Page 23 of Be With Me

Chapter 8

Ailee

Four days had gone by and I hadn’t heard a word from Tyler. In that time, I’d kept myself busy with work, checked in with the kiddos, and most definitely did not think about why a man who had stared after me with such raw lust hardening his features wouldn’t have called yet.

But Lord help me, I could still feel his eyes burning all the way down to places I didn’t even realize I had the night he’d walked me home. Somehow, I’d kept my steps steady and measured as I’d walked away from the door, refusing to look back again or overanalyze what I’d agreed to.

That moment he’d dropped his guard, though. That look. It still made my knees weak.

Had any man ever looked at me like that? Like he would rip off doors and tear down walls to get to me if I so much as quirked a finger in invitation? I had to admit, I couldn’t think of one. Sure as hell not my ex-husband. Once he’d gotten me to the altar, I’d been lucky if he’d even noticed me walking into the room. And after I’d gotten pregnant the first time, we may as well have had separate bedrooms. The second time had happened after too much alcohol at his office Christmas party.

The way Tyler looked at me was kinda scary, a bit obsessive…and yet, it sent a thrill through me. I mean, what woman wouldn’t want a man to look at her like that?

But at the time, I’d closed the apartment door behind me, turned the deadbolt and set my purse down on the table in the foyer. Then I’d wandered into the kitchen on autopilot, where I’d poured a glass of water and leaned back against the counter. I wondered how long he’d stood out there, and I had to admit, it had crossed my mind to have a change of heart and invite him inside, knowing damn well what would’ve happened if I had.

What I’d told Stef was no lie. If the way he kissed was anything to go on, having that man in my bed would, in fact, be a life-altering experience.

But in the end, I’d set my empty glass in the sink and turned off the lights before making my way into my bedroom, where my vibrator and I had had one hell of a bonding experience.

“Why don’t you just call him, Ailee?” Stef grabbed a slinky, deep red piece of material from the rack, pulling me back to the here and now. “And you could wear this when you see him!”

I willed away the vision of Tyler’s burning eyes. Shopping. We were shopping. “Is that supposed to be a shirt?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s a dress. And it would look amazing on you.”

The woman was insane. I refused to take the “dress” and went back to my retail therapy. I actually wasn’t big on shopping, but when Stef called and asked me if I wanted to get together for lunch and to help her pick out a dress for some mysterious occasion she wouldn’t elaborate on, I’d jumped at the chance to head to Seattle. I needed the change in scenery. And it was, most definitely, not in the hope that I would run into Tyler. That was just silly. There were a lot of people in the city. The chances of running into anyone you knew were pretty miniscule.

That was absolutely not the reason.

While we shopped, I’d filled her in on our coffee date. And now she was way too excited about a date that may or may not happen and that she wouldn’t be going on anyway. “For one. No, it wouldn’t. And two. It’s too cold and wet to wear something like that anywhere outside of the dressing room.”

“So, wear a raincoat.”

“Stef, be serious.”

“I am being serious. Any man would take one look at you in this and would have it off of you within six seconds, guaranteed.”

“Then what’s the point of wearing it?”

“That is the point. That’s the only point.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. I found a navy cocktail dress with a halter neckline and a pretty design of crystals covering the bodice. “What about this one? Too fancy? Not fancy enough?”

Her eyes lit up when she saw it. “Ooh! Pretty. Add it to the pile.”

Forty minutes later, we left the store. Stef had a bag with her new dress draped over her arm—the navy one—and we were both ready for lunch. (Because you didn’t eat before you try on clothes. It’s just a rule. All women knew this.)

Luckily, the rain we’d been promised that day was still holding off, but I pulled up the hood of my jacket as we came to the crosswalk just in case. Glancing at the infamous Space Needle, I couldn’t help feeling a little bit like I was in the middle of Grey’s Anatomy. The light turned and I dropped my eyes.

Just in time to see Tyler walking straight toward us.

I jabbed Stef in the ribs as we began to cross.

“Ow. What?” She frowned at me.

I widened my eyes at her and flicked them toward the man briskly walking toward us. His head was down against the wind, arms pulled in tight against his sides, eyes on where he was walking, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t very well stop him in the middle of a busy intersection.

“Hey, Tyler!” Stef took the decision out of my hands. “Just act natural,” she muttered from the side of her mouth.

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