She jumped up and pressed a hand to her chest, quickly wiping away her tears. “He’s fine. It’s just that . . .”

Del stopped talking, her gaze grazing his face, then moving down his chest. The air conditioner kicked in, and he felt the rivulets of water cold on his skin. Once more, her gaze dropped to the little white towel wrapped around his hips. In the next instant, her cheeks flushed rosy. Her lips parted breathlessly.

His cock stood at attention. If she liked what she saw, Tyler wasn’t above using that to his advantage, but not until she calmed down.

“Don’t look at me like that, angel, unless you want me to accept that unspoken invitation and take you to bed. I’m trying to be a good guy here and find out why you’re upset.”

Del looked away, cleared her throat. “I was just talking to an investigative reporter I work with, Lisa. She helped me find you. She’s been keeping an eye on the situation in L.A. while I’ve been gone.”

Tyler stared. What the hell was she thinking? He didn’t want to yell and upset her more, but damn it. “Did you tell her where we are?”

“No, just that we’d be there tomorrow.”

Tyler breathed, trying to calm himself. “I know you’re trying to help, but I don’t like this. I know nothing about this woman.”

Del turned imploring eyes on him. “She’s my friend, I promise. You asked me to trust your friends. Now I’m asking for the same.”

“We should have discussed this first.”

“I’m trying my best.” The angry tears that stabbed her eyes only made him wince with pain. “There wasn’t time. At the end of the day, it’s my problem. And now we have a bigger issue. Carlson is about to be named district attorney.” She explained everything Lisa had divulged. “If I can’t take him down before that happens, he’s going to find a way to shut me up for good.”

Tyler wrapped his arms around her and dragged her against his chest. “I won’t let that happen. Do you hear me?”

“He’s got contacts everywhere and—” Tears overcame her again, and she swiped at them angrily.

“Aw, angel, don’t cry.” He brushed a tender hand down her hair, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m scared. I need to be strong, but . . .”

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “Lean on me.”

“You’re already done so much.”

In the last two years? No. The way he looked at it, even if he wasn’t crazy about her, he owed her like mad. The excuse of needing to pay up kept her close—a bonus that would buy him time with her.

“No worries. Whatever you need.”

She chewed on her bottom lip and looked at him with wary blue eyes that silently begged. “Hold me.”

He wrapped her up tighter, all but drowning in her sweet scent. “You got it.”

Tyler would love to do a whole lot more, but as upset as she was, now wasn’t the time.

Del placed a hand on his chest, then backed away to meet his gaze again. “Kiss me.”

His heart stopped. “You’re sure?”

Slowly, she nodded. His hormones flew off the chain.

She was fragile; he had to remember that. No tossing her to the bed and devouring her. No ravaging her lips, violating her pussy, or making her take every bit of the hunger he felt for her.

Fuck. How was he going to manage that? He knew a shitload about getting a girl off. Not so much about comfort. But for her, he’d do his best.

Taking hold of her shoulders gently, he let out a calming breath and cupped her face, resting his forehead to hers. “Angel . . .”

He laid his lips over hers, a soft press, a sharing of breath. Reverent. Connected. Tyler felt her all the way to his core. The moment was endless, effortless. He could simply breathe her in all night.

But she wanted more. Needed it, he knew.

He laid his mouth over hers, gently nudging her lips apart, then let her take the lead. Del grabbed his shoulders with a desperate gasp and surged against him, thrusting inside his mouth with a moan. Her fervency ripped away his restraint. Tyler grabbed her, met her, took her in greedily. Crap, he wanted to soothe her, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying to consume her in one fiery kiss.

Everywhere, they were entangled—arms, tongues, heartbeats. He clasped her hair tightly in his fingers, keeping her right where he wanted her. She felt so perfect to him. How the fuck could he ever let her go again?

Tomorrow, she might hate him, regret whatever happened next, but she needed something from him. He wouldn’t turn her away, even if she just wanted to be held. The first time he’d touched her, he’d done it at Eric’s request, trying to push aside how badly he burned for Delaney. But even then, he’d wanted to give her what she’d needed. Right now, he’d think not of his throbbing dick, but only of Del and how he could ease her.

With a sharp intake of breath, she pulled away, chest heaving as she stared. Her eyes were so damn blue and resolved.

“Tyler?”

“Yeah?” He panted.

Please, God, don’t let her push him away.

She whispered, “Will you . . . make me forget everything?”

Chapter Nine

EVERY word Del spoke tingled through Tyler’s body. He clenched his jaw. “I only know one way to do that, angel.”

“Please.” She tugged at his towel and brushed her soft lips against his neck.

Lightning shot down his spine.

An instant later, he eased her back and pressed her to the mattress, staring at her through the shadows. Need and insecurity, fear and vulnerability—they were all over her face, and it damn near broke his heart.

Maybe she and Eric would have divorced, eventually. But he’d certainly helped the situation along, unleashing all his buried feelings for her that night. It was at least half his fault that she’d been alone for the last two years. No fucking way was she going to be alone tonight.

Tyler wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth under his. Sweet. Always so sweet. Open and ardent and tasting like soft woman. From the second he’d torn away the veneer of their platonic friendship and kissed her two years ago, he’d searched for this sense of connectedness with every other female he’d touched.

As he sank into the kiss, he wondered if he’d ever find it with anyone else. His road seemed to lead back to Del.

Tomorrow was far away, and he had no idea if he was truly built for the long haul, but he’d stay with her and love her well until this road ended.

Pulling back, he cupped her cheek. “God, I’ve missed you.”

