Page 91 of Until You

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lanie showed up at Tyler’s apartment promptly at seven. He was eager to see her and resume where they had left off after lunch. She stood outside the door, still in her black dress and heels, carrying a leather duffel bag and a bottle of wine, but he could tell right away something was wrong.

He took the bag and the bottle and invited her in. “Is everything okay? If we’re moving too fast, we can call this off.”

She looked up at him with a forced smile. “No. That’s not it. I’ve got a headache.”

He tossed her bag on a chair in the living room and set the wine bottle on the counter, then pulled her into his arms, pressing her cheek to his chest. “Migraine?”

“No,” she said, molding herself to him. “Good old-fashioned stress. I thought it might get better, but it seems to be getting worse. Maybe I should just go home.”

She started to pull away, but he held her close. “Stay.”

“But I’m terrible company tonight, and obviously I’m not in the mood to fool around.”

“You have to eat, right? Maybe it will help.”

“Tyler—”

“I’ve already started dinner. Stay. Then if you still feel bad, I’ll take you home, and we can get your car back to you tomorrow.”

“I don’t have a car. I took an Uber.”

He glanced down at her in surprise. “How did I not know that? How do you get around without one?”

“I don’t own a car because it’s too hard to move around, and since I put stores in urban areas—” Her body stiffened. “I try to get apartments close to where I work. I use Ubers, taxis, or rent a car for a day or so if I need one.”

Something had just happened, but damned if he knew what. “That’s pretty awesome. So you usually work at urban stores?”

She seemed to relax a little and buried her cheek into his chest. “It depends on the demographics of the city, but most are trying to upscale their downtowns. Those are my target areas.”

That was the most he’d ever heard about her job. “Have you taken something for your headache?”

“No, not yet. But you holding me actually seems to be helping.”

He looked down at the top of her head as he rubbed the back of her neck. She made a contented sound that reminded him of the sounds she made in bed, and the blood rushed to his groin. Dammit. He didn’t want her to think he was trying to sleep with her. Not when she felt bad.

“Then let’s have you sit.” He tugged her to the sofa and had her sit the middle. Kneeling in front of her, he pulled off her heels and tossed them toward the window.

She’d closed her eyes, but now she pried one open and glared at him. “Don’t lose those shoes, mister. They’re my favorite black pumps. I’m still trying to get my bridesmaid’s shoes replaced by Thursday night.”

He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” He began to massage her left foot, and she leaned her head back and moaned. “Oh my God, that feels good.”

He couldn’t help laughing. “Had I only known rubbing your feet was foreplay.” Then he massaged the other for several seconds. “You can’t relax in that dress. Why don’t you change? Do you have anything comfortable in that bag?”

She gave him a pointed look. “The idea was seduction, Tyler. Not Sunday morning yoga pants.”

He pulled her off the sofa and down the hall to his room. He grabbed a T-shirt from his drawer and handed it to her. “This should be long enough to cover the important parts.” Then he reached behind her and unzipped her dress before he returned to the kitchen. God only knew what she was wearing under that dress. He didn’t plan to stick around and drive himself crazy.

He grabbed a corkscrew and opened the wine, then poured two glasses. As he was reaching for the ibuprofen, she padded down the hall wearing his oversized MU Tigers shirt. She was sexy in everything he’d seen her in, but for some reason, seeing her like this made her seem more real.

“Here,” he said, handing her the tablets, then getting her a glass of water. “Take these.” She swallowed them, and he traded the wineglass for the water.

“Are you hungry? We can just eat on the sofa if you like.”

She made a face. “I’ve ruined our night.”

“You haven’t ruined anything. It’s nothing fancy. Go sit down.”

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