A Man for All Seasons (9 page)

 

T
YLER STARED OPEN-MOUTHED AS
Marlie faked an orgasm on the ten o'clock news.

Clearly,
she missed the whole message behind his bed-buying advice.

Fascinated—and due to the way the camera lingered, he knew he wasn't the only one—he watched her throw back her head and scrunch her shoulders, her eyes closed, her mouth moving in ecstasy as breathy little moans came through his seven-speaker surround-sound audio system. Her newly blond hair glowed in the light and her cheeks were flushed. She wasn't his bland, expressionless, colorless Marlie, but porn-star Marlie. His blood ran hot and cold. Hot, because, well, because. Cold, because Tyler saw Jason's enthralled face in the background. Cold because every straight male with a pulse watching would be trying to find her phone number. And since Marlie's performance was being broadcast right after the football game ended, Ty figured her phone would be ringing all day tomorrow.

And then there were the eleven other men he'd set her up with. Were any of them seeing her performance? If so, they'd get the wrong idea about Marlie. She wasn't like that. Or she hadn't been. Because Tyler knew for a fact that if she had been, her ex would not be her ex.

What had he done? This was his fault. All he'd been trying
to do was nudge her out of her rut and she'd gone all nympho on him.

She had no idea how she looked. That reporter, Alicia, had set her up. Jason had plied her with wine. Yeah. Her cheeks were pink and now she was talking, sounding nothing like herself. The last frame of the story was Jason looking at her, an anticipatory smile on his face.

Ty stared at the TV several moments after the segment ended. Marlie was in over her head and didn't know it. She hadn't dated since college and Jason was no college kid. She was the good-girl wife and mom type, but she was sending out party-girl signals. And she was sending them out on television in a major metropolitan area.

Ty needed to talk with her about those signals. She was a big girl now, but she was still Marlie and he felt responsible. The trick was getting his point across without making her defensive or crushing her new self-confidence.

Ty was watching the weather before he realized that the local news had been postponed until after the playoff game had ended. It was now nearly eleven-thirty and Marlie had been filmed eating dinner hours ago.
Where
was she?

He pictured Jason's expression as the guy watched Marlie giving out the mother of all signals. And that's all he'd see—the sexy blonde with the hot body. He didn't know about the fresh-faced, ponytailed girl inside.

But Ty did, and Jason had better keep his partridge in the pear tree.

Marlie had her cell phone with her, didn't she? Tyler tried to remember if she'd even taken a purse, but he'd been staring at her red-tipped toes and the tiny straps binding her feet and feeling slightly turned on and wondering if it meant he had latent S&M tendencies, then hearing Jason's breathing change beside him and wondering if
he
had S&M tendencies, latent or otherwise. And so no, Tyler hadn't noticed her purse.

Ty clicked off the television and sat in silence. Her sex life was none of his business. Okay, it was a little of his business, since he'd put her in the situation. Enough to justify a casual call—no, a text. A quick text of the “Hey, are you coming home tonight?” variety. Roomie to roomie.

Don't wait up,
she'd said.

Ty felt queasy and was angry at himself. They weren't kids any more and his parents weren't going to yell at him if he let Marlie get hurt. He was no longer responsible for her. That had been the pattern of their relationship for so long that it was understandable for him to still feel responsible. Except he'd been living with her for months without feeling the slightest bit concerned about what she was doing or who she was doing it with.

So, why now?

Ty flashed to Marlie in the red dress, Marlie in his arms, and Marlie moaning in ecstasy on television. It would be easy to blame her new hotness.

But it was more than that.

Ty got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen bar. He picked up the colorful, misshapen ceramic dish where he'd been dropping his keys and change. His mom had sent it when he'd moved in here. Tyler flipped the dish over and read the faded-blue, painted words To Tyler, love Marlie. She'd made it for him after she'd sprained her ankle at camp and had to go to the craft center instead of soccer practice. He'd been horrified at the “love Marlie” part until he saw that she'd made dishes for their parents and friends and signed them the same way. She'd spent three entire days in the craft center. She'd painted a lot of mugs and dishes.

Tyler gently set the dish back on the bar, but continued to stare at it. He cared about her getting hurt because somehow, in the midst of all his resentment that their parents had dumped her on him, they'd become friends.

And as a friend, he was entitled to send a quick text to touch base with her.

Tyler spent the next several minutes trying to strike the right tone and then second guessing whether he should be striking any tone at all.

And then he remembered that she didn't even have a bed to come home to. Oh, this was bad.

