Page 33 of Simply Irresistible
He was just too good to be true.
***
“You havesomuch stamina,” I practically panted as Tyler rolled off me, taking the sheet with him. “Give that back,” I said, yanking it over my naked body.
He rolled so he was facing me and tugged me into him. “You know I’ll keep you warm.”
I smiled and looked him over, taking in his skin, dewy with sweat. He was so good looking, and he wasmine.
I nestled my head into his chest and let my mind wander to the week ahead. I had tons of things to do in the office with Fashion Week coming up. Brianna was giving me more responsibilities this year, including attending some events with her, and I couldn’t wait. I lived for Fashion Week. I loved seeing what all the designers had prepared for their shows. I’d never attended before, only stalked everything online, so this was going to be a surreal experience for sure. I wondered ifYou’re the Manhad any representation at the event, they had a couple pages of fashion.
“Will you be at Fashion Week with Roger?”
Tyler groaned and rolled away from me. “Don’t say his name.”
“Sorry. Will you be at Fashion Week with your boss?”
“Not even referrals.”
I laughed. “I’ll be there with Brianna,” I told him.
“I have no plans to be there. Hanging around with a bunch of pretentious-”
“A bunch of pretentious what?” I asked, sitting up. I held the sheet tightly against my chest and stared down at him. If that’s what he thought about people in the fashion industry…
He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. “Shit. I didn’t mean you.”
“Uh huh.” I started reaching around for my discarded clothing. Sock, pants, bra, other sock...where the hell was my shirt?
Tyler grabbed my arm, halting my search. “I’m sorry, Mel. I wasn’t thinking. I’ve been to a few fashion things with Roger, and it’s his people...they’re all...I don’t even know what to call them. I didn’t mean to group you with them. I’m sorry.”
“You know this is my thing, right? This is what I want to do with the rest of my life?”
He shifted to face me and ran his hands up and down my arms. “I know it is, and I love seeing the sparkle in your eyes when you talk about it. The industry just hasn’t been as kind to me as it has been to you.”
“That’s because you’ve only been exposed to one small part,” I started, defending the fashion industry that I firmly believed was part of the fabric of my being. Pun intended.
“Babe, I know. Are we gonna argue about this?”
I sighed. I didnotwant to argue with Tyler. Unless we were arguing about the merits of our decades of choice, it just wasn’t fun.
“No, we’re not going to argue about this,” I finally said. “But it is going to take up a lot of my time for the next couple weeks. Brianna is entertaining a lot of designers to try to get an edge.”
“We’ll work it out,” he said, offering me a small smile. He laid back down and pulled me against his side.
I rested my head on his bare chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. He said we’d work it out, but something about how he said it felt...off. I stared at the wall, stuck in my own head, until the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest helped me drift me off to sleep.
17
Tyler
“What’s Melanie up to?” Hannah asked over the low din of the restaurant. “I assumed she’d come with us.”
My sister stopped by my desk after a morning visit with Preston and asked me to lunch. Under normal circumstances, the big boss’s wife coming to see me at work would have sent me into a tailspin—sister or not—but seeing as though Roger was out of the office, a fact Hannah had apparently confirmed before coming down, I didn’t much care.
“Fashion Week stuff.”
“You don’t sound too happy about that.” She eyed me over her steaming mug of hot tea, perceptive as ever that sister of mine.
