Chapter Fourteen
Kelsi
I couldn’t stop thinking about Tyler. His face was all I saw as I went to bed and then the whole day while I did all my work. It was as if the last 15 years hadn’t happened at all and we were right back where we had left off.
Obviously, I knew that time had passed, but the relationship we had seemed stronger because we were both stronger people. Tyler had found his way in the world, and although I hadn’t left Rainbow yet, I still felt like I’d grown a lot since my high school days. When I saw him sitting on the porch with my mother, I knew Kendall and Hannah were right. I needed to take advantage of this time with Tyler.
If we only had a few weeks together, that was better than no time at all. I didn’t want to live my life regretting not going after him. I certainly didn’t want to be thinking about these moments 15 years farther down the road and wish I would have given him a chance.
“So, I lied to you again,” Tyler said with a huge smile on his face as he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to the art studio. “I actually already talked to the owner and have the key. So, we get this whole place to ourselves tonight.”
“I suspected you had some sort of sneaky agenda.”
He flipped the lights on and there were two easels sitting in the back of the studio with all the supplies we would need to paint. I couldn’t help but get excited. I loved to paint; it was one of my favorite things to do when I was younger. I often thought I’d get around to doing it again as an adult, but life always seemed to get in the way and I never got around to buying the supplies.
“So, should I get naked for you to paint me?” he said jokingly.
“Yes,” I replied as I tried not to look at him and the shocked look on his face. “I think that’s a great idea. Get naked and climb onto the stage; I’ll paint you.”
Tyler stood for a minute and pondered what I was asking of him. He probably thought I was joking, I mean I hadn’t given him much reason to think I would give in to his advances. But I liked the idea of getting to paint him. I really liked the thought of him being more vulnerable than I was, because since I’d seen him again, I’d felt constantly vulnerable around him.
“I’ll do it,” he threatened. “Don’t think I won’t.”
“Then do it,” I said as I smiled and turned away from him.
“You think I’m joking and won’t get naked, but I will. I have no problem at all getting naked. Do you really want to paint me?”
“Yep.”
I could hardly keep my face hidden as I tried not to look at him while I heard his pants buckle being taken off. Quickly, I went to work setting up my easel and trying to avoid the nagging urge I had to turn around and peek at him. My adrenaline was pulsing through my veins, and I could almost hear my heartbeat in my own head I was so excited by the situation.
Not only had I not painted in a very long time, but I hadn’t been around a man who I wanted since Clyde’s father. I’d pretty much sworn off men altogether until Tyler came back into town and ruined all my plans for living a long a celibate life alone.
“On the stage, like this?” Tyler asked as I peeked over the canvas and looked at him.
“No, I was thinking more like this,” I said as I walked over and repositioned him how I wanted him to sit. “I can’t do a lot of angles, so keep your legs straight and lay back on one arm.”
It took every bit of self-control I had not to kiss him right there, but I did it. I walked away from him without throwing myself on top of him. However, I did manage to get a pretty good glimpse of his package, and he seemed to have quite the piece of equipment to work with.
“You should get naked, too,” Tyler said as he made himself a little more comfortable.
“How on earth would that work? I’m the one doing the painting.”
“I know, but it would make me happy to watch you painting while you were naked,” he joked.
“I have a better idea. You stay there naked, and I’ll stay here with my clothes on. Okay, great, yep, that sounds like the best idea.”
“Your hair looks amazing in this light,” Tyler said as I started to draw out the figure I was going to paint. “I bet you have tons of guys throwing themselves at you around here. I know you have Clyde to think about, but why haven’t you dated anyone since his father?”
“How do you know I haven’t?”
“Your mom told me.”
“Damn her,” I swore. “She doesn’t know. Maybe I went on a date and didn’t tell her. She doesn’t know everything about my life.”
“Have you dated since his father left?”
“No.” I laughed. “Now stop talking so I can paint you. I need to concentrate.”
“Don’t blame me if I get excited; I’m just going to lie here and think about that amazing dress you had on the other night.”
“Tyler Pace, no erections. Erections aren’t allowed in figure art.”
