Twilight's Encore (4 page)

“Wow. This is nice, Ty.” She smiled when he glanced over his shoulder. “It must be hard to drag yourself away for work.”

“Some days.” He nodded toward the fridge; “There’s plenty of salad fixings in the crisper, go crazy.” His gaze did a slow sweep of her body. “I seem to remember you like your greens.”

Which was a polite way of saying she’d always worried about her weight. They’d had numerous arguments on the subject. He’d maintained a proper diet was key to good health, while she’d argued everything a body needed could be found from the earth. She wasn’t a vegan, but could understand the draw.

“And I remember you love a good steak, the redder, the better.” She opened the crisper and withdrew romaine, spinach, radishes, carrots, a pint of strawberries, and some balsamic vinegar. For a while there was a peaceful silence as they worked together to make dinner. Katy was just in the process of cutting up the berries when Ty joined her at the counter.

“Anything I can do?” He picked up a sliced strawberry and popped it into his mouth.

“Hey, leave my fruit alone,” she warned, teasing. He reached for another and she grasped his wrist, laughing. It petered out at the naked craving in his gaze.

He brought the strawberry to her mouth, and when she didn’t open quick enough, he did a slow glide across her lips. Her tongue flicked out to catch a drip and he groaned, the low sound stroking across every nerve in her body.

“You’re killing me,” he muttered, and his mouth hovered ever closer, teasing. Just before they made contact she thought she heard, “but what a way to go.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ty would always remember his first taste of heaven. A warm honeyed mouth coated in sweet juicy berry. Soft pillowy breasts and the silken slide of peach scented hair. The breath-stealing feel of her hourglass figure beneath his hands, and the sexy little cries she couldn’t quite control. A gauge that told him better than any words how much she wanted him.

His heart thundered like an Indy car on a perfect oval track. If he didn’t slow this down soon, Ty worried he’d crash and burn. Been there, done that. Had the scars to prove it, thank you very much.

His lips refused to listen though, bad lips. They were intent on mapping every crease and crevice of her mouth, inside and out. Powerless against the onslaught of memories mixing with the uncertain present, Ty gave up on backing away. Instead he delved within, on a mission to replace another man’s kisses. Determined to stamp his mark upon her soul.

He couldn’t seem to fill up on her taste; it reminded him of a decadent dessert. He knew it was bad for him, but lacked the strength to set it aside. One more lick here and a nibble just there, at the cupid’s bow of her lip. When her tongue flicked out to soothe the ache, Ty sucked it into his mouth in a game of tag where they both came out the winner.

His hands performed braille on every inch of skin they could reach. From curvy hips to the underside of her more-than-a-handful breasts, there wasn’t a spot he didn’t crave to relearn. He loved the little breathy catch, then sigh, she did every time he came to a particularly sensitive area. Like now, when his fingers spread out over her ribcage while his thumbs lightly tweaked hardened nipples.

His lips worked a path along her jawline to the shell of her ear, and he smiled when her head fell back to grant him more access. He well remembered her sensitivity to this erogenous zone on her body. Her skin was velvety soft, nearly translucent. He could almost feel the blood pulsating through her veins beneath his lips. His own heart throbbed in response, speeding along his cells to pound a message to his engorged cock.
Take her, take her now.

His arm swept out and shoved the salad bowl aside. Ignoring her startled gasp, he lifted her onto the counter and edged between her legs.

“Ty,” she hesitated, her hands on his shoulders to hold him at bay. “We shouldn’t.”

Caught in a cloud of lust, it took him a bit to comprehend her words, and a much longer moment to admit the validity. His head dropped and he heaved a frustrated sigh.

Her hand came up and brushed gentle fingers through his hair, and he leaned into her touch, helpless to resist.

“Ty, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on.” He raised his head and met her worried gaze. A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “On the kitchen counter? Really?”

He laughed, then groaned at her bemused expression. Time to step back before he showed her just how possible it could be. He leaned forward and gave her one last, lingering kiss, then turned back to his now overdone noodles. Yep, there had to be a metaphor in there somewhere, for sure.

“If you set the table, I’ll finish up in here.” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she made it off the counter safely, just in time to see her dress ride up her thighs as she levered herself down. And there it was, that tempting little swan-shaped birthmark of hers. He’d teased her about it often enough. That it was their private spot, a secret only they—and her parents—knew about. Guess that wasn’t true anymore.

Angry with himself for still giving a shit, Ty grabbed for the pot of pasta, remembering too late that he needed potholders. The heat from the steel handles sizzled against his palms. “Ouch, shit,” he swore, and let go. The liquid sloshed, hissing as it hit the hot burner.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Katy’s worried tones as she rushed to his side only embarrassed him. What a lame-brained thing to do. If a bare leg was all it took to ruin his concentration he was in trouble. Ty refused to admit it was anything more than that; he couldn’t afford to get sucked into Katy’s orbit again. He still hadn’t recovered from the last time.

