Tell Me You Love Me

“Lord have mercy, it’s hot,” Tyanna Calhoun uttered as she stepped out of the air-conditioned gym and into the muggy Miami night. It didn’t matter that the sun had gone down hours earlier; it was still as hot and sticky as it had been during the day.

The city was going through one of those summer heat waves where the nights were as hot as the days. As always, it was the humidity that was the killer. It was barely June. What would July and August be like?

Tyanna frowned. She shouldn’t have bothered to shower in the gym. She would only have to take another one when she got home.

Not that Tyanna was complaining—entirely. She’d lived in upstate New York when she went to college, and it was then that she learned how lucky she was to have been raised in South Florida. For four years of her life, she had complained to anyone who would listen about how
much she hated the cold, how she couldn’t stand the North after October. She became less active, not wanting to do anything if it meant trudging through one of the winter’s many large snowfalls. Her four-season friends had gotten a chuckle out of her misery, telling her that her blood was too thin from having been raised in a warm climate. Well, whatever the reason, Tyanna knew she wouldn’t endure another winter up there if her life depended on it.

Whenever the heat got to her, Tyanna remembered her days in the North—days when she’d wanted some freedom from her family—and she kept her mouth shut.

Her body adjusting to the temperature, she strolled through the parking lot, making her way to her car. She’d parked near the back, as the gym’s manager preferred the staff do, in order to leave the front spaces open for clients.

Man, was she ever looking forward to going home and jumping into bed. Maybe she’d have a glass of wine first to help take the edge off. It had been one of those days. She’d had to go into work early to fill in for another personal trainer who’d gotten sick on the job. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t had to spend two of her sessions dealing with men who clearly had complexes when it came to women. Sure, she was filling in for Morton, but just because she had a pair of breasts didn’t mean she was incapable of doing the job.

And then there was the one pervert who’d been so fascinated by her that all he’d been able to do was ogle her body during his supervised workout.

Tyanna was used to dealing with creeps and idiots, whiners and chauvinists, but she much preferred not to if she didn’t have to. She was happy with her own clientele, some men and mostly women she’d been working with for the past few months. They knew she was good at her job and respected her for it.

All in all, she enjoyed her job at the gym. Every day brought something new, which not many people could say about their line of work. The one snag she’d had in the past months was Jay, one of her clients who had developed a crush on her. He was no longer using a personal trainer, but he still frequented the gym. He was harmless—just annoying—though on occasion his ridiculous come-on lines did make her smile.

Now nearing her car, Tyanna dug into her purse for her keys. And dug a little farther. Where were they? She’d gotten rid of her bigger purse, thinking it would be easier to find items in a smaller one. But no. Murphy’s Law had to have a hand even in purse issues.

Damn that Murphy anyway.

Just as she was resting her purse on her car so that she could get a better look, she heard the sound of shuffling feet nearing her. Before she could turn to see who it was, a hand closed around her upper arm.

Her heart pounding, she instantly sprang into action. While turning her whole body, she swung a fist. The punch landed under the stranger’s chin, knocking his head back. Tyanna followed the punch with a quick kick to the man’s abdomen.

The man cried out and toppled backward. With him down, Tyanna reached into her purse and was relieved to feel her keys. Clutching them in her sore fist, she scrambled to the driver’s-side door. She tried to get her key in the lock, but her throbbing fingers let go and the keys dropped to the ground.

She quickly stooped to retrieve them. The man groaned again, and as her hand settled on the keys, something made her pause.

That groan. There was something familiar about it….

Her heart pounded even harder. And while her brain told her to get in the car and drive away, something else made her slowly turn and look.

The man was back on his feet, although still hunched over in pain.

And suddenly Tyanna felt like she was the one who’d just had the wind knocked out of her.

It couldn’t be him.

She stared at the man in the dim light, certain her eyes had to be playing some kind of trick on her. It looked like him. But could it be?

“Sheldon?”

“Yeah,” he replied, then coughed. “It’s me.’’

He sounded horrible, like she’d really done some damage. She couldn’t help asking, “Are you okay?’’

“I’ll live,” he retorted testily. Then, “What were you trying to do? Kill me?’’

Her defenses went up. “Ever hear that it’s not polite to sneak up on a lady?’’

Sheldon clutched his side as he stared at her. “I didn’t sneak up on you.’’

“Oh, really? Then what would you call it?’’

He hesitated. “You could have at least tried to see who it was before you became Rambo.’’

“At this time of night?” Her voice was full of skepticism. “Aren’t you the one who always told me that wasting a moment could mean losing your life?’’

In the illumination from the streetlight above, Tyanna saw Sheldon smile.

“Very good,” he said. “In fact, I’d applaud you, but I’m trying to hold my liver in place.’’

Tyanna couldn’t resist a chuckle. “I’m sorry, Sheldon. I didn’t know it was you. If I had, I wouldn’t have hurt you.”
Even though you deserved it.

“Yeah, well. I guess I should be happy you took those self-defense classes I encouraged you to take. But you made one mistake.’’

“Oh?”

“You weren’t looking up as you approached your car. I told you before, that puts you at risk of someone sneaking up behind you. Take your keys out earlier, and look around as you approach your car to make sure you’re safe.’’

“I still got you. And good.’’

“Don’t I know it.’’

Silence fell between them, and it suddenly hit Tyanna that Sheldon Ford was really here, really talking to her as if no time had passed since she’d last seen him. Her stomach bottomed out as a million questions flooded her mind.

