He glanced down at his faded yellow T-shirt and board shorts. “Well, why didn’t you say so when I was still at home?”
She laughed, and Tyler caught the movement of the valet as he came toward the car. He still leaned over and silenced the laughter coming from Tawny’s mouth by covering hers with his. This kiss wasn’t nearly as soft as the one outside his house, but she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she slung one hand around the back of his neck and kissed him back.
Passionately.
The door opened behind him, and then the valet said, “Oh, excuse me,” and shut the door again.
Tyler rested his forehead against Tawny’s, the weight of her arm across his shoulders sensual and spine-tingling. “Honestly?” he whispered, hoping he wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of his life. “I think this fake relationship has gotten a little too real for me.”
Before she could answer, he untangled himself from her and got out of the car. Sterling stood there, his face the color of Tawny’s cherry soda.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said stiffly.
“It’s fine, Sterling.” Tyler slipped him some money. “Did I miss too much of the festival?”
“It’s still going strong, sir.”
“Great.” Tyler watched as Tawny unfolded herself from his low-profile sports car, and wow, she was the most radiant woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Her gaze locked with his, and he wasn’t entirely sure since it had been a while since he’d dated anyone, but she looked like she had fire in the blue depths of her eyes.
Now, whether that was angry fire or passionate fire, he wasn’t sure. Both would burn him, and he hoped he was ready for the heat.
Chapter Twelve
He’d done it again. Tyler had said something that had Tawny topsy-turvy and not sure what the heck was going on.
Did he like that their relationship was too real? Or was he upset about it and wanted to pull back? See her less? Kiss her never again?
Because the man kissed her like she was his dying breath, and she felt herself slipping down a slope toward loving him quickly. So he’d done some private investigating on Omar. He was probably right that the avocado grower did more than Tawny knew.
And though he wore his beach clothes, she still felt like a princess walking on his arm into the hotel, which now sported a huge, twenty-five-foot Christmas tree in the lobby on the first floor.
“Holy cow.” Tyler paused and drank in the tree before him, a smile spreading across his handsome face. The tree had ornaments of all sizes, from great big gold balls to small ceramic surfboards. Whoever Fisher had commissioned to do the tree had taken the charm and exactly what Getaway Bay stood for and turned it into Christmas decorations.
The multi-colored lights seemed to brighten the lobby, though it was broad daylight and the sun threw it’s light everywhere.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
“Beautiful.” He turned and looked at her, something raw on his face. She’d seen this look in the car on the way over too, and she wanted to know what it meant.
“Are you going to stand me up for the parade tonight?” She quirked one eyebrow at him, and he chuckled.
“I don’t think you’re leaving my sight for the rest of the day.” He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her temple, a gesture he’d done many times since the gala, and each time it made Tawny feel more treasured, more adored, more loved.
Which was stupid, really. But she couldn’t help how she felt. She’d been looking for a man like Tyler for years, and she couldn’t believe he’d been right there, a half a mile from her house, all this time.
And he had asked her to the gala.
They moved toward and past the tree to the activities beyond it. “Why did you ask me?” she asked, feeling brave and maybe a little reckless. “I mean, if we’re going to be honest and all that, why did you ask me to the gala?”
Before he could answer, Owen Church, the general manager of Sweet Breeze, approached and said, “Tyler. Mister DuPont would like to see you.” He cut a glance at Tawny. “Hello, Miss Loveless.”
“Owen, have you seen Stacey?”
“She’s at pool eight,” Owen said without missing a beat. “She said if I saw you to send you up.” He half-turned and gestured for Tyler to go with him. “Tyler, please. Fisher says it’s quite important.”
Tawny exchanged a glance with Tyler. “Guess I’ll be out of your sight for a while.” She added a smile to the statement so he would know she was teasing him.
“And I left my phone at home,” he said, a blip of anxiety slipping through his eyes.
“You can call the pool,” Owen said.
