TYLER

 

The numbers on the speedometer crept higher. I knew I needed to back off, reduce my speed, but there was an urgency in my chest that made my foot heavy. Screw the speedometer. Screw the pelting rain.

I needed to see her.

She had left the hotel abruptly. One minute she was standing in the middle of the room, her gaze caught between my brother and me, and the next she fled the room like she was fucking Cinderella.

I started after her, but I was met by Gabe’s fist. I should have seen it coming. The wild, drunk look in his eyes was a dead giveaway, but I was too busy worrying about Lauren to notice as he stormed across the room. His first blow smacked into my cheekbone, but the next I caught easily, thanks to the amount of alcohol in his system, and twisted his fist behind his back, bending him to his knees in the middle of the room. My intention was to keep it quiet, guide him away from prying eyes, but Gabe had other ideas. He let out a gush of expletives, calling me every name under the sun. His free fist flayed through the air, trying to connect with any part of my body he could, but I held him down, waiting until Jake approached and helped me lead him from the room. The look of disdain on Dad’s face was palpable, but he hid it behind a clenched jaw as he strode across the room and dragged me away to talk business with some guy with skin tanned by money, laughing it off as sibling rivalry. Right then, I didn’t care what Mr Atterton thought of the casino, or whether he was interested in investing, I only wanted to go after her. But Dad relied on my forced charm to win people like Mr Atterton over. Charm. It was a curse and a blessing. And it was all fake. I could turn it on like a switch. There one minute. Gone the next. I learned from the best.

While I was stuck stroking the ego of the over-tanned and under-wrinkled Mr Atterton, Gabe walked out the door after her. I wanted to tear after him. I wanted to yell at him that she was mine now and he needed to leave well enough alone. But duty called.

When the last of the guests dripped out the door in the early hours of the morning, I immediately called her but her phone was off. I didn’t leave any messages. I didn’t know what to say. How did you ask the woman you loved to choose you over your own brother in a voicemail?

The next flight I could book wouldn’t land me in her hometown for another ten hours, so I threw off my jacket and tie, hopped into the car and drove. The GPS told me it would take six hours to get there. The speed I was driving, I would have probably done it in five. That was until lights flashed behind me.

Cursing, I pulled over to the side of the road, smoothing my hair and plastering on a smile that could convince people to sell their souls.

“Officer.” I nodded as the window rolled into the door frame.

“Do you know what speed you were doing?” The policeman peered through the window, ignoring the rain soaking his uniform and trying to make out my features in the dim morning light. I was hoping for some sort of recognition, but he just stared at me blankly. He wasn’t from the city. He didn’t have a clue who I was. This was going to be harder than I thought. I considered my options. I could try to charm my way out of it, or go with the truth. Tell him I was on my way to see a woman, the only woman who had piqued my interest in years, and I was afraid she was lying in my brother’s arms right now. But instead, I simply grunted at him to hurry up. I didn’t want to waste my time.

I didn’t even glance at the ticket when he handed it through the car window. I tossed it onto the backseat and pulled back onto the road, eager to be on my way.

The first time I was introduced to Lauren Greer, her hand was firmly clasped in Gabe’s, a wild and carefree smile danced across her face, and her cheeks were flushed with passion. When her eyes locked with mine, insane jealousy bolted through my system like a shock wave. It was purely physical and I’m still not sure what elicited such a strong and immediate reaction. It had never happened before. Ever. I wanted to rip her away from Gabe. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder like some fucking caveman. Instead, I stood mute and watched the colour creep up her cheeks. She stood on the second step of the stairs, her body positioned slightly behind Gabe’s, staring back at me like a frightened deer from a tumble of divinely messy hair. Well, that’s what I thought until I stepped forward and shook her hand. She met my gaze almost defiantly, chin slightly raised, eyes challenging.

And that’s when I knew I was done for. By the tilt of her chin and the fire in her eyes, she would be forever stuck in my mind. Trapped there like the lyrics to a song I couldn’t forget.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter that her hand was in my brother’s. I wanted it to be in mine. As she moved past me, the flash of her pale skin caught my eye. Her back was completely exposed, the zip of her dress resting on the curve of her backside. It both excited and pained me. Excited by the sight, pained by the reason it was there. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and took her hand. She froze. Electricity bolted through that touch and I wanted to run my fingers up her arm, wind my hand around the back of her neck and pull her to me, crushing her mouth against mine. But I contented myself by moving behind her, taking in the flush of her bare skin, the gentle swell of her hips, the dimples that peeked through the split in the dark fabric of her dress, the careless hair that fell in a cascade down her back.

