The Billionaire's Challenging Beauty (Bold, Alaskan Men Book 2) (11 page)

Tyla smiled and his stomach muscles tightened.  How could she have such an impact on him? 

“Because you wouldn’t have done this with me if you’d known.”

She was right.  “So you let me discover it by myself, eh?” he commented, thinking of all the ways he wanted to punish her for that omission.  Starting with doing the same thing all over again. 

Tyla smiled as she lifted herself higher.  “Well, do you regret my visit?”

He thought about that for a long moment, his navy eyes looking into her lighter blue ones.  “No,” he finally said and felt her relax.  “But you should have told me.”

She bent her head and kissed the middle of his chest.  “No.  I shouldn’t have.  You have some stupid notions in your head about me, and I wasn’t letting them get in the way tonight.  Not this time.”

“Is that why you wore that dress?” he asked, feeling his body respond to her caresses. 

Tyla froze for a moment.  The dress.  The theft.  She’d completely forgotten about the reason behind her visit. 

Pushing that from her mind, she shrugged her shoulder.  “It worked, didn’t it?”

He growled when he felt her lips on his chest.  “Probably too well,” he replied.  Grabbing her shoulders, he shifted so that he was once more on top of her.  “You can’t do that, Tyla.”

Her fingers fluttered over his shoulders and she laughed when he pulled her hands up over her head.  “Why not?”

He sighed and she could see the regret in his eyes, but she also felt his erection against her leg.  “Because you’re too tender to go another round.”

She thought about that for a moment before she shook her head.  “I don’t think so, Saeger.”

“You are,” and he looked down at her breasts, the peaks already tight and tempting. 

She shifted her hips against his again.  “I think I should be the one to determine whether I’m too tender or not.”

He groaned.  “Tyla, you’re too new to…”  He couldn’t say another word since she’d lifted her head and kissed him.  It was only a light kiss, brief and barely there because he was still holding her hands over her head, but he felt it everywhere. 

“I want you again, Saeger,” she said softly, her blue eyes validating her words while her legs shifted, her hips were cradling his once again.  “I’m not too sore, and I wouldn’t care even if I was.  I want to make love with you.  I don’t want to waste another moment of this night because I don’t know when you’ll let me back into your bed again.”

“What does that mean?” he asked even as his body reacted to her words. 

She smiled gently.  “It means that, by the time morning comes around tomorrow, I’m afraid that you’ll come to your senses and push me away again.  And it means that I want to know everything about you so that I can savor every touch,” she lifted her leg, and rubbed her inner thigh against his hip, “and every taste,” she lifted her head up again to kiss him, “and every nuance of this night with you.”

Saeger wasn’t immune to her soft touches.  As soon as she stopped speaking and waited, looking up at him with those soul-filled eyes, he was lost.

“You win,” he groaned as he pulled her closer, his mouth latching onto her lips.  This kiss was nothing like the one that started their last time together.  It was soft and sweet, tender and searching.  Just like the way he moved his strong, rough hands against her skin.  It was as if he were memorizing her as well, knowing that she’d spoken the truth about only having this one night with each other. 

And when they came together again, it was as if their souls were melting, their hearts pulsing out the pleasure their bodies shared. 

Tyla listened to Saeger’s breathing as he slept beside her.  She couldn’t believe tonight.  It had been more amazing than anything she could have thought.  Even if someone had told her about being in Saeger’s arms, she wouldn’t have believed how perfect, how amazing it could be.  The way he touched her, with reverence and desire, urgency and passion, was more seductive than she could have thought possible.  This man was more seductive than the most expensive bottle of wine or the richest chocolate in the world. 

And all she wanted to do was roll over and do it all again with him. 

She didn’t move, barely even breathed.  Tyla didn’t know the etiquette for sleeping with a man, but she was pretty sure that it didn’t include waking him up and demanding a repeat performance. 

As she listened to him breathing, she looked out the windows of his bedroom.  The floor to ceiling view was breathtaking.  She could see the stars in the distance as well as the few lights that were still on in the town down below.  Was one of those lights her apartment?  She smiled into the darkness, wondering what she would be doing now if she hadn’t found the courage to show up here and…

With that thought, reality stormed back into her brain.  The man!  The stranger!  The threat to Matt and how she could save him! 