“Tell that to the big guy; he’s got a mind all of his own, and I have no control over how excited he gets or when he gets excited.”
“Shhh, I’m trying to concentrate,” I said as I looked at each curve of his body and precisely drew it onto my canvas.
It was as if I was right back in high school and my art class. I had loved art so much and missed the level of concentration that came from delving deep into a project. Tyler must have noticed my level of concentration and stopped talking so I could work on drawing him and then adding my paint. It was going to be a long process, probably a couple of hours, but I was so excited to be doing it.
The last couple of days with Tyler around had reminded me how little I had been taking care of myself and my needs. Yes, I was a mother now and needed to make Clyde my priority, but he had to come second to myself. If I wasn’t taking care of myself, I wasn’t going to be able to take care of him. Part of taking care of myself had to be doing things I wanted to do. Even after Tyler went back home, I was going to make an effort to get out more. I was going to buy tickets to the theater and even get my art supplies purchased so I could paint at home again.
Kendall and Hannah were right: having Tyler around wasn’t a waste at all. He was teaching me how I could be even better at parenting if I made myself happier. He was also giving me the attention I hadn’t had from a man in a really long time.
There was something special about a nice man who wanted to pay attention to me. I didn’t need it to feel good about myself, but it sure did help a lot. I felt prettier than I’d felt in a long time and that also lifted my mood and made me happier.
“Are you doing all right? Do you need a break?” I asked as Tyler adjusted his position.
“No, I’m good. How’s the painting going? Want to show me what you’ve got so far?” he asked, knowing darn well I wasn’t going to show him.
“Do you want me to get you a drink? I could grab you a glass of water if you’d like?” I replied and totally ignored his request to see what I was working on.
“I’m okay for right now.”
“I was thinking about what your life is like in Alabama, and I realized I have no idea. Tell me a little more about your life.”
“Well, I work a lot. Probably a little too much. It took me a long time to build the business to the level it is now, and I still feel like it could slip away from me at any moment. Isn’t that weird? Even with all the money I have, I still worry.”
I continued painting as he talked. It was cathartic to listen to him, and he seemed to need to talk through some things as well.
“I’m going to keep painting; you just tell me more about your life. Now that I’m done with the drawing part, I don’t worry as much about my concentration for the painting.”
“Okay, well I’ll be honest with you. I was going out on a lot of dates. It was weird, though; even the women who were really nice never seemed good enough for me. Not like I felt like I was some huge catch or anything like that. I just wasn’t willing to change anything about my life to make a relationship last longer than a short period of time. For the longest time, I was convinced I just wasn’t the relationship sort of man.”
“And you think differently now?” I asked.
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, and I really don’t want to scare you away. I know that whatever is going on with us is short term, and I’ll go back to my life, and you’ll go back to yours, but you make me want to change my life. Maybe even settle down someday with a woman who makes me feel like you do,” he said as he stood up and walked over toward me.
“Hey, wait, you can’t look,” I said as I guarded my painting.
“You’re far enough that you can finish it later,” he said as he pulled me toward his naked body and kissed me. “Let me draw you.”
“Okay,” I said without protesting at all.
I could tell by his face that he really expected me to put up an argument, but I was feeling bold. I was feeling adventurous, and I wanted to lie on that table for him. Tyler slowly removed my clothes and with each piece, the moment felt more and more erotic. By the time he had me naked, I could hardly contain myself and threw my arms around his neck and kissed him roughly.
“Now, now, let’s keep our hands to yourself so the artist can get his work done,” Tyler said playfully.
“Oh, yes, sir. Would you like me to lie on the table?” I said as I seductively walked over to the model table and lay down as I bit my lower lip. “It looks like little Tyler is getting excited. You might find it hard to concentrate on your drawing,” I teased.
“Little?”
“I mean huge. The biggest member I’ve ever seen.” I laughed. “I can’t imagine there is another man on this planet who has a bigger penis. If he’s out there, I haven’t seen it, that’s for sure,” I continued.