He was in the middle of texting when he heard faint voices.

Quickly closing his phone, he turned the TV back on.
Act casual
he told himself as his ears strained for the sound of the door opening and Marlie coming up the stairs. He was pretty sure she wouldn't be inviting the wino fireman inside, considering she didn't have a bed. If they'd wanted a bed, they would have gone to his place. Ty refused to consider that they might have
already
gone to his place.

At last he heard the door close and a groan.

Ty's blood froze and he leapt from the couch. If Jason had hurt Marlie—he stopped at the top of the stairs. Marlie held out one hand to balance herself against the door as she worked off her shoes.

From his vantage point, Ty could see straight down her dress as she bent over. She wore a black bra that did its job and didn't reveal much more than a bathing suit top would have, but Marlie's skin was pale and her curves made interesting shadows that interested him quite a lot.

“Ah.” She stood for a moment and wiggled her toes on the cool tile floor. Then she picked up her shoes and started up the stairs inhaling sharply when she saw him.

“Ty! You scared me. Why didn't you say something?”

“I—”
was looking down your dress.

“Did you wait up for me?” she asked, amused.

Amused?
After he'd worried about her? “No. I was watching TV.” Marlie reached the top of the stairs and walked past him. He noticed something green stuck in her hair. “There
was a really interesting, uh…” He glanced at the TV about the same time Marlie did.

“A shopping channel?”

Even worse, two women were selling mineral makeup.

“Doing some Christmas shopping?” Marlie grinned at him, not fooled.

Ty walked over to the coffee table and grabbed the remote, clicking off the TV. “Always looking for ideas. So how was the date? I saw you on the news.” He hadn't meant to add that last part.

Marlie lit up. “It was wonderful,” she said, all bubbly. “We ate partridge in a pear tree.” She pulled the green out of her hair. “The tree was made out of rosemary and roasted pears. It was really good.”

“You looked like you were enjoying it.”

She set the twig of rosemary on the counter. “And we had wine.” She giggled. “Lots and lots of wine.”

“Did Jason have lots and lots of wine, too?” Ty asked carefully.

“Oh, yes. He knows all about wine. And he likes to talk about it, so at first, I didn't think things were going to go well, but he kind of grew on me.” She smiled and Ty felt something cold and hard form in his stomach.

“So the more wine you drank, the better he seemed.”

She giggled again and swayed. “Oh, yes.”

“Dinner was over a long time ago,” Ty added.

“We stayed late.”

“So you've been at the restaurant all this time?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head and grabbed the banister for balance.

“You're drunk!”

“Nah, just a little buzzed. I'm out of practice.”

“Out of practice standing?”

“Oh, Ty. You're so cute.” She gave him a flirtatious grin that made him nervous.

“Tell me your date didn't drive you around in that condition!”

“He was in good condition.
Verrry
good condition,” Marlie told him, drawing out the Rs.

That's what Tyler was afraid of.

“And I haven't had anything to drink for a couple of hours. I'm just floaty and happy and—”

“
Where
have you been?”

Marlie blinked at his tone. Yeah, he was overdoing it. “The fire station. We walked.” She held up her shoes. “My feet hurt.”

“Oh.”

“Jason wasn't ready to drive.”

Ty breathed easier. “That's very responsible of him.”

“And I wanted to slide down the pole.”

A vision of Marlie and a pole flashed through his mind. Ty gritted his teeth as inevitably he imagined Marlie sliding down the pole into the waiting arms of a large group of fireman. Fresh from their calendar shoot. And they'd been watching the local news and Marlie's enthusiasm about the food. And now they were enthusiastic about Marlie—

“But the station was only one story, so they didn't have a pole.” She pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

Do not look at her lip. Do not think about her lip.

Marlie brightened. “They showed me all around and I got to hang out in their kitchen until they got a call. So then it was just Jason and me.” Ty swallowed.
Do not ask.

“I had a great time.” She smiled at him, and then stood on tiptoe and planted a great big kiss on his cheek. “Thank you!” Humming “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” she hurried up the stairs.

“Marlie?” he called after her, still feeling the imprint of her kiss on his cheek.

“What?”

Why had he called her back? “I— I'll make up the couch for you. It'll be more comfortable than your loveseat.” He should have offered it to her before now.

Her head appeared at the top of the stairs. “You're a sweetie! Hang on and I'll get some sheets.”

He walked to the side of the stairs and looked up. Moments later, sheets, a blanket and pillow rained down on him. “Thanks!” he heard her say.