“I’m fine.” He grimaced as she turned his hands over and examined the deep red slashes embedded in his palms.

“Oh, Ty, that looks painful.” Her finger lightly traced the outer edge of the mark, leaving its own brand upon his skin. “I think you should run some cold water over them. Do you have any burn salve?”

She led him to the sink and turned on the tap before guiding his hands beneath the spray. His arms jerked with the shock of cold against overheated flesh.

Shit, that hurts.

“I think there’s some in the bathroom cabinet, but I’ll be fine.”
After you leave.
Nothing a good shot of whiskey couldn’t cure, except he was trying to quit. Oh well, tomorrow was another day.

“Don’t be silly. I’ll be right back. Keep your hands under there, okay?” She waited for his nod before letting go to slip from the room.

Now he was going to have to handle her playing Nurse Nightingale on him, was this night never going to end? Ty just wanted to lick his wounds, literally and figuratively, alone. He’d liked the thought of having her in his home, but now was almost sorry he’d invited her. How could he ever look at that counter again without picturing her laid out for him like the sweetest of delicacies? Or think of her silhouette against the picture window in his living room; an angel, come to life just for him.

The coolness of the water was working its magic and deadening his hands to the pain. Wish it were that easy to numb a bruised heart. He gazed at the twin trails of reddened skin, grateful that the burn seemed superficial. He was already on an impossibly tight schedule; the last thing he needed was to have his hands screwed up. The work on the stage was set to begin next week, and thanks to his electrician quitting on him, he was already short-handed. Good thing Jared had come back home and needed a job. He was the best Ty had ever seen with wiring and computer programming. With his friend on board, Ty had a good chance of his vision for the old theatre turning into a reality.

“All I could find is this aloe cream, but it should help.” Katy said, coming up behind him and laying a warm hand on his shoulder. “How’s it feeling?”

Ty controlled his flinch at her touch, shut off the water, and turned away to grab a hand towel. “It’s fine now, the water did the trick. I think I’ll wait until later to apply the ointment. You ready to eat, I’m starved.” He avoided her uncertain stare and opened the cupboard for plates, setting them on the spot her sweet ass had covered moments ago. Shit, her dress. He hadn’t even thought of it at the time, but she’d just been cutting greens up there. Not the best combination with white. “How’s your dress?”

“What?” She looked perplexed for a second, and then the light bulb went off. It was kinda cute, actually. Her hands groped her butt—lucky hands—and her head swiveled this way and that, trying to check out the damage.

“Turn around, let me have a look.” He chuckled.

She gave him the fish-eye stare, then slowly twirled on those stiletto heels of hers. “Do you have any idea how much this dress cost me, Ty Garrett?” Her hair whirled outward like a ray of sunshine as she swung her head to glare at him over her shoulder. “Well? Is it stained?”

Ty just shook his head, at a loss for words.

Sweet Jesus.

