Part 9 (1/2)
”Then I must be slipping.”
Tyler got out and went to the pa.s.senger door. He opened it with a flourish, bowing for her to enter.
Carlie gave in gracefully. She realized that she didn't have it in her to deny him. She wanted his company too much. Already, she felt more buoyant, more alive. He didn't treat her like any other man she knew. He was honest with her. She knew where he was coming from and what he was thinking. She could trust him.
Tyler hurried back around the car and slid in behind the wheel. He sighed, then turned to grin at Carlie. ”I'll take you home to change before we go to a movie.”
”When did I agree to see a movie?”
”You will, won't you?”
Carlie waited a moment, then asked with a degree of curiosity and disbelief, ”You're really bothered that this woman walked out on you?”
He didn't answer right away, and she prompted, ”Tyler?”
”I liked her. So, yeah, it bothers me. We...well, things just really clicked. It was like I knew her already, you know?”
”But you see a lot of women.”
He didn't dispute that, but he didn't confirm it, either. Again, she wondered if she'd misjudged him.
”What about you, Carlie? Have you ever met anyone that really felt right from the very beginning?”
”Brenda and I were instant friends, even though we're so different.”
”That's not exactly what I meant, and you know it.”
No, she knew what he meant, but she couldn't very well confide in him about her lack of a love life, about a lack of love, period. Until that night in the pool house, she hadn't believed she would ever enjoy the s.e.xual side of a relations.h.i.+p. ”I was married once. But things didn't work out.”
She jumped when Tyler reached across the seat and took her hand. ”Tell me what happened.”
”No. Let it suffice to say, I was young and foolish and made some dumb mistakes. End of story.”
”You must have been hurt.”
A nervous laugh escaped her, and she covered her mouth with her hand. He'd said similar words at the pool house. She was playing a dangerous game, and it was wearing on her.
Tyler frowned at her. ”Was that funny? I think I missed the punch line.”
She shook her head. ”No, I'm sorry. It's just... yes, I felt bad about it at the time. But as you can see, I got over it. Don't worry about it, okay?”
His hand tightened on hers, and he appeared disgruntled. ”You know, you should probably be really careful about hooking up with anyone again. I mean, guys can really take advantage. You deserve to be treated special.”
Carlie looked at him questioningly, seeing that he was agitated, but not understanding why. He smiled.
”You want to go home first to change and get dried off?” he asked.
”Yes. But you should know right now, Tyler, you won't like my change of clothes any better than you like this outfit. I refuse to dress up on Sundays. It's my day off, a day for comfort.” And besides, the sloppier she looked, the less likely Tyler was to recognize her. Not that he had the slightest suspicion now.
”Fair enough. But can I at least request you avoid shades of green? It makes my stomach churn.”
Carlie flashed a crooked grin. ”I'll see what I can do.”
”Ah, just what I like. A submissive woman.”
That comment earned him a playful smack.
After they reached Carlie's house, she disappeared into her bedroom to change and Tyler nosed around her living room. Carlie emerged minutes later, her hair only slightly damp and combed into place, her wet jogging suit replaced with a dry one. It was blue, and hopefully less objectionable, at least in color; the fit was still very loose and concealing.
A short while later, they were back in the car, on their way to Tyler's house. The storm intensified, covering the streets with debris and filling the car with a steady drone of raindrops. .h.i.tting the roof, interspersed with rumbling thunder. Carlie was relaxed in her seat, unconcerned with the weather.
”The storm doesn't bother you?”
She lazily swiveled her head toward Tyler, not raising it from the back of the seat. She was exhausted from too little sleep, and mind-weary from fretting about things she had no control over. ”I love storms.”
He grinned. ”I should have known better than to think they would frighten you.”
She smiled, her eyes still on his profile. ”When I was a little girl, I used to sit on the porch and listen. The rain would blow under the overhang, wetting my legs and sometimes my face. But the smells... so clean and fresh. I've always thought of storms as being peaceful, despite their noise.”
Tyler glanced at her, his eyes drifting over her face. He grinned teasingly. ”I've always thought storms were s.e.xy.”
Carlie's heart jerked, memories of the storm the night they'd spent at the pool house flooding into her memory. She cleared her throat, but still her words emerged as a dry croak. ”Is that right?”
He laughed. ”Hmm. They have one h.e.l.l of an effect on me.”
”Good grief.” Carlie had to joke to cover the heat that surged through her. A vivid mental picture had surfaced with his words, and she had to rely on wit to hide her feelings. ”You won't embarra.s.s me by attacking some poor, unsuspecting female at the movies, will you?”
His grin was wicked. ”You're not concerned for your own safety?”
She snorted.
”You do that really well, you know? I don't think I've ever heard another female snort with quite your flair. It's very descriptive.”
”Thank you.”
Tyler laughed at her dry tone, then shot her a narrow-eyed look. ”Have you ever made love during a storm?”
Forcing herself to breathe normally, Carlie peeked at him, then quickly looked away. She felt hot from the inside out, her skin tingling, her stomach coiling tight. She had to lie. She shook her head, then realizing he was watching the road, she whispered, ”No.”
That should have ended it, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, still in a whisper, ”Have you?”
Tyler glanced at her again, his look unreadable. His words were quiet and carefully measured. ”I thought you didn't want any details on my exploits.”
She felt disgruntled by his evasion after she'd summoned up the nerve to ask. ”No details. Just a statement. Yes or no?”
He stared straight ahead. ”Yeah.” He sighed. ”Yeah, I have.”
Carlie turned away. His husky tone nearly melted her, and she said without thinking, ”It would probably be nice.”
Tyler's eyes skipped quickly to Carlie and then back to the road again. ”Carlie?”