Foreign Affair (7 page)

Two hours passed before Tyler returned as promised and took them out for a late breakfast.

They sat in a café and drank espresso, looking out at the rain falling soft on the quiet streets of Amsterdam. The only other people in the café were a couple speaking in soft tones who would, every once in a while, give a burst of laughter.

Tyler turned his gaze to her. “I’m so glad you didn’t get on that plane. I hate sightseeing alone.”

“You’re glad I stayed for the sightseeing?” she teased.

“Well, and other reasons.” He grinned. “Is this your first time to Europe?”

Lena nodded and stabbed another bite of pancake before lifting it to her mouth. Keith hadn’t been into traveling, thought it a waste of money. Which was the reason she lived vicariously through the travel boutique.

Tyler leaned forward and traced the pad of his thumb over her lip. “You had some powdered sugar on your mouth.”

Feeling bold, she raised an eyebrow and then used her tongue to draw his thumb into her mouth. His eyes darkened, and she met his heated glance with an open invitation. After a moment he pulled his hand away and cleared his throat.

“So you never did say what made you change your mind.”

“About?”

“About sleeping with me.”

Her sultry smile faded and reality rushed back to meet her.

Don’t tell him about Keith. Remember your vow
. Not to mention it could just make things a little uncomfortable.

She took a deep breath and shrugged. “Does it really matter? The point is that I did. And now we’re here.”

“I was just curious.” He took a bite of his own breakfast. “You made it pretty clear yesterday that you had no intention of hooking up with me.”

“Well, I changed my mind.” Her throat tightened. “But I mean, you got laid. Isn’t that what every guy wants? Especially on vacation?”

His brows drew together, and she winced.
Maybe that had been a
little harsh.

“I’m on business, not vacation. Who turned you into such a cynic?” He took another sip of coffee. “And did it ever occur to you that I’m not like every other guy?”

“Okay, fine.” She shrugged. “So, you’re going to tell me you weren’t thinking about how to get into my pants the other night?”

He faltered, and a flush of red appeared at his neck. “Well…I—”

“And there’s my point.” She sighed. She didn’t want to do this, but it had to be done. Time to lay down the law.

Putting her hands on his, she leaned forward and met his gaze. “Tyler, maybe I should just let you know exactly what I’m looking for.”

He shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“I want to have a great time seeing Amsterdam. I want to spend this time with someone I’m going to have fun with. And I want to keep having some mind
-
blowing sex.”

Tyler’s lips curved into a cocky smile. “Mind-blowing, huh?”

“Yes. And don’t get a big head over that.” She rolled her eyes. “Now let me tell you what I
don’t
want. I don’t want this to get too personal. Don’t bother telling me what your sign is or if you have a massive family back home, or how many kids you want some day.”

Tyler’s stare turned thoughtful as she laid out the rules. His lips pursed, and she found her gaze drawn to them.
Jeez, he has the sexiest
mouth.

She cleared her throat. “I realize this may sound a bit cold, but I figure the less I know about you, the easier it will be to keep my emotions out of this.”

He gave a slow nod. “Women do get attached quicker. It’s a valid point.”

“I thought so.”

“So you want sex?” He leaned back in his chair.

“Yes.”

“Nothing but good, hard sex?”

“I didn’t say it has to be hard.”

“Okay.”

“Was that a yes?” She held her breath. Part of her had been convinced he would tell her to shove her rules where the sun didn’t shine.

“It wasn’t no.”

“So, yes?”

He took her hand and flipped it, raised it to his lips, and kissed her palm. “As you said, I’m an average guy. I think a little vacation fling could mean a good time for both of us.”

Lena’s stomach twisted into knots at the brush of his lips, and she bit back a groan. “Fantastic. Are you ready to go back to the hotel?”

“No.” He stood up, his hand still clasping hers. “We’re in Amsterdam. We’re going to do a little more than have good sex.”

Damn it.
“Okay. What are we going to do?”

“Go sightseeing.”

