Nailed (7 page)

By seven o’clock, he was driving himself crazy so he locked
up and headed for the elevator. He couldn’t believe he was obsessing about not
just one but two women. And two polar opposites.

What the fuck?

He was still talking to himself when he reached the parking
level. Beside him, he heard a
thunk!
as the other elevator reached the
floor at the same time. He glanced sideways to see Miss Tightass exiting at the
same time he was. Her jaw dropped when she saw him and he could have sworn
every vestige of color drained from her face.

“Hey. Sorry if I frightened you.”

Maybe he could get her to engage in a little conversation.
Find out why the hell she ran from him like a scared rabbit and hid in her
office all the time. But she turned away from him, slim briefcase clutched to
her like armor and
tap tap tapped
her way to her car.

Tyler stood there literally scratching his head. He’d never
had a woman run away from him before. Ever. And if Miss Tightass was as capable
and bright as Jack Shelton said she was, why the hell couldn’t she at least
exchange a civil greeting with him?

He shook his head. He’d do better to avoid her rather than
try to solve that puzzle. He had enough on his plate as it was. He was busier
than ever with work and the rest of his time he spent thinking about Flame.
Miss Tightass would have to be relegated to a corner of his mind. To be dragged
out if he ever had the time.

Period. End of thought.

Chapter Seven

Tyler leaned against the deck railing in Alex’s back yard,
nursing a bottle of beer. He’d given up a precious night with Flame to keep
peace in the family and he was already regretting it. He only got to see her on
the weekends, just enough to leave him hungry for more. Now he’d had to cancel
one of those and he wasn’t too happy about it.

He let his eyes roam over the crowd in the back yard. Livy
had set up her iPod in a docking station with speakers so music provided
background noise, mingling with the buzz of conversation. He had to grin at the
sight of Alex playing Mr. Barbecue at the grill and Livy, the icon of the
corporate female, fussing with appetizers and making sure everyone was taken
care of. He’d never thought to see either of his brothers so immersed in such
domestic bliss but it certainly seemed to agree with them. Josh, helping Alex
at the grill, looked up every few minutes to see where his wife was. Every time
Ness turned to look at him, he got a loopy grin on his face.

Apparently this was what they wanted for him. And just as
apparently, his sisters-in-law didn’t think him capable of finding it on his
own. At least the one heading toward him right now didn’t. Livy opened the
sliding door from the kitchen to the deck and stepped out, her hand on the arm
of what Tyler had to admit was a really good-looking blonde.

“Oh Tyler, there you are,” she called, towing her friend
behind her. “I want you to meet Margot Schrader. I think you two will have a
lot in common.”

Tyler lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah? You in the construction
business?”

Before she could answer, Livy said, “Sort of. She does
interior design.” She laughed. “You know. You build them, she decorates them.”

Apparently comfortable with Livy’s enthusiasm, Margot just
grinned. “At least we both deal with buildings of some kind. Livy, go take care
of your guests. Tyler and I will be fine.”

Oh? Would they?

He deliberately let his gaze roam her body from head to toe.
Sleek blonde hair was pulled back into a long tail, accenting the sculptured
lines of her face. High cheekbones, aquiline nose, full lips. And hazel eyes
that seemed to change color every moment. The soft fabric of her pink top
draped almost lovingly over full breasts and white shorts left exquisitely long
legs bare.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the corner of the
railing, mischief dancing in her eyes.

“I take it you got the spiel from Livy about the exciting
person she wanted you to meet?”

Tyler chuckled. “Actually, I got it from Alex. My brother.
Her husband. But then you know that, right?”

“I do. I was in their wedding party but I’m sure you don’t
remember me.”

He frowned, trying to remember which of the females in the
long pale-green dresses had been her. He and Josh had been so focused on making
sure the ceremony went off without a hitch, he’d hardly paid attention. And
later he’d had a few drinks and danced obligingly with the bride, his mother,
and everyone’s relatives. He never really paid much attention to the women at
these events because the last thing he expected to find was a submissive just
waiting for a Dom to claim her. The circles his brothers traveled in were so
vanilla he wondered if they even knew what BDSM was.

And he wasn’t about to explain it to them.

“Sorry.” He hoped he sounded appropriately penitent. “I
think the entire evening was a blur for me. All the relatives and stuff. You
know how it is.”

She laughed, a pleasant sound that at least didn’t grate on
his nerves.

