No Reservations (13 page)

Of course she couldn’t do that.

Deep breath. “Hi, Dad. How are you? Is everything okay?”

His sigh rang through the connection, loud and clear. “Why do you always assume something’s
wrong when I call? I’m not that old, am I?”

She had to laugh. Her dad had an extremely dry sense of humor, when he had any at
all. It’d taken her years to figure out when he was making a joke.

“No, Dad, you’re not that old. Sorry. What’s up?”

“I haven’t heard from you since last week. I’m simply checking in. I called the shop
but Joe told me you’d gone home for lunch. Are
you
feeling okay?”

She wasn’t sure how to answer that without divulging more than her dad would probably
want to know so she simply said, “I’m fine. The wedding dress I made for Maggie Shanahan
survived the day despite being ripped by a dog. I had to repair it before the wedding
but it held.”

“I have no doubt it did.”

Was that pride she heard in his voice? It would be nice if she could tell. But that
was something to ponder another day. She had way too much stuff in her brain now.

They talked for another few minutes. Her dad asked questions. She responded. A normal
conversation for them.

It was all so . . . civilized. Which was a sucky way to characterize her relationship
with her father. But true.

“I heard Annabelle’s grand opening was quite the event.”

Shit.
Had he heard about her leaving the party with Tyler? Would she get his infamous “You
should have more respect for yourself” speech? Or would it be the “Don’t disgrace
yourself” speech? With her dad, there was always a speech.

“Um, yeah. It was.”

“Please let her know how sorry I was to miss it. I understand she made an announcement
about her parents. That must have been difficult for her. Please tell her I wish her
the best with her new endeavor.”

And once again, her father had surprised her. “I will. I’m sure she’ll appreciate
it.”

“I understand you left with a man. Is there someone new in your life?”

And there it was. The zinger.

Way to bury the lede,
Dad.

There was no way she going there, not with him. “No, Dad. There’s not. The man is
Annabelle’s boyfriend’s brother. His name’s Tyler Golden. He’s simply an acquaintance.”

An acquaintance she’d had mind-blowing sex with.

Yeah, really not going there.

“Kate.” He paused, and she braced herself for the speech, whichever one it might be.
“Do you think that’s wise? You’ve only just broken off your engagement with Arnold.
People will talk. I don’t want you to be the center of people’s conversation.”

“I know, Dad. That won’t happen.”

He fell silent and so did she. She was an adult and she wasn’t about to offer up any
more information. Though he might still consider her a child, there were things he
didn’t need to know about her life. Such as the fact that she had sex. He could go
on thinking she was a virgin until she married.

He sighed. She heard it loud and clear and she fought the urge to cave and tell him
what he wanted to hear.

“Well, I should let you get back to work. Maybe we can schedule dinner soon. If you
have the time.”

She held back a sigh. Her dad had mastered the art of the guilt trip a long time ago.
“Sure. I’m, ah, meeting an old professor tomorrow night but I’m free every other night.”
And yes, that was totally pathetic. She had no hope that Tyler would call. At least,
not to ask her out.

She didn’t think she’d ever see him outside of business again. “Why don’t we plan
on Sunday night? I have plans Friday and Saturday.”

Gee, her dad had plans for the weekend and she didn’t. How pathetic was that? “Sure,
that’s great.”

At least she’d have all weekend to sew.

**

“Kate, it’s Tyler. How are you?”

Shocked
was the only word that came to mind Friday night around eight as she sat at her machine,
eyes nearly crossed.

She’d been here close to five hours, sewing together tiny bits of lace and satin and
chewing over last night’s conversation with Dinah. Her former professor had offered
her a great opportunity, practically gift-wrapped and on a silver platter. She should’ve
jumped at the offer immediately.

Instead, she’d smiled and said she had to give it some thought.

She’d been expecting a call from Annabelle to tell her how stupid she was being when
she’d answered her phone without looking at the number.

Now, she rescued her latest design from the machine before she could totally ruin
the fabric then she sat back in her chair and tried not to feel like a tongue-tied
teenager.

