A low sound hummed in Tyler’s throat as he lowered his head, but Emma stopped him. “Iwillbe brushing my teeth, Bowen.”
Tyler’s brow furrowed. Emma grinned and pulled his head down next to hers, then flicked her tongue against the lobe of his ear. “This time, you can come with me.” She trailed her hands down his chest, feeling every contour of his muscular body, then wrapped her hand around his and led him to the bedroom. “Promise you won’t leave?”
“Depends on how long you take.” His voice was husky.
Emma laughed, pushed him toward the bed, then walked into the bathroom. She left the door open and pulled her toothbrush from its charger.
“I like your bed,” Tyler called from the bedroom.
“I’m sure you do.” Emma brushed, trying to calm the ticker tape flashing through her mind reminding her how inexperienced she was, and how Tyler would have plenty of women in his head to compare her to.
She leaned over to spit, wiped her mouth, and steeled herself.Get on the damn ice. It was time she took her own advice. Emma flicked the light off and walked out to find Tyler staring at a picture on her nightstand.
He glanced up, his face lit by the dim light of the lamp. “How old were you here?”
“Sixteen, I think. It’s one of my favourite family photos.” She remembered that day. They drove to Prince’s Island Park and spent far too long in the cold to get that shot. “I’m impressed you could tell which one was me.” She and her sister looked a lot alike, especially as teenagers.
Tyler set the frame back down, and his jaw worked. Emma padded across the floor and leaned into his side. He rested his chin on her head.
When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “I think . . . I want that.”
Emma’s heart ached for him. Here he was in a new city with his one remaining parent in the hospital, and Tyler didn’t have anyone else. He didn’t have five siblings to rely on. When Troy was gone, he would be the only one left who knew every piece of his story.
“You won’t be alone, you know that, right?” Emma put a hand on his chest. “You’re a Snowball now.”
“And when Sean finds out about this?”
“He’ll get over it. Because that’s what family does for each other.”
Tyler looped a finger through her belt loop and turned her to face him, then slipped his hands under her shirt and lifted it up over her stomach. The fabric grazed her skin as he pulled it higher, looping it over her head.
He took a step back and sat on the bed, pulling her with him. She twined her fingers in his tousled hair as he pressed his cheek against her, his breath whispering against her bare skin.
Tyler kissed each rib, then his hands crept up her back and found the clasp of her bra. She gasped as he flicked it open with only his finger and thumb.That was a double hook.
Tyler paused, feeling her tense. He looked up as her bra hovered loose over her flesh.
“What?” she panted.
Tyler’s lips twitched. “You’re not especially good at hiding your thoughts.”
Emma set her jaw. “You find this funny?” Her bra straps slipped on her shoulders.
“You did tell me you were hilarious.” He kissed her navel, his hazel eyes still fixed on hers. “But no, I’m not laughing at you. I love that I can read you like a book.”
Emma’s eyes shuttered as he nipped at the skin under her ribs. “And what exactly are you reading?”
“That you’re nervous,” he murmured. Emma's breathing quickened, and Tyler put a hand over her heart, making her bra slip another inch. “And that you’re wondering if I’m thinking of the other women I’ve been with.”
Of course, she was nervous. “I just don’t want to be a disappointment. I haven’t—there aren’t many men in my past.”
Tyler laughed, and his eyes crinkled. “I want to validate your thoughts right now, but do you know how crazy that is? Do you know how often I wished I could throw you onto the counter at the property or jump that bloody console in my truck? And don’t even get me started about that night in Canmore…”
Emma’s heart skipped a beat as Tyler pulled the straps off her shoulders and slid them down her arms. When his hands found her skin again, she sucked in a breath.
“Why didn’t you? You obviously didn’t care about the rules.”
“I cared about you. And you cared about the rules.” His lips dragged lazy circles over her. “From the start you were never like the others. So I’m going to take my time until you’re convinced that you’re the only woman in my head.”
