No Reservations (9 page)

He hadn’t had time to shave this morning and, as much as she liked seeing him decked
out in a tux or a suit or tailored slacks and a shirt, there was something about a
guy in well-worn jeans and a tight T-shirt that made her heart speed up.

Or maybe it was just this guy. Arnie had lived in jeans and T-shirts, and she’d never
looked at him the way she looked at Tyler.

He leaned in and spoke into her ear. “Good. You’re okay.”

She shivered. “Yes. I’m fine.”
Now.
“Thank you.”

The music stopped and Tyler pulled away, gave her a nod, then turned his attention
to the front of the church. Hers lingered for a few seconds more before she forced
it front.

Another deep breath and she finally managed to relax. At least enough that she didn’t
feel like she was going to puke.

**

Since they weren’t exactly dressed for a wedding that had to have cost upwards of
fifty thousand dollars, Kate and Tyler slipped away from the crowd as they lined up
to greet the bride and groom.

As they headed back to the room where she’d fixed Maggie’s dress, Tyler watched her
for another breakdown.

He knew the signs. He’d had enough practice growing up with his mother. Not that he
thought Kate was bipolar, like his mom. Then again, he didn’t know her well enough
to know if she was prone to breakdowns at the slightest provocation. Like Mia.

And how the hell many times was he going to compare this woman to his dead fiancée
before he got it through his head that Kate was not Mia.

She wouldn’t have the same faults. Wouldn’t have the same likes and dislikes.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Kate let out a huge sigh of relief and slumped
into a padded chair, eyes closing as her head leaned back.

“I need a drink.”

Tyler smiled at the dramatic tone but saw stress lingering in the lines of her beautiful
face.

“Isn’t it a little early to start drinking?”

She cracked open one eye and glared at him for a second, which just made his smile
widen. “Considering I feel like I’ve been running a marathon for the past ten hours,
no, I don’t think it’s too early to start drinking.”

“Would you like me to run you home so you can change before we head to the reception?”

“No time. They’re taking pictures in a few minutes then heading straight for the reception.
I’m not leaving that dress. We’ll sit in a dark corner and hope no one notices us.”

Of course people would notice them. And he figured Kate would hate being at a fancy
affair like this wedding not looking her best. “I’ll call Jed. He and Annabelle can
get a dress for you and pick up a pair of pants and a shirt for me.”

She didn’t bother to open her eyes this time. “Are you always this bossy?”

Usually, yes.
He chose not to answer. “Where’s the reception? I’ll have them meet us there.”

She didn’t answer right away. “Hidden Pond Farm. It’s only a few miles from here.
But I really don’t need—”

He’d already pulled out his phone and dialed Jed. “Hey, I need you and Annabelle to
do us another favor.”

As he gave Jed a detailed list, he saw Kate open her eyes. She watched him, her expression
unreadable.

“I take it you’re staying for the reception?” Jed asked in a tone that caused Tyler
to frown.

“And there’s a problem with that?”

“No. No problem. So I guess you won’t be back to Haven tonight to greet Greg?”

Shit.
How the hell had he forgotten that? His mind went blank for a full five seconds,
time enough for Jed to laugh.

“I guess that’s my answer. No problem. I’ll handle it.”

Greg Hicks was a regular, a Hollywood producer who rented a suite year round for when
he returned to Pennsylvania to visit his parents. Greg had been one of their first
recurring clients and had become a friend. They shared several common interests and
had become close.

Tyler couldn’t believe he’d forgotten Greg’s arrival.

At any other time, Tyler would’ve dropped whatever he was doing and headed back to
the hotel. The hotel always came first, sometimes even before Mia, though she’d understood.

Now . . .

“Thanks, Jed. That’s great. Tell Greg I’ll see him tomorrow.”

Six

“I can’t believe I’m still conscious. I should be crashing but I’m so wired, I don’t
think I’ll be able to sleep for hours.”

“Stressful day will do that to you.”

Tyler watched Kate kick off her shoes and drop onto the couch in her living room.
The silky skirt of her blue dress flared around her legs for a brief second before
it settled above her knees.

Way above her knees.

And she didn’t bother to adjust it, so he had a damn good view of her beautiful legs.
He wondered if she knew about the view or if she just didn’t care.

She did look exhausted as she leaned her head against the cushions at her back and
closed her eyes.

“I feel like I was in constant motion but all I did the entire time was stress. I
can’t believe the repairs held up the entire day. I kept waiting for the stitches
to pop and Maggie to run screaming.”

“Screaming would have been bad.”

“Screaming would’ve been
awful
.”

“But you saved the day.”

Her eyes opened and she gave Tyler that half-rueful, half-sarcastic grin he was fast
becoming addicted to.

Every time she leveled it in his direction, he felt his muscles tense in preparation.

For what, he wasn’t sure.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew what he
wanted
to do to her.

