Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59395 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 238(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
He glances at me, a hint of something I can’t read in his eyes before he surveys the tire. “You have a spare?” he asks her.
“Yes,” she says. “I was about to put it on.” She sets her things on the hood. “Just about to get to work.”
“I’ll change it,” he says, indicating his briefcase. “Let me put this up.” He extracts his keys from his pocket and clicks the locks on his silver Porsche, which is one of the expensive, elite ones, and my father would approve. He does approve. I’d snuck a picture and sent it to him once. Okay, more than one.
“I can do it,” she says. “Thank you, though.” She holds up her arms. “Girl power and all that stuff.”
“My mother would disown me if I let you change your own tire,” he assures her and he strides toward his car, leaving me a bit stunned by the comment about his mother. It hits me then, what has changed about Tyler, and my reaction to Tyler.
Since Dash crashed and burned not so long ago, Tyler has been around here or there, and I’ve seen a side to him that I didn’t know existed. One that is human. One that wouldn’t have done to me what he did tonight, and that little soft spot in my heart for him goes hard again.
Kelly turns to me. “I can’t let him do this.”
“You don’t tell Tyler what to do or not do, believe me, I’ve tried. Take the help, but I should go so it won’t seem like I’m watching him work.”
Tyler is already headed this way, his jacket gone, his shirt stretched over a well-defined body, and approaching from behind Kelly. She is completely unaware of him as she grabs my arm and says, “Please don’t leave me alone with him.”
Tyler steps to our side and says, “Where are your keys?”
She looks like she might fight him but seems to think better. “I’ll get them.” She moves toward the car. Tyler steps closer to me. “Aside from keeping her from having a meltdown, it would be more appropriate if you stayed.”
A million rebuttals rest on my tongue “It’s too late for that” among others, but Kelly is back, holding up her keys. “Thank you so much for this.”
Tyler eyes me, a question in his eyes that borders on a demand. “I’ll be right here, making sure you do it right. You know my father taught me to change a tire when I was five.”
Tyler’s eyes light with amusement. “Feel free to backseat drive,” he replies. “Just shout out what you want. I’ll be down on my knees, doing the heavy lifting.”
My cheeks heat and it’s all I can do not to call him a bastard again, in front of Kelly. But I bite my tongue almost as hard as he did my lip earlier. I also decide that if he sticks his tongue in my mouth again, I’ll bite his too. The problem is this man might just like it.
I fold my arms in front of me, and I eye Kelly. “Let’s get us and him some coffee, shall we?”
“That’s a great idea,” she approves, clearly happy to place distance between us and him.
I walk closer to Tyler, who is indeed on his knees. “Bastard.”
“I love it when you talk so dirty to me.”
“We’re going to get you and us coffee, mostly so I won’t kill you and she won’t melt down as you suggested.”
“Good idea. It saves me your backseat driving too.”
My hand balls in between us and he eyes it and me. “I can think of better ways to take your anger out on me than hitting me.”
I ignore him and stand up, motioning to Kelly for us to head to the elevator. We take our time, chatting about Tyler, of course. “How do you get away with having such a debate with him?"
Debate?
I chuckle. “I make him money. Lots of it.”
“Oh. Yes. That is a good plan. I clearly need to make him and me money.”
After that she lets that topic sleep a good slumber. It’s an explanation she can accept.
It’s a half hour later when Tyler is still struggling with the tire. I kneel next to him and whisper a little trick my father taught me. He tries it and it works. “Good work, Ms. Bailey,” he says softly, and I have no idea how my last name and the tire tip turned the air all crackling and heat filled, but I’m suffocating in this man.
I pop to my feet, and a few minutes later, Kelly is pulling away and I’m left standing there with Tyler. He turns to face me. “Malcolm and I talked for two hours, and I lined him up to be in the studio with Jesse Bates Saturday.”
“What about golfing?”
“I managed to dodge that bullet. How did you know my whiskey collection would open him up and calm him down?”