“I’m fine. And you?”

Oh, look how polite we’re being.

She nearly snorted.

“I’d like to see you,” he said. “I know I should have called earlier, but we had a
situation at the hotel. This is the first chance I’ve had to call and I’d really like
to see you.”

Okay, maybe not so polite.

And possibly a little drunk? Had he slurred his words? Or was she hearing something
that wasn’t there?

Or maybe the entire conversation was a dream. Maybe she’d fallen asleep, which would
account for the strange vibe.

“Are you okay, Tyler?”

“I’m fine.” And he did sound fine. Absolutely controlled. “I’d simply like to see
you.”

That was the third time he’d said that. A shiver of anticipation ran up her spine.
She’d wondered if he was going to call her again. But as Thursday and today had passed
and he hadn’t, she’d thought maybe he never would.

And yeah, she’d been a little pissed off about that.

Which was totally irrational because she could’ve called him.

Only she hadn’t.

“Would it be okay if I came in?” he asked.

Oh
no.

She shot out of her chair and headed for the window at the back that overlooked the
parking area. Sure enough, there was Tyler’s Mercedes.

Her heart thudded like a bass drum and she could barely breathe. She’d never had a
man do this to her before. She wasn’t entirely sure she liked it.

“What are you doing here, Tyler?”

“I want to see you.”

The low tone of his voice made her heart pound even faster. “You don’t call first?”

“Aren’t we talking on the phone right now?”

And people thought she was a smart-ass. “But you’re sitting in my parking lot.”

“I called first.”

“But . . .”

“If you don’t want to see me, we’ll go.”

She paused. “We?”

“I had a friend drive me. I had a little too much to drink.”

“So you’re drunk.”

“No. I didn’t drink enough to be impaired. I’m just cautious.”

Which she should be, too. Trouble was, she wanted to see him. She’d missed him. Which
totally sucked because she’d been determined not to break down and call him.

But here he was. Practically gift-wrapped.

“May I come in, Kate? Or should I leave?”

“No. I mean, come up. Is your friend . . . joining you?”

A pause. “He’d like to meet you, if it’s okay with you.”

“Um, sure. That’s fine.”

He didn’t miss the hesitation in her tone. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have barged in
like this. We’ll—”

“No. No, it’s fine. Please, come up.”

She hung up before she could say any more then ran for her bedroom. She managed to
tear off her old sweats and pull on a pair of worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt
before she heard the knock on her door.

Taking a deep breath as she covered the few feet to the door, she didn’t give herself
time to second-guess. Instead, she braced for impact.

And still couldn’t manage to completely control her response to him.

Tyler nearly filled the narrow doorway, all broad shoulders and wide chest. She looked
up into his face and noticed how intently he stared at her.

“Hi.”

Her stomach actually fluttered as the sound of his deep voice penetrated. “Hello,
Tyler. Please come in.”

Gosh, what manners. Dad would be so pleased.

She moved to the side so he could enter then felt her gaze catch on the man behind
him.

She’d thought Tyler was tall but this man had at least a few inches on him. But where
Tyler had that dark and brooding vibe, this guy had a loving-every-minute-of-it smile.
One of those completely confident, devil-may-care smiles that made people want to
be in his presence.

And totally screwed with her sense of balance.

Tyler had already knocked her for a loop. If she got any more off-kilter, she’d simply
fall over.

“Kate Song, this is a good friend of mine, Greg Hicks.”

The name sounded familiar but she couldn’t say she recognized him. She held out her
hand after she’d closed the door behind him. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Hicks.”

Tyler and his friend exchanged a quick glance she couldn’t interpret before Greg turned
his smile up a notch. “Great to meet you, Kate. Tyler’s told me a lot about you.”

He had? Like how he’d tied her to her bed and fucked her until she nearly passed out?

She almost tripped over her own feet as she led them toward her tiny living room.

“I told him about your designs for the boutique and your wedding gowns.” Tyler’s hand
touched her elbow, as if to steady her. Or to reassure her he hadn’t divulged any
other secrets. “Greg’s been a friend of mine for years.”

