Addicted (A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance)(55)

Tyler looked helpless. "It was a quick fix, I admit. I had enough shit going on, and I just wanted the problem to go away. She’ll probably be back, but we can cross that bridge when we get there.”

A ping of sympathy went through me, seeing the earnestness in his eyes, the pain. He really was telling the truth.

"I believe you," I said, not bothering to ask how much he’d had to pay her to go away. I suppose it really didn’t matter, and I figured the number would piss me off and we'd be back at square one.

Tyler let out an audible sigh, his expression one of relief.

"But that doesn't mean I'm just ready to start right back where we left off," I was quick to add.

It would take some time to adjust to the idea that we were back on again, especially spending the last few months hating him.

I have to make him suffer a little, I thought. I went through a lot of mental anguish during the time I was avoiding him . . . even if some of it was my fault for not giving him the time of day to explain what actually happened.

"Of course," Tyler said diplomatically. "I wouldn't expect you to be.”

Uh huh.

I glowered at how he was agreeing with anything I said. I thought I’d test him, see if he was even listening to what I was saying. “And I want five hundred thousand dollars."

Of course I wasn’t serious about the proposition. I just want to hear him disagree with me on something.

Tyler didn't blink. "You got it."

I laughed, knowing he was lying through his teeth. "Don't push it, buddy." I glanced at the clock. It was a quarter past the hour. We needed to leave, but I still had a few things I wanted to say to him.

I shook my head. "I just can't believe that you went through all this . . . just for me."

"I can," Tyler said softly. He paused, like he was pondering if he should say his next words. "I love you."

His words hit me like a gunshot to the stomach. "What?" I asked breathlessly. I must've been imagining things. I’d hoped to hear those words, but I thought they’d never come.

Tyler walked around to my side of the desk, moved Christine's chair out of the way, and turned me to face him. "I love you," he repeated in a soft, sexy growl while cupping my right cheek in his hand and gently stroking it. "I've known it for a long time now.”

Lost in the conviction of his beautiful blue eyes, I could hardly breathe. Love me? Tyler Locklin? I searched his face for deceit or some clue that he could be lying to me, but I couldn’t even find a hint of it.

He loved me. Tyler Locklin loved me.

"Don't cry," Tyler soothed, taking his thumb and wiping the tear that slid down the side of my face.

"I love you too," I breathed in his face before kissing him hard on the lips.

His powerful arms wrapped around me and he bent me back into Christine's desk as our tongues found each other’s.

"Stop!" I gasped a moment later, pushing him back and straightening. The fires were raging. Another moment and I would've lost myself.

Tyler grinned at me, that mischievous, boyish grin. "Stop? I was just getting started." He pulled me into him and I could feel his big, hard cock pressing up against my stomach, ready to go.

"Uh," I moaned as Tyler ran his hands up my thighs and around my hips to grab and squeeze my ass. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think?" Tyler replied, his breath scorching my cheek as he brushed his lips against it.

By this time, I was burning up from the close proximity of his body, feeling absolutely breathless, my limbs trembling all over. I could feel sweat gathering on various parts of my body.

It's like ninety degrees in here! Damn, I'm in hell!

“Wait!” I protested weakly. "This is Christine's office!"

Tyler laughed, uncaring. "So?" He delivered a strong kiss to my lips.

"So . . .” I gasped, "we . . . just . . . can't."

Tyler kissed me again. "We can't?"

"N . . . no," I managed. "We can't."

Tyler squeezed my right butt cheek. "Who says that we can't?"

"Me. Christine." My protests were so weak. Even I didn't believe them. "She'll kill me."

"Well, you should know by now, I’m not too big on following the rules,” Tyler growled, his lips finding my neck, raising my temperature up another notch. “No reason to start obeying them now.”

My defenses crumbled like a piece of paper at the intensity in his words. Who was I kidding? Every inch of Tyler Locklin was . . . addicting.

Smothering my neck, he placed his hands under my ass and lifted me up onto the desk, pushing my torso back onto it and knocking all of the items on Christine's desk to the floor.