CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Billie was dead asleep when a thumping noise woke her abruptly. Pulse fluttering, she sat straight up in bed, startled by the unknown sound in an abode she wasn’t quite yet comfortable in. There was an alley cat that hung out on the front stoop; perhaps it had knocked over a trash can or a box?
She froze waiting for the sound again and jumped when she did, the pounding coming from her own front door. One quick glance at the bedside table had her cursing their late-night visitor. Only drunks and fools knocked on a door at two in the morning and she couldn’t wait to tell them that. Their new friend probably wanted the tenant that had lived here before them.
Billie was wearing one of Tyler’s old t-shirts so she dragged on a pair of old blue jeans that had been carelessly discarded on the floor before padding out to the living room, only to see Sierra already at the door smiling at their door knocker.
Tyler.
So it was a fool.
Because he didn’t look drunk. He did, however, look awful as if he hadn’t slept in days. Eyes red-rimmed, skin on the pale side, even his hair looked like it had been combed with his thumbs.
And he’d never looked more handsome and wonderful in his whole life. Billie had to curb the urge to throw herself into his arms the minute she saw him, she was so incredibly happy to see him. Now she understood why he hadn’t answered her text. He’d been on an airplane.
“Tyler.”
His gaze traveled over Sierra’s shoulder to where Billie was standing, his smile growing wider.
“Baby girl.”
Hopefully in fifty or so years Billie would be used to the wave of emotion that came over her when he called her by that name and in that special timbre. But for now, she almost melted into a puddle of goo, her knees turning to water. How had she ever thought she could walk away from him? She could be mad and hurt and want her space, but she would always come back.
And her sister? Sierra was smiling, her gaze darting between Billie and Tyler. “I can see I am totally not needed here. Nice to see you, Tyler. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Bless sisters. Billie would thank her later. Sierra brushed by on the way to her bedroom and elbowed Billie. “Go get ’em, sis.”
The door to Sierra’s room clicked closed leaving Tyler and Billie alone. Pleating the cotton of his t-shirt between her fingers, she shifted on her feet, feeling suddenly a little shy under his intense scrutiny.
“I sent you a text but now I know why you didn’t answer.”
Tyler nodded, dragging his suitcase from a spot behind him and placing it against a wall.
“I was on a plane. Actually, I was on a couple of planes. Curtis couldn’t get me a direct flight to Paris so I had to fly to New York first and then wait for what seemed like days to get on the next plane.”
Billie wasn’t sure what else to say so she didn’t say anything at all. There were so many things she wanted to tell him but she didn’t know where to start. The better plan was to let Tyler speak. He’d flown thousands of miles to do just that.
“Can I get something to drink?” he asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m kind of thirsty.”
“Of course,” she said, relieved to have something to do. “Are you hungry? We have leftover coq au vin from dinner.”
“I could eat.”
That meant that he was starving but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. She warmed up the chicken dish and poured him a glass of white wine to go with it. He ate his late dinner at the kitchen table while she sat across from him, neither of them speaking much except to remark on the weather forecast and her schedule on set. Eventually he finished and placed his fork on the edge of the plate, dabbing the napkin against those well-shaped lips that drove so many women crazy.
“I have a few things to say, babe. Will you hear me out?”
Nodding because she wasn’t sure her voice was working, she tried to appear as composed as possible despite her stomach doing backflips in her abdomen. It was as if her entire life and future happiness was riding on this one conversation, which was ridiculous but she couldn’t stop thinking it.
“First of all, I want to say that I’m sorry for keeping the file. I should have given it to you that day that Garrett brought it over. I’ve thought a lot about why I didn’t and I guess I didn’t want you to be upset about your past. You hadn’t told me about it yet and from your silence I knew that there was so much that hurt, although I didn’t know why. Maybe I thought I could shield you from it? It sounds stupid when I say it out loud but I swear I had no malevolent intention with it. As for why I kept it? I’ve given that a hell of a lot of thought too.”
Her entire body was like a stretched rubber band, stretched to the point that she could snap back with no damage done or snap and break. It all depended on what his next words were.
“I did wonder what was in that file,” he said, but then held up his hands in surrender. “But not because of some morbid fascination or because I thought that an incident in your past would come out and hit the tabloids. I think we both have to admit that if anything ever hits the gossip rags it’s going to be something from those first wild years I had in Hollywood. I’m not that proud of my behavior and there could be photographic evidence.”