They rented bikes and spent the day touring the city. Lena ended up lagging behind him many times, which only compounded her theory that he must be some kind of athlete. Though, she didn’t mind bringing up the rear. It gave her plenty of opportunity to stare at Tyler’s.

They went to the Waterlooplein Market, an open
-
air flea market, where she had to resist the urge to buy everything and anything. Then they visited a clog shop, where she did relax with her money enough to buy a pair of the trademark wooden shoes.

During a tour of Anne Frank’s house, their mood turned somber while they reflected on the girl who’d written the diary that touched so many hearts. Tyler held her hand, keeping silent when her eyes filled with tears.

Later, they spent sunset walking the streets and talking to people, really just getting a feel for the city. When early evening arrived, they stopped to find a restaurant for dinner. They settled on a little Italian place after seeing the candles flickering through the windows of the restaurant.

“Amsterdam isn’t famous for their wine, more so the beer,” Tyler murmured after the waitress left.

Lena grinned. “I don’t mind wine every now and then, but I’m much more of a beer girl.”

“Really?” His gaze turned pensive. “It’s a good thing we’ve only got two days together. Otherwise I could fall for you.”

She bit her lip, ignoring the flutters his comment caused in her stomach. It was all just flattery of course.

She grabbed one of the warm breadsticks that had just been delivered to their table. “Two days. So you got all your work done in only three days?”

“No, I was here before you and Stephanie arrived. I’ve been working my butt off to get a branch of our office set up here. I basically attended a bunch of meetings and did a lot of paperwork—which I finished the last of this morning.”

“Sounds fun.” She nibbled on the parmesan
-
covered bread. “What kind of work do you do?”

His gaze didn’t leave her mouth as he answered, “I can’t answer that, remember? Too personal.”

Crap
. She winced and gave a small shake of her head. “Am I a hypocrite or what? I’m sorry. I forgot.”

He winked. “Just don’t let it happen again.”

The dinner arrived then, and the conversation went quiet as they dug into their food.

Tyler twirled his fork through his pasta and lifted it to her mouth. After a slight hesitation, she parted her lips and closed her teeth around the fork. A second later she closed her eyes and groaned in satisfaction.

After swallowing the bite she murmured, “Wow. That is delicious.”

Keith never indulged in such romantic notions like feeding her food and, wow, had she missed out. Sort of like
Lady and the Tramp
, only a whole lot sexier.

“Did Stephanie catch a flight out last night?”

“She did. And she wasn’t very happy either. Especially after she heard I would be going after you.”

“Jealous?” His mouth curled into a smile.

“No, I wouldn’t say that. She was worried about me.” Lena grimaced. “Sorry, Tyler, but in Stephanie’s world you would have just been a tally in her diary.”

“Ouch.”

She laughed. “So, do you want dessert?”

“Yes. Lena
a la
mode.”

His words made her hand jerk, and a loosely anchored tortellini flew off her fork and across the table. Tyler raised an eyebrow at her as he retrieved the lone pasta.

Her cheeks warmed. She was more than a little excited by his sensual teasing.

She licked her lips and met his gaze. “Then you’d better hurry up and finish your dinner.”

Tyler opened his eyes, the sleep in his body ebbing away. The memory of last night and the passionate sex after their dinner still lingered. He smiled, rolling over and reaching for Lena. The bed was empty.

He jerked upright and looked around the room. Empty. Had she left? The thought had just crossed his mind when he heard the shower running.

He leaned back against the pillows, annoyed at the sense of relief. She would leave today. He’d known that. His sexy little fling was leaving, and soon their time together would become just a memory.

He’d understood what she’d wanted, had been more than happy to comply with her demands. But, damn it, he hadn’t expected the time to go by so fast. He scowled. Funny how she’d been the one worried about getting attached.

The shower stopped and a moment later the bathroom door opened as she emerged with the cloud of steam.

Her hair was slick against her head, a towel tucked around her tempting curves. She gave him a tentative smile, as if she might be sharing some of the same emotions.

“Hi. You woke up.”

“Yeah. So what time do you have to leave?”

“My flight is at three.” She adjusted her towel and went to pull a pair of panties from her suitcase.

