Tyler is standing in front of me, completely naked as he steps out of the shower.
CHAPTER SIX
HARPER
Tyler’s body glistens, wet from the shower. I seeeverything. I can’t stop staring, reminded of how well-endowed he is. A heartbeat later, common decency hits and I spin away, turning my back to Tyler.
He lets out a relaxed laugh. “You going to leave the door open for everyone to see, Harp?”
“I… um…”
Wait a minute. Tyler is laughing.
I’ve missed the sound of his laughter. He’s calling meHarpinstead ofHarper. I haven’t heard any pet names from him in so long. NotPrincessnorbaby. When we were with Felix, he even called meour pretty ballerina. The names are a tiny detail but they were always spoken with deep affection and made me feel adored.
Tyler steps by me, still naked as he shuts the door. Being inside this bathroom with him feels strange since we’re not together anymore. Running off when we haven’t seen each other since our breakup would also feel strange. I should say something to not make thissituation weird, but he has me tongue-tied like I’m a kid with a crush who doesn’t know how to speak to boys.
Tyler wraps a towel around his waist, then pushes his dark, wet hair back from his face. “You’re cute, Harp. Blushing.” His forehead suddenly creases with concern as he looks me over. “Shit. What happened to your eye?”
Tyler cups my jaw, tilting my head to examine the bruising. My skin warms at his touch. I’m unable to get the smile off my face. All I want is to hug and kiss him and for us to beusagain.
“Harper, your eye. What happened?”
“Oh.” I blink several times, trying to focus on the question. “Remember that fan who had been following me?”
Tyler’s eyes widen with alarm. “He did this to you? Fuck, Harper. I wish I’d known. I would have flown back into town immediately. Did you report him?”
“Yes, but… There’s nothing to worry about. He’s… dead.”
“Dead?” His voice rises.
“All I heard is he was found in the river this past week.”
“Jesus. Are you okay?”
“I was shaken after the attack but I’m fine now. My eye looks worse than it is. Nothing makeup can’t fix.” I shrug, searching for a change in topic so I don’t waste this precious time with Tyler talking about something bleak. “Amabella said you bought me roses. I haven’t seen them yet but thank you. I’m sure they’re beautiful.”
He watches me in silence, looking no less troubled. “I know we have our issues. The roses aren’t my way ofasking for us to get back together. But I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Non-stop, actually. Harper, you’re the most important person in this world to me and I want you to know it. I’m sorry I’ve been caught up in my head for so long. You deserve better.”
I’m lost for words, smiling as my eyes follow Tyler to the sink. I love this man. I love himsomuch. I try not to stare while he fixes his damp hair in the mirror, but it’s impossible to ignore his half-naked body. He looks better than when we were together. He’s been working out. His face has more color and he doesn’t look as dead behind his eyes.
Tyler’s gaze flicks to me in the reflection, catching me admiring him. We make eye contact for a long moment. I’m hot, not knowing how to respond. My thighs tingle and my lower tummy muscles tighten.
A memory flashes to mind of the last time we had sex. It was the night we broke up. We were in the kitchen of our apartment, both of us crying and kissing.
“You and me, always,”I muttered our phrase we’d spoken to each other since we were kids.“I guess that’s not true anymore.”
“It is true. Just because we’re apart doesn’t mean we don’t still have each other. It’s you and me, always, Harper. Say the words and mean them. Tell me you know they’re true.”
I wiped my tears and nodded.“You and me, always.”
“We’ll be back together one day. We’ll be stronger because we’ll have Felix. I promise you.”
We kissed. The next thing I knew, our clothes were coming off. We made love on the kitchen floor—the bedroom too far away—slow and emotional,clinging to each other as if our lives depended on it. The climax was strong, fueled by so many feelings. Tyler came inside me with no protection.
As expected, I didn’t get pregnant.
It’s the way of the universe. When I’m eighteen, scared, and not ready to be a mother, I get pregnant on birth control. When I actually want to be a mom, I can’t conceive.
