LAUREN

 

 

Tyler took the bra hanging over his arm and turned me so he could loop it under my breasts and attach the clasps behind my back. Lastly, he held the dress over my head so I could shimmy back into it. I ran my fingers over my hair cautiously, certain that I must look exactly how I felt. Freshly fucked.

“You look stunning.” His eyes darkened and he took a step towards me. 

“Tyler!” Jake shouted, somewhat impatiently. “I’m not standing here while you two finish fucking. Gabe turned up. And he’s drunk. Dad sent me to get you. We need to go.”

Tyler froze with his hands on my shoulders. As we stared at each other, dread settled in the base of my stomach.

“Don’t regret this,” Tyler growled. “Don’t,” he said more softly. “Don’t regret this.”

Jake’s slightly muffled voice continued through the door as Tyler pulled me to his chest. “Dad’s fucking fuming, Ty. I’ve never seen him this pissed at you before. What the hell were you thinking?”

“This will all work out,” Tyler whispered, his lips pressed to my hair. “You’ll see.”

But I couldn’t help the sickness that had welled in the base of my stomach. I never meant for this to happen, but now that it had, I knew there would be no turning back. I knew I was drawn to this man in ways I couldn’t resist. But that still didn’t mean I wanted to face Gabe.

Jake was in the middle of a tirade when Tyler threw the door open and stormed past him. “It is an introduction, for fuck’s sake. Anyone could do it.”

Jake’s eyes slid over me but he didn’t say anything, just nodded briefly as though I were little more than a random girl he had stumbled across in Tyler’s bedroom.

“You know Dad,” Jake said, directing his gaze back to Tyler who was busy knotting his tie.

“We’ll meet you there.” Tyler dismissed his brother.

“I think it would be better if she came with me,” Jake said.

“Is Gabe going to be there waiting when we pull up?” Tyler snorted. “I will drive her back.”

Jake shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”

“You okay?” Tyler asked as soon as we were on our way.

“We shouldn’t have done this.”

Taking my hand from my lap and pulling it to his mouth, Tyler shook his head. His lips brushed over my fingertips, sending shivers of pleasure into the base of my stomach. They mixed together with the butterflies of dread, dancing and floating until they reached my chest. I pulled my hand away.

“You can’t say anything,” I begged.

“I’m not hiding you,” Tyler replied.

“Please,” I insisted. “Not yet. Just give it a little time.”

“You said you two broke up weeks ago.”

“We did. But this is the first time I've seen him in a long time. The first time he has seen any of his family. Telling him now would only make things worse.”

Tyler sighed. “Fine,” he agreed. “But just this once. I don’t want to hide. And if he places even one finger on you, all bets are off.”

Jake was waiting at the elevator door when we arrived. He held me back when Tyler entered, shaking his head. “I think it would go down better if he arrived without you.”

Jake stepped into the elevator with his brother, leaving me alone in the foyer as the metal doors closed on them. I decided to take the stairs instead, allowing enough time for them to enter before I did. Tyler was already on the stage at the front of the room, slightly bent forward, speaking into the microphone, calm and controlled, and looking nothing like he had only minutes before, tousled hair and gloriously naked. The crowd broke into thunderous applause when he introduced his father and Tyler stepped to the side, allowing Hamish the limelight.

He caught my eye across the crowd and started walking towards me, only to stop when Gabe broke the line between us.

Gabe’s hair had grown out fully since I had seen him. It was no longer kept in the scruffy, grown-out mohawk style left over from when Billie had insisted on it for the fashion show. The reddish tinge had all but disappeared, but his boyish smile was still firmly in place.

“Lauren.” Gabe engulfed me in an embrace, Tyler staring daggers at his back. “It’s good to see you.” His words were slightly slurred. “I was hoping I would run into you here.” He leaned close, so his lips brushed against my ear when he spoke. “I had to have a little Dutch courage before I made an appearance. I might be the littlest bit drunk.” He held the pads of his fingers together and squinted at the distance to emphasise his point. “You look good.” His eyes travelled over my outfit, resting on the swell of my breasts just visible over the neckline of my dress. “You look amazing.”

“Gabe,” I said, my voice softening as he drew his gaze up to my eyes. “How have you been?”

“Good.” He nodded emphatically. “Great. Couldn’t be better.” He lifted one eyebrow. “You?”

“Good,” I replied quietly, my eyes flicking between Gabe and where Tyler leaned against the wall, arms crossed and eyes like steel, behind him.

Gabe noticed and twisted around. “Ah,” he said. “Just who I wanted to see.”

“Gabe don’t.”

His gaze dropped to where I wrapped my fingers around his arm and I loosened my grip.

“Am I too late?” he asked. “Have you fucked him already?”

“Gabe, please,” I pleaded with him, attempting to pull him away from where he was advancing on Tyler.

Tyler pulled himself from the wall, standing up straight, his arms dropping to his sides in clenched fists. Gabe stopped. The brothers stared at each other across the room, oblivious to the people milling about them.

Jake crossed the floor and spoke to Tyler. I wasn’t sure what he said, but Tyler backed down, turning away from Gabe and walking back with Jake to talk to some important-looking people dressed in suits.

“So?” Gabe crossed his arms. “Have you?”

“I’m not talking about him, Gabe.”

He let out a low breath of air. “I’m not sure I can do this, Lauren. I’m not sure I can see you here with him.”

“I’m not here with him. I promise.” It was true. Mostly.

Gabe took a step closer. “I’m going to win you back.”

“I’m not yours to win, Gabe. We broke up, remember? I did it because I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You didn't want to hurt me? Do you know how much you’ve messed with my head? You’re all I can think about. I’ve slept with, I don’t know how many girls over the past few weeks, trying to rid you from my mind, but it’s like you’re burned in there.” He took my hand, peering up at me through a fringe of blond. “The way you feel. Your laugh. Your smile. The way you taste. Everything. I miss everything about you, Lauren. Please don’t do this to me.”

