What Happens Tomorrow (20 page)

What is he talking about?

I look down at my pajamas — or should I say
lack
of pajamas. “Oops…my bad,” I tease, climbing off the bed to walk over to him. I take it by the tone in his voice, and the obvious bulge growing in his pants, that he really does like my choice in sleepwear.

I’d decided to pack boy shorts and tank tops for our trip because I wanted to be a little sexy without being slutty. I wasn’t ready to
“be”
with Tyler before, so I’d made sure to always wear yoga pants when he stayed over. “Oh, I’m sure you can manage for one night, sport.” I playfully poke him in the chest, giving him a sassy wink.

Pressing my hand gently against his check, I look up into his dark, desire-filled eyes. “I
am
sorry, Tyler. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. Honestly, I didn’t even think about it like that.”

I want to be with Tyler. I’m ready to be with him, but only when it’s meant to happen. Truthfully, I’m a nervous wreck, and the thought of having sex again terrifies me. I haven’t been with a man since Matt, and that was four years ago.

It doesn’t make you a bad person for wanting to have wild, sweaty, passionate, no-holds-barred sex with your boyfriend. Enough time has passed. It’s time to move on.

Moving in closer, the manly, familiar smell of his cologne and the heat from his body are almost my undoing. Everything in me says it’s time.

“First of all, let me clear a few things up because you seem a little confused. To set the record straight, I am not just anyone, got it? Second, this little outfit you’re wearing can’t even be classed as sleepwear.” He pulls back and looks me up and down again. Desire pools in his eyes…and his jeans. “What happened to those yoga pant things you usually sleep in? It might be easier to control myself if you were wearing those. Then again...”

He flashes a sexy smile, playfully pulling me against his warm chest. I can definitely feel how much my nightwear has affected him because it’s pressed hard against my stomach. Is it normal to feel turned on and nervous at the same time? How do you go from being intimate with someone for so many years, to being comfortable with another man in the same way?

Matt and I didn’t have a bad sex life, but in the few years before his death, we had a lot of ups and downs. And after Katelin, sex for us wasn’t a big priority…well, at least it wasn’t for him. It was more like an activity we did out of habit. I can’t remember the last time Matt made me feel the way Tyler does.

“We’ll be okay tonight,” I whisper in his ear as he picks me up and lays me down on the bed. My pulse starts to race with anticipation. My heart is beating so fast I feel it may beat right out of my chest as I anxiously wait for Tyler to lean down and kiss me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he sits back on his haunches.

“As much as I want you, and believe me, I have never wanted anything more in my whole damn life, the first time I make love to you won’t be during a rest stop at some motel. I’ve already told you I want it to be special, for both of us, so please, I’m begging you, slip on some damn yoga pants.”

AFTER OUR PIZZA and a little television watching, we call it a night. We have an early morning ahead of us, and there will be plenty of time to relax and sleep after that.

We continue on the last leg of our journey, and finally, after two days and sixteen hours of driving along the scenic coast, we arrive at our destination…Cannon Beach, Oregon.

The beach house is absolutely breathtaking, even more than I could have imagined. The once dark, wooden exterior has been sandblasted by the wind, leaving it faded and weather and giving it a gorgeous rustic look.

Tyler excitedly climbs out of the SUV and ties Charlie’s leash to his pocket as he proceeds to unload our bags. Leisurely, I open my door and climb out, the smell of the salty sea air floods my senses.

It even smells relaxing.

I lean my head back against the SUV—closing my eyes—soaking in the feel of the warm sun on my face. The moist ocean air mixed with the heat of the sun feels incredible and I can’t help but smile.

I’m deliriously happy right now.

As I lean against the open door, I peruse my surroundings. I’m in awe of how breathtaking the house and the beach are. And the sand…even the road and driveway have a thin coating of blown sand on them.

Who knew there would be sand absolutely everywhere?