“Why did we break up?” Tyler said as he stopped drawing and looked at me from his chair with intense eyes. “I know we broke up because I was a jerk, but was it impossible for us to work through it? Was I just so much of an ass that I didn’t see what a good woman you were? I’ve thought about this, and I can’t remember even trying to get you back. What kind of guy doesn’t try to get a woman like you back?”
“It was time, Tyler. No matter what happened, we both had futures ahead of us and we lived our lives. There’s no take-backs with life. It is what it is.”
Tyler dropped his drawing pad and came over to sit with me. His hand slid softly up and down the curves of my body as we continued to talk.
“I guess you’re right. I just hate making mistakes.”
“Then don’t think of it as a mistake. Think about all you’ve done in the last 15 years. You’ve built a company that employs hundreds. I assume you’re a good boss, right?”
“Yes, I think I am.”
“So, all these people have an amazing job that they wouldn’t have had if you hadn’t built that company. They have children, buying houses and taking fun family vacations all because of the jobs you provide for them.”
“Well, now who’s twisting things around and seeing the positive side?”
“I know it’s weird, but since we went to see your father, I’ve really been seeing life in a different perspective. I’ve got a really damn good life. I was lucky to have met a man who I cared about enough to have a child with, even if he decided to move on and not be part of his life. I got Clyde out of the deal, and I absolutely can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. I guess we all just need a little perspective in order to take control of our own happiness.”
“You make me happy,” Tyler said and then leaned down and kissed me softly.
His lips were so smooth that I found it hard to tell where his ended and mine began. I closed my eyes and took in the feel of his hands as they explored my body and his lips as they explored my mouth. Goose bumps formed in succession of his fingertips and the spots they touched first.
I wrapped my arms around him and pulled his naked body closer to mine. The need to have his body near me was overwhelming and I couldn’t stop myself. It didn’t matter that we were in the middle of an art studio. I wanted Tyler, I wanted him right then and there.
“Protection?” I whispered.
Tyler just shook his head yes, but didn’t move to go grab it. Instead, he pressed me back gently onto the table and let his lips explore my body. He started at my neck and gently touched each side before moving down to my chest where he spent a few minutes getting familiar with my nipples.
I let out a soft moan of delight as he pulled one of my nipples into his mouth and gently nibbled on it. Oh, it had been so long since I’d felt that level of pleasure, and we were just getting started. Tyler took his time exploring my body, kissing all the spots that hadn’t been kissed in a long time. I was his, every kiss cementing how my body wanted him, how I needed to feel him. The anticipation building and building until I felt like I might actually explode.
“Should we move over to the hotel?” Tyler whispered as he lay next to me and let his fingertips trace the lines of my body.
“No,” I said as I grabbed him and pulled him on top of me. “You need to get that protection right now,” I demanded.
He stopped to kiss me for a moment and then jogged over to his pants and back to me. I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of his full erection and his playful smile as he wrapped the condom around himself.
“I’m better at this now,” he joked.
“I was just thinking that. Now get over here.”
His eyes locked with mine as he leaned down and kissed me softly. I didn’t remember his kisses feeling so gentle when we were in high school. Now, there was meaning behind them; there was a true sense of longing for me like I longed for him. In some aspects, I was glad we had waited; now we both went into sex knowing much more about each other than we did back when we were younger.
I couldn’t wait any longer though and pulled him down on me as he pressed my legs apart with his. There was a level of familiarity between us that I hadn’t expected. Even though we had never made love before, we had wanted to on many occasions, and now it was happening.
Tyler smiled as he entered me and watched my face as the pleasure of his body inside mine showed through. He seemed to be intently interested in watching me, and I was all right with that. There was no other man on the planet who I could have felt so comfortable with as the pleasure of the moment rushed through my body.
My hands clawed at his back and my eyes closed to take in the delight of our bodies together. Each stroke bringing me closer and closer to a pleasure that had eluded me. It didn’t matter where we were or how long it had taken us to find our way back to each other, this man was mine, and I felt it in every touch. The connection between the two of us was more than history, it was more than what we could have planned for, and it was truer than I had thought possible.