Tyla moved closer to Saeger, savoring the warmth, the heat of his body against hers.  He felt safe. 

She thought of what that man had told her to do and shivered, hating the idea of stealing from Saeger.  She didn’t want to invade his space!  It was so wrong!  She’d just spent the most glorious few hours of her life in this man’s arms and now she needed to get up and figure out where he stored his files?  So she could steal one! 

And then she realized that she’d forgotten that horrible number!  She’d left the paper with the file number on her dresser so there was no way she could steal any information from Saeger tonight! 

With that thought in her head, she smiled and rolled over, snuggling up closer to Saeger and letting exhaustion from the stressful day take over.  Her mind shut off and she allowed herself to enjoy the comfort and security of his arms. 

Saeger woke up because Tyla was wiggling again.  Her soft breasts were pressing against his chest and all he wanted to do was roll her over and make love to her again.  Damn, she was incredible!  Better than even he could have imagined.  She loved with her whole body, her whole mind.  And she was a curious little thing! 

He still couldn’t believe she’d been a virgin.  His little Tyla, smart mouthed, prankster, and all-woman Tyla hadn’t been with any other man but him!  Even that made his body throb with need to have her again, but she was most likely too sore from last night to have another round.  He’d already woken her up in the pre-dawn hours and made love to her again.  He’d never been with a virgin before, but he was fairly certain that she couldn’t take another pounding like his body needed to do. 

Take it slow, he told himself. 

He’d have to call Matt!  Damn, that was going to be a tough conversation.  He couldn’t believe he’d broken Matt’s trust so completely, but he’d fix this.  Marriage was the only answer.

He played around with the idea in his mind.  Marriage.  To Tyla! 

In the past, he’d steered clear of any sort of romantic entanglements.  Any time a woman started making noise about even a long-term relationship, he ended it.  But with Tyla, things were different.  He felt different about her. 

Love? 

He looked down at her long, brown lashes against her pale cheeks and accepted that yes, he was in love with Tyla.  Had been for a long time.  He’d denied it, pretending it was just lust, but there was a hell of a lot more than simple lust where this woman was concerned.  He loved her, wanted to protect her, wanted to pamper her and have her move all of her stuff into his house so that she was with him all the time. 

Never had he allowed a woman to even move a toothbrush into his bathroom!  But right now, he had the crazy urge to drive down his mountain and pack up all of her clothes so that they were hanging next to his in his closet when she woke up.

Maybe he should start with breakfast, he thought. 

He kissed the top of her head as he slipped out of the bed.  It was barely light outside, but he stepped into the shower.  Five minutes later, he was back out and pulling on a pair of jeans, tee-shirt and sweater while he watched Tyla roll over, her hand reaching out to look for him.

He smiled as he watched her, enjoying the way she silently needed him. 

Coffee, he told himself.  He would get a couple of hours work done and let her sleep in. 

Tyla stretched and looked around, startled by how well she’d slept.  This definitely wasn’t her mattress because, well, there were no lumps!  And why was there so much light?  Even when she forgot to close the curtains in her bedroom, there wasn’t this much light. 

Lifting her hand to try and shield her eyes from the light, she tried to figure out what was going on.  She was in a bed, the sheets were… um… she wasn’t sure where the sheets were.  And there was an entire wall of windows on two sides of the room.  Instead of looking out to the railroad tracks like she normally would be doing when she looked out of her bedroom window, she was looking down on the tiny town of Winthrop and the water beyond. 

Sitting up, Tyla looked around, her mind slowly coming into focus, memories seeping into her head.  Memories of… oh goodness, she gasped and looked around.  Saeger’s bedroom!  She was in his house, in his bed!  Oh my, the things she’d done with him last night. 

Even at the memories, all she wanted to do was go find him and do them all again.  Her body instantly sprang to life and she had to bite her lip to keep herself from calling out to him.  She flopped back onto the pillows, curling herself up into a small ball as she remembered all the ways he’d made love to her last night. 

So where was he now? 

She couldn’t think about that, she told herself as her nipples tightened at the thought of him walking in here and making love to her again.  She had to get out.  Shower!  She would shower first. 

No, she couldn’t shower, she had to leave.  She had to get out of this house and get off of Saeger’s mountain!  She had to leave before that evil man found out that she’d come here and hadn’t stolen the information! 

