Chapter 9.

Lane had turned her face away from the camera and hoped Tyler didn't notice. She answered a couple of questions from reporters, but when they got personal, she'd slipped from Tyler's side to let the town golden boy have his limelight. It wasn't every day someone broke a hundred-year-old losing streak.

While the press snapped pictures, Lane headed toward home, only to be called back into the McKay fold by his mother. And sister and brother. Then Tyler. It was clear she wasn't getting out of joining them for the charity football game this afternoon, then the beach barbecue afterward.

Lane admitted she didn't want to spend the rest of the day alone. She wanted to spend it with Tyler. Changing into warmer clothes for the afternoon, Lane showed up at the field and was welcomed like an old friend. It touched her that these people were so open with friends.h.i.+ps, and she hated the thought of any of them learning that she'd been hiding her true ident.i.ty. She focused on the field in time to learn Tyler's number and watch him get tackled by boys the size of tanks.

Lane winced as Tyler landed with a thud. "That's going to hurt tomorrow," she said, and beside her, Laura laughingly agreed.

His family wasn't like hers. Oh, hers was big and loud and loving sometimes, but the McKays were actually more friends than siblings. Lane's own brothers would be in hot compet.i.tion in a game like this, trying to steal the show and not play as a team. She supposed it was because they each felt, in his own way, that he had to shake the Giovanni name and be something on his own, something that had nothing to do with the winery, much to her father's disappointment. But then, the McKay children seemed comfortable with their heritage. Go figure.

A few minutes later Tyler was tackled again. He didn't get up from the ground quite as fast as the last time. Lane was out of her seat, worried, till he finally climbed to his feet and limped to the bench. After another play, the game was over, the alumni suffering a shameful loss to the younger players.

Tyler approached the stands, motioning for Lane to come to him. She trotted down the bleachers, feeling young and excited. It was silly of course; she was thirty, after all. But just the same she felt like a high-school cheerleader with the captain of the football team. Sweaty and covered with black mud, he smiled down at her, pulling off his helmet.

"I have about five seconds before I collapse in a heap and embarra.s.s myself," he confessed.

She smiled tenderly. "You're hiding it splendidly."

"Good. I'm going to put my arm around you and pretend I'm not leaning on you for support."

She laughed and let him, saying goodbye to his family, then walked with him to the parking lot. She'd walked from her shop, her own car repaired and sitting in the small garage beside her house.

When Tyler stopped beside a big SUV and keyed in the lock code, she frowned. "What happened to the sports car?"

"I traded it in."

The SUV was cherry-red and huge. Lane couldn't imagine driving it without sc.r.a.ping other cars. "Why? I thought you liked the little silver car."

He shrugged. "Outgrew it, I guess." The truth was, since he'd met Lane, Tyler had started looking to the future, and the sports car was impractical. For the first time in three years, he'd considered marriage and a family. And there was a woman he wanted both with.

He frowned as he stripped off the s.h.i.+rt and shoulder pads, then pulled on an old college sweats.h.i.+rt. When he'd been at the dealers.h.i.+p to pick up the repaired car, it seemed right to choose something big enough for a family, not one man who was getting too old to be playing the field. And who didn't want to anymore, anyway. He glanced at Lane. So why wasn't he afraid of getting hurt again?

"Good grief, Tyler, your hand. It looks broken." Gently she grasped his hand, examining the sc.r.a.pes and swollen finger. "This needs ice right now. Come back to my place."

"Mine's closer and I have to shower and change. Hop in." When she hesitated, a challenge lit his eyes. "Afraid to be alone with me?"

"Of course not. But I'm driving. With that hand, you'll likely crash this car, too."

Grinning, he handed her the keys and climbed in the pa.s.senger side, giving her directions as she backed out and into traffic. She drove the three blocks to his place, and he groaned like a wounded soldier getting out of the SUV. He still managed to get his cleats off before leading her inside. "Make yourself at home."

She glanced around the spa.r.s.ely furnished house. It looked as if no one lived here, only visited. She met his gaze. "How about some coffee?" she asked.

"If you can find some I haven't had the time to shop since the festival started." Tiredly, he mounted the staircase.

"Remember this moment when you want to play ball with teenagers again, McKay," she called to him.

"Your sympathy is touching, darlin'."

"I try." Poor baby, he was moaning with each lift of his foot. She almost offered help, but then turned away and explored his house, liking the design and hating the decor. There was nothing really there to make a statement, and it showed her that Tyler was rarely home and rarely enjoyed it. She put on a small pot of coffee, found mugs and heard the shower running about the time the brewing finished.

A little voice inside her said, take it to him. Another said, Careful. He's up there naked and wet. Near a bed.

Leaning against the counter, Lane sipped her coffee, debating on whether or not to remain here or go find him. Thoughts of last night in his arms stirred through her mind, calling back images and feelings. The feelings topped the charts, and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s tightened inside her lace bra and sent the sensation low in her belly. She admitted she hadn't stood a chance from the moment he'd crashed into her car. She was falling in love with Tyler McKay. The impact of that made her heart ache, suddenly and sharply. She had to tell him the truth.

But she couldn't bring herself to destroy what was growing so strongly between them. Carrying on a silent debate in her mind, she walked through the spa.r.s.ely decorated house, ending at the foot of the staircase, two cups in her hands and an ice bag tucked under her arm. With a deep breath, she climbed the stairs, listening for the sound of the shower, and was amazed to find four rooms on the second floor. Steam lingered in the air and she followed it, nudging open the bedroom door.