She knew she shouldn’t ask why he was here, why he’d been waiting for her in the shadows; it didn’t matter. But she was curious as hell, and he wasn’t talking.

“What?” she began sarcastically. “You show up after a year to give me a test in self-defense? To see if I’ve taken all your advice?’’

“Very funny.’’

Sheldon straightened, and Tyanna couldn’t help giving him a sweeping glance from head to toe. He was dressed in black—not exactly a good thing for a man who didn’t want to appear suspicious after dark. But black definitely suited him. He wore a tank top and knit shorts, the kind of outfit someone might wear to the gym or to go jogging.

Despite the dim light, Tyanna’s eyes didn’t fail her as they perused Sheldon’s body. His golden brown skin looked smooth and flawless. His hair was more closely cropped to his oval-shaped face than the last time she had seen him, and it took Tyanna only an instant to decide that she preferred this look. His shoulders were still as broad as she remembered, his biceps still per
fectly sculpted. And there was no way she could miss the shape of his strong pecs, even in the darkness.

Sheldon’s black tank top hung over his shorts, but that didn’t obscure the outline of his flat stomach and his narrow waist.

Tyanna’s gaze went lower, and she was almost embarrassed at her reaction to his thighs. Her breath actually caught in her throat, as if she’d never seen the man’s strong thighs before.

Of course she had. She’d seen every beautiful inch of him….

And goodness, the man was still fine. Too fine for his own good.

When she lifted her gaze to his face, she saw him smiling. She quickly looked away.

His smile irked her. There was nothing remotely funny about this situation! For the last year, she had remained in love with Sheldon Ford. She’d fallen for him hard and fast, and she still wasn’t sure why. Everything she hadn’t previously imagined for herself—like 2.5 children and baking cookies on a Sunday afternoon—she’d allowed herself to dream about when he came into her life.

Four years ago, Tyanna had seriously dated a guy named Chad who worked at the same restaurant where she had—it was her first love relationship. She’d been smitten with the dark-skinned brother, but he had never inspired the kinds of domestic feelings that Sheldon had brought out
in her. Besides Chad, there had been two other men with whom she’d been fairly seriously involved, but again, neither of those men had made her feel anything close to what she’d felt with Sheldon.

Tyanna’s own family members had called her a wild child. And she had been as surprised as everyone else at her domestic fantasies when Sheldon had come into her life.

But he had left her life as suddenly as he had entered it, and he hadn’t even had the decency to face her when he’d broken off their relationship. She still remembered the pathetic letter he’d sent her—how she had eagerly ripped it open because she was so worried about him. Instead of an explanation for his disappearance, he had simply stated that things “weren’t working out” for them and he was moving on.

If they hadn’t spent the last night they were together making wild, explosive love at her place, she might not have been so confused by his sudden absence. But they had—their lovemaking was always earth-shattering—and she’d been even more devastated by his easy dismissal of her.

She swallowed uneasily as she pushed those thoughts aside. The last thing she needed was to remember how she and Sheldon had connected between the sheets.

“Well, we can stand here all night and play twenty questions,” Tyanna said flippantly. “But
I’d rather not. Why don’t you tell me what you’re doing here.’’

“I came here to find you.’’

Why?
was the next question on her tongue, but she held it in check. Instead, she glared at him for a good few seconds, and then said, “Go to hell.’’

She turned back to her car, wishing the door was already open so that she could slip inside and quickly disappear. But it wasn’t, and as she was turning the key in the lock, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She shook it off. “Leave me alone, Sheldon. I’ve had a very long day, and I just need to—’’

“Tyanna.”

The rest of her protest died on her lips. Damn. Why did he have to say her name all soft and whispery? Her knees actually went a little weak, and she didn’t need weak right now. She needed the strength she’d built over the last year after he’d abandoned her for no rhyme or reason.

Yet her hand stilled on the key.

“Listen, I know this is a shock—’’

“Shock? You call this a shock?’’

“All right. Maybe that’s an understatement. The point is, I want to explain a few things.’’

“You’re a year too late.’’

“I kind of figured you’d say that. And I don’t blame you. But I’m also sure you have questions, and what I have to tell you will explain the last year, why I did what I did.’’

I don’t know what possessed him, child.
Tyanna
could still hear his mother’s voice, on one of the occasions she’d visited her after Sheldon had disappeared.
He said this woman’s the one for him, and that I need to be happy for him.

She steeled her jaw and faced him. “Things didn’t work out with the new lady, I guess? If you even think you can begin to explain that away—’’

“What other woman?” he asked. Then, “Oh, that.’’

“Yeah,” Tyanna mocked, “that.” Her blood started to boil, and she knew she was close to giving him another one of her self-defense moves—one that would leave him writhing on the ground. “I don’t have time for this.’’

Once again, she turned the key in the lock. But again Sheldon reached for her, wrapping his fingers around her arm.

“Let me go, Sheldon, before I top what I did to you a few minutes ago. And if you think I’m joking, go ahead and test me.’’

“Tyanna, please,” Sheldon said. Tyanna met his gaze. He was looking at her with a serious yet vulnerable expression.

“I don’t want to let you go yet,” he went on. “Like I told you, I have a lot of things to explain. And even if you get in your car and I never see you again afterward, please, just give me a few minutes.” He paused, as he continued to stare at her. “Okay?’’

Groaning, Tyanna rolled her eyes. “Somehow I
don’t think you’re going to take no for an answer.’’

“Smart girl.’’

“Fine,” she said mockingly. “I’ll give you three minutes. That’s all.’’

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