Page 20 of Tyler

Her lips were soft and sweet.

So damn sweet.

Wanting to savor but not spook her, he moved slowly, lifting his hand to cup the back of her neck, brushing his thumb lightly over her jaw.

She let out a soft murmur and shifted closer. He liked that. And when her mouth parted and she slid both hands into his hair, he liked that even more.

A rough groan escaped him. That seemed to spur her on, because things got hot then, afterburner hot, and only when they were both breathless did she break the kiss.

“Wow,” she gasped.

“Well put.” His voice was a little rough because all the blood had drained out of his head.

Blinking at him, she put her fingers to her lips. “That was…”

Incredible, he thought. Fantastic. Heart-racing—

“Sweet,” she finally said.

He choked out a laugh. “Felt a little more than that to me.”

She smiled. “Amazingly sweet.”

“I can accept that.” He grinned.

“Very magnanimous of you.”

“I know.”

She laughed, and the way light sparkled in her eyes stole his breath, and he longed to taste her again. But she had the pole, she was in control, so he kept his hands and lips off her.

An alarm on her phone buzzed. She jumped and then scrambled to fish it out of her back pocket. “Sorry,” she muttered as she silenced the alarm and then met his gaze. “I have to go. It’s almost time for my weekly Zoom call with my mom.”

“No problem.,” he said, bringing them both to their feet. “I’ll walk you home.”

She laughed as he helped her into her coat. “That’s not necessary. I live next door.”

“It doesn’t matter, and it is necessary,” he told her, shrugging his coat on. “My mom would box my ears.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” she said with a smile.

Together they headed outside and walked in companionable silence across their front yards to her door. The night air was cool and crisp as the full moon lit their path.

“Thanks for letting me see some of your photos,” she said, pulling a key from her coat pocket before she unlocked her door, flicked on an inside light, and then turned to face him. “I’d like to see more of them, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. Anytime.” He smiled.

Indecision and longing flashed through her eyes, and when her gaze dropped to his mouth, he had to grasp her doorframe to keep from reaching for her.

She has the pole, he silently reminded himself.She’s in control.

He wasn’t sure how long they stood there staring at each other, but it was long enough to get a sense that she was waiting for him to make a move.

More than happy to assist, Ty slowly leaned forward while he continued to grip the doorframe. This seemed to be all the movement Piper needed, because she stepped closer and lifted her face to meet him halfway.

Ty brushed his lips to hers softly, once, twice, three times, marveling at how blood rushed through his body at top speed over such a minimal touch.

She sighed and her mouth opened under his, and she kissed him back with a fervor he wouldn’t soon forget. It took all the control he had to keep his hands to himself and his feet on this side of her threshold.

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