone else, and she didn’t mind sharing him with Thomas.
That night, Tyler took her to a Broadway show, followed by a late dinner at Sardi’s. She avoided looking into his eyes, afraid she’d cry remembering how close she’d felt to him the night before. Despite that they talked, and she had a good time before they returned to their hotel a few blocks away.
The bed looked huge, like an elephant in the corner instead of a comforting place to rest. Tyler followed her gaze.
“Do you want me to make you a cup of tea, sweetheart?”
Euphemism for, “Want me to fix you something to knock you out?”
“No. Can we talk for a while?” She could do this. She would do this. She’d suck it up and quit acting like a baby.
“Of course, love.”
She prepared for bed while Tyler called Thomas. They didn’t chat long. Tyler passed her the phone and went to freshen up.
“Having fun?”
She missed him. Mixed in with her crazy desire was the guilt that she wasn’t with Thomas, especially with so much to do. Geller’s indictment would come down any time, and she was helping audit not only Geller’s projects, but all of them for the past ten years. Apparently the theft was limited to Geller, as far as they could tell, but to the tune of five hundred thousand dollars.
“I’m okay.”
“You don’t sound okay.”
“Just tired.”
He dropped his voice. “Sugar, you’re going through another stage. Trust us on this.”
Trust. She did trust them, but she wanted to sit them down and beg them to fuck her brains out. “Yeah. I guess.”
“Sweetie, we love you, you know that.”
She knew it, but their kind of love and what she wanted were two different animals. “I know.”
“Sleep tight, sweetheart. Don’t let Tyler bite.”
She finally laughed and hung up, crawling into bed. Tyler joined her a few minutes later, and she couldn’t deny snuggling with him felt right.
“What did you wish to talk about?”
“Why did you marry twice before you ended up with Thomas?”
He tensed for a second. Obviously not a subject he enjoyed talking about.
“I met One while I was still teaching at USF. She was a graduate student, and we had a lot in common. I was in love with her. After six months she told me I smothered her.”
“Smothered?”
He hesitated. “I wanted everything to be perfect.”
Nevvie could imagine that. “Was she pretty?”
“Not nearly as beautiful as you, sweet.” He stroked her thigh through the sheet, his hand coming to rest on her hip. “She was a marathon runner, always training, measuring her carbs and protein and all that. I got yelled at once for making her a peach cobbler.”
“Ungrateful bitch.”
“Quite.” Nevvie suspected there was more but didn’t want to push.
“What about your other wife?”
“Two was a rebound relationship, I’m sorry to say. I didn’t try hard enough, which wasn’t fair to her. I feared repeating mistakes with One, and I was dealing with the aftermath of another break-up.”
“How long were you married to her?”
“Nearly a year. I met Thomas soon after.”
They laid there for a moment. “When did you have your first relationship with a man?”
She wasn’t sure he would answer. When he did, his voice sounded quiet. “After One I thought maybe I’d look around, finally admitted I wouldn’t be adverse to it. I had a couple of dalliances here and there. Then I met someone I liked and found out a few weeks into it that he wasn’t interested in forever, just for now.”
“Then you met Two?”
He nodded against her shoulder. “I thought I’d try it again with the fairer sex.”
“Why did you fall for Thomas? How did you know he was interested?”
She wanted to hear Tyler’s version of how they met. After a long moment he spoke, his voice full of fond memories.
“When he walked into Haslam’s I noticed him immediately. His smile, his laugh. I loved his eyes. The way he walked, held himself, talked with his friends, he struck me as someone open and honest. So I took a risk and put out the suggestion during my talk that I’d be open to meeting a man. Fortunately, for once, he was listening.”
“How was your first time?” She dared meet his eyes.
“You mean…intercourse with a man?”
She nodded.
He couldn’t hide his pain, not from her. After a few moments he answered. “It wasn’t with Thomas, and it wasn’t pleasant. I thought he wanted more than sex. He was older and I made the mistake of trusting him too soon. I’d done other things with men but not that, wanting to be sure I could be emotionally invested in it.” He took a deep, shuddering breath and managed a wan smile. “I promised myself that if I was ever someone’s first I wouldn’t repeat that man’s mistakes.”