There, right at the apex of her thighs, lay the mark of Cain. A bright red strawberry clung to the snowy white cloth like a bull’s-eye, defying gravity and angry woman. And like a sheep led to slaughter, he couldn’t resist the lure.

~~~*~~~

Katy’s eyes widened in shock when Ty fell to his knees behind her and grasped her hips so that she couldn’t move. “Ty, what are you…” The rest of the words dried up and floated away at the touch of his mouth. An unbidden moan crawled up her throat and her knees went weak. The only things holding her up were those insidious hands. They slid down the front of her legs to the bottom of her dress and then under, working their way slowly, oh so slowly, up her inner thighs. His teeth were taking little erotic nibbles designed to make her lose her sanity.

“Ty,” she breathed, his name a prayer on her lips.

“Shh, I’ve got you,” he murmured, and every nerve quivered with longing.

Her head fell forward and she helplessly, hopefully, watched those fingers inch closer and closer to nirvana.

Then they were there. Touching, caressing, delving. His mouth nipped and sucked and it all became too much. She closed her eyes and let the sensations wash over her, the excitement, the soaring, the bliss.

When she came back to earth, it was to find herself lying beside Ty on the floor of his kitchen, his somber eyes cataloging her features.

“You’re so fricking beautiful.” His hand reached out and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

Now that the glow was slowly fading, Katy was horrified. She’d just cheated on her fiancé. Well, not technically, but close enough to matter. Why did she agree to come to Ty’s house?

“This is a mistake.” The words exploded into the air between them, too late for her to take them back.

Ty’s hand stilled before dropping to his side, a look of such contempt crossing his face that she shrunk away. He turned onto his back and folded his arms behind his head with a façade of indifference. Katy knew better, she’d hurt him. She hadn’t meant to, but that didn’t help the situation. All she could do was try to make him understand.

“Ty…”

“I think you better go. You don’t want to have the neighbors talking anymore than they already are.” He rolled to his feet, full of frustrated energy. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door.”

“Ty, please, just listen,” she pleaded, climbing up awkwardly, unaided.

“No,” he snarled. Then, in a slightly quieter tone, “There’s nothing left to say. Let’s forget this ever happened. I’ll finish my job, you’ll get married, and we’ll all live happy fricken after.” He turned away and strode through the living room to open the front door. “I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but only one of us achieved that particular plateau.”

Katy stomped after him. The man seriously knew how to piss her off. “Okay, I’ll go. When you’re ready to act like a grown-up, we can talk this out. I want to explain but not when you’re being so childish.”

“Ha, that’s a good one. You want childish? How about the girl who said she loved me, but instead when mommy and daddy said it’s him or us, she ran like the little princess I always knew she was? That,
baby
…
is childish.”

Katy’s mouth dropped open. All these years, and that’s what he’d been thinking?
Oh, Ty.
She lifted her hand, palm up in entreaty, but he’d already closed the door in her face. And that’s when she realized he’d somehow maneuvered her onto the porch.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Katy stirred to the sound of her cell phone trilling from the bedside table. Eyes still blurry, she rolled over and brought the phone to her ear. “Ty, I’m glad you called.”

She’d fallen asleep with his name on her lips. Good, maybe he was sorry and wanted to talk now.

“Who’s Ty? You fooling around on me, sweetheart?” Jeff’s polished voice had her sitting up and clutching the blanket to her breast.

She rubbed tired fingers over her scalp, brushed the hair back from her face, and frowned at her pale reflection in the mirror across the room. “Jeff. You surprised me. I thought you were busy in meetings for the next few days.”

“Not so busy I can’t take a minute to call my fiancé and wish her a good morning.”

His intimate tone jarred. She’d never noticed that before. After a restless night spent tossing and turning, the artificial dimness caused by the hotel’s lined curtains allowed her to fall asleep sometime around dawn. Maybe that’s all this was, crankiness due to a lack of sleep.

Yeah right.

Katy sighed. It was hardly Jeff’s fault she couldn’t get to sleep. No, that honor was reserved for a certain exasperating, too-proud-for-his-own-good man she knew.

“So, are you going to answer my question? Who is this Ty character, and why were you expecting his call?” Jeff asked, his impatience seeping down the line. She could hear office noise in the background; printers and fax machines, telephones ringing and employees arriving for another day of buy and conquer in the corporate world. Which reminded her…

“He’s the contractor Dad hired to fix up the theatre, remember?” She wished he would try to understand how important this was to her. But to Jeff, it was nothing but a waste of time. He felt getting married in a fancy hotel with a gazillion people they didn’t even know was the
right
image for an up and coming entrepreneur.

“Yeah, whatever you want, babe. Listen, I have to go. I’ll call you later and you can tell me all about it.” There was a hushed murmur of voices, and then he came back online, “Have fun, and I’ll see you sometime next week.” Click.

“Wait…”

Katy let the hand holding the cell drop to her lap. “Love you, too.”

She wanted to know why he’d decided to build a hospital here, in her hometown, but hadn’t thought to mention it. She appreciated the gesture, especially since Tidal Falls was long past due needing updated facilities. Maybe he’d meant it as a surprise.

The soft hum of the air conditioner and the occasional muted clang of a door closing down the hall were the only sounds in the room. She fell backward and let her head hit the pillow with a whoosh. Lavender scented the air from the sinfully soft Egyptian cotton sheets. Wonder what kind of sheets Ty used. Probably silk. And why that should make her squirm, she wasn’t going to think about. Much.

Her gaze followed the lazy clockwise turn of the ceiling fan above her head. Inevitably her thoughts turned to the night before. With little effort she could once again see the hot light flare in Ty’s eyes just before he lowered his lips to hers and turned her world upside down. Her skin heated as she recalled her response to his kisses. Her pulse tumbled in reaction to the exquisite touch of his hands upon her breasts, his complete mastery of her body.

And to the hurtful words like poisoned darts they’d exchanged in the end.

Katy rolled over and hugged the spare pillow, wishing for a pair of strong arms and a sturdy chest to hold her. And it wasn’t her fiancé she missed. Maybe this was a case of pre-wedding jitters, nothing to get her knickers in a knot over. Perfectly normal, in fact. What she needed was to get up, have a shower, and like Ty said, forget this ever happened.

She could give Rebecca a call and see if they could get together for lunch. She hoped her friend would agree to be a bridesmaid on short notice. Katy had wanted to ask her sooner, but Jeff insisted his sisters needed to be in the bridal party so… then his youngest sister, Nikki, ran away with her boyfriend to backpack across Europe. Jeff had gone ballistic, but Katy was secretly happy for the young woman. Their parents had died in a plane crash a few years earlier, leaving Jeff to care for a fledgling corporation and three young girls. A tall order for any man, but he’d buckled down and succeeded better than anyone could have foreseen.

Katy met him when her mother had commissioned his company to add a wing to the hospital. Tall, dark, and handsome, he’d stood out amid all the white-coated doctors in his expensive three-piece suit and tie. She’d been drawn to his quiet self-confidence and charm. They’d dated for a couple of years before he popped the question and she’d said yes, sure that she’d met her perfect match.

She was still sure. Ty was an anomaly. Something she could, and would, control.