Tyler hesitated yet another moment, and then he stepped close, cupped her face in one hand and kissed her. This was a completely different kind of kiss than the one in the car. That had felt heated, almost desperate. This was sweet, kind, and slow, and Tyler didn’t seem to mind that there were hundreds of people teeming around them.
In fact, that was probably why he was kissing her right now. So everyone could see.
“I’ll see you soon, okay?” His whispered words almost sounded like a plea, and definitely didn’t come off as a man who was simply fulfilling his word. No, he sounded like he could actually like her.
Dazed and in disbelief, she watched him walk away, his head bent close with Owen’s. They disappeared down a private hallway that Tawny knew went to Fisher’s office.
Sighing, she turned as if she’d have a best friend standing right behind her to gush about Tyler with. But Esther wasn’t there, and Stacey was waiting at pool eight on the twenty-sixth floor.
As Tawny went to the elevator and ascended toward the pool, she had the sinking feeling that she was already in love with Tyler Rigby, and that when the holidays ended, she’d lose her heart all over again.
Tawny found Stacey, Esther, Sasha, and Winnie at pool eight. All members of the Women’s Beach Club, the women were sunbathing with sodas nearby. None of them seemed to be talking, so Tawny simply sat in the only lounger left and kicked off her sandals.
A waitress appeared and Tawny ordered a mango pineapple mocktail, with a side of chips and salsa.
That got Esther’s attention. “Chips and salsa?” She peered over her mirrored sunglasses, her blonde hair wisping with a sudden uptick in the breeze.
“I didn’t eat lunch,” Tawny said.
“Too worried about Tyler?”
“Something like that.” Tawny pulled her sunglasses out of her bag and slipped them on. She wasn’t wearing a bathing suit, but her tank and shorts were just fine for lying in the sun.
“Did you find him?” Stacey asked.
“Yeah, he was just at home. He said he forgot.”
“Mm.”
Sasha turned her head and squinted at Tawny. “What’s going to happen with you guys?”
“What do you mean?”
“What she means,” Esther said. “Is that it’s obvious that you’ve fallen for him.”
“No, I haven’t.” Tawny wished she had her big drink to hide behind. “We both knew the situation going in.”
Esther scoffed, but it was Stacey who said, “That doesn’t mean you haven’t fallen for him.”
“That’s exactly what it means,” Tawny said. “Help me out here, Winnie.”
“Oh, girl,” the woman said. “Even I can see you like him.”
“Liking him and falling for him are two different things. He’s a great guy. He’s become a friend. Nothing wrong with that.”
Stacey finally sat up and reached for her bag. She withdrew her phone and passed it to Winnie. “Check out the third video.”
“Stacey,” Tawny warned, but Winnie started tapping and scrolling anyway. There was no sound, but Tawny didn’t need to hear it to know what Winnie was seeing. The video from Thanksgiving dinner at Aloha Hideaway.
“Mm hm.” Winnie passed the phone to Tawny, nothing else to say, apparently.
Tawny took the device but she didn’t look at it. She had
a feeling she’d both like what she saw and be utterly horrified. Her drink came, along with her chips and salsa, and she busied herself with them so she wouldn’t have to try to defend herself against what was obvious to her friends.
Was it obvious to Tyler too?
She stuffed another salsa-laden chip in her mouth, but it was really hard to swallow.
“Okay,” she finally said. “What am I going to do?”
Sasha gave her a sympathetic look, but Esther and Stacey both started laughing. Tawny let them have their fun, and then she said, “Seriously, guys.”
“Have you thought about telling him the truth?” Stacey asked.
She thought about their vow to be honest with each other. She wasn’t sure she could stomach the thought of losing him. You’re going to lose him anyway.
“And say what? ‘Hey, I know this started out as a ruse, but I’ve fallen for you, and I’d like to…to…I don’t even know what!” Frustration built inside Tawny’s chest, making breathing difficult.