He wanted to push that dress farther up her thighs, spread her legs, and kneel between
them.

He wanted to lick her to orgasm and make her scream while she sat there with that
dress around her waist. He wanted her hands in his hair and his hands on her thighs
holding her open.

“Just call me The Amazing Seamstress. My needle is mightier than my . . . Hmm. My
pen? Oh, wait. My scissors!” She laughed, the sound barely audible but still able
to make his cock throb. “Wow. I need to rethink that whole standup comedy routine.”

Sighing, she twisted around on the couch until her legs were drawn up onto the cushions
and she lay lengthwise, staring at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m not passed out
already. But I don’t even feel tired.”

Still standing by the door, he leaned his back against the wall and watched her. “Adrenaline
will do that to you. You’ve been running on it all day. Are you hungry? You didn’t
really eat much at the wedding.”

She turned to look at him. “I wasn’t that hungry. And I’m not really thinking about
food right now.”

Her expression left him in no doubt as to what she was thinking about. Naked sexual
hunger made her eyelids fall as her mouth curved in a slight smile.

Good thing they were alone, because if she’d looked at him like this in a room full
of people, he wouldn’t have cared who was watching. He would’ve done exactly what
he planned to do now.

Shoving away from the wall, he walked forward until he stood over her. She never took
her eyes off him and, by the time he reached her, she’d already stretched her arms
over her head as if he’d told her to.

Her eyes were half closed and her lips curled in a bare semblance of a smile.

She couldn’t have looked more enticing, even if she were naked.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to remove the dress or not. For now, he’d leave it
on. It’d only take a couple of tugs on the bow at the side to unwrap her like a present.
He knew because he’d watched her put it on and taken notes on how to get it off.

“So what are you thinking about?”

He wanted her to say it. Not because he wasn’t sure of her answer, but because he
got hard just hearing her talk. And when she talked about sex . . . Hell, he almost
felt like she was stroking his cock.

The corners of her mouth lifted in a beguiling grin. “I’m thinking about having sex
with you.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page.”

She swallowed hard, the sound audible over the heaviness of his own breathing.

Reaching for the hem of her skirt with one hand, he brushed his fingers up her thigh,
dragging the skirt with it.

Inches of ivory thigh were revealed until he finally exposed the triangle of lace
barely covering her mound.

The tips of his fingers swept across that triangle and she drew in a sharp breath.
“Sit up, sweetheart.”

She moved slowly, keeping her eyes on his the entire time. He had the sense she wasn’t
obeying his demand so much as allowing him to think she was. The dominance issues
he tried to keep under control with her roared up and he had to reign in the impulse
to pull her upright and make her submit to his demands.

The fact that she was doing what he wanted wasn’t enough.

And was exactly why he wouldn’t say anything.

Instead, he watched her reposition herself into a sitting position, her hair falling
over her shoulder like a dark, silk waterfall.

Standing, he was at the perfect height to open his zipper, pull out his stiff, aching
cock, and bring her mouth forward to suck him.

He wanted it so badly, he could almost feel her lips wrapped around his dick.

Again, he reined in the impulse. Instead, he went to his knees.

And looked into her eyes.

Hers were still half closed, but now her lips had parted and he heard the increased
labor of her breathing.

His hands fisted at his sides so he didn’t just grab her legs, spread them, and put
his mouth on her.

She blinked before her gaze narrowed and her head tilted slightly to the side. “Why
do I get the sense you’ve just shut down on me?”

He couldn’t help the momentary shock that jolted through him.

She was so damn perceptive.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her expression perfectly said, “Yeah, right,” without her uttering the words.

She leaned forward until their eyes were level. “What do you want, Tyler? Just say
it.”

“I want to rip off your panties and put my mouth between your legs. I want to play
with you until you come. I want to fuck you wearing that dress.”

Her eyes widened with each word until his last statement. Then he saw startled confusion.
“You want me to keep the dress on?”

His lips quirked into a grin and he leaned forward until their noses almost touched.
“I’ll take it off later. Right now, I want you to know you’re wearing it while I put
my mouth between your legs.”

For several seconds, she simply looked at him. “Then what’s stopping you?”

That’s my girl.
“Not a damn thing.”

He kept his gaze on hers as he put his hands high on her thighs. The warmth of her
skin made his fingers clench convulsively and her lids lowered for a second before
lifting again.

Good. She’d remembered he liked her to look at him.

Or maybe she just liked watching him.

At this point, he didn’t really care. He’d been lusting after her all day. He couldn’t
wait any longer.

While one hand moved up her thigh, the other lifted to her cheek, drawing her forward
so he could kiss her.

Their lips met, harder than he’d planned, but he didn’t ease up. As he pried open
her lips and let his tongue sink into her mouth, his fingers slid beneath her panties
and found her wet.

He groaned, the hand between her legs twisting so he could cup her mound before pushing
two fingers into that wet channel.