A lavish, four-poster rice bed dominated a room with dark mahogany furnis.h.i.+ngs and textured fabrics. She imagined them in that grand bed, skin to skin, Tyler hovering over her before he pushed himself inside her. Her insides clamped tight and heat spiraled through her. He was under her skin, tucked in her heart. And when she looked at the open bathroom door, the sound of water and the roll of steam coming toward her, she knew exactly what she was doing. It was time to stop running. From life, from Tyler. Setting the mugs and ice bag aside, she moved to the doorway, watching him.

He had his hands braced on the tile wall, his head down as the spray hit his muscled back, and through the clear gla.s.s she studied every glorious inch of him. And there was a lot of him to see. He tipped his head back into the spray and she moved into his line of vision.

He went still, his gaze clas.h.i.+ng with hers as the spray beat down on him.

She smiled.

He shut the water off, then reached for the black towel slung over the top of the door. He barely dried his face and chest before wrapping the towel around his waist.

He pushed open the door. "You came up here because you wanted to," Tyler said, fighting an intense need to drag her into his arms. Her being here, now, sent a clear message.

"Yes."

He stepped out. "Do I need to ask you if you're sure?"

"No. You don't." She removed her gla.s.ses and tipped her head. "How about you?"

"Oh, darlin'," he growled, taking a step closer. "You have no idea how much I've wanted you here." From the start, he thought. From the moment he first kissed her and felt her holding back, hiding.

Lane kicked off her shoes and toed off her socks. Tyler watched her. His body reacted with amazing swiftness, and when she reached for the hem of her sweater, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her. Hungrily. Wildly. He held her so tightly he brought her off the floor, his hands fisting in her sweater. His mouth crushed hers, and his hands dived under the fabric and palmed warm, smooth skin. He wanted to touch every inch of her, taste her, hear her cry out and tremble in his arms.

He'd never needed anything more than this, with her.

He backed her out of the bathroom, soft carpet and quiet greeting them. He kept kissing her, almost afraid she'd vanish. Then she drew back, crossing her arms and pulling off her sweater. Tyler's gaze raked her as she s.h.i.+mmied out of her slacks and stood still.

He looked his fill as she unpinned her hair. Silky, dark-red hair spilled onto her shoulders, and Tyler wondered how any man could miss this sleeping beauty. She took his breath away, with her narrow waist, and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s nearly spilling from the lace bra designed to drive men crazy. And when she leaned back against the bedpost and unfastened the bra, he swallowed. The garment fell, discarded, and Tyler was there, his arms closing around her, his kiss ferocious. The tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s burned into his skin, and he filled his palm with one soft mound, kneading it gently, loving the sounds she made. That she covered his hand and offered him more.

And he took, lifting her, closing his lips around her tender nipple. She inhaled sharply, bowing in his arms, and Tyler licked, suckled and toyed, and she squirmed in his arms.

"You taste so good."

"It's the body wash," she teased, her hands molding him everywhere she could reach. He chuckled, hooking her knee and pulling her more tightly against him. It wasn't enough. Not till he was inside her. Feeling her body wrap his.

Her touch was silky and strong, and when she reached the towel, she gave it a tug. "I don't think we need this."

Skin met skin, his arousal pressed to her softness, and Tyler felt his control slipping. He stepped back suddenly, shoving his hands through his hair.

"Tyler?"

"Gimme a second. I want you so badly and I want to take my time..."

"There is always later, you know, for the patient side of you."

His gaze flew to hers. She smiled and turned, pressing a knee to his bed. Tyler's throat closed, blood rus.h.i.+ng from his head. He got the s.e.xiest view of her behind in a black thong. She reached into the nightstand, flas.h.i.+ng him a smile, and grabbed condom packets, then faced him on her knees. She let the condoms rain down over her, then crooked a finger to him.

It took everything in him not to leap on her and shove himself inside her. But he crawled onto the mattress, his weight sinking her toward him. He dragged her between his spread thighs, trapping her, kissing her deeply, trailing his mouth down her throat and bending her back to taste her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Again and again, he nibbled and licked, his hand smoothing down her hip and sliding under the band of her panties.

"We don't need these," he said, and with a sharp twist, he snapped the delicate threads.

Lane laughed, meeting his gaze. "So much for patience."

"It's vastly overrated."

Naked, he pressed her to him, the contact das.h.i.+ng him with heat and untapped energy. She was like a storm and he was about to feel a strike of lightning.

Lane ached, the dull throb she'd experienced when he was near turning to a raging clamor of sights, smells and tastes. She smoothed the hard contours of his chest, and her mouth followed, her tongue slicking over his flat coin nipples. His fingers dug into her hips, his groan like a purring tiger's. The heat of him pressed to her belly, and she closed her fingers around his arousal. In a flash, he captured her wrist. He met her gaze, his eyes hooded with desire.

"I'm already coming apart." He swallowed hard.

"I want to see you shatter," she said, and her fingertips slid heavily over the silken tip of him and down his shaft. He slammed his eyes shut and his breath trembled. She tasted it, sliding her tongue over his lips, then dipping inside. He cracked, devouring her mouth and dragging her onto his lap and spreading her thighs around him and breaking her hold. As much as he was enjoying her touch, he couldn't take much more. He needed