On Dry Land (Swimming Upstream #3) (5 page)

“You always do.”

Chapter 7

Tyler

His words were barely audible, but at the same time they were deafening.

Tyler hadn’t wanted to say anything. He’d never intended to, but once the words were out there, there was nothing to be done but deal with the consequences. Even though he’d been the one to initiate the conversation, it didn’t mean it was one he wanted. And he definitely wasn’t about to have it wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Craving the need to be protected, Tyler reached down beside the bed, grabbed his boxers, and yanked them on carelessly.

“Tyler.” Ava’s voice was soft, broken, and she looked so small. She’d melted back amongst the nest of pillows almost as if she was trying to hide.

“You gotta tell me why. Please. I need to know. What do I do to make you run?” Tyler croaked.

“Nothing.”

“Then why, Ava? Why do you leave?”

“Because I can’t stay.”

“But why, damn it?”

He’d wanted to stay calm. Have a rational discussion. But his emotions had gotten the better of him and he couldn’t sit there a moment longer. Leaping from the bed in one smooth, fluid motion, Tyler found himself pacing Ava’s bedroom, running his hands through his hair.

With shaking fingers, Ava reached out and pulled on Tyler’s button down shirt she’d ripped off him earlier. Shrugging it on, Ava stood, her legs barely holding her.

Regret filled Tyler. Moments earlier Ava’s eyes had been alight with mischief and happiness but now they were filled with fear and uncertainty. His stomach turned with the knowledge that he’d been the one to put it there. If only he’d kept his big mouth shut, then instead of standing on the opposite side of the room, the bed between them, the void feeling wider than the Grand Canyon, he’d have been wrapped around the most amazing girl in his world.

“Tyler, I…I just can’t.”

“But why, Ava? There’s got to be a reason. Tell me. Please. How am I supposed to fix it if I don’t know what I’m supposed to be fixing?”

With tears streaming silently down her face, Ava hiccupped. Tyler wanted to jump the bed and wipe away her tears. He wanted to make it better and maybe that’s what made it so hard. What he wanted to do and what he knew he needed to do were so far apart he couldn’t reconcile the two.

“There’s nothing to fix.”

“Bullshit!”

Frustrated and with his blood boiling, Tyler stalked from the room and pulled on his jeans, barely pausing to zip them as he stuffed his feet in shoes. The moment his hand touched the cool metal of the door handle, Tyler realized what he was doing. He was guilty of the exact same crime he’d accused Ava of. Running. Fighting to justify it in his head, Tyler spied the time on the microwave, the red numbers glowing at him. It was the middle of the night. Changing his mind, Tyler kicked off his shoes and collapsed heavily on the lounge. He was exhausted in every way a person could be. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. Running his hands across his stubble covered chin, he slumped back and closed his eyes.

He didn’t know how long he sat there but he knew the moment a warm, soft, sweet smelling body found its way into his lap.

“Please don’t cry,” Tyler begged, as he nuzzled against her neck.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Short Stack.”

“But—”

“Nope! No buts! Come on, it’s late and we’ve both had a trying day. Let’s go to bed,” Tyler instructed, cutting her off.

Ava went to protest but Tyler silenced her with his lips. Rising from the lounge, Tyler wobbled under her weight but he stubbornly refused to put her down. As Ava dotted his neck with tiny, innocent kisses, Tyler’s strides lengthened. Without a word they reached the bedroom, divested each other of their clothing, and wrapped themselves in each other’s tender embrace before promptly falling asleep.

As the heaviness settled over them and Tyler spooned Ava tenderly, the words slipped almost silently from his lips, “I love you, Short Stack.”

When Tyler woke the next morning, the sunlight was pouring in the window and once again the bed beside him was empty. It took him a minute to gain his bearings and figure out where he was exactly, but as his eyes cracked open he realized he was in Ava’s bed. There was nowhere else it could be. The bedside table was buried under a mountain of tattered paperbacks with a pair of glasses resting precariously on top. Stretching out his aching arms, Tyler sighed heavily as the weight of last night came rushing back. Everything from Ava’s car accident, which had scared the shit out of him, to the argument that ensued right through the moment before sleep when he spilled his guts.