~~~*~~~

Ty spent the morning at the local welding shop. He had a firm dream in mind of a stage that could lift and lower three levels by the power of hydraulics. With the ability to rise to stage level, lower to audience level, or disappear as an orchestra pit the theatre would be multi-purpose, allowing for live, as well as on-screen performances.

When he’d first come up with the plan everyone called him crazy. What did Tidal Falls need with a live theatre? The school gymnasium had done the job for years, hadn’t it? And they were probably right. He was an idiot for taking this on. But once he had it in his head, he couldn’t seem to let it go. Mr. Fowler had given him carte blanche as long as he had it finished in time for his daughter’s wedding and Ty took responsibility for the costs until the project was finished. He had a lot resting on this venture, but if it came out the way he envisioned… Katy would be stunned.

He shook his head, this obsession with her needed to end. She wasn’t his anymore, hadn’t been in years. Maybe if he hadn’t fallen so hard. But right from the first moment he met her in the dusky intimacy of the theatre, with her laughing green eyes and mischievous smile, he’d been hooked. It had taken a long time to recover after she left, and even longer before he considered dating again. No one else could hold a candle to her.

And now she was back.

“Okay, that’s got ‘er.” Mitch’s voice was overloud now that the frying bacon noise of the welding had stopped. The air was thick with smoke and the aroma of hot metals freshly fused together.

“What took you so long?” Ty turned his head from his position of holding the piece in place and admired the precision of the weld. “Just kidding, good job.” He pulled off a glove and grimaced at the pain. The burn had faded from a flaming red to a pale pink but still remained tender.

His friend lifted the helmet off his matted hair and grinned at him, a black streak on his cheek highlighting his pearly whites. “What did you expect? When you have the best…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ty answered, “forget the rest.” If only he could reverse that a little in his personal life. His motto should be, forget the best, so you can accept the rest.

“Have you seen her yet? I heard she was back in town.” Mitch turned away to set the stinger down.

There was no question who he meant. The whole town knew of Ty and Katy’s past. They were probably ears to the wall waiting for the implosion. Too bad he’d have to disappoint them.

“She came and looked the job over yesterday. She’s worried we won’t get done in time, which is why I’m here busting your scrawny ass today.” Ty’s lips curled at the misnomer. Mitch was six-five, two hundred-eighty pounds, and built like a brick shithouse. He’d played football with Jack and even got a scholarship to college out of it, but then the accident with Jack happened and those dreams came to a screeching halt.

“Well, unless you add another tier or something we should be able to squeak in under the wire.” Mitch said. “And get that glint out of your eye, the answer is no.” He raised a dismissing hand, strode to the counter, and poured a cup of three-hour-old coffee. “You want to go for a beer?”

Ty wanted to agree, except it was barely noon. “Why don’t you let me buy you lunch instead? I’m starving.” Especially since he’d thrown out last night’s dinner after Katy left.

“Yeah, sure, man. Just give me a few to wash this sweat off and we can go.” Mitch set the blackened cup down and left the room.

Ty wandered around the brightly lit shop checking on their progress. It was coming together, the picture in his head now taking form. This was the part of the restoration business he loved. Incorporating new and old into seamless functionality. The old theatre would be the flagship for his line of work. He’d done many residential jobs, but this would be his first commercial project. It could open doors for his business and allow for expansion. So far he’d worked from home but Ty wanted to open a store where he could carry his own line of merchandise. Homemade furniture, expertly crafted and made to last. Kitchen cupboards manufactured by hand with love and care. Commissioned works of art; rugs and tapestries, paintings and sculptures. Quality products constructed to withstand the test of time.

Restless, Ty picked up a wrench and set it down again. He had a feeling old man Fowler had hired him hoping to see him fail, though why he’d want to chance that with the venue for his daughter’s wedding, Ty wasn’t sure. Maybe he was wrong. If it hadn’t been for the fact that this was his big chance, he would have turned the man down. And if he’d known he would be dealing directly with his past—Katy—he still would have walked.

“You ready?”

Mitch’s voice drew Ty away from his vision of her last night, lost in the throes of passion. Her eyes closed and head thrown back as she rode his hand to completion.

To hell with walked, he should have run while he had a chance.

“Yeah, I’m ready.”