He pulls away from me so he can look at my face and brushes away wet hair that plasters my forehead. “Looks like I win again.” A smile curves at the side of his mouth.
He presses a kiss to my lips and starts picking up my scrubs that lay on the shower floor. “I’ll wash them for you.” He wraps a towel around his naked body. “See you at dinner.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
SUNNY
I findmyself in another set of Tyler's sweats while I sit on a barstool, formulating a series of plans to side step questions.
Toying with the too loose material, my thoughts fester. How will I explain this? Especially to Sam. She already traveled down that path of questions with Tyler and I, even if for a brief moment.
“Tyler,” I say, looking up to see him cooking happily. With a toothpick in his mouth and the white t-shirt and sweats combo, it makes it hard to have a conversation beyond this moment.
“Yes, baby?” he asks, rolling the pasta dough along his black marble countertops, flexing those cords of muscles in his forearms.
I get up from the barstool and come up next to him. “What are we going to tell Sam?”
He side eyes me. “We can tell her the truth.”
“Tyler,” I groan. “We can’t do that.”
“And why can’t we?”
“Are you serious? You know why Tyler. This isn’t...”
“It can be whatever we want it to be, Sunny. Weren’t you the one who told me the night we met, well, for the second time, thatthere is always a choice. Right?” He glances at me. “We always have a choice, and we can shape our own path, do whatever the fuck we want because it’sourlife. I already live by my own morals. Why don’t you?”
We stare at one another for a beat, and he slides the dish cloth off his shoulder to wipe his hands. Tossing it to the side, he brings both hands to cup my face. “Does the idea of hiding behind closed doors turn you on, little fire? Is that why you don’t want to tell anyone? Sneaking around just does something inside you?”
“Youdo something inside of me,” I admit.
“Oh baby, this is only the beginning. I’ve only checked off a few items of my list of ways to make it up to you.”
“Then show me.”
“I plan to take my time with you.” He grazes his lips along the column of my neck. A sigh leaves my mouth and that fucking fire starts to kindle inside me again, aching for him to fuel it and set it aflame.
“Tyler…” I swallow hard while his lips keep whispering along my neck. “Anyone could walk in right now.” He picks me up and sets me on the counter. “Hmm. I don’t think you mind that at all. I think you like knowing we could be caught at any minute.” He tucks a curl behind my ear. “What would you do, baby, if we got caught?” He nips at my neck, then traces his tongue along my scar.
“I…” I open my mouth to speak but the sound of a knock on the door has both our heads snapping in that direction.“Okay,” I start, panickedly. “I got shit on at work, decided to just come straight here and shower since your place was closer and I just wanted to get the ick off.”
“Shit on?” he asks. “You really know how to make a man go from rock hard to soft instantly,” he jokes, pressing a kiss on my head and starts washing his hands.
“Tyler, I’m a nurse, that’s not uncommon”
The knocking continues and the knob jiggles because no one ever knocks. They are family.Weare family. We all come and go as we please. He looks at me, not fully committed to the lie we’re going to continue.
“Tyler,” I say through clenched teeth.
He rolls his eyes, jaw flexing. “Fine. Okay. I can’t promise I’ll keep up with this Sunny.” He points his spatula and I bite back a smile.
His blank stare tells me he isn’t amused. But when he walks away to answer the door, I see a hint of a smile on his lips.
And here we go again, lying to our friends' faces once more.
To my luck, today is the one day that Anthony forgot his key. I shudder at the thought of him walking into what we were doing.
My thoughts are interrupted by Sam bursting through the door, announcing her presence as if it’s unnoticeable to begin with. “The party has arrived.” She places a hand on her hip, the other hand holding a bottle of champagne.