Although she’d loved being with Saeger, she was even more confused about what she should do now.  Last night had been wonderful and… oh no!  She loved him! 

As she stood in his bedroom, she realized that she’d loved him for so long!  Ever since she’d come back from the Peace Corps, she’d been in love with the man!  He made her laugh, watched out for her, gave her a job, and helped her with little things.  He knew when she was tired, when she was happy, teased her about so many things that other people didn’t even know about her.  She didn’t like the way he barked orders at her, but she loved playing pranks on him when he got like that. 

She loved him with all her heart! 

That realization just made everything worse!  She loved Matt, and she loved Saeger.  She was caught and had no idea what to do!  This wasn’t fair!  Nothing about this was fair!

Tyla grabbed her clothes and hurried into the bathroom.  She quickly dressed and pushed her fingers through her hair, trying desperately hard to figure out what to do. 

But the only conclusion she could come up with was that she had to leave.  Not just Saeger, but Winthrop.  She had to get out of this area, she had to leave everything.  Maybe if that man couldn’t find her, he wouldn’t threaten Matt. 

Or maybe she should rethink her idea of going to Cliff!  Hadn’t he been in the military at one point?  Would he know what to do to save Matt?  Surely there was a way to get to Cliff so that the evil man wouldn’t know, right? 

She almost sobbed out her confusion, not sure what to do or who to talk to. 

The one imperative in her mind was getting out of his house.  She couldn’t see him, not with this new knowledge of her feelings for the man.  She just couldn’t!

Saeger heard the alarm and looked around, worried that someone was breaking in.  His first thought was to get to Tyla and make sure she was safe.  But when he burst into his bedroom, she was gone.  Her clothes, which had been all over the floor when he’d walked out earlier, were no longer there either. 

She’d left! 

She hadn’t known that all the doors were set with an alarm, so she had no idea that she’d accidentally triggered the alarm system.

Looking out the front window, he checked for her car.  Sure enough, it was gone too. He relaxed because at least she was safe.

Shaking his head, he almost smiled at her actions.  She was embarrassed.  He’d introduced her to a lot last night, encouraged her to release all of her inhibitions.  He got that she was shy and new to the world of sex and sensuality.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to allow her to run away.  They needed to talk, to figure things out. 

He walked back to his office and realized that he’d walked out in the middle of a meeting.  There were twelve people sitting, staring at the video camera, not sure what to do. 

“I’m sorry everyone.  My house alarm just went off.  I need to go investigate.”  He pressed a few buttons on his keyboard.  “Debra, can you take over from here?  Tim, send me a summary of the discussion at the end of the meeting.”  And he signed off without another word or even waiting for each of the participants to acknowledge his directions.  He knew that they would follow through with efficiency. 

Which freed him up to go after his runaway lover. 

Not going to run very far, he suspected as he grabbed his keys and went out to his garage. 

Fifteen minutes later, he was standing in front of Tyla’s door but she wasn’t opening for him.  “Tyla, I know you’re in there.  Open up and let’s talk about this.”

He waited for several more moments, but she still didn’t open.  He knew that she was inside though.  He couldn’t hear her, but he could feel her.  Her energy was so vibrant, he just knew that she was inside, probably not sure what to expect from the morning after a night like they’d enjoyed. 

“Tyla, honey, if you don’t open this door, I’m going to tell you what I need to say through the door.  And all of your neighbors are going to hear it as well.”

A moment later, the apartment door was swung open and a teary-eyed Tyla glared up at him. 

He stood there for one heart-breaking moment before he was able to function again.  “Ah honey,” he said, and pushed his way into her apartment.  He lifted her into his arms, kicking the door closed as he walked over to her sofa, holding her in his arms.  “Talk to me, love.  Tell me what’s wrong.”

She sniffled and shook her head, but still buried her face in his strong, broad chest while her arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly.  “I can’t.  I can’t tell you anything.  And we can’t see each other ever again.”

Saeger looked around and spotted the suitcase.  Nothing was in it but his temper fired up.  Trying to contain his fury, he pulled back and looked down at her.  “What’s going on, Tyla?”

Once again, she shook her head.  “I can’t tell you anything.  Just leave me.  I told you last night to push me away, to tell me to leave but you didn’t!”