It was a cruel and unusual punishment watching them together. At first, I tried to resist, but I was a moth drawn to the flame even while knowing it would burn. I tried to extinguish it with alcohol, tried to wash away the thoughts of her with whiskey, but she found me and I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t stop the thoughts that tumbled through my head. Confusing thoughts. Conflicting thoughts. Thoughts of our bodies tangled together on dark sheets. Thoughts of her lips on mine, even as she pressed them to Gabe’s.

It was sickening.

Still, when Dad asked about a photographer, I basically leapt at the chance to spend time with her, even though it was torture. Even the way she staged her photos drew me to her. The splash of mess she inserted was like a splatter of colour on a black and white image. Poised and staged, but hinting at an untamed wildness that I was desperate to explore. 

I wanted to look away when Gabe, drunk and stupid, carelessly fumbled, groping and pawing at her as she tried to push away. Even though he was my brother, I wanted to throttle him. I wanted to gather her in my arms and take her away. But I had to placate myself with simply stopping him. Every muscle in my body twitched to do more. I couldn’t understand what she saw in him. She was blinded by his angelic smile and failed to see him for the irresponsible idiot he was.

I battled with myself over the next few months. She wasn’t mine. She was loyal to Gabe. I should have left her alone, but I couldn’t. I was inexplicably drawn to her. I wanted her. I needed her. And the thing that got me the most was I knew she wanted me too. Every time our eyes met, I could see it. The way she glanced at me when she thought no one was looking. The way her body froze at my slightest touch. The way she melted when our lips finally met. I had to have her.

Then I did and it was heaven.

It was pain and pleasure. And now she was probably with him again and the thought of it was driving me insane.

When I finally neared the outskirts of her town, I spoke to my phone, telling it to call my assistant, Sadie. Her voice was croaky and blurred with sleep when she answered.

“I need you to get an address for me,” I said.

“Tyler?” There was rummaging in the background and I imagined her searching for her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose, staring at the numbers on the screen. “What the fuck are you doing calling me at this time? It’s fucking seven o’clock in the fucking morning. You know I like to sleep in over the weekend.”

“Sadie,” I said gruffly, though too amused by her colourful language to be properly annoyed. “I need this address.”

“Alright, alright, keep your knickers on. Whose address do you need?”

“Lauren Greer’s.”

“The photographer’s?”

“Yes,” I replied tersely.

“The photographer who’s dating your brother?”

“Are you going to get me the address or not? It should be on her employment record.”

“It’s company policy not to give—”

My patience was wearing thin. “Sadie!”

“Okay, okay.” A muffled scuffle sounded in my ear and then the clicking of keys on a keyboard.

“The street is called—”

“I know the street,” I said impatiently. “I just need the number.”

The line fell silent and I wondered if I had pushed Sadie too far. We had known each other for years. Sadie knew my moods, she knew me, and she was one of the few people I counted as a friend. Finally, I heard her sigh. “There is none.”

“None?” I repeated.

“None.”

“How can there be no street number on her address?”

“I don’t fucking know, Ty. It’s just not here.”

“Fuck,” I cursed.

“Ty?” Sadie said hesitantly. “Do you really think you should be doing this?”

“It’s too late not to.”

“Just remember the meeting—”

I ended the call and turned onto Lauren’s street. The street lights were still on, their timers adjusted for the winter, and pools of light cut the wet road into patches. I didn’t even know what sort of car she drove and the only person who I knew that could tell me where she lived was Gabe. That was not happening.

Barely able to see through the rain falling in sheets, I pulled over to the side of the road and started to walk up and down the footpath, scanning each house for any sign of her. As the rain soaked my shirt, it struck me how ridiculous this was. I was wandering the streets like a discarded lover, desperate for a glimpse of the woman he loved. But flashes of the night before kept running through my mind.

Her warm eyes gazing at me with a mix of desire and guilt. The feel of her legs wrapped around my waist as I carried her to the bedroom. Her silky flesh under my tongue. Her breasts, round and full, spilling between my fingers. The taste of her. The smell of her. The feel of her.

Her.

I wanted to do everything and nothing. I wanted to devour her, yet leave her untouched. She made me forget everything yet remember it all. She was purity and sin. Both Eve and Lilith.

And then I saw her. It was just a glimpse, a flash through a rain-streaked kitchen window. Her hair was piled messily on the top of her head. She wore a loose t-shirt and baggy sweatpants, but she had never looked so beautiful. I stopped and just watched for a moment. She didn’t notice me as she walked to the sink and filled the kettle, her lip caught between her teeth. It was such an exquisitely simple action, but it was one I wanted to watch over and over, simply because it was her performing it.

And she was alone. There was no Gabe lurking in the background, no arms clamped around her waist. My body slumped with relief.

Despite my reputation, most of which was carefully crafted, I hadn’t properly dated since university. I took dates to functions. I occasionally slept with said dates, but ultimately I was a loner, attached only to my work. I relished routine and order. I thrived on independence and freedom.

But I was about to change all that for her.