Directing her to the couch, he sat beside her, while Greg sat in the armchair that
seemed to shrink beneath his bulk.

Yet, even though she obviously acknowledged the man’s appeal, he didn’t make her want
to strip him down to the skin and run her hands all over his body.

But then she couldn’t help but wonder what Greg looked like naked.

Oh
wow.

She forced herself to smile at Greg. “And how did you meet?”

“I was one of Haven’s first customers. I live on the West Coast, but my parents still
live in Philly so I travel back East a lot.”

She nodded, her brain too scrambled to come up with any more small talk. After the
meeting with Dinah Thursday night, she’d felt torn in five different directions. But
one look at Tyler and she only wanted to know why he was here. What did he want?

She hoped it was her.

And talk about further complicating your life . . .

Switching her attention back to Tyler, she noticed how intently he stared at her.

“Is everything okay?”

He nodded. “Everything’s fine. Greg wanted to see the new property, and since we were
in the area, I wanted to stop and see you. How was your week?”

She’d learned the fine art of lying with a smile at a young age. “Fine. And yours?”

Tyler’s expression darkened and she knew he’d seen through her. She readied herself
for the second degree.

“I missed you.” Tyler’s stark words made her gut clench. How did he manage to do that
with only three little words? “I decided I’d waited long enough for you to call so
I made the first move.”

Her mouth dropped open but she couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. Across from
them, Greg choked on a cough she was pretty sure started as a laugh.

“You know you could’ve called me.”

“I did. Tonight. Are you telling me you wanted me to call earlier?”

That was a pretty personal question to answer in front of a total stranger, who watched
them like they were engaged in a fierce tennis match.

And how should she answer that? If she said yes, she’d sound petulant. If she said
no, she’d be lying. And apparently he’d be able to tell.

“What are you really doing here tonight, Tyler?”

“I told you. I missed you. Spend the weekend at Haven with me. Greg and I have some
business to take care of tomorrow morning but there’s a reception tomorrow night I’d
like you to attend with me.”

“A reception for what?”

He didn’t answer right away and she wondered if this had to do with the Salon. She
couldn’t decide if she was disappointed when he said, “A fund-raising event for Greg’s
new film.”

“Greg’s a director?”

“I’m a producer,” Greg answered, drawing her gaze toward him once again, forcing her
to acknowledge his presence.

“Would I know anything you’ve produced?”

Greg’s smile grew, and the quick look he exchanged with Tyler said something she couldn’t
interpret. “Probably a few.”

Then he rattled off three huge blockbusters even a person who didn’t follow mainstream
movies would know.

She blushed, feeling like a rube and not liking the feeling at all. “I’m—”

“Kate.” Greg reached for her hand, shaking his head. “If I wanted people to fawn over
me, I’d wear my Oscar around my neck, sweetheart. Put Tyler out of his misery and
say yes.”

She turned back to Tyler, who continued to watch her with that intent gaze. “What
should I bring?”

His smile barely registered on his face but his eyes shone. “Why don’t you show me
what you have, and I’ll help you choose?”

He wanted to pick her clothes for her? If any other man had suggested that, she’d
think he was weird. But with Tyler . . . “Okay.”

She stood, but Tyler was already on his feet, reaching for her hand. She took his
but when she tried to pull away, he wouldn’t let her. He threaded his fingers through
hers and led the way to her bedroom. When she’d crossed the threshold, she nearly
lost her breath when he put his hands around her waist, lifted her off her feet then
held her back against the door.

He leaned in close enough that she could smell the faint, seductive hint of alcohol
on his breath. “I wasn’t lying before. I missed you this week.”

Then he kissed her.

And not a hey-happy-to-see-you kiss. This was an I-want-to-devour-you kiss. She barely
sucked in a breath before he took it away again with the force of his lips on hers
and the thrust of his tongue in her mouth.

He didn’t hold anything back, and she realized she didn’t want him to. She wanted
to know how much he’d missed her, how much he needed her.