Pants on Fire (11 page)

He smiled and kissed her back. “No more dreams. No more lies. It’s just me and you, here and now.”

She nodded and tipped her chin up, inviting his kiss. She gasped against his mouth when he slipped inside her and his tongue darted out to dance with hers. Their every movement was slow and tender, deep and sensual, close and intimate. All traces of fun and flirty were gone, all thought of the temporary and the passing replaced by a longing for a lifetime of quiet embraces and cool evenings made warm by loving arms.

He treasured every second, already fully aware of how rare it was for Megan to be serious about anything and still be happy. He loved her, loved how she laughed her way through life, but he loved this softer, gentler side of her too, not more, not better, but just as much.

She held on to him and watched the emotions and sensations play across his face. Occasionally she trembled against him whenever the doubt snuck into her mind and she would worry, if only for a second, that she would wake up alone, that all this was only a pleasant dream, no matter what he said to reassure her otherwise.

It’s not a dream. This is real. I could get used to being loved like this.

At some point they rolled over and Tyler laid back and watched Megan above him, her soft curves glowing in the dying light of day. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, soft waves of chocolate that framed her face. Her eyes were dark and wide and intense, taking in every inch of his face, but his eyes roamed from her eyes and face to her hair to her curves and back again. He wanted to remember every detail of here, here and now. Maybe it wasn’t the first time they’d had sex together, but something about tonight was different. Now, with all the lies stripped away, they could really, truly, and honestly be fully together.

Soon his need began to overpower his sentimental ideas and he rolled again. Her hair splayed out over the bed spread and she gasped a little as his thrusts became quicker, and more urgent. He dropped his body close to hers and their hearts thundered together.

Quite by accident, while shifting her hips to make his weight more comfortable, Megan found Tyler was suddenly in the exact perfect place to stroke her g-spot with every thrust. Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed hard.

“Oh, Tyler,” she gasped. “Don’t move.”

He froze and she let out a desperate whimper.

“No, don’t stop. Don’t stop. God, don’t stop. Just don’t move.”

When he started moving again she shuddered and nodded, her eyes fluttering closed and her head tipping back. Understanding dawned on him and he continued with measured strokes, watching her lick her lips and toss her head around as the pleasure moved from ‘nice’ to ‘overwhelming’.

When her arms shot out and she grabbed the covers with both hands he knew she was close. Careful not to shift his position from the waist down he bent forward and began nibbling at her neck. It was enough and her back arched, slamming her body tight against his and she gasped sharply.

The shocked, breathless silence didn’t last long and she was soon moaning louder and louder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself close against him, and let out a sound that was very close to a scream.

He shuddered and went over the edge so fast and so hard that it left him dizzy. When they were both spent they lay together, arms and legs intertwined until neither could so much as scratch their nose without completing rearranging both of them first.

Her eyes were fluttering closed and she smiled. “You must be real. That was better than anything I could have dreamed up.”

“Compliment received at this end,” he muttered and sleep pulled him under.

***

Megan rose slowly from sleep, her breathing deep and peaceful. She rolled over, stretched, and encountered nothing but empty bed. She sat up, heart pounding as the memory of the night before came sharp into focus.

The sound of the shower running relaxed her again and she slipped from the bed and padded across to the bathroom. Tyler was rinsing shampoo from his hair and Megan just leaned in the doorway watching him.

“You’re up early.”

“Meetings,” he said. “And I have to get home to change before I hit the office.”

“That makes sense. Were you going to slip off without saying good-bye?”

“No, but I was going to let you sleep as long as possible. I’m done here, if you want the shower.”

“Yes, thanks.”

“I put my number in your phone,” he said. “And I stole your number from your phone’s memory.”

“We should have thought of that a lot sooner,” she said.

When she got out of the shower he was dressed and hovering by the door. “I’ll be in meetings all day so I’ll miss your appearance at the book store, but Stephanie will be there with her son, AJ. I’ll be back here to check you out this evening. I promise.” He kissed her. “Good luck.”

He almost bumped into Bernie as he went out and Bernie stared after him, obviously in shock. She turned to Megan. “Is that Mr. Mathers?”

“Yes, that’s Mr. Mathers.”

“And was Mr. Mathers here all night?”

Megan rolled her eyes. “Yes, Tyler and I slept together. Yes, I know I’m on tour. Look, no one needs to know about this until we get back from tour and Tyler and I decide exactly what this relationship is.”

“So what was last night?”

“An apology. Do I need any more lectures? Because I’m awake and washed on time and we have a schedule to keep.”

