Page 50 of Embers in Our Souls
The winter came in strong this year and it hasn’t lightened up. I feel like no matter how many layers I add to my attire each morning, I feel the chill to my bones. I swear, I never get used to it.
Each year I give myself a pep talk about being prepared, and the moment the cold comes around,I’m ill-prepared for the burst of chill that hits me when I step outside my building. I’m a wimp, that’s what I’m trying to say. It’s crazy to think I look around and see people wearing shorts while I’m here suffering in
The doorbell rings,pulling me away from the letter I’m writing. I put the pad of paper and pen on the coffee table, standing up from the couch. I wonder if Ms. Sanderson locked herself out of her apartment again. She has a tendency of doing that every now and again. Last time she ran out trying to track down the delivery guy to give him a package and the door locked behind her.
I reach the front door, looking out the peephole, and I can’t help the gasp that escapes my lips. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, but those mesmerizing gray-blue eyes can’t be mistaken for anyone else’s staring back at me.
What is Tyler doing here? My pulse thumps as I look back through the little hole to peer at my husband on the other side. I can’t believe he’s surprising me like this.
The excitement racing through my veins is hard to contain. Looking down at my tattered appearance, I’m internally kicking myself for changing out of my work attire right when I got home. Wearing a worn, oversized Metallica pajama top and heather-gray mini shorts, I look like a slob. And from what I can tell from the little bit I’m seeing reflected on the other side of this door, he looks delectable.
I move away a bit and bite my lip. I start running around my apartment, hoping I have some clean clothes lying around to look more appealing. I haven’t seen him in five years. I can’t let him see me looking like a couch potato.
I throw my head back and groan. I quickly cover my mouth with both hands, hoping Tyler didn’t hear me through the door.
Of course, the universe doesn’t reward me with such luck.
“Indy? Are you in there?”
Mother-fucking shit.
“Coming!” I yell, tossing things under my nearby furniture in hopes I can hide my mess.
There’s no way to tidy up the dirty dishes in the sink and some of the other things I’ve got scattered. It’s a Friday night and I’m home after a long, exhausting week. I find another oversized shirt, and at least it’s clean. My hair is up in a messy bun, but at least I look a little more put together. My makeup is still on from earlier today. This is the real me; Tyler will just have to deal with it.
I swing the door open and Tyler stands there looking edible in dark wash jeans, a forest green sweater that tightly hugs his muscles, and combat boots. He’s holding a heavy jacket in his arms with a duffle bag sitting on the ground.
I can’t help but take in the specimen of a man in front of me. This is not the same person that left me behind after graduation. If I thought he was mysterious then, he’s now someone I want to peel back and discover bit by bit. He’s all man. He’s alluring, with more muscle, and a lot more appeal. If I thought I could drool over him when we were eighteen, I’d melt at the sight of him now.
He’s absolutely gorgeous. He has an intensity in his gaze, but the way his eyes are looking at me, I feel like he could set me on fire. There’s nothing innocent about the way his eyes look me over, scanning my frame from head to toe. I can feel my cheeks flame.
“Tyler,” I say, although I hear the gravel in my voice.
This moment has been years in the making. As if each letter has been a form of seduction and we have hit our boiling point.
I open the door further to make room for him to come inside. He picks up his duffle and slowly makes his way in. Passing me, his eyes sweep over my place, looking over every part of my open-concept place, until they land on me again.
I feel the heat in his gaze when our eyes connect. Without another word, he drops his bag and his large palms latch onto my cheeks and his lips are on mine. I forgot how soft his lips are.
A fire ignites in my belly and shoots straight to my core. Damn, I missed his touch, more than I thought possible. I tried to date while he was away, especially in the beginning when my feelings for him weren’t as strong, but nothing really felt right.
Something about Tyler always fit from the beginning. Like he was carved just for me and when he touches me, it feels like he knows exactly what I need.
He moves his lips down my neck and it ignites something feral in me. A moan erupts from my lips and I move my nails down his back.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he says as he licks his way down the column of my jaw. He moves my body back so I’m against the wall. “I’ve fantasized about my hands touching you all over.” He then brings his hands down and caresses down the mounds of my breasts and squeezes them over the thin fabric of my shirt, the peaks of my nipples reacting to his touch.
My back arches and my pussy clenches, completely enamored by everything this man is doing and I’m still fully clothed.
I capture his lips again and bite his lower lip, moving my fingers through his clipped hair, wishing it was a bit longer so I could pull on it. I continue to move my hands down, enjoying the hardness of his body after years of working out in the Army.Once I get to the hem of his sweater, I start to pull on it, antsy to see more of him.
Tyler starts to chuckle, knowing I’m impatient. “Someone seems to be just as ready as me.”
“Well, I didn’t know you were coming, and now I want to unwrap my present.” I smile into him between kisses. “Let me see you. All of you.”
He pulls away and grabs his sweater up from behind his head. The moment he reveals himself to me, I’m breathless. He’s more beautiful than I imagined. His skin is sun-kissed, probably after being exposed to endless time outdoors. He’s toned in every area of his upper body.
His shoulders are defined, with muscles leading down to his biceps and chest. His abdomen has ripples that lead to that titillating V that I simply want to lick. It’s delectable, if I’m being honest. Everything about him is absolutely giving me goosebumps, and he’s only got his shirt off at this point.