Luckily Instagram and Snapchat wasn’t a “thing” back then.
“I think if there were photos or video we would know by now,” Billie said.
“I fervently hope so. Now as to why I kept it…” His voice trailed off and she thought she might explode from waiting. “I think I loved you even then and I just wanted to know every detail about you. I’d always respected your decision not to speak much about your life although it frustrated me to know so little, but once we were engaged I wanted to know everything. I wanted that part of you that you kept hidden away – all the things you never told me – except for Sierra. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more and yes, I was curious. I knew reading it was wrong so I shoved it away, hid it among my scripts. I will openly admit that I don’t know if I would have broken down and looked or not. I’d like to think that I would have stayed strong because I did eventually forget all about it. Once I had you, for real, that’s all I really needed.”
That…wasn’t so horrible. Human nature and all. He had every right to be curious about the woman he was falling in love with. It wasn’t his fault that she didn’t talk about her childhood but that she knew so much about his. Except that he’d been ugly. She hadn’t known that. They had their whole lives to learn all the small stuff.
It didn’t matter. Billie knew all that was truly important. Tyler would never hurt her on purpose. Ever. Somehow she’d allowed herself to forget that immutable fact.
“I understand,” Billie finally replied, realizing there had been a long span of silence when he’d finished speaking. “I think there was a part of me that was looking for a reason to run. This scares me, Tyler. Fear of happiness is a demon I have to conquer. Whenever things are going well I always look for the other shoe to drop because in the past it always did.”
She’d come to a few conclusions as well after her talk with Sierra and that was one of them. The second was that not talking to Tyler wasn’t solving their issues. It only prolonged them.
“Baby,” Tyler said in that voice that dampened panties all over the world. “I have more to say but I need to hold you. Can we go into your room perhaps?”
Privacy. A good idea. Not that Billie thought Sierra had her ear pressed to the wall between her bedroom and the living room…Billie was sure her sister didn’t but once they finished talking both she and Tyler were going to be exhausted. It would be easier if they could just fall asleep where they lay.
“Sure. Grab your suitcase.”
Doing as she suggested, he followed her into a bedroom down the hall. The small lamp next to the bed was already switched on from when she was so rudely woken and it bathed the corner of the room in a golden glow. Lying against the headboard, pillows propping her up, Billie patted the mattress next to her. “Come join me.”
It had been far too long since she’d felt his arms around her and he didn’t disappoint, his hunger just as strong as her own. As if by mutual agreement their lips met in a ferocious kiss so hot she could feel her bones melting along with her heart, their bodies pressing even closer together. His hands stroked down her spine leaving a heated trail in their wake and arousing every nerve ending in her flesh. So good. Tyler could excite her with only a few kisses and it wasn’t fair at all. His lips trailed over her jaw to her ear, nipping at the lobe until she was giggling and pushing at his chest, but not really wanting him to stop.
“We’re supposed to be talking.”
Those skillful lips slid down her throat and his chuckle sent vibrations straight down to her toes. “I’d rather make love. I think you would too. We can talk later.”
True, and besides, thinking was becoming more difficult with every touch of Tyler’s fingertips and every kiss from that talented mouth. Somehow her t-shirt had rode up, exposing the skin of her belly as his warm hands slid up her ribcage to cup her breasts. His thumbs teased the tips until she was squirming underneath him and he was tugging the offending piece of cotton over her head and tossing it to the side.
Cool air ran over her hard nipples, puckering them even more tightly but Tyler had already moved on to the button of her jeans, popping it open with practiced ease. With her help he pushed her blue jeans down her thighs and off, tossing them heedlessly over his shoulder. Luckily the room was small and she wouldn’t have any trouble finding them in the morning.
Clothed only in a strip of lace panties, Billie could feel the heat of Tyler’s gaze as he sat back on his heels and studied her from head to toe as if this was the first time he’d seen her almost naked. There was love in those soft blue eyes. She’d seen him look at her like that before but there was something more there this time. A reverence she’d never thought to see or have directed at her. Billie was sure she was looking at him the very same way.
“I’ve missed you so much.” Tyler’s voice was rough and dark and incredibly sexy. “I need you.”
She needed him too. Right now.