Kate squirmed, her hips pushing forward, pushing his fingers farther into her.

Her hands clasped his shoulders, not pushing him away but not pulling him closer.
Just a tight grip that sent heat crashing through his body.

His cock throbbed against the zipper, his balls a tight ache below. He kissed her,
stealing her breath as her hips began to twist against his hand.

He stroked into her with a steady pace, until his fingers were coated with her moisture.

Then he released her head and let that hand fall to her waist.

When he pulled away from her kiss, she gasped a little, a tiny sound that made him
grit his teeth in conquest.

He nipped at her jaw before moving lower, pressing kisses along her throat to her
sternum then down the center of her chest. He let his lips linger over her rapidly
beating heart before he continued down. He didn’t touch her breasts. Instead he rubbed
his lips against the material of her dress, right where the two pieces of fabric crossed,
before he continued.

Her sharp inhale made his cock throb and, as he moved, her hands transferred to his
head, sinking into his hair. They clenched and unclenched with the same rhythm that
his fingers moved inside of her.

Perfect.

As his lips moved lower, he put his other hand beneath the skirt and pushed against
her thigh.

He spread her legs open another couple of inches before he withdrew his fingers from
her.

She responded with a moan and tightened her fingers in his hair. The need to push
her harder, faster, was a constant battle, one he was afraid he was going to lose.

Grabbing at his unraveling control, he forced himself to slow down even more.

Instead of pushing his fingers back inside and getting her off as fast as possible,
he reached for her panties and began to drag them down her legs.

She responded immediately, drawing her legs together to help him. In seconds, her
panties lay on the floor and he had her legs spread again.

The hem of her dress fell just enough to cover the top of her mound and the sight
made him bare his teeth in a feral grin.

Her sharply drawn breath drew his gaze up and he found her looking down at him, her
bottom lip caught between her teeth.

He didn’t see fear so he didn’t stop.

“So pretty.”

Looking down again, he moved his hands up her thighs until he could touch her labia
with his thumbs. Catching the petals, he gently pulled them back to expose her completely.

Her breathing increased as her hands sank back into his hair. Not pulling him closer.
Not pushing him away.

When he moved, he heard her gasp in a sharp breath then freeze as the tip of his tongue
flicked out at her exposed clit.

Her thighs quivered beneath his hands as he teased the little nub. Her scent made
him want to rush, to use his teeth and have her writhing in ecstasy.

So why the hell not?

She hadn’t balked at anything he’d asked of her. Why continue to hold back?

Gripping her legs a little tighter, he nipped and sucked. Her juices coated his tongue.
The warmth made his muscles tighten with lust, the drive to possess her completely
a hot ball of lead in his stomach.

As she moaned, her fingers clenched into his hair, tugging until the slight pain penetrated
his senses.

Yes.

Stiffening his tongue, he fucked her with it, licking inside her, lapping up her taste.
Delicate inner muscles clenched, tightened around his tongue.

Heat blasted through him and he gave himself over to the red haze of pleasure.

Moving his hands to her hips, he tugged her closer. Heard her breath hitch as his
teeth fastened on to her clit. He bit, his hands clamping down on her thighs so she
couldn’t squirm away.

She wanted to move. Her leg muscles tensed and flexed.

He held her tighter as he teased her mercilessly, learned how to use his tongue and
teeth in ways that made her sigh and gasp.

Using the flat of his tongue, he swiped against her clit before coming back to fuck
her again. Just that tiny bit of penetration seemed to make her wild.

“Tyler.”

She tugged on his hair to try and get his attention, but he was focused and wouldn’t
be deterred.

Since she seemed to enjoy the dual sensations on her clit and her sheath, he released
one of her legs and slid two fingers inside her.

Her back arched off the couch and her moan reverberated through him, straight to his
cock.

With his years of practice, he was able to control his immediate response to rip open
his pants and sink deep.

Instead, he focused on getting her off. At least once, if not twice.

When she was practically liquid in his arms, he’d flip her over and fuck her hard
and fast.

With the promise of that in mind, he increased his efforts. He shafted his fingers
higher, stroked the tips higher until he heard her gasp.

Right there.

Then he used his tongue on her clit. Licking, biting, flicking.

Until, finally, she broke. She cried out, the moan sounding ripped from her throat.

“Oh my God.”

She released his hair, her arms reaching out to her sides to hold on to the cushions.
He drew back to watch her, keeping his fingers firmly inside. Her sheath pulsed around
him, her face a study in passion.

“So fucking gorgeous.”

He drew out her orgasm as long as he could before he withdrew his fingers from her
clutching channel.

Just as she began to relax and sink back into the couch, he leaned back onto his heels
and grabbed her by the hips.

Her eyes barely fluttered open but he knew she could see him. Her lips parted to draw
in a deep breath as he pulled her toward him.