Page 27 of Tyler

“I know. But there’s more,” she said, patting the ground next to her, igniting a spark of heat through his body. “Put the camera on the bench and join me.”

Surprise rippled through him, but he did as she requested and set his camera on a nearby concrete bench. And when she sprawled out onto her back, he grew intrigued. No way would Erika have done something like this.

Piper was so different and so much better than his ex, they didn’t belong in the same thought. He pushed the latter and the past away and embraced the here and now.

The winter air was a lot milder in Texas than Tyler had expected. Then again, a cool breeze was no match for his heated state, even with his coat open.

A crackling awareness surrounded him as he leaned on his forearm to stare into her sweet, smiling face. The beauty regarded him with open interest while relaxing next to him on a bed of fallen leaves.

Their impromptu get together was proving what he’d already known. The mere presence of the amazing woman messed with his pulse and his common sense. Piper was a force Tyler couldn’t resist or control, not that he wanted to control her. No. She was vibrant, brave…unafraid to speak her mind or remain silent if the moment required. Like now. Wordlessly, she stared up at him, her incredible gaze full of acceptance, mischief, and a sparkle of hope.

He had no right to be the recipient of her special attention.

Piper was a kind, thoughtful, gorgeous woman who could do a hell of a lot better than a bitter, floundering man struggling to find his identity. She deserved more…so much more. She’d suffered a lot in her life, and deserved someone with both feet planted firmly on the ground, not a useless flyboy barely keeping his horizon level.

The right thing to do was to bring them both to their feet and end this situation before it spiraled into a nosedive from which there was no recovering. But instead of pushing away, he leaned closer. If he’d learned anything over the past few days, it was the fact he sucked at keeping thoughts of her at bay.

“Lay down,” she said. “The night sky is about to become spectacular.”

Her playful gaze, the way her hair spilled out around the hood of her open coat, and the sparkle in her gorgeous eyes took his breath. Something she seemed to do with such ease.

“Can’t be any more spectacular than my view right now,” he said, watching her gaze grow misty in the fading light.

She inhaled and lifted a hand to touch his face. “You say the sweetest things. I sometimes wonder if you’re real.”

“I’m very real,” he said, and to prove it, he caught her hand and slowly kissed each knuckle. “I sometimes wonder if you’re magic. I can’t get you out of my head.”

“Sorry,” she whispered, the slight upturn of her lips belying her sincerity.

He choked out a breath. “No, you’re not.”

“True.” That slight upturn widened into a full smile. “But turnabout’s fair play.”

It took a second for her words to sink in before surprise took hold, and a wave of satisfaction warmed his blood. “So…you’re saying I’m in your head too?”

“Yes, and I’d be annoyed if thoughts of you didn’t make me feel so good. Darn you.”

Now he was the one to fight a smug smile. “Sorry.”

She snorted and repeated his earlier words, “No, you’re not.”

“True.” He grinned, repeating her reply. “And I like the way you make me feel, too.” Tyler kissed her hand again. “Darn you.”

She tugged her hand free and skimmed it over his jaw to cup the back of his head and pull his face toward hers. Bathedin the warm hues of twilight, her eyes were full of vulnerability, anticipation, and a dose of heat. Ty palmed the ground on the other side of her head and felt every one of those emotions as the distance between them grew smaller and smaller. Their breath mingled a second before he covered her mouth with his.

She’s in control, he told himself, fighting the urge to deepen the kiss.

But he needn’t have bothered, because her mouth parted, and she kissed him over and over, nibbling, nipping, tasting her fill. Then she skimmed his lower lip with her tongue. Heat shot through his body, and his pulse kicked into high gear. Ty grunted and brushed his tongue to hers, loving the sound of her hungry moans and the way she shoved both her hands into his hair to hold tight while she explored his mouth, blasting his brain cells one by one with Top Gun precision.

Needing to return the favor, he explored and tasted, eliciting more of her sweet, sexy moans until she broke the kiss, and they sucked in some much-needed air. But then her mouth was back on his, and they were kissing deeper and hungrier, and blood was pumping through his veins at supersonic speed.

Piper released his hair then and ran her hands down his body before slipping them under his shirt. His stomach quivered under her touch and his own need to touch her shook through him. Unsure if it was okay since she was leading things, he remembered her “turnabout is fair play” statement and decided since she had her hands on him, he should be able to return that favor as well. Besides, she was arching beneath him as if looking for his caress.

No way would he ever disappoint this woman.

Still leaning on his one arm, he skimmed his other hand over her mouthwatering chest, down her belly until he found the bottom of her sweater. Using his thumb, Ty brushed the strip of warm skin her squirming had revealed, and she let out a needysound of approval. He inched his hand upward, skimming his way over her warm, trembling body to caress the ample flesh of her breast.

Damn, she was soft, so soft, a contradiction to her pebbled nipple poking under the lace of her bra. Ty grazed the beauty with his thumb, and Piper moaned and arched into his touch. He did it again, and yet again, until the need to suck the peak into his mouth had him breaking the kiss and lowering his head to her chest.

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