Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1) (24 page)

I dropped next to her, and looked at my knees. They weren't terrible knees. But Isabel's looked so much better. "I'll try. But it's not easy."

She took my hand. "Do you think it's been any easier forgetting Robert?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Any man who beats women deserves what he got." She trembled. Patted my hand. "Anyway, brush out your hair, and don't forget the eyeliner. Remember—our goal tonight is jizz in the pants."

We burst into laughter, guffawing so hard we rolled on the bed. As we caught our breath, I remembered something. "Oh, I invited a coworker to even out the number. His name is Jack, and he's a nice guy."

"Friend-zoned?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah, but I think you'll like him. He's easy-going and from what I can tell, not an undercover asshole."

We finished readying ourselves. It took me a while to put on makeup since I hardly ever bothered to wear it in the first place. Somehow, I managed to put the eyeliner on without getting any in my eye and had to admit, it did add a bit of "oomph" to my large eyes.

Someone knocked on the door, and my heart leapt into my throat. I opened the door to find Jack there, and felt the flutter settle into a mild disappointment. He gave me a glass container with some sort of bread in it, and hugged me.

"Hey, Emily. Brought some homemade banana bread. Best I could whip up on short notice."

"You cook?" I set it down on the table.

"I like to dabble." He sniffed the air. "Man, it smells delicious in here. What's on the menu?"

"Some concoction of Isabel's," I said, looking down the hallway to her door. "She'll be out in a minute." I opened the fridge. "Want a beer or something?"

"Sure."

I gave him a light beer, figuring I'd have the six pack finished off in a month if we had more houseguests over. He gave it a dubious look, shrugged, and took a sip.

"So, the boss is coming over, huh?" He sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter. "Already brownnosing?"

I punched him on the shoulder. "No. Isabel invited him like I told you. She's a bit impulsive."

The door to Isabel's room opened and she burst out of it, dancing down the hall to the still going music, and hardly paying attention. She stopped her spin and saw Jack. Isabel froze, a slightly surprised look on her face.

Jack stood, his mouth slightly open. "Uh."

"You're Jack?" Isabel said, still looking at him with something like astonishment on her face.

"My name is Jack." He sounded like a little kid in his first day at school.

"I think we established that," I said in a wry voice. "Jack, this is Isabel."

She blushed and giggled. "Hi."

"Well, I hope Mr. Rock shows up soon." I checked the time and saw he still had fifteen minutes.

"Did you cook this?" Jack asked.

"I like to cook." Isabel smiled, averting her eyes from his like an innocent maiden. "Want to see what I made?"

Jack nodded.

I wrinkled my forehead at Isabel, wondering when she'd become so shy, and then saw how giggly she was. Isabel was like a whirlwind around guys, pulling them in without even trying. But she was never shy. The last time I'd seen her act like this was—

A knock on the door startled me. I felt giddiness sweep over me, and opened the door. Tyler stood outside. He looked amazing in a pair of designer jeans and a dark button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. God, he had nice forearms.

"Miss Glass, you look—" he took a breath. "Absolutely stunning."

I almost giggled, but somehow maintained my composure, if just barely. "You look very handsome, Mr. Rock."

I closed the door and looked to the kitchen where Isabel was showing Jack her cookware. As if that would hold a man's interest for long. It only took me a moment to realize Jack was actually enjoying the conversation. Or else he was exceptionally good at faking it.

"Well," I said, clapping my hands together. "Everyone is here. Shall we serve dinner?"

Tyler pulled out a couple of bottles of red wine. "These are from my personal collection. Would you like to try the seventy-seven, or the nineteen ninety-five?"

"Oh wow." Isabel looked from one wine bottle to the other. "Let's try the seventy-seven." She grabbed some wine glasses and set them on the table, and Jack brought out the dishes. It looked like some kind of beef with mixed vegetables, and smelled heavenly.

I took a seat next to Isabel. Tyler sat across from me, his trademark amused smile on his face. Jack took the remaining seat across from Isabel.

"Just dig in," Isabel said.

Tyler put some on his plate and took a bite. "This is amazing, Isabel. I'm impressed."

"You really know how to cook." Jack gazed at Isabel with undisguised adoration.

I added my own two pence. "It's great, Izzy."