He was completely confused.  Her words and her tears were the exact opposite of what her body had said last night in his arms.  “Tyla, you’re not going anywhere.  And if you do, I’ll just find you again.  So if you don’t start talking to me, I’m going to have to…” he had no threat. 

And it was even worse when she sobbed and buried her face in his chest once again.  “You’ll do what?” she asked, sniffling through her tears. 

He sighed.  “I don’t know.  Probably just toss you into a bed and make love to you again,” he admitted, resting his chin on top of her head.  “So just tell me what’s wrong and we’ll work through it.”

She shook her head, knowing that she couldn’t ever tell him what was wrong.  But she’d still have to leave.  His arms tightened around her and he felt so wonderful, so safe and secure.  But she kept her lips shut. 

“Tyla, do you regret last night?” he asked her softly.

“No,” she replied instantly, no hesitation.  She pulled away and looked up at him, wanting him to see the sincerity in her eyes.  “Last night was the most amazing night of my life.  No matter what, believe that.”  She stared into his eyes, her stomach tightening as she asked, “Do you regret it?”

He sighed and she felt his hands move up and down her back.  “I should regret it.  Matt has every right to hate me, and I wouldn’t fight back if he wanted to slug me but…” he stared at her as he shook his head.  “No.  I don’t regret last night.  I’ve been fighting against the inevitable for too long, Tyla.  I’ve wanted you, ached for you.  But no.  I don’t regret last night.”

She smiled up at him.  “Thanks for that.”

“So tell me what is wrong.  Why did you run away this morning?”

Once again, she buried her face against his chest, trying to come up with a lie.  “I was afraid,” she finally said, which was completely honest. 

“Afraid of what?”

She couldn’t tell him the whole truth, so she gave him a partial explanation. “Of you.  Of what the morning after would reveal.  I was afraid of what you might think of me, showing up in that kind of dress.”

He laughed and she felt the sound all the way through her body.  “Showing up in that dress was inspired, honey.”

Tyla thought about what she’d done and felt her cheeks heat up.  And then she started thinking about what she wanted to do right this moment and her whole body heated up.  Instead of simply pressing her face against his chest, trying to hide from him, she realized that her lips were exactly where she’d wanted to explore last night. 

“So…”

Saeger instantly felt the change in her body and his own responded.  Hot and hard, he lifted her up and onto her counter so that he could see her eyes.  “So?” he encouraged.  Placing a hand on either side of her against the counter, he waited. 

When her hand lifted up and rested against his shoulder, he could barely breathe.  He was trying to wait, trying to be patient.  He wanted to give her enough time to make up her own mind.  But then her hand touched the skin on his neck and he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Ah, honey,” he groaned with her feather light touch.  “I was going to be good this morning, and let you be in charge but…” he shook his head. “Nope.  It isn’t in my nature.”  And he kissed her.  Definitely taking charge.  His lips covered hers and her clothes seemed to melt off her body. 

When he lifted her into his arms and carried her over to her beat-up sofa, sitting down with her legs straddling his hips, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. 

“Here,” he whispered, handing her the condom.  “Put this on.”

Tyla loved the way his voice was hoarse.  And the way he spoke, it was almost as if he could barely get the words out. 

Glancing at the package, and then at his erection, she smiled. 

“No, Tyla,” he groaned when he saw her licking her lips and that excited look came into her eyes.  But she was already wrapping her delicate hands around his erection and Saeger could barely breathe, waiting to see what she might do.  “Honey…”

“No,” she whispered, climbing off of his lap.  “Don’t tell me how.  I want to figure this out on my own.”  A moment later, she was kneeling in front of him and he looked down at her, her blond head so close and yet…

“Tyla…”

“Shhh!” she snapped at him, her fingers squeezing him even as her head started to bend closer.  “I’ve read about this so many times.  But…”

Saeger’s hands almost ripped the sofa cushions when he felt her hot mouth wrap around his erection.  Seeing her pink lips around him, her tongue darting up and down his shaft, he could take only a few moments of this bliss. 

“Can’t!” he growled and lifted her up into his arms.  He snatched the condom from her fingers and tore it open with his teeth, rolling it down his erection and then grabbing her hips.  “Now!” he ordered but didn’t wait, pulling her into position, his large hands around her slender hips. 