“Fine. We’ll deal with Mr. Mathers and the press if or when it becomes an issue. Are you ready for today?”

“I won’t be forcing any of my smiles, that’s for sure. When do we have to meet the car out front?”

“Forty-five minutes. And you will eat breakfast because I will not have you passing out in front of all those kids.”

“Bernie, that’s over and done with. I’m over Bryce, I’m not going to go on anymore starvation diets to ‘improve my self-image or sense of self-worth’.”

“Good. And make sure you’re packed, too. You’ll barely have time for a shower when we get pack to check out this evening.”

“I know. I didn’t really unpack last night. Now, let’s go down and get that breakfast, I didn’t get all of my dinner last night and I’m starving.”

***

For not being one hundred percent sure of how many people would show up or exactly how the day would go it was a very successful start to Megan’s tour. They had wisely advertised two sessions, one before lunch and one after lunch. At the beginning of each session Megan led the kids in a quick sing-along and answered their questions before settling in behind the long table and signing cookbooks.

The only real surprise of the day was when a round faced blonde with a son too young to be cooking stepped in front of her and said, “You know, I think I’m just as excited to meet you as my son is, Megan.”

Megan looked up sharply, her shock quickly giving way to a smile. “Well, I’m glad AJ enjoys the show so much. This cookbook will be a wonderful keepsake for him.”

She opened the book and wrote, ‘To AJ, never be afraid to chase your dreams, you can be anything that you set your mind and heart to. Thank-you for being my #1 fan. Miss Maizy Daisy.’

“Thanks for coming by!”

Stephanie smiled at her, took the cookbook, and the line moved on.

***

Tyler looked at his watch again and the chairman of staff relations cleared his throat. “Is there a problem, Mr. Mathers?”

“No, I’m very impressed with the current reports, please continue.”

He received a dry smile and a curt nod and then the droning resumed. As soon as the meeting was over he raced down eight flights of stairs, not trusting the elevator to be fast enough, and drove like a mad man to the hotel. He jogged up to the front desk, out of breath, much to the dismay of the manager.

“Mr. Mathers, can I help you? There hasn’t been a problem or …”

“No, I’ve just come to see our celebrity off.”

Mr. Brisbane nodded and led Tyler to his office. “You’ve missed her. She was stalling here in the lobby until Ms. Stein almost dragged her out. I see now why. Don’t worry, you can count on my discretion.”

“Can you look up her tour information?” Tyler said, gesturing to Samuel’s computer. “Which of our other hotels is she staying in?”

Samuel sighed and sat down in front of the terminal. After a moment he said, “I’m sorry, there are no reservations for Bernie Stein, Megan McCollum, or Miss Maizy Daisy at any of our hotels.” The printer hummed to life. “Here’s the page from her website that lists her tour stops and dates.”

“Thanks for this.”

“Your father met your mother in one of these hotels. Not many of us know that, since they were very discrete, but it was very romantic.”

“Well, my romantic may have ended before it had a chance,” Tyler said. “Thanks again, for everything.”

***

Megan slumped in her seat on the plane and stared out the window at the busy runway. Bernie was busy reviewing numbers on her clipboard until Megan’s melancholy sighs finally got the better of her.

“Look, Megan, I’m going to tell you something that you’re not going to want to hear. Honestly, I was hoping your mystery man would remain a mystery, and that you’d never find him again, because stories like this never end well, except in the movies. I’ve had my fair share of dealings with this type of man, Megan. It doesn’t matter how sweet they seem at first, it never works out. Look at Bryce, he was Mr. Business Man too, and he was a liar from the start.”

“Tyler is nothing like Bryce.”

“Tyler lied to you, repeatedly. How is that any different from Bryce? I told you, you’re not going to like this, but a clean break is just what you need. Get over him, Megan, before he breaks your heart.”

***

Tyler hung up his cellphone and nearly threw it across his office. Stephanie came in with a cup of coffee. “When I called to check in they told me you were in a mood so I left Matt to make supper and came in.”

“She’s not answering her phone.”

“She’s probably on an airplane right now. Try her in a few hours instead of in the next few minutes. It’ll be better for your nerves.”

He sighed. “How was the signing?”

“Wonderful. She’s wonderful, Tyler. Don’t let her slip away again.”

“I’m going after her. I’ll go to her next signing and surprise her. I have the listing right here, if I take the jet …”

“The board of directors will have a fit and you know it. You just got back from a two-week vacation. You have a pile of work and meetings to get through. If you cancel and bail to chase a girl you’ll lose a lot of credibility and they’ll start undermining you.”