Wild Temptation (Wild, #1)(77)
I turn and punch him straight in the gut. “You sexist bastard.”
“Fuckin’ hell, Liv,” he laughs, rubbing his stomach. “Remind me never to get punched by you again.”
I narrow my eyes. “Tyler Stone, you are a twenty-six-year-old, fully grown man. Are you telling me you still need mommy to keep your shit in line?”
“No. I’m just lazy. I like to save my energy for other activities. None of which, by the way, I’ve heard you complain about.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Shut up.”
He laughs again, drawing me close to him. He nudges his nose against mine. “You won.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. I was. Then you punched me and I realized you’re a lot fucking stronger than you look.”
I unfold my arms and hook them around his waist. “I’m just full of adorable little surprises, aren’t I?”
He grins, but it only lasts a moment before he closes his mouth over mine. “You’re all sweaty,” he mutters.
“That happens when you run,” I say sarcastically, pulling away. I look around his apartment and sigh. “Do you have a dishwasher?”
“Do I look like I hand-wash dishes?”
Cocky bastard.
“You don’t look like you wash dishes at all.” I look at him flatly. “Okay, here’s the deal. You make breakfast and I’ll clean your apartment. I can’t eat in this mess.”
He smirks. “Calling in some of your twenty-four hours?”
“You bet I am. One hour.”
“Okay. Personally, I think it’s a waste of an hour. I mean, you could come, like, three times in sixty minutes, but whatever.”
I pick up one of his dirty socks from the floor and throw it at him. “Shut up and go and make me breakfast, bitch.”
He stops, raises an eyebrow, then roars with laughter. I grin.
Yep. I’m going to have so much fun with these twenty-four hours.
I’m pretty sure the bacon and pancakes just contradicted the effort I put in to run here. I’m even more certain that the sex after balanced it back out.
Apparently, my choice of what to do this morning was overruled. I don’t think I’m going to get my full twenty-four hours after all. The orgasms were great though…
“Do you have work today?”
I nod, tying my wet hair up in a messy bun. “At two. I’m on the long shift today. What are you doing?”
“Working. Engagement shoot.”
“Romantic.”
“They pay the bills.” He grins.
“Right. Because you need to work.” I raise my eyebrows and give him a pointed look.
“I don’t need to work, but I want to. I might have a cushy little trust fund courtesy of my parents—and the fact I sold my share in their company back to them—but I’d get bored sitting around on my ass all day. I need something to do.” He lies back on the sofa. “I used to teach photography, but then I decided to go freelance.”
“Why?” I sit on the other end of the sofa, nudging his ankles apart so I can squeeze in.
He shrugs. “I didn’t like teaching all that much.”
“How long did you do it for?” Bad question, Liv. Bad question.
I should get up and run now before I find out any more about him. Before this conversation delves any further into his past. Before it goes too far.
“A couple months. Like I said, it wasn’t for me.”
“But you teach Dayton now, right?”
“An apprenticeship isn’t really teaching. That’s why she’s in college one day a week.”
“But you still teach her stuff.”
“Yes…”
“I don’t get it.”
He frowns. “Don’t get what?”
I tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “You said you didn’t like teaching, but you teach Dayton. Like, what—did you just wake up one morning and decide that you didn’t want to teach anymore? Then do it again, except the other way around?”
“Day’s basically family. It’s different.” His tone is a little tight, and instinct tells me that it’s a sore subject.
It’s a shame that my desire to know everything is a lot stronger than my instinct.
“Well, yeah, but no. I don’t particularly enjoy pulling pints for Donny in the bar, but I’ve worked there for a while now. I wouldn’t just stop and go and do something else randomly. Of course, I don’t have the means to, but—”
“Can we drop this now?”
“I don’t think you’re telling me the truth about why you stopped teaching.” The words blurt out of me before I can stop them.
Tyler’s eyes instantly harden. “Are you ready to sit and tell me everything about your past?”