The wine was also heavenly. I was used to three-buck chuck, not wine from a millionaire's personal collection. Jack and Isabel kept the conversation firmly in food land, talking about cooking and failed experiments, some of them I remembered from Isabel's attempts in college.

One in particular stood out to me. "What about the time you accidentally spilled all that pepper in the beef stew, and we didn't realize it until we ate it?"

"We nearly sneezed our heads off," Isabel said with a laugh.

Tyler looked at Jack and Isabel, a knowing look in his eye, and nudged my foot with his. "Would you like to join me for some fresh air?"

Seeing how happy Isabel looked, and Jack's entranced face, I decided it might be a good idea to give them some time to talk. "Let me grab my coat."

I took my long coat and slid it on. Tyler stepped into the hallway, and called the lift. "You really do look captivating," he said, the amused look on his face settling into something far more serious.

"Thank you." I tried to keep the nervousness out of my voice. What was I thinking going anywhere alone with him?

He pushed the button for the roof, and we emerged a moment later into the enclosed lobby next to the pool, now covered for winter. Tyler opened the door, and we stepped outside into a chilly breeze. It wasn't numbingly cold tonight, but I still shivered.

We skirted the edge of the pool and leaned against the railing, looking at the glittering skyline.

"Beautiful," Tyler said.

"It is," I agreed.

I felt a tingle in my cheek, and felt his warm hand touching it. A part of me wanted to pull away and run for the hills. The other part wanted to purr.

"I was talking about you," Tyler said.

Danger!

I pressed my hand against his. It felt so warm in the cold air. So impossibly warm. "This is a terrible, terrible idea, Mr. Rock."

"My instincts tell me it's not, Miss Glass."

"You'll use me. Throw me away."

"Never." He drew in a breath, as if filling himself with my scent. "I will adore and treasure you."

I looked up at him, as the lights of the city glittered in his eyes. He looked so sincere. I felt weak in my knees. I felt as though he were a giant Dove bar and I was about to eat it whole. But instead of waking with an enormous backside, I'd wake up alone, feeling enormous regret. Feeling used.

He leaned toward me, not bothering with banter or amused grins or words of any kind. Everything I needed to know was in his eyes. The longing. The desire. Did he feel what I was feeling? His hand trembled against my cheek, and he stopped, his mouth inches away from mine. Was he as scared as I was?

"Why me?" I said, my voice a whisper. "Why me?"

"Because you are
you
." And then, he kissed me.

Chapter 22

If the touch of his hand caused me to tingle, his lips made me vibrate to my very center. Heat rushed deep into my stomach, and an electric shock of pleasure prickled every pore on my skin. His body pressed against mine. I moaned. Pressed my hands to his chest, and pushed him against the railing.

A deep growl rumbled in his chest. But it didn't frighten me. It only emboldened me. His tongue pressed against mine. His hand dropped to the small of my back and pressed me to him. I felt his arousal. I didn't need Isabel's crotch test to tell me that Tyler Rock was well built in all dimensions.

Oh dear.

A stiff wind picked up, blowing my hair about. But I didn't feel the cold. His body seemed to heat me all the way through. My desire did the rest. Tyler backed off all of a sudden, panting, giving me a look of such longing I felt the temperature in my stomach rise another notch.

"You've enchanted me, Miss Glass."

I touched his lips. Ran my hand through his thick hair. Stood on tiptoe and kissed him, savoring the electric shock where our lips touched. "Please, call me Emily." I kissed him again.

He ran a hand down the back of my leg, stopping at the back of my knee and lifting it off the ground as his lips trailed kissed up and down my neck. "Yes,
Emily
."

I shivered hearing his voice say my name. "What have you done to me, Tyler?" I looked up at him. "You've drugged me, haven't you?"

He chuckled softly. "And you've bewitched me."

I smiled. "What a funny word." The wind picked up and I shivered, despite the heat in my body and his.

"Let me walk you downstairs." He guided me around the pool and into the lobby.

"Are you taking me home?" I said, disappointment rising.

He stopped at the lift and regarded me with a serious look. His fingers trailed up my arm to my neck, and back down again. "I want you Emily. But I want you to be ready."

My thighs clenched tighter together at the feel of his fingers. "I'm ready."