He made up the couch for Marlie, relieved that she was sleeping here instead of with Jason.

Why was he relieved when it wasn't any of his business? He remembered her face with her eyes closed in ecstasy. Yes. That's why he was relieved. Jason hadn't earned that expression. Food, no matter how good, didn't deserve that expression. And if Marlie thought it did, then the day her ex walked out was the luckiest day of her life because
he
sure hadn't been putting that expression on her face.

I could put that expression on her face.

Ty stared down at the couch as he explored the dangerous, but tantalizing thought, liking the idea better and better. Then the rational part of his brain, the part that had been stunned into a coma since he'd first seen Marlie this evening, woke up.

This is not about Marlie, it's about your ego,
it told him.
You think Marlie has never had good sex, so you'll show her what good sex is. Then what? Is Marlie supposed to go around sleeping with other men and comparing them to you? Is he as good as Ty? Not as good as Ty? You don't think she'll find anyone as good as you. You
hope
she doesn't find anyone as good as you.

Wow. He was a real friend, all right.

Marlie came down the stairs wearing her familiar Marlie outfit—stretchy pants and tank top, but without the hoodie.

“Thanks, Ty!” Her hair blond and loose, she flashed him a smile and strode into the kitchen where she got a glass of water.

He'd never seen her walk like that before, confident and self-assured. She usually moused around without him being aware of her.

No one would ever be unaware of
this
Marlie.

Tyler was aware. Very aware. And he was just going to have to get over it. No, not get over it, but acknowledge that his friend was a certified hottie.

Then learn to live with it and her.

“W
HERE IS
M
ARLIE GOING FOR
her turtle dove date?” Axelle asked Ty the next afternoon.

“Somewhere outside,” he answered. “Her date showed up with actual turtle doves in a cage. Marlie is supposed to name them and they'll be tagged and released in a bird sanctuary.”

Marlie had gone shopping for new jeans for the occasion, barely making it back in time for her date. While she changed, Ty chatted with the bespectacled Tim, who gave off an intellectual vibe. Ty wasn't fooled. It was the quiet ones you had to watch out for.

“Very clever and sweet, but is that the whole date?” As she spoke, Axelle thumbed a number into her cell phone.

“I heard him say something about a picnic.” But Tim had said it while watching Marlie walk to his car. Even Ty watched Marlie walk to the car. Those jeans she'd bought had been worth every penny.

“A picnic. What fun.” Axelle used a tone that told Ty he'd better never try a picnic with
her.

Fine with him. He wasn't the picnic type, either.

Ty had been disappointed when the turtle dove guy had called and wanted to see Marlie that very afternoon. There
was no way Axelle could get away from the restaurant so, basically, Ty had lost two opportunities to be alone with her.

Right now, they were sitting in Ravigote's bar. It was the two hour gap between the end of Sunday brunch and the beginning of dinner service. Axelle was going over the reservations and calling waitstaff and busboys. Ty was drinking a glass of iced tea and watching her, and trying not to resent her not sparing thirty minutes to focus on him.

He knew she wouldn't come to his office and expect him to drop everything and go play. This was no different. But it felt different. It was Sunday. Nobody was around.

Ty glanced up and down the granite bar. What would happen if he was totally and spontaneously overcome by passion and kissed her boneless before laying her out on the counter and having his way with her?

He looked at her dark head, bent over the schedule as she called the workers. He should at least wait to be spontaneously lustful until she was off the phone.

Axelle, still talking, slipped off the bar stool. Mouthing, “I'll be back,” to Ty, she walked into the main dining room.

So much for spontaneity. Ty watched her go and had the disloyal thought that he'd enjoyed watching Marlie walk around the house in her jeans more than he enjoyed seeing Axelle glide around the restaurant in her tight, black skirt.

The thing was, he liked Axelle's black skirts and the way she looked in them. It was what she always wore at Ravigote. And until a couple of hours ago, he would have picked Axelle in the skirt over jeans any time.

Ty stared at the bottom of his iced tea glass. This wasn't working. He drank the rest of the tea, set his glass behind the counter and went to find her. She was at the hostess' desk. He caught her attention, waved goodbye and left.

At least they'd have tomorrow night together. The restau
rant was closed on Mondays and that's when Axelle's brother planned to cook for Marlie for her Three French Hens date.

And that's when Ty planned to be alone with Axelle. At last.