My thoughts are interrupted by the feel of Tyler’s hands on my shoulders as he walks by me to grab the last of our things. “So, what do you think? Can you handle the next week here or should I have taken you to an all inclusive beach resort somewhere?” I turn to look back at him and there’s no mistaking the twinkle in his blue eyes, or the smile across his perfect lips.

“It’s perfect, Tyler…so incredibly perfect.” He pulls the hatch closed, then saunters over to me as he sets down the last cases. Before I have a chance to close my door, he’s behind me, wrapping a strong arm around my waist and turning and pulling me towards him. He gently grasps my chin until we are gazing euphorically into each other’s eye. “Come on, let’s get everything inside so we can go explore the beach.”

I smile and nod, reaching for my case, but he grabs it from me. “I’ll take that, thank you. Be prepared to be pampered and spoiled for the next week, Ms. Adams,” he adds with a quick wink, removing the case from my hand. I’m left standing empty-handed and feeling weak in the knees. How does he do that with just a wink?

After unpacking our cases, we grab Charlie and take a walk along the beach. It’s a glorious sunny day, but the wind coming in off the water is a little cool. As we walk along the warm sand, Ty points out Haystack Rock which has been featured in lots of movies, including one of my all time favorite eighties movies, The Goonies. I can’t believe how massive it is, and I didn’t realize it was so close to the beach.

The sand is an almost-golden white colour with traces of burnt wood from the beach bonfires; it feels like warm silk between my bare toes. After walking along the beach for a few minutes, we notice the fog start to rolling in. It looks absolutely incredible. Half of the beach is crystal clear under the blue sky, while the other half is blanketed under a gray haze. Fifteen minutes later, the entire beach has fallen victim to the haze. It resembles something from a horror movie. Even Haystack Rock seems to have disappeared into the abyss.

The breeze picks up again, leaving me chilled, so I slip on my hoodie. I’m glad I thought to take it with me.

“Are you cold?” he questions as I pull the hoodie over my head.

“Just a little. The breeze is getting to me, so I thought I’d put my hoodie on.”

Tyler’s body closes in behind me, his arms tight around my waist as he leans down and presses an adoring kiss to the back of my neck before resting his chin on my shoulder. “I still can’t believe I’m here with you.”

I smile, leaning my head against his head and closing my eyes at his words.

Bliss.

Bliss is what I’m feeling at this very moment.

In his arms I’m safe, I’m loved, and nothing else in the world matters.

“Can I ask you something?”

He slowly lifts his head from my shoulder as I turn to look into his handsome face. “Of course. What’s up?” He takes my hand in his and lifts it to his mouth, his eyes never leaving mine as he kisses my knuckle. A shiver runs through my body. How does he get my body to react so quickly with just one little kiss?

“Why is this place so special to you?”

He’s just about to answer when I hear someone shouting his name. I look towards the beach house and see a woman with long, flowing blonde hair quickly trudging through the sand, frantically waving at us.

“Shit,” Tyler says under his breath. Rubbing his brow, his entire body tenses. Clearly, he’s not happy to see this woman.

“Who’s that?” I ask.

He looks at me with pained eyes as he lets out a long sigh. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

Find out?

Find out what?

“I was engaged once,” he says nervously, looking away from me as he annoyingly looks toward the woman running our way. “Devon and I broke up the year before I moved into the complex and met you.”

Stunned.

I feel the air leave my lungs with his words. Why has he never once mentioned he was engaged? The opportunity was there for him to tell me on many occasions. He lied to me and I hate being lied to, especially since I’ve poured my heart out and told him everything about my past.

She reaches us and pants breathlessly. “Ty-Tyler, I…I was shouting and shouting. Didn’t you hear me?” She glares at me, giving me a quick once over before looking back at Tyler. “Who’s your friend?” she asks, spitting the word friend.

I smell bitch all over her.

“Devon, this is my girlfriend, Brooke. Brooke Adams, this is an old family friend, Devon Miller.” Momentarily pausing, and clearly not happy about the situation, he continues “Devon and I were also engaged,
briefly
.”

