Page 46 of Return to Me Always

Glancing directly at me, Tyler raised a solitary brow. "You don't like surprises, do you?"

I didn't answer because the biggest "surprise" of all was what on earth was actually going on and what Tyler knew but wouldn't tell me. "I think I've had enough surprises to last me a lifetime."

Tyler turned his big body toward me. "I'm sorry, lass. I know this whole thing is..." he paused, probably searching for the right word.

"Insane? Stressful? Exhausting?" My voice was high as I held in the tears. I so did not want to cry, but something about the way Tyler was looking at me created a lump in my throat.

"That pretty much sums it up," he said softly.

He reached for my hand, covering mine with his warm, gentle grip, and that was nearly my undoing. Ugh, the last thing I wanted was to act like a blubbering, self-pitying mess, especially when Tyler had proven to be such a rock through everything.

"What about you?" I asked. "I worry that under that warrior man exterior, you must be stressed and exhausted too."

And that's when he gave me the whole damn smile that made me melt. "Nobody's really worried about me before... well, since my parents died."

"Really?" That shocked me. "Not even your brother?"

He shook his head. "Definitely not him."

That was heartbreaking, and I squeezed his large hand in sympathy. "And what about your girlfriend?" I dared to ask, not able to breathe properly.

Staring at me, his brows creased. "What girlfriend?"

"You know, the beautiful girl you were holding hands with when you left the coffee shop."

"Her?" he said quickly. "She's most definitely not my girlfriend. Just someone I went on a few dates with."

"Oh." At last, my poor lungs recovered.

"Why?" His grin returned. "Are you jealous?"

I nudged him with my shoulder. Arse. "No. Not jealous," I insisted. "Just wondered why you were going around kissing other girls when you had a girlfriend back in London."

His eyes seemed to darken as he searched mine. "Not other girls. Just you."

Gulp. At that precise moment, I realized I was falling.Hard.

With his free hand, he reached up and caressed my cheek, his touch sending tingles everywhere, and I found myself leaning forward to get closer. Staring at his face, I felt in awe that this beautiful man had dropped everything in his life to help me.

And this time,Ikissedhim. If I had surprised him, he didn't show it. At first, I was hesitant. But once my mouth met his, it was just like before—fireworks exploding in my core.

Our lips moved together, and our breath mingled as we explored the taste and feel of each other. His strong arms surrounded me, pulling me in closer to him, heat radiating from every part of his body.

With a soft groan, he lifted me onto his lap, our kisses growing more and more urgent. I couldn't get enough of him, of his lips, his mouth, his incredibly strong body. Pushing him backward onto the sleeping bags, my legs straddled his waist as my hair created a private curtain around our faces.

I poured everything I had into this kiss, and Tyler responded back, more than meeting me halfway. All my worries fell away as need and desire rose up in me, spiraling through my nerve endings. Clasping both of Tyler's hands in mine, I started to grind my hips against him, a noise deep in his throat encouraging me as our mouths continued to ravage each other.

"Bloody hell, you two!" Ben said. "Get a room. Sheesh."

I bolted upright, shoving my hair out of my face, mortified that I had pretty much attacked Tyler.

Way to act indifferent, Kat. Good job.

I couldn't even stand to look over at Tyler to see his reaction. How freaking embarrassing!

"Nice timing, Ben," Tyler finally said.

"Sorry about that. But the hunter has returned. Didn't want the food to get cold now, did I?"

---