 

I
T WAS JUST AFTER DARK
when Marlie climbed the stairs to find Ty alone, eating fast food in front of the TV. This time, a football game was playing, so Marlie knew he hadn't been freaking out about her being late, not that seven o'clock was late, even if it was after dark.

He hadn't heard her come in. She smiled as she remembered how adorable he'd been last night, quizzing her date and waiting up for her. He'd done the same this afternoon. He'd been looking out for her and nobody was making him do it. Also, he thought she looked good and it flustered him. Marlie liked seeing Ty flustered for once. And she liked being the one doing the flustering.

Her smile faded as she watched him eat. She was going to have to find someone else to fluster. Mr. Turtle Dove was very nice, but a little low-key for her. He probably wasn't capable of being flustered, although she'd caught him staring at her intently a couple of times. And it wasn't that she was
bored
wandering through the bird sanctuary, but it wasn't her thing. As for the picnic, she knew it would be hard to compete with last night's feast, but sandwiches and cheap champagne didn't even come close. The brownies were good, though. And her legs tingled pleasantly after the walk. Not a bad date, but not a memorable one. She was surprised when he'd asked if she'd go out with him again. She started to decline, but instead asked him to call her after she'd finished her dates. She doubted he would.

Marlie stepped into the room. Ty caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. When he saw her, he smiled, looking genuinely pleased to see her.

Marlie stopped. Stopped walking and stopped breathing. Had Ty
ever
looked pleased to see her? Not that she remembered. She took a breath as warmth flooded her.
Don't get used to it. He's leaving.

“Hey, how was the date?” He muted the game and twisted toward her.

Giving her his attention.

Over football.

And not just any football—the playoffs.

Marlie forced herself to keep it casual, irritated that she was so affected. For years and years and
years,
Ty had looked at her with grim acceptance.

Get a grip. You were both kids. All this means is that you're now adults.
“The date was fine,” she said, and joined him on the couch. “He was maybe a little too much the crunchy granola, intellectual, rimless glasses type for me, though.”

“So what did you name the doves?” Ty ate a French fry and tilted the bag toward her.

“Lovey and Dovey,” she said with a straight face and took a fry.

“Because, really, what else can you name them?”

Marlie laughed. “And the dove release was such a non event. The director of the sanctuary was there and gave this little speech because, apparently, these were actual English Turtle Doves. I think they were still jet-lagged because they flew about ten feet into the air and landed on the nearest branch and would not leave.”

“Seriously?” Ty grinned.

“Yeah. And Alicia Hartson was there to tape it, so I want to see if it makes the news.”

“The news again.” Ty stared at the bag of fries. “I didn't realize the dates would be such a big deal. Are you okay with that?”

“Sure.” She stole another of his fries. “The more publicity, the more money the auction will raise next year.”

“True, but if the attention gets to be a pain, tell me and I'll fix it.”

“Fix it?” Marlie laughed. “You mean mob boss fix it?”

“No.” He nudged her with his elbow. “I mean phone call fix it.”

He would, too, she knew. She could make the same phone call, but it was a nice offer. “Thanks.”

Ty turned back to his game. Marlie ate one more fry and then leaned forward to wipe her fingers with the napkins on the coffee table. “I want to put my turtle dove charm on the bracelet before I lose it.” She tried using her fingernail to wedge open the silver ring.

She felt Ty's gaze on her before his feet moved from the table to the floor. “Hang on.” He went to the kitchen junk drawer and brought back a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Holding out his hand he said, “I'll do it.”

Marlie elected not to point out that she was capable of using pliers and let him have his manly moment. She dropped the charm in his palm.

Ty studied the silver birds. “Are you sure those aren't ducks?”

“I don't see any little duck feet.”

Ty opened the ring and gestured for her to hold out her wrist. “I'm talking about their schnozzes.”

Marlie laughed. “Nobody says schnozzes anymore.”

Ty's lips curved. “I just did.” He took her hand and propped it on his knee as he fastened the charm to the bracelet.

My hand is on his knee. Try to breathe normally.

As he worked with the tiny charm, his fingers brushed her wrist sending tingles up her arm. She could feel her heart pick up speed.

She had not experienced a single solitary tingle this entire
afternoon. There had been a couple of tingles last night, but that might have been because her feet had gone to sleep in the strappy shoes.

Ty wasn't even trying to flirt or anything and here she was, tingling, while he was totally oblivious and taking
forever
to get the charm attached.

“There,” he said at last and released her hand. He glanced up as she all but jerked it away from his knee. Their gazes collided and held for about half a second longer than normal.