His confession seems to piss her off, and I can’t help but feel a little relief as he makes sure to annunciate the word
briefly
.

Hooking an arm protectively around my waist, he pulls me close against his side. I’m sure he feels me trying to subtly pull away. I’m still angry. He isn’t getting off easy with this little omission of truth. “It’s nice to meet you, Devon.” I hold out my hand to shake hers because it’s the polite thing to do, but I would rather turn and walk the other way. The sour look on her face tells me she obviously isn’t happy to see Tyler here with me. There’s nothing worse than shaking hands with someone who has a wet noodle handshake. It leaves you feeling like you need to wash your hand which is exactly how I felt after shaking Devon’s hand.

Ewwww.

“Um…yes, it’s nice to meet you too,” she says, quickly dropping my hand and turning to Ty, pretending as though I don’t exist. “My parents said you would be staying here, so I thought it would be nice to come up and hang out.” Glancing my way, she pulls her lips into an awkward “
Up yours, bitch!”
smile. I can’t believe her nerve, especially after Tyler introduced me as his girlfriend.

“We came here to spend some time alone, as in, just the two of us,” he snaps.

She nudges his arm. “Silly, I came here with Ethan.”

Hmmm.

His grip around my waist tightens; obviously he isn’t happy about this Ethan person being here.

“We’re staying at my parents’ place for the week. I mentioned to Ethan that you were going to be in town the same time. Hey, here’s a thought, maybe the four of us could get together for dinner tonight, hmm? What do you think?”

This is not exactly the way I planned to spend my first night here.

“Really? Wow, you never cease to amaze me, Devon,” he snarls. “We won’t be available for dinner tonight. In fact, we have plans
every
night.” He lets go of my waist and picks up Charlie.

“What a cute little dog,” she says, motioning to Charlie, but he growls as he bares his teeth at her.

Good boy.
Remind me to give you a nice treat when we get back.

“We need to go.” He lowers his hand to the base of my back, giving me a subtle shove towards the beach house. I turn to look at him, searching for a clue as to how he’s feeling. He’s so tense. Clearly, by the acrid look on Devon’s face, she’s not happy with the way this reunion turned out.

Whispering in my ear, he apologizes. “I’m so sorry. The last thing I wanted was for you to be blindsided. I promise I’ll explain everything once we get back to the beach house.” Leaning over, he kisses the side of my head.

“I’ll admit I was mad earlier, but I’m fine now, just surprised.”

Once inside the safe confines of our home for the next week, he takes my hand and leads me to sit down on the couch. I sit with my back to the arm of the couch, my knees pulled to my chest. He looks upset. His face is wrinkled tight as he runs both hands through his hair.

“I mean it, I’m sorry you got blindsided today. I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you, I promise. Our families have been friends since we were kids. Devon and I dated for a couple of years before we got engaged. I wasn’t lying when I said I had never brought a girl home to meet my parents before you. Devon is the only one they’ve ever met and they’ve known her for years.”

He pauses, running his hands through his hair. “I never asked Devon to marry me. It was more like a mutual decision. Anyway, a couple of months after we got engaged I found her in bed with Ethan, my older brother.”

I feel the need to pick my jaw up off of the floor, but I can’t because I’m stunned. Over the next hour he explains how close he and Ethan were as kids, but how that all changed once Ethan and Devon had been caught. I feel I’ve gotten to know my amazing boyfriend a little better tonight, and that leaves me feeling even closer to him.

“You mentioned to Devon that we had plans tonight.Was that true or was that so we could get out of an evening with your ex and brother?”

He looks at me provocatively. “No, we
have
plans tonight.” His icy blue eyes turn dark, and the look on his face has shifted from playful to serious as he leans his face towards mine. The heat of his breath makes my breathing hitch with anticipation. He brushes against my lips but only for a moment before pulling away and leaving me desperate for more.