“Fuck!” Tyler swore as he jolted upright, eyes suddenly frantic.

He had no way of knowing if Ava had heard his sleepy confession. All he knew for sure was the woman he wanted in the bed beside him wasn’t. In one fluid movement he sprang from the bed and tugged on his jeans, not bothering with his underwear. Tyler was striding down the hallway as he zipped up.

Turning the corner, his heart sank.

Ava looked a fright. Her hair was mattered, her eyes red-rimmed and glassy, her chapped lips were slightly parted and her breathing coming in short, shallow bursts, but it was her fingers that captured his attention. Furiously they flew across the keyboard with reckless abandon. Completely hypnotized, Tyler lent against the wall, folded his arms across his chest, and just watched. Ava didn’t even realize he was standing there.

“Morning, Short Stack,” Tyler said eventually, breaking the silence as he moved towards her.

Startled, Ava jumped where she sat as her eyes met Tyler’s. “Fuck, Tyler! I didn’t see you.”

“Obviously.”

Eyeing him warily, it took Ava a moment to catch up, “You shithead!” she scolded as she attempted to cover herself. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I just did!”

“You know what I mean.”

Ignoring Ava’s snappy reply, Tyler tried to divert the conversation. “How long have you been up?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Ava wiped her nose on her shoulder before realizing whose shirt she wore. “I…I…”

With a hearty chuckle, Tyler moved towards her, almost stalking her like she was his next victim. “I-don’t-give-a-rat’s-ass-about-the-shirt,” he assured her as he kissed her neck between each word.

“Tyler…” Ava’s voice was filled with a heady combination of lust and warning. It boiled Tyler’s blood as it pounded in his ears.

Without warning, Tyler lifted Ava effortlessly from her chair and kissed her deeply. When he brushed the seam of her lips with his tongue he felt the fight evaporate from her as she welcomed him home. Home. As the word danced in his mind, Tyler had to force himself to concentrate on the warm woman in his arms instead of letting his mind take him places it had no right to be.

Shifting her in his arms, Tyler set her bare feet on the floor, and before she had the chance to protest, he stole her seat in front of the computer.

“Don’t, Tyler,” she whined as she tried to step in his way, but with the flick of his wrist and a few well placed kisses, Ava was squirming and trying to dart out of reach. Sighing heavily, Ava stepped backwards. “Did you want some breakfast?”

“You trying to distract me?”

“Would I do that?”

“Yes,” Tyler answered quickly. That’s exactly what she’d try to do. And it was exactly what she was attempting.

“Tyler…” her voice was thick like honey. Sickeningly sweet.

“Ava…”

“Don’t read it. Please. It’s not finished…”

“What’s in it for me?

Tyler watched as fear passed over her features before being banished away with a heavy swallow. He knew Ava was trying to be tough. Trying to force a confidence they both knew she didn’t possess, but it wasn’t about to stop her. When her fingers found the hem of his shirt, Tyler would have sworn he stopped breathing.

“Ava…”

“Yes, Tyler?”

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” His words came out as a desperate hungry growl. His whole body was on fire. Sitting in front of Ava’s computer, surrounded by scrunched up balls of paper, his eyes were glued to the pale thighs slowly being revealed.

“Who said I can’t finish it?” Ava whispered, and with one movement, she pulled Tyler’s shirt over her head, leaving her naked.

“Fuck, Ava!”

But she was gone.

Unable to force rational thought into his body, before he knew it Tyler’s feet were following the seductive sounds of her laughter.

Chapter 8

Ava

“Fuck, that was close,” Ava sighed as she lay in her bed stealing sporadic glances at the God-like man lying beside her.

“I can hear the wheels in your head spinning, Ava,” he teased. That damn grin of his got her in trouble so damn often.

“Liar,” Ava called him out as she trailed her fingers up and down his chest.

He rolled over and winked, sending Ava’s heart into overdrive. Even after all these months Ava still had trouble believing that Tyler had chosen her. Over and over and over again, he continued to choose her.

“So, now you’ve distracted me and it’s…shit. Well, it’s after ten o’clock. I want to know…” Tyler moved and suddenly Ava found herself pinned beneath Tyler’s weight. “How much of my life, of our life, is in that new book?”