My heart pounded in my chest. Gabe was so familiar. So beautiful. So tempting. But it was Tyler I wanted. Tyler who made my heart beat erratically just from a single look.

As though sensing my thoughts, Tyler broke away from the crowd and began walking towards us. I took a step back from Gabe. Billie caught my eye. The look on her face told me it had dawned on her what was happening.

“I can’t,” was all I said before I turned and walked out the door.

* * *

I didn’t bother to change before I boarded the airplane. I sat, squashed in the small seat, breaking off pieces of a cookie and shovelling them into my mouth. The air stewards performed their pre-flight checks and soon I was sailing through the air, looking down at the patchwork of paddocks. 

* * *

It was raining when I walked across the pavement, looking for the spot I had parked my car. When I finally found it, I was drenched. I caught my reflection in the window of the car, mascara streaked down my cheeks, hair slicked to my face and dress plastered to my skin. I pulled on the door but it wouldn’t open. I pulled again and again, but it wouldn’t budge. Kicking the side of the car, I let out a wail of frustration. Finally, when all else failed, I pulled out my cell and dialled Peta.

“I need you,” I said into the phone.

When Peta pulled up, I was slumped against the side of my car, not caring that the rain was falling, or that my phone was dead. She wound down the window. “Come on,” she said, looking me over. “Let’s get you home.”

I told her everything during the short trip back to my house. I let it all out in one long breath and when I was finally done, we were sitting in my driveway, the car idling, the radio playing softly in the background and watching the tears of rain slip down the windscreen.

“Well.” Peta sighed.

“Well?” I repeated. “That’s all you have to say?”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say. It’s clear you’re attracted to this Tyler, but it’s also clear you don’t want to hurt Gabe.”

“That part I know.” I groaned in frustration. “Tell me what to do about it.” Peta sighed again, exaggeratedly, and I whacked her arm. “You’re not helping.”

“Well, part of me wants to tell you to get back together with Gabe simply because I will get my best barista back. No offence, but your coffee-making skills don’t even come close to rivalling his.”

“Peta,” I wailed and let my head fall to the headrest.

“And part of me wants to point out the absurdity of asking my advice on this matter when I literally left to pick you up after having a quickie with my husband in the pantry because every other room in the house was occupied by little people. While you—” She glared at me. “You are having a hard time with the fact that two gorgeous men are laying themselves at your feet.”

I opened the door, letting the rain fall in. Peta reached across and pulled it shut.

“Okay,” she said. “I get it. You’re all upset because you almost got caught having mind blowing sex with the brother of the man you just dumped.”

I opened the door again.

“Okay, okay,” Peta said, laughing and pulling the door shut once more. “The boy you just dumped.”

“Seriously, Peta.”

Peta was still laughing. “Okay.” She wiped the smile from her face. Or, at least attempted to. “Okay. Look, Ren, you know I can’t tell you what to do. You know only you can make that decision. But my suggestion would be to get rottenly drunk, fall asleep and worry about it in the morning.”

“Will you get rottenly drunk with me?”

Peta shook her head. “Not this time, sorry. Remember? Little people everywhere. That includes the one currently, hopefully, asleep in my bed with an extremely annoying cough which will ensure I get very little sleep. As tempting as staying here would be, I promised Shrek I wouldn’t.”

I sighed and leaned forward to cover my face with my hands, not caring that I was smudging the already terrible stains of makeup across my face. “Solitary drinking it is.”

Peta leaned into the backseat of the car. “Here,” she said, passing me a bottle of wine. “Shrek sent this.”

I half laughed, half cried and took the bottle.

“I’ll call over tomorrow and take you to your car once you’ve found your keys,” she said and I climbed out.

Grabbing my carry-on luggage from the boot, I stood under the shelter of the doorframe. Thankfully, I had a spare key hidden under a pot plant and I was able to let myself in. Peta wound down the window and yelled through the rain as she reversed out the drive. “Remember. Drinking only tonight. Leave the thinking and worrying for tomorrow. And don’t talk to them. Either of them!”

* * *

I took Peta’s advice and got rottenly drunk. I don’t know what time I finally passed out, but I was still dressed when I woke. I also had a pounding headache. Reaching across the bed, I fumbled until I came across my phone laying on the bedside cabinet. At some stage during the night, I had the foresight to plug it into a charger. The screen glowed too brightly when it turned on. The notifications started vibrating through immediately. Messages from Tyler, Gabe and Peta filled the screen.

I switched it off. I needed a shower before I could deal with any of it.

The warm water felt good on my skin, like it could wash away all my worries, but when I stepped back out of the shower, wrapped a towel around my head and another around my chest, the reflection staring glumly back at me did nothing but remind me of the night before.

I would be better off forgetting I had ever met the Thornton Brothers. But I knew that would be impossible. They were forever burned into my brain. Both of them.

It was still raining outside, so I dressed in the oldest pair of track pants I could find, pulled a stained t-shirt over my head, piled my hair into a messy bun and determined to spend my day eating junk food and watching TV. I was only one episode into a reality cooking show that Peta had been following religiously when there was a knock at the door.

History told me it would be Gabe. I adjusted the messy knot of hair on top of my head and pulled the door open. Tyler stood in the rain, hair hanging in wet threads over his eyes, black t-shirt clinging to his chest.

“You left,” he said.

I didn’t say anything. I was not expecting Tyler Thornton to turn up at my door.

“I tried calling but your phone was off.”

He took a step forward and I took one back. Pain flashed through Tyler’s eyes with that one backwards step.

“Can I come in?”