He knows about the tingling.
Maybe not the tingling specifically, but he sensed that something was going on with her.

How embarrassing. It was okay to think he was good looking, but it was not okay to lust after him and waste all the dates. There was plenty of lust-worthy material ahead and she should forget about Ty and start taking advantage of her Christmas present—beginning with Axelle's brother tomorrow night.

 

“I
'VE JUST HAD THE MOST
marvelous idea,” Axelle had said when Ty had called her that morning. “You can bring Marlie to the restaurant tonight and we'll all eat in the kitchen together!”

It was not a marvelous idea, which he'd made the mistake of saying. Axelle had become very huffy, and so Tyler found himself driving Marlie to the restaurant.

Where he would
not
be alone with Axelle.

And that was not the worst of it. No, the worst of it was that Marlie was sitting right next to him and she was wearing the red dress.

The. Red. Dress.

The one that clung to her.

The one that made it difficult to maintain eye contact with her.

The one that made him breathe shallowly.

“The black dress seemed stuffy for eating in a kitchen,” she'd said. “Red is so much more festive.”

Festive
is what she called it? She was a party all by herself in that dress.

She was doing this on purpose. He'd admitted that he thought she was pretty hot, and now she was using it against him. Ty forced himself to stare straight ahead as he drove, but his peripheral vision was sharper than it had ever been.

The evening was headed for disaster, that's all there was to it. Axelle and Marlie were two completely different types and somehow, Ty knew that was going to be bad. He was on edge and bubbly, bouncy Marlie was not helping.

“Paul said he'd invented a chicken trio dish just for tonight. If it's really good, he'll put it on the menu as Poulet Marlene. Isn't that cool?”

“Very cool.”
If you're into having chicken named after you.

“I like the way Paul says my name—Mar
lain
. It sounds so sophisticated. And poulet is a sexy word. Don't you think?”

“Chicken?”

“Poooolay.”

Ty glanced at her as he turned into the restaurant parking lot.

“Poooolay,” she said again, her lips forming a pouty kiss. “Is sexy, no?” Her accent sounded horrifyingly like Axelle's.

“If you think a word that starts with ‘poo' is sexy.”

“Tyler!” She gave his arm a mock slap as she laughed.

He parked the car and got out, inhaling the cool night air. Oh, she had all the flirting moves down pat. He didn't know if she was a quick learner or if it had come naturally.

Didn't matter, really.

Okay. He was going to do this. He didn't know if Axelle was avoiding being alone with him or protecting her brother from
Marlie after seeing her on the news the other night, but Ty was going to proceed as though everything was delightful.

He opened the door for Marlie and watched as she wiggled her way out of the car, her dress riding up and her top riding down.

Oh, everything was just peachy keen.

“Woops!” She smiled and unselfconsciously tugged up her neckline and shimmied her dress down her thighs.

A great calm descended upon Ty, the calm of the doomed man.

At least he had Paul's reaction to look forward to.

Marlie was to come to the kitchen entrance at the back of the restaurant. Ty knocked, expecting Axelle to answer, but the chef, himself, opened the door.

His eyes widened in appreciation. “Marlene!”

He did say it like Marlaine, Ty noticed as Paul took both Marlie's hands in his. Pulling them wide, he gave her a thorough once over.

“Look at you. You are
ravissant!
” Drawing her hands together, he bent and kissed them.

Way over the top. Ty tried to catch Marlie's eye, but she was blushing and simpering and generally eating this up with a spoon.

Ty rolled his eyes, but no one was paying any attention to him.

At that moment, Axelle entered the kitchen, her gaze fixed on Marlie and her brother. “So good of you to come,” she said, sounding much less enthusiastic than she had when she'd suggested they all eat together tonight.

“I've been looking forward to it.” Marlie still held Paul's hands.

He bent his head and lowered his voice. “I trust I won't disappoint.”

“Oh, no,” Marlie assured him. “You could never disappoint me.”

Axelle's gaze darted back and forth between her brother and Marlie.

It did not dart toward him, so Ty went to stand by her. She aimed a distracted kiss in the general area of his cheek. “Marlie has really…bloomed, hasn't she?”

“She certainly has,” Ty said, and drew a sharp look from Axelle. “In a stacked blonde kind of way,” he added.

“Some men like that, I suppose,” Axelle said.

Just the ones with a pulse.
“Some men do.”

They both looked at Paul, who stood way too close, his head inclined toward Marlie's as he murmured who knows what.