“Relax, Tyler. It’s okay. It should probably be a blow to my
ego that I was so unmemorable to you, but my ego can take a hit. And I have no
expectations of this evening, either.”

Well, that laid it right out there, didn’t it.

“I don’t know—”

She put her hand gently on his arm and moved closer to him.
“I know Livy, god bless her, has some notion of getting us together. Since she
got married she thinks everyone should be coupled up.” Her hand caressed the
bare skin of his forearm. “I’m just here to have a good time. I hope we can
have it together.”

“I’m thinking since you were a bridesmaid, you and Livy have
known each other for some time,” he guessed.

He was determined to make the best of the situation, even
though what he really wanted was to be at Finesse fastening clamps to Flame’s
nipples and sliding a plug into her beautiful ass. Then ordering her to her
knees to take him into her mouth as she’d done the first night.

“We met about five years ago. I did some work for Concordia,
an office complex they developed and we just hit it off.” She glanced at her
friend who was weaving in and out among people chatting and making sure
everyone was taken care of. “I’m glad she and Alex found each other. He’s
absolutely perfect for her and she’s nuts about him.”

“No crazier than he is about her. I like seeing my brother
happy. Both of them.”

“I’ve never met Josh and Ness.” She looked around again.
“That must be him over there with Alex. The three of you really look a lot
alike.

“I guess.”

“And that must be his wife he’s giving that lovesick look
to.”

Tyler laughed. “Yeah, he’s got it bad. They both do.”

“Well.” She moved close to him again. “I’m glad I got to
meet the unattached brother.” She winked. “I’ll bet you’re the best of the
lot.”

Her perfume was a floral scent that at any other time might
have appealed to him. But tonight it seemed overpowering when he compared it to
Flame’s hint of sandalwood. Everything about this woman seemed overpowering—her
slightly too- tight shorts, her nipples that managed to protrude through both
her top and her bra. The way she moved close to him so there was barely room
between them. The hungry smile on her lips and the predatory gleam in her eyes.

He shifted slightly to put a little room between them,
trying to do it without offending her. She was definitely a hot looking woman.
Maybe he should give her a chance. She certainly seemed more than willing for
anything he had in mind. He’d be a fool not to at least consider it. Maybe he
could at least ease some of the incredible sexual tension that had built up
since he’d last been with Flame. He supposed he could give it a shot. His heart
wasn’t in it but maybe his dick could be.

And aren’t I just being the asshole of the night.

He pointed to the big coolers on the other side of the deck.
“What’s your poison? They’ve got beer, wine and soft drinks.”

She looked at the bottle in his hand. “Whatever you’re
having is good.”

He fetched one from its bed of ice, pried the cap off and
handed it to her. She clinked her bottle against his.

“Here’s to having fun tonight.” She paused. “You good with
that?”

Tyler paused for the briefest of moments, while the vision
of a woman with rich red hair and luscious curves danced in his eyes. Then he
nodded. What the hell, he was here anyway. Right?

“Sounds good to me.”

They took their drinks and wandered through the back yard,
stopping to chat with people. Some of them she knew, others Tyler knew. None
that they both knew, however. All the while it was happening Tyler had the
feeling he was physically removed and was keeping an eye on two people, neither
of whom was him. It was an odd feeling.

Margot was a toucher. One minute she had her hand on his
arm, then his shoulder, or his back. She casually brushed the hair back from
his forehead, her fingers lingering just a little too long on his skin. When
they sat at one of the picnic tables to eat her hand kept finding its way to
his thigh. And oh wow. Was that a gentle squeeze he felt? Could she be more
obvious?

Tyler did his best to be polite without giving out the wrong
signals. Especially with Livy casting glances at them every chance she had.

“So,” she said, finally plopping down across from them. “I’m
so glad to see the two of you getting along so well. I just knew you’d fit
together.”

“Oh, I think we’ll fit together just fine.” Margot’s laugh
had a sultry edge to it. She squeezed his thigh again.

“We’re enjoying the evening,” he said.

As casually as he could, he shifted so Margot was forced to
remove her hand from his thigh. Her possessive and suggestive gestures were
beginning to get on his nerves. It occurred to him that not so long ago he’d
have been willing to play this game. Sticking strictly to vanilla sex, of
course, but that left a lot of doors open. He’d have enjoyed the suggestive
byplay, the little gestures, and taken up the open invitation to take the woman
home and come in for more than a cup of coffee.