Tyla loved the groan of approval coming from Saeger when she slowly lowered herself onto his erection.  He filled her up so completely, so perfectly and, in this position, she could control how deeply he moved inside of her.  With her hands on his shoulders, she shifted and moved, slid up and down, setting the pace and enjoying herself more than she would have thought possible.  “Oh my,” she sighed, happy and thrilled, biting her lip as she moved against him, feeling the friction and the depth, knowing she was in heaven at this moment. 

But Saeger wasn’t a patient lover this morning, and she gasped when he put his strong hands against her back, pulling her forward.  She glanced down and knew what he was going to do.  Shaking her head, she tried to avoid his mouth capturing her breast.  The intense feeling that shot through her when her attempts failed made that bliss go away. 

As his mouth and teeth teased her breast, it obliterated the happy feeling she’d been enjoying.  Gone was the leisurely pace and a new urgency bloomed inside of her.  As his mouth sucked on her nipple, she was frantic, pressing her body down against his erection and feeling frustrated because he was driving her crazy. 

“Hands on my knees, Tyla!” he commanded forcefully.

She didn’t understand, was curling her body against his, trying to find that place, that friction. 

“Now!” he ordered. 

She didn’t understand, but she was too far gone to question anything he told her.  Reaching behind her back, she found his knees and leaned back, unaware and unconcerned about the way this position displayed her body to him in such an erotic way. 

As soon as her hands found his knees, she understood why he wanted her like this.  His magic fingers moved down her body, trailing a line of fire down her stomach until his hand reached that sensitive bundle of nerves.  With talent that should be illegal, he moved his fingers against her, making her crazy and she screamed.  She almost curled back into him, but he wouldn’t let her and within moments, she was shaking as her climax took over her body.  When it was all over, she felt his hands against her hips, his body pressing into hers as he found his own release. 

She was still reeling from that orgasm when his hands wrapped around her, holding her close. 

Tyla couldn’t move.  Didn’t want to move.  All she wanted to do was lay here against his warm chest for the rest of her life. 

“You okay?” he asked. 

Tyla wasn’t sure.  “I don’t think so,” she said shakily, but his hands moved against her waist and she laughed at the tickling touch. 

“You’d better be okay.  Because you left too early this morning and I’m starving.  You have to cook me breakfast.”

Tyla’s lips pulled outward to a grimace.  “Breakfast,” she repeated the word.  “Um… well… about that…”

He looked at her with wariness.  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those women who doesn’t eat breakfast.  Because after last night and this morning, I need food.”

Tyla realized that she was famished as well.  “Oh no, I love breakfast.  But…”

He saw the truth in her eyes without her having to say the words.  “Cereal and milk.  Right?”

She shrugged.  “I’m not the best cook in the world.  I prefer food items that can be popped into the microwave or chopped up easily.”

He groaned and let his head fall back against the sofa.  “You’re going to kill me, woman.”  He lifted her into his arms and carried her through to her bedroom, dropping the condom in the toilet.  Tyla tensed, not wanting him to see her open suitcase on her bed.  But thankfully, he simply walked into her bedroom and then the bathroom, not looking around to investigate. 

He reached into her shower and turned on the water.

“Hot water takes a while,” she told him, crossing her arms across her breasts. 

He noticed her shy action and almost laughed.  “You’re not seriously going to hide those beauties from me, are you?”

Tyla saw the look in his eyes and her breath caught in her lungs.  She knew that look.  Her body heated up, but she shook her head, backing up.  “Yes.  I’m definitely hiding my breasts from you.  Especially when you look at me like that.”

He laughed softly.  “You know, I enjoy the whole package.  And you’ve been tormenting me with that adorable butt in your jeans for a long time.” 

Tyla didn’t understand for a long moment, but then realized that her bottom was bare and completely visible in the mirror over her sink.  She gasped and her hands flew from her breasts to cover her derriere.  “Saeger!”

He was unrepentant.  “Ah, Tyla.  You have no idea how evil I can be.”

When he lifted her into his arms once again, and stepped into the shower, he gave her a very good indication of just how evil he was with the soap sliding against her skin.  By the time he finally shut the water off, she was cleaner than she’d ever thought possible, and all of her muscles felt like they were going to give out on her.