Her heart broke for him. “Did he hurt you?”
Tyler looked away. “He wasn’t gentle, if that’s what you mean.” He took another shuddering breath at the obviously painful memory. “It wasn’t at all romantic or loving. Apparently I’m not as good a judge of character as I thought. He walked out and I never saw him again.”
“So that’s when you met Two?”
“It wasn’t fair to her. She got a lot of my anger. I was tired of trying to take care of others and getting hurt for my efforts.”
“Thomas?”
A true smile. “Our sweet Thomas had played around with men and women, but I was fortunate enough to be his first, in that way.”
She couldn’t help but smile with him. “I’m guessing he enjoyed it?”
Tyler’s sly grin made her laugh. “Well, twelve years later he still says he does. I’m assuming he’s not ready to pitch me quite yet.”
The comment slipped from her mouth before she could stop it. “I’ve never done that before.”
He kissed her forehead. “We would never hurt you, sweetheart, I promise. Let’s try to get some sleep. We have another long day tomorrow.”
She snuggled against him, still reeling from his implied message. Despite her desire she realized she wasn’t ready to push harder for answers. No matter what, she didn’t want to ever come between the men and what they had.
Whatever Tyler had in mind she’d have to find the strength to let it unfold as it would, no matter how she wanted to rush.
Because she trusted him.
“Promise me I won’t ever come between you, Tyler. I couldn’t stand it if you guys broke up because of me.”
His voice sounded muffled against the back of her neck. “We love you, darling. Have no worries of the future, please?”
Nevvie closed her eyes and eventually dreamed of slow dancing, protectively nestled between her boys and floating around an empty dance floor, their movements perfectly coordinated.
Chapter Fourteen
They flew into Tampa Monday afternoon. At home, Thomas waited with dinner on the stove. Nevvie gave him a quick hug and retreated to her bedroom to unpack.
“How is she?” Thomas whispered to Tyler after hugging and kissing him.
“She’ll be all right. Are you still going tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Will the weather be good enough
to take the bike?”
“It should be.”
* * * *
She was surprised to find they’d be on the road the next morning but didn’t protest. Maybe a bike ride would help. Spending time alone with Thomas might level out her emotions.
Thomas rolled the Harley out of the garage while she hugged Tyler goodbye.
“Have a good time, sweetheart.”
She forced her eyes from his and pulled her helmet on. Feeling guilty that she wanted to be away from him, she climbed onto the bike behind Thomas.
Thomas took I-75, heading south to Ft. Myers, a first-hand check of a job site he hadn’t visited in over a month. He wanted her with him to examine paperwork and hopefully catch any improprieties.
The warm day wasn’t oppressively humid. Florida Octobers were fickle months, sometimes hot, sometimes cool, wet or dry, it was hard to predict. They stopped for lunch before going to the job site. Once there, she followed Thomas around, taking notes and helping him examine invoices and records.
Fortunately everything appeared copacetic. After six hours Thomas was satisfied and called Tyler before they left.
Nevvie watched his face. From the way his jaw suddenly clenched she knew there was a problem. He motioned her close and pointed to her BlackBerry, clipped to her jeans. She handed it over, and while he talked with Tyler he looked at something.
“Shit. I see it. Okay, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll call you after we get to a hotel and eat dinner… Love you, too.”
Hotel? “What?”
Thomas held up her phone, the browser displaying the National Weather Service radar page. A wide swath of severe thunderstorms lay between them and Tampa, stretching from Punta Gorda all the way to Brandon.
“Can’t we hang until it’s over?”
He shook his head. “Sugar, I don’t mind riding in rain, but a frontal boundary like that means wind shear. I-75 will be wet for hours after it stops. I’m not risking our lives in it.” He studied her. “I’ll get us two rooms.”
She quickly shook her head. “No.” She took a deep breath. “We can bunk together.”
“You sure?”