Page 5 of Tyler

Whatever.

He didn’t give a damn.

“Well, she can just move on to the next guy, because my ass isn’t available,” he said. Fate had dealt him enough blows lately.

“That’s cute, isn’t it, Dean?” RJ chuckled. “Poor guy thinks he has a say in it.”

Dean shook his head. “Not hardly. We’re given two choices. Either ignore the circumstance until it snowballs out of control, or face it head on andtakecontrol.”

Exactly how Ty had treated any situation that arose on his missions. Only this wasn’t a mission, it was a stupid conversation.

Irritation prickled his spine again. He knew the guys meant well, but they were starting to tug on his last nerve.

“Fate’s already had enough fun with me,” he said. “She’s made too many visits lately. I’m full up of circumstances.”

He increased his pace and pulled slightly ahead of the guys, more than ready to leave that conversation behind.

As he neared the sidewalk, he heard tires screeching, a horn blaring, and a woman screaming a half second before someone rounded the corner and plowed straight into him. Hard. The force of the connection and velocity of the smashing body slammed him backward. Unable to counteract the momentum, Ty lost his footing and fell onto the ground…with his arms full of thesmasher.

It took a moment to assess the situation. Surprisingly, he only had the wind knocked out of him and wasn’t injured, and he’d done his best to keep thesmasherfrom hitting her head against the nearby building. And it was most definitely a she. The curves wiggling against him were unmistakably feminine and deliciously ample.

“Oh my God. Are you okay?” Light eyes full of concern frowned down at him as two soft hands lightly cupped his face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. I just jumped into the alley to get away from the oncoming car.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine,” he reassured. “How about you? Are you hurt?”

“Me? No.” She blinked her beautiful gray eyes that were perhaps a very pale blue. Either way, they mesmerized, drew him in, and damn, he couldn’t look away.

Shit. Maybe he had hit his head and was concussed.

That had to be it. Ty started to roll to the side to get them to their feet when his friends rushed over and lent a hand.

“Are you two okay?” Dean asked, assisting the woman while RJ helped him to stand.

It was crazy, but Ty found he didn’t want to release her. He did, of course. He wasn’t a complete idiot.

He nodded because he had no idea what had happened to his voice. It was gone. Nonexistent. Ty cleared his throat while he fixed his shirt and jacket that had gotten twisted.

“Yes,” she replied a little breathless. “I’m fine.”

A huge understatement. The woman was more than fine. Her hair fell past her shoulders in a mass of deep, caramel-colored waves. A slight flush filled her pretty face, and it deepened the gray in her eyes that were fringed by dark lashes. Her coat was open, revealing a slate-gray sweater that hugged her sweet curves to perfection.

He’d known his neighbor was beautiful but seeing her up close stole his breath.

That was new.

RJ released him with a big smirk on his face. “What was that you were saying about fate?”

Chapter Two

Life for Piper Monroe had always been eventful, and even moving from Pennsylvania to Texas couldn’t change that. Adventure, mayhem…no matter the label, it was always her shadow. She’d learned long ago to accept that normal for her meant a touch of chaos. Because of that, not much surprised Piper anymore, but introducing herself to her hot neighbor with a full-on body slam while trying to escape the path of an out-of-control vehicle was a bit extra, even for her.

“Oh my God.” The guy who’d almost pancaked her scrambled from his car, his brows furrowed and gaze frantic. “Are you okay, miss? Are you hurt?” he asked, rushing toward her.

Before she could reply, her gorgeous neighbor and his handsome friends stepped in front of her, using their fit bodies as a shield. A sense of safety immediately washed over Piper. She hadn’t felt that level of cared for and protected since before her husband had passed.

“She’s fine, no thanks to you,” her neighbor stated in a harsh tone.

“I-I w-wasn’t trying to hit her,” the man stuttered. He was clean-shaven, in his mid to late sixties with small scar on his cheek, and short brown hair. “There was a car…on the other side of the road, heading straight for me. Didn’t…didn’t you see him? I…I blew my horn, but he kept coming. You have to believe me. I would never hurt anyone.”

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