But tonight he found it more annoying than anything. The
scent of her perfume became heavier as the evening wore on, a cloying aroma
that stuck to him like a layer of fog. Her laugh was an irritant and if she
touched him one more time, he might have to break her wrist.

Easy, he told himself. She’s a friend of Livy’s. The last
thing he wanted to do was get on the bad side of his sister-in-law. Either one
of them. So he smiled and tuned out as Livy and Margot indulged in some female
chatter.

“I think I’ll go dig out another beer.” He hitched himself
around to climb off the picnic bench. “Can I get one for either of you charming
ladies?”

Livy grinned at him. “Not me, sport. I have to stay sober
until the last guest leaves. Thanks anyway.”

“I’ll have another.” Margot winked at him.

Tyler dug up a smile from somewhere as he headed off to the
big cooler. He popped the caps on two bottles and turned to walk back to the
table, only to bump into a warm female body.

Margot closed her fingers over one of the bottles, touching
his hand.

“Thanks. I thought I’d save you the walk back to the table.”

“Oh?” He frowned. “What’s the deal?”

She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and steered
him down the two steps from the deck and around the corner.

“I noticed that Livy and Alex have this nice little nook at
the side of the house.” Her voice was sultry. Suggestive. “I thought we could
take advantage of it to get better acquainted. You know.” She looked up at him.
“Without so many people around.”

Tyler managed to detach her hand from his arm but before he
could figure out how to get them back to the crowd, Margot had plastered her
body to his, pulled his head down to her one-handed and gave him a kiss that
was as much tongue as lips. Her mouth was opened against his and she’d thrust
her tongue inside almost before he realized what she was doing. As startled as
he was by her boldness it took him a few seconds to recover his senses.

For a moment, he allowed himself to respond, curious to see
if there might be some chemistry between them. But it took scant moments to
realize there was nothing there at all to attract him. And wasn’t that just
strange. He’d expected at least some response. Curling an arm around her he
threw himself into the kiss, taking possession of her mouth, trying to blank
his mind.

It’s not working.

Because all he could think of was Flame, her naked body, and
those full pouty lips. But he certainly remembered how soft they felt wrapped
around his cock. That was all it took to make him break the kiss.

Margot’s face was flushed and her breathing uneven. “Livy
was certainly right about you.”

“In what way?” Tyler had eased himself slightly away from
her.

“You are one hot man.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I could
do that again. And more. I think tonight will turn out even better than I
expected.”

Tyler stepped back, holding his bottle of beer in front of
him, almost as a barricade to prevent her from moving in for another kiss. He
rubbed his free hand over his face.

“Margot, listen. Let’s just take a minute here.”

“Take all the time you want, honey,” she smiled. “We’ve got
all night.”

“No. Yes. That’s not what I mean.” He chuffed out a breath.
“You’re really great. Gorgeous. Sexy. Appealing.”

She frowned and took a step back. “Why do I hear a ‘but’
coming?”

He took a long swallow of his beer. “I just don’t want to
give you the wrong impression here. I know Livy hoped that we’d hook up and
believe me, this has nothing to do with you.”

The smile disappeared from her face and she took a step
back, her mouth pinched in anger.

“Are you blowing me off?” she demanded. “Livy will be very
upset.”

Tyler swallowed a sigh. He’d known from the beginning this
would be a bad idea.

“I understand. And I know it won’t help for me to say this
but it’s not you. It’s me.”

“You’re with someone.” Her voice was flat, uninflected, but
he could hear the rage simmering beneath the surface.

“No. I mean, yes. Hell.” He rubbed his neck. “I don’t know
what I mean.”

“I think you’d better figure it out before you get cozy with
anyone else.” She almost spat the words at him.

He wanted to point out that getting cozy had been all on
her—well, except for those few final seconds of the kiss—but he at least owed
it to her to leave her with her dignity intact.

“You’re right. I totally apologize. I was an asshole. Come
on. I’ll make my peace with Livy and Alex and get out of here. Probably for the
best.”

He cupped her elbow to guide her but she jerked her arm away
from him.

“I can walk by myself.” She stomped ahead of him, then
turned. “And don’t worry. I won’t tell them what an absolute jerk you are.”

He hung back until she had found some people in the crowd to
talk to before seeking out his brother. Alex was just carrying a sack of trash
to the garage.

“What’s up?” he asked, then stopped when he saw the look on
Tyler’s face. “Uh oh. Is this something I’m not gonna want to hear about?”

“Please convey my apologies to your lovely and charming
wife, but I think it’s best that I leave.”