“That gives us just enough time to go for a boat ride in the canal. You up for one?” He surprised himself by the suggestion, but he couldn’t send her away just yet. Everything within him told him to delay it for as long as possible.

She gave a quick nod, her relief obvious. “Right. I can’t leave Amsterdam without a ride on the canal. Let me just dry my hair and get dressed.”

He climbed out of the bed. “I’ll just grab a quick shower first.”

They walked along the river but didn’t touch each other. Lena sighed, wondering if he had the same motives she did for keeping their distance. She thought it would be less painful if they eased their way into letting go.

Winter being the off
-
season in Amsterdam, the boat they climbed into was empty, save for the driver. Lena settled into her seat and found herself tucked up next to Tyler.

The man who piloted the boat glanced back at them with a grin before pulling it into the middle of the river.

“I am Hans. You are Americans, no?”

Lena smiled. “Yes, we are. I’m Lena, and this is Tyler.”

“I am pleased to meet you both.” Hans guided the boat under a bridge and nodded. “You are beautiful lovers. You will be married soon?”

Lena choked, and Tyler gave her an amused glance, taking her hand into his.

“No marriage plans yet,” he said.

Lena gave him a sharp glance, relieved when he winked. “I’ve been trying to talk her into it for months now, but she’s a stubborn girl.”

The tension eased from her body. To indulge the romantic guide, she’d play along.

“I’d marry him, but he snores terribly, and his feet smell like dead fish.”

The guide laughed and muttered something in Dutch.

Tyler turned to her. “Do my feet really smell?”

“Well, you haven’t seen me licking
your
feet, have you?” she teased.

He scowled. “I’m calling bullshit. And I do
not
snore.”

She giggled and relaxed a little more. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he slipped his arm around her. Why not? How many times would she be in Amsterdam, sitting by a sexy guy who gave her the best orgasms of her life?

Okay, and why did just thinking that make her a little sad?

Conversation dwindled as they took in the scenery and enjoyed the ride.

The whole thing just seemed so romantic. Maybe because they were in Europe, but still…somehow she got the impression even if it had been Keith beside her—and he hadn’t been a cheating bastard—the romance factor would have been non
-
existent.

She rested her hand on Tyler’s thigh and tried to smother out the unhappiness seeping in. Not to mention the anxiety.

She was going home today. Home to her
normal
life. Then again, define normal. Was being betrayed by the man who you supposedly loved normal?

Not that you’re any better now.
The thought ran through her head,
making her uneasy. But she didn’t regret it. Not for a moment. And she would walk away with a wonderful memory.

Tyler stroked the back of her neck, and she turned, lifting her face toward him and giving a brief smile.

“Thank you for the past couple nights, Tyler. I’ll never forget them.”

He glanced down at her, his expression unreadable. “They were for you. I wanted to give you everything you wanted out of these couple days. Mind
-
blowing sex and more.”

A sad smile curled her lips. “You did.”

His fingers tightened, and she wondered if he wanted to say more, but instead he leaned forward and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

She bit her lip as it trembled, and blinked back the sudden tears in her eyes. What on earth was wrong with her? Strictly sex. That’s what she’d wanted. She needed to get her ass on the plane as soon as possible.

“
Ja
.” Hans nodded from where he sat. “I think you two will last many years together.”

Neither of them answered. Tyler’s hand withdrew from her neck, and Lena shifted so she could put a small amount of space between them. Suddenly she needed it. Might not want it, but she knew she needed it.

She sighed and mentally geared herself up to go home.

They arrived at the airport not long before her flight. Lena checked in, knowing she was already late, and turned to Tyler.

“What do I say?”
Keep it light, Lena
. “You’re nice on the eyes, great in bed, and a fabulous tour guide.” She forced out a laugh. “Thank you, Tyler. I had a fantastic time.”

Tyler nodded, his mouth twitching as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Ditto on all of that.”

“Except for the tour guide part. I would have been lost without you.”

She realized the double meaning in the statement the moment the words left her mouth. Heat stole into her cheeks. “That came out kind of intense. I meant…I only wanted—”