Page 96 of Until You

They sat down to eat, and Tyler picked up one of the rolls on his plate. “Let’s go out tomorrow night.”

Lanie glanced up in surprise. “You mean a date?”

“Yeah, why not? I was thinking dinner and a movie.”

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

“But let’s stay at my place tomorrow. Why don’t you pack for the weekend?”

And this was where it had always started to unravel with her previous relationships. Men never understood her work schedule.

She lowered her chopsticks and glanced up at him. “I won’t have the weekend free. Steph and I have some interviews on both Saturday and Sunday, and I have plenty of other things to handle.”

“So you can get your project done before your last day?”

“Yeah.” Then she waited for the irritation, or frustration, or outright anger. But it didn’t come.

He shrugged. “Okay. Then how about you just treat it like a workday and come home to my place when you’re done?”

“You’re not upset?” she asked in surprise.

He laughed. “I had a life before you, Lanie.” Then he leaned closer and kissed her neck. “I have things to fill my time…until I fill you at night.”

She sucked in a breath as her nerve endings lit on fire.

His arm slipped around her back to hold her still as his mouth slid up her jaw. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes…”

Tyler sat back up with a satisfied smile. “That’s my girl.”

His girl. He hadn’t meant anything by his statement—in fact, he’d turned his focus on his sushi roll—but still the comment made her smile. She was surprised she liked the idea of being his.

They ate dinner, and Tyler told her about his dinner with his brother the night before. When they finished, they got dressed for the photo shoot, and Lanie searched her closet for a substitute pair of shoes.

“Britt’s going to kill me, and I’ll deserve it. We shouldn’t have left that shoe in the hall.”

He put his hands on her shoulders and grinned. “I’ll take the responsibility for it.”

She laughed. “What are you going to say? That you were so eager to get laid, I tripped on my dress, and we deserted my shoe in the hall?”

His eyebrows rose with mischief. “What? You don’t think she’ll buy it?”

“Maybe a little too well.”

“How about you left it in my car, and I accidently threw it away?”

“That excuse only works if we were both extremely drunk, and in combination with your car, that sounds extremely irresponsible.”

“Where’s the shoe you do have?”

She grabbed it from the bottom of her closet and held it up. “Do you think one shoe is better than none? Am I supposed to hobble around on one foot? Or wear two different shoes?”

He laughed and pushed her onto the edge of the bed. “Oh ye of little faith. You underestimate my skills.”

“Oh,” she teased, “I’m well aware of some of your magnificent skills, but I suspect Randy might have a thing or two to say if you start seducing Britt.”

“Lanie, when you’re in the room, there is no one else but you.”