“You want to keep seeing him,” Esther said. “Dating him. After his family’s gone.”
“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?” She couldn’t do that to him, not a week and a half before his family came to town. She wouldn’t. He’d been nothing but kind to her, and she liked almost everything about him. Sure, his nonchalance about his money was a little odd, as was his seeming overprotectiveness of her. She didn’t like that he’d hired someone to look into Omar and hadn’t told her.
But other than that, he was darn near perfect. And not only that, but perfect for her.
She groaned and closed her eyes, wishing she could just float away into the sunshine, no cares or worries in the world weighing her down.
“Honey,” Winnie said. “I don’t want another man. But you do. I know you do. You always have.”
Tawny nodded, too mentally exhausted to smile at Winnie, who really was a great friend. “Thanks, Winnie.”
“Maybe he’s the one. Maybe it’ll take something hard to keep him,” she said. “And I’ve never known you to shy away from doing something hard.”
Tawny nodded again, but the words rolled around in her head and took root.
Maybe he’s the one.
Tell him the truth.
It’ll take something hard to keep him.
“I’ll talk to him after Christmas,” she murmured. Perhaps none of her friends heard her. Or perhaps they didn’t believe her, just like she didn’t believe herself. After all, having a fake relationship with Tyler was better than none at all, and Tawny was sure if she told him the truth, she’d lose him. She’d confessed feelings for men too soon before, and she wasn’t going to repeat that mistake here.
Nope. Her resolve to do everything the opposite as she normally did hardened, and she let her thoughts drift. So he’d said a few things that had confused her. But that was because she was trying to hear something in his words that wasn’t there.
Chapter Thirteen
Tyler listened as Fisher went through the accommodations for his family. They’d been booked into the penthouse on the twenty-seventh floor, just one level below Fisher. He’d said several times already that he’d attend to anything they needed personally.
The penthouse didn’t take up the whole footprint the way Fisher’s did, but the three bed-room unit was three times as big as Tyler’s house, with the nicest furnishings, a full kitchen, and three bathrooms.
“They’ll be fine,” he’d told Fisher, but the man insisted on walking through the welcome package, the amenities included, all of it. He finally finished, and Tyler wondered how he’d ever worked as hard as Fisher.
He had, in the past. Poker was ninety percent skill and ten percent luck. His photographic memory helped immensely as he studied his opponents, counted cards, and learned the best combinations to win. Sometimes a two could beat an ace, and he knew all the ways that could happen.
His nerves of steel took care of the rest. When he felt like calling, he bid instead. When the guy across from him flinched, he doubled-down. Tyler had worked and traveled, barely taking time to eat or sleep, once. And he never wanted to be like that again.
“So let’s talk about you and Tawny,” Fisher said next, and that got Tyler to sit up straighter. He cut a glance at Owen, who didn’t act like he’d heard a word. He continued to tap away on his computer, squinting at something and then looking at a ledger in front of him.
“What about her?” Tyler asked.
“I need to inform my staff about the relationship. Make sure no one slips up.”
“Slips up about what? And aren’t you personally attending to my family?” He looked at Owen again, somehow wanting the man to confirm.
“They could come in contact with any number of people,” Fisher said.
“All of whom think Tawny and I are engaged,” Tyler said. “I don’t see the problem.”
“Fisher was talking too loudly to Marshall about it,” Owen said, still pecking away at his work. “A few people overheard.”
Fear struck Tyler right behind his breastbone.
“I was not talking too loud,” Fisher said, clearly cross with his GM.
“Fisher,” Tyler said, so much warning in his voice it felt dangerous.
“I was in my own home,” Fisher said, his eyes earnest. “Marshall was there, sure. But we both know the nature of the relationship. The door was ajar for room service, and they didn’t announce themselves.”
Tyler cocked his head, trying to decide how much this mattered. “You’ve had that problem a lot.”
