Page 25 of Tyler

“Okay, thanks for everything,” she said and began to wander through the rooms, her mind alight with ideas and images of how she was going to use the space.

Her apartment was going to be huge, with a large, open kitchen, dining room, and living room area. A nice guest bathroom. Two bedrooms, and a main suite with a walk-in closet and spa-like bathroom.

She could hardly wait, but it was the painting studio that held her heart. Piper roamed from room to room in what was now the lawyer’s office. Once all the inner walls came down, she would have the perfect space. Light would come in from the large windows on all three exterior walls. And with the high ceilings, she would have room for her creativity to soar.

And with luck, it would.

She’d already started sketching last night.

High cheekbones, a strong jaw…amazing lips.

The sound of a board smacking the floor downstairs sent her pulse racing.

Could that be Ty already?

Not unless he flew a jet to get here. Granted, the cottages weren’t far, but it should still take him ten minutes to get here.

“Hello?” she called out as she cautiously descended the stairs.

Chapter Six

Ty reached the address Piper had sent in seven minutes flat. He made great time, mostly because he’d already been in his car with his camera. Carter and Mel had asked him to go to the local shelter to take photos of some of the animals for the walls. Ty was about to head home when she’d texted.

Good timing.

Several times throughout the day he’d thought about texting her, but she had the pole, so he had to wait to hear from her. He even checked his phone occasionally to see if he’d missed anything from her.

Pathetic. Yeah, but that’s how it was.

After checking the feed this morning with Carter and Mac, Ty was relieved that no one else had been in or around Piper’s yard except for him, her, and a striped cat. Of course, then he took some ribbing from the guys about the kiss that was just visible from the north-facing camera.

But his friends were actually pretty good about it, slapping him on the back, giving Piper their approval, and telling him to follow his gut not his dick, because his dick would only lead him into trouble.

Sounded like they were speaking from experience, but he hadn’t had the chance to grill any of them since the morning meeting had started.

Receiving her text to meet at the building that meant so much to her had erased the day’s misgivings, and when she’d requested his camera, he felt a rush of pleasure and a few other hotter emotions.

He’d take pictures of garbage if that’s what she wanted.

Ty snickered.

After parking his car behind hers, he got out and looped his camera around his neck.

Sunlight danced on the building's exterior, and the subtle play of shadows highlighted its timeless features and spoke to him. He immediately popped the cover off the lens and began shooting.

The classic 1924 building, with its dignified presence and architectural grace, somehow remained a living testament to an era of craftsmanship and design, and he appreciated the enduring beauty of a bygone time.

He could see why Piper was drawn to it.

The sound of her screaming sent his heart crashing to his knees. He rushed inside the open front door and nearly body slammed Piper in a déjà vu of the other day. But unlike the alley, he was able to stop short before they collided.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, grasping her upper arms to steady her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.” She panted, splaying her hands across his chest, flanking his camera. “I was upstairs and heard a noise down here. I thought maybe Brandi was still here or you. But it was a cat. It just scrambled from this back room and out the front door. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I know what you mean,” he said. “Hearing you scream stopped my heart.”

Not something he wanted to relive again. Ever.

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