Dayton chews her lip and looks down so I can’t see the worry. But I do. It’s almost funny how my sleeping with different guys isn’t a cause for concern, but as soon as I stick to one, we have a problem.
“I like him,” I say out loud, more to myself than her. There. I said it. I admitted it. “But I don’t want to date him.”
“Sweetie, you don’t really know him. You can’t tell if you want to date him until you do.”
“I don’t want to know him. Not that way—not right down to where it matters. I’m not ready for that.” I blow into my coffee. “I just needed to say it out loud.” I take a large gulp of coffee. Ouch.
“Okay. But you do know…”
“That’s he’s a sex addict? Yep. What are the chances, right? A sex addict and a love addict in a relationship that’s not really a relationship at all. We should sell our story to Disney and see if they can create a happily ever after out of this shit.”
“Looking for tips?” Dayton teases.
“Happily ever after? A way out? I’m not fussy.” I snort.
The apartment door opens and Tyler walks through with Aaron. Neither looks happy.
“What did you do to them?” I whisper to Dayton.
She grins. “Did you get your suits fitted?”
Well, that’ll be it.
“Men shouldn’t be pricked,” Tyler answers, chucking his jacket on the sofa. He picks it up again at Dayton’s sharp cough. “We do the pricking, but I’m a fucking voodoo doll after that.”
“He’s right, sweetheart. You’re lucky I love you after that.” Aaron kisses her and sits down next to her. “I need some coffee.”
“You’re aware of where the coffee machine is, Mr. Stone. You put it there,” she retorts, picking up a wedding magazine.
“I’m done with this stuff today.” Aaron snatches it from her and throws it across the room.
She gasps and sits up straight. “You did not just throw that on the floor!”
“It’s a well-known fact that the only things that should be thrown on the floor are clothes,” I add, earning an agreeing nod from Dayton.
“Is that right?” Tyler leans over the back of the sofa next to me.
“I don’t know. British dickheads would look good there, too.”
“Only if there’s his American bitch on top of him,” he whispers, nipping my earlobe.
Now I gasp. He gives me a suggestive look, but I narrow my eyes. His phone rings before I can say anything back to him and he pulls it from his pocket.
“What do you want? ... Tessa? Tess? What’s wrong?” He walks into the kitchen, and I look at Dayton and Aaron. Both of them are sitting straight, their eyes on Tyler. I know Tessa is his sister, but only because Day mentioned it before.
“What? Are you fucking joking? ... You did what?” Tyler runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe this! That bastard is lucky I’m on the other side of the world or I’d break his fucking neck!”
“Uh-oh,” Dayton whispers.
Aaron shushes her and stands up.
“Tessa, the knobhead has been cheating on you. Like I’m gonna be fucking calm! You’re my sister! ... I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re five minutes older. You’re still my fucking sister!”
“Ty, man,” Aaron says across the room. “You aren’t helping her. Calm down and call her later. Day will call her in a minute.”
Tyler turns back to us, fury written all over his face.
Dayton mouths, “Twins,” at me. Yeah, well, I gathered that much, Sherlock.
“Dayton will call you. Yeah… I’ll speak to you later. Love you.” He hangs up and drops his phone on the bar. He rubs his hands through his hair. His anger is palpable, and I know he’d give anything to be in London, tracking his sister’s husband down.
Right now, I’m learning one more thing about Tyler Stone. He’s fiercely protective of the people he loves.
I get up and hesitate for a moment. But just a moment—then I run to him, wrap my legs around his waist, and kiss him firmly. He steps back in shock, but he wraps one arm around my back and the other cups my ass and holds me up.
My hands frame his face as our lips move together. Slowly, with each kiss, the tension seeps from his body. I nip his bottom lip and he lightly sucks on mine. I grip his hair and he digs his fingers into my skin.
And neither of us cares for a second that it’s the first time we’ve kissed in front of someone else.
I just know, instinctively, that this will calm him down.
“Thank you,” he murmurs against my mouth.
I lower myself to the floor and kiss him one more time. “You’re welcome.”