“Very funny.” Fisher shook his head, a tiny smile appearing on his face. “I’ve taken care of the problem both times. But I’m wondering if I should assign those two to your family, since they already know.” He flipped his phone over and over.
“I don’t think it matters,” Tyler said. “But maybe you shouldn’t be discussing my relationship when it’s none of your business.”
“Your relationship?” Fisher stilled and looked right at Tyler. Even Owen stopped the incessant typing and turned to watch him.
“It’s…complicated.” Tyler wasn’t going to say more.
Fisher exchanged a glance with Owen, and Tyler hated that they’d talked about him without his knowledge.
“Have you learned more about Omar Velasquez?” Fisher asked.
Tyler nodded. “He’s not a nice guy, but he doesn’t seem to be doing anything illegal here. He won’t even come out of that house up in the hills.”
“Have you talked to Jasper?”
“Yep. He doesn’t know anything.”
“Owen?”
“I will see what I can find out.” The general manager had ways of learning things that maybe others couldn’t. Tyler had no idea how, or what he’d do, but it didn’t matter. Knowledge was power when playing with dangerous personalities. Tyler should know. He’d made millions outsmarting the smartest players in the world.
“All right. Well, I think we’re ready for your family.”
“Thanks, Fisher.” Tyler stood. “I’m sorry about this morning. I just got focused on something else.”
He waved his hand. “It was a few card tricks. No big deal.”
Tyler left his friend’s office, wondering if he was welcome at pool eight with Tawny and her friends. He decided he didn’t care. He wanted to spend time with her, and if that meant he had to interrupt her girl time, he’d do it.
He knew he’d made a mistake when he stepped onto the pool deck, and five pairs of female eyes traveled to him. Though he was dressed in proper pool attire, he felt like he absolutely did not belong.
Tawny lay partially back in a lounger, one leg flung over the other at the knee. She was so sexy she took his breath away and he stalled on the other side of the pool. No way he was going over there to talk to her with Stacey, Esther, Sasha, and another woman he didn’t know watching him. Listening. Eavesdropping.
Stacey pushed her sunglasses down her nose and studied him as if she wasn’t sure who
he was.
He lifted his hand in a wave and pointed back the way he’d come. Then he got the heck out of there, using some of his intelligence on something other than poker for once in his life.
Since he didn’t have his phone, he simply went back to the elevator, which sat outside the dressing rooms. Too much time passed before Tawny showed up, but he couldn’t help smiling at her.
“So, gossiping about me with your friends?”
“Absolutely.” She grinned and leaned her palms against his chest. “It was a nice nap though. What did you and Fisher talk about?”
“My family’s accommodations. They’re staying here.”
“They are?” True surprise colored her voice.
“Well, my place is too small. The nephews might stay with me and Lazy Bones.”
“But we’re eating at your place, right?”
“On Christmas and Christmas Eve, yes.” He put his hands on her waist, the shape of her in front of him so perfect, he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Tawny, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
The word vomit built, built, built, and he knew he was going to blow everything up. Don’t do it, he coached himself. Do not say another word.
“Sure, anything.” Her fingertips slid along his collar and behind his head, where she played with the ends of his hair. His pulse went wild, and instead of talking, Tyler leaned down and kissed her.
He was sure he said more by doing that anyway. She had to know he was falling in love with her, so why couldn’t he say it out loud?
He took Tawny to the light parade that night, enjoying some Hawaiian traditions he’d never really participated in before. Having Santa’s sleigh be a canoe pulled by dolphins was a bit odd for him, but he loved the hula dancing and the ukulele music. He ate too much ice cream, and bought Tawny too many fruity drinks.
Time slipped away, and before he knew it, he’d said nothing to Tawny about how he felt about her, nothing about wanting to continue the relationship after his family left, nothing about what he wanted to talk to her about. She never asked either, and Tyler decided it was because she didn’t want to perpetuate their relationship after the holidays.