"Are you?"

I nodded almost frantically as my body hummed with desire. With need. Damn everything else, it was time for me to take what I wanted. "Yes." I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Are you ready for me?"

He gave me a heavy-lidded gaze, his breathing low and urgent. "Oh, yes."

"Your place?"

"Pack an overnight bag."

I felt my eyes go wide. What would Isabel think? Forget that, what would Jack think?

"They'll understand," he said, as if he'd read my mind. "But I can wait if you're worried. We can do this another time. I've endured the torture this long. I can bear it longer."

"Are you truly tortured thinking about being with me?"

"It's
not
being with you that tortures me, Emily." The lift doors slid open. He pushed me inside and pressed the button before pinning me against the wall and kissing me so hard, I thought I might pass out. He drew away, leaned his forehead against mine. "Imagining your eyes, your lips, the sound of your lovely voice against my ears, and wishing I could hold you against me and kiss you," he said, "is pain beyond imagining when I open my eyes and find you absent. I have wanted you from the first day our hands touched, Emily. From the first time I felt the reaction your mere touch caused in me."

"You felt it too?" I looked up at him, my eyes settling on his lips, my hands pressed against the taut muscles in his chest. My legs pressed together against the tortuous heat.

His eyes flared. "You felt it?"

I nodded. Smiled. "Oh, yes."

His lips pressed to mine. The lift dinged and he pulled away. "We don't have to rush."

"Forget that." I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the lift. "Let me grab a few things and I'll be right back."

He leaned against the wall. "I'll wait out here."

I smiled at him, and saw a rather noticeable bulge in his jeans. Surely the man had been genetically engineered from the erotic dreams of women. I forced my gaze away and went back into the flat, opening the door slowly in case something lewd was going on. Instead, I found Jack and Isabel in the kitchen discussing recipes.

"Tyler and I are going to pop down to the pub for a couple of drinks," I said.

Isabel broke from her trance and looked at me. "Oh, want us to come?"

"No, no," I said a bit too quickly. "Enjoy your food talk."

Her eyes went wide, and a smile broke onto her face. "Should I leave the nightlight on?"

It was our code for, "Don't wait up." Of course, Isabel was the only one of us who'd ever made use of it until this point. "Yes, please."

"Have a good one," Jack said, and immediately turned his attention back on Isabel, whose eyes lit up like Christmas ornaments as she gave me a covert thumbs up.

I grabbed my purse and threw a couple of pairs of panties, some work clothes, makeup remover, another pair of shoes, a hair tie, my toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and practically half my toiletries into a large bag. I just hoped he had a hair dryer. Thinking of that reminded me to get my brush and the shampoo I used, plus a razor for my legs.

By the time I was packed, it looked as if I were moving in. I slipped back out the door, past my roommate and Jack, and found Tyler pacing in the hall pacing like a hungry wolf. He saw my bag and grinned. Pushed me against the wall, and kissed me. My body trembled with delight. I dropped the bag, threw my hands over his neck, and pulled him tight.

When I drew away a moment later, I said, "We're never getting out of here if you keep this up."

Joe stood out front when we emerged. A sudden sense of embarrassment came over me, and I wondered what he must think. Doubt clouded my mind. What if Tyler did this all the time? How many women had he seduced? How many had Joe driven him home with? I wished I could read the man's mind.

Tyler seemed to sense my doubt. He turned and took my hands in his. "Are you sure, Emily?"

His eyes seemed so sincere. My body screamed for his touch.

Indulge yourself.

Run back to your own bed!

I chose the first option. "Let's go."

We both slid into the back seat. Somehow, I kept my hands off him for the short duration of the trip. I felt uncomfortable with someone else in the car, even if Joe seemed like the type who kept his mouth shut about such things. My mind whirled through possibilities, wondering if this could possibly be real, and wondering what the consequences would be.

Joe pulled up in front of the towering Gregorian building and opened the car door for me. I stepped out. Tyler took my bag in one hand and led me inside, using his thumbprint to open a set of security doors. His thumb opened the lift doors in the lobby, and we stepped inside. His hand found mine when the doors shut. A moment later, the doors slid open to reveal a small lobby and an oak door. Using the same method as before, he opened it.