“Why? You worried?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, in that case you’ll be happy to know that nothing that has happened in our real life has made the cut.”

“We’re that boring?”

A snicker snuck out unexpectedly as Tyler placed a wet kiss behind her ear and tugged on her ear lobe with his teeth, sending Ava’s libido into overdrive. “Never. But I didn’t want to risk upsetting the guy who is the inspiration for the main character.”

“Why not?”

“’Cause I don’t want him to storm into my office and make a fool out of himself.”

“Really? A fool out of himself.”

“Yep! That would be totally embarrassing!”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Tyler laughed as he rolled off her. “So, Miss Jacobs, do you have plans for today?”

“Umm…”

“Good! Then don’t make any. I’m taking you out. So, shower up. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”

“Bossy much?”

“You have no idea, Short Stack!”

“Shower now!” Tyler repeated as he slapped her playfully on her bare butt. “We’re leaving in fifteen no matter what you’re wearing!”

“Agh!” Ava squawked as she ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Through the thin door Ava could hear Tyler’s laugh, and shaking her head, Ava stepped into the shower and let the scalding water pound on her head. She was thankful for the moment alone. It had been a hell of a twenty-four hours. Some space and time was exactly what she needed.

For the next ten minutes Ava scrubbed and shaved and exfoliated every inch of her body. With every pass of the loofa, the grime went down the drain and the aches and pains returned. As did the memories. The car accident. Inviting Tyler into her apartment. Then his night time confession. Suddenly Ava was chilled. She didn’t know why. Was it Tyler’s words that had freaked her out? Ava didn’t think Tyler knew she’d heard him. She’d pretended to be sleeping so she didn’t have to reply. The truth was, she didn’t know what she was going to say. She knew what she wanted to say, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat, so instead, she squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could.

“Ava, come on!”

“Coming!”

Ava jumped from the shower and hastily got dressed. She had no doubt Tyler was serious about leaving whether she was ready or not and she wasn’t about to risk it. She pulled her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and waved the mascara wand over her eyelashes.

“Leaving now!” Tyler announced as he pushed open the door. “Shit, Ava!”

“What?”

Butterflies filled her stomach with dread.

“Has anyone ever told you how gorgeous you are?”

Ava felt her cheeks burn. She hated compliments. Always had. Always would. Coming from Tyler made them even harder to take. “Where’d you get the clean shirt?”

“You mean one without the snot covered sleeve?”

“Yeah.”

“The car. But don’t change the subject. You’re beautiful, Short Stack!” Tyler tugged her into his arms and held her firmly against his chest.

“If you think so,” she dodged as she traced her fingers across his stubbly cheek.

“Well, I do. So you best believe it. Now, put your shoes on so we can go.”

Not wanting to continue this line of interrogation, Ava ducked under Tyler’s arm and escaped into her wardrobe, rooting around for her boots. Ten minutes later, dressed in her skinny jeans, a charcoal sweater, and black boots, Ava sat in the front seat of Tyler’s Jeep as he navigated the streets carefully. The rain had stopped but they were still slick and Tyler was taking it more cautiously than ever. Ava was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

As he twisted and turned corners, Ava remembered that she no longer had a car. That’s when the anxiety took over. Tyler wasn’t fully aware of how bad a mess she really was inside. It was part of the reason she never stayed. Too much time together and he would see all of her. All her faults. All her insecurities. All her fears. And there were just so many. She’d had mini melt downs in the past couple of months, but somehow she’d managed to get herself under control before pure panic took over. The problem was, it was only possible when things went according to plan. Tyler had never been in the plan, but somehow she’d adapted and kept moving forward. But a car accident, losing her only mode of transport, hadn’t been factored in. Now it had to be.

Reaching for the door handle, Ava white knuckled the bar. Digging her fingernails in, she prayed for the panic to pass. She forced herself to concentrate on her breathing as she stared aimlessly out the window. Without a word, Tyler’s hand landed on her thigh and took hold of her free hand, intertwining their fingers.

Suddenly the world seemed calmer.

The darkness started to lift.

The air wasn’t as thick.

There was light.

Focusing on her breathing, Ava felt the weight lift and she got herself back under control. The whole time Tyler had remained silent beside her.