A little smile lifted her rosy lips for a moment, then the frown came back. Damn, she was working hard to fight tears.

“I missed you, too. I wanted to talk to you so badly so many times.”

Her words were like a stab to the chest. He didn’t want to blame her; he hadn’t tried hard enough to get over his hurt and pride and stay with her. Her rejection had stung like a bitch, and he’d gone off to lick his wounds. Now he knew that she’d been through a lot, but he looked at all his wasted time and wanted to punch a fucking wall.

“Why didn’t you? I was aching to hear from you.”

“I . . .” She shook her head. “I didn’t know what you’d say. I wasn’t anything like the girls you dated. I know me asking you to leave that night hurt you. Part of me wondered if you’d take Eric’s side, since you two were so tight. I guess I didn’t want to burden you.”

What the hell? “I would never have skipped out on you when you needed me.”

“You’re different now. It’s clear you’re more . . . solid.” She shrugged. “I think at the time I felt incredibly guilty for betraying Eric in my heart. And I was most afraid of hearing that you’d done it for Eric and didn’t want me anymore.”

Her confession shocked him, and fire charged through his veins. “I know the guilt. I felt it, too, for making love to you because I wanted to for reasons beyond Eric asking. But regardless, we gave him exactly what he wanted. Don’t ever forget that or take the blame on yourself.”

“I’ve worked hard to get to that realization, too.”

“I felt guilty because I wanted you too much.” He swallowed. “I still do.”

After a breathless pause, Del wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her mouth to his. She didn’t have to ask him twice. He angled his head and nudged her lips apart, opening her wider to him, sinking deeply to drink in that addictive taste of hers and the rightness flowing between them.

Refusing to waste another second, he tore off her T-shirt, exposing her delicate shoulders, narrow rib cage, so-soft skin. Tyler kissed his way down her jaw, her neck, nipping at her lobe, loving the way she turned her head to give him greater access. She clutched him, keeping him close, and moaned softly.

The sound went straight to his cock. Tyler closed his eyes. He wanted to pin her beneath him, taste her until he felt her pleasure on his tongue, then force his cock into her so he could drown deep inside her. He wanted to do every nasty, possessive thing to her that he’d ever imagined.

But now wasn’t the fucking time to unleash his inner caveman. She needed comfort.

With a ragged sigh, he propped himself on his hands, lifting his body off her. Slow, dumb ass. Go slow. “You okay? I’ll back off.”

“No.” She panted, reaching for him. “More.”

Did she know what she was saying? He eased down onto her again. “How long has it been?”

She bit her lip. “Since the night we conceived Seth.”

Shock blanched him, but a possessive fever rolled right behind it. It didn’t matter that she’d been married to someone else. He was the last man she’d taken into her body. And right now, he burned to keep it that way.

Mine.

No way he could go slow now.

Tyler covered every inch of her, pinning her to the bed as he gave her a blistering kiss. He pressed her mouth open wider, demanding she take more. Del opened sweetly, accepting the ferocity of his desire, which only made him rage hotter. He wrapped one arm around her waist. The other worked the clasp of her bra. In seconds, it melted away. He tore it from her body and flung it across the room.

Del gasped and moved to cover herself. Tyler wasn’t having any of that. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the bed, glancing down at the lush press of her breasts against his chest, her beaded nipples searing his skin.

“Don’t,” he growled. “I’m going to get my mouth on those, angel. I’m going to roll them around on my tongue, suck and kiss and lick them until your pussy is soaked and you’re scratching at my back.”

“Oh God.” Del’s voice wobbled.

Yeah, she was finally starting to get the idea that he wanted her fiercely. And she still didn’t completely understand. But she would.

Slowly, she arched up, offering herself to him so beautifully.

“Fuck, yes.”

Keeping her wrists pinned, he slid down her body until his lips hovered right over one of her nipples. Rosy brown, plump, puckered. Her clean feminine scent was strong here, and he inhaled. That hint of sunlit cotton on her skin, along with musky female, drugged him.

He could have started gently, kissed the side of her breast, tongued its swell. Fuck, no. He opened his mouth over her nipple, sucking it in fiercely, pressing it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth before nipping at it with his teeth.

Del gasped. “Tyler . . .”

In her voice, he heard surprise and pleasure. That was green light enough for him. He did it again, swirling his tongue around the luscious tip, toying, torturing, swelling it. Then he pounced on the other and did the same.

Beneath him, she thrashed but didn’t fight his hold. Her little sighs, gasps, and moans went straight to his dick. Her skin flushed; those gorgeous blue eyes were dilating. She liked being manhandled.

That realization ripped away what little restraint he had.

He needed more control, wanted her immobile, where he could do anything and everything he chose. A glance at the headboard had him cursing. Nothing to tie her to there, and he knew from their conversation earlier that she fantasized about it. Those pretty flushed cheeks had proven her denials false.

Tyler had never been much for bondage. He could take it or leave it. Del was different.

Flinging himself to his feet, he prowled around the room, searching, seeking . . . He wrenched open the closet doors and found exactly what he needed.

“Tyler?” Her voice shook.

He grabbed the two aging, overbleached bathrobes the hotel had provided from the closet, then tossed aside the hangers. As he dropped the garments on the bed next to her, Del frowned.

Yeah, she didn’t get it. But she was going to real quick.

With impatient hands, he tore into the first robe, pulling the tie completely free from the garment. He did the same to the second.

Let the fun begin.

He gripped the two terry-cloth strips in his hand and stalked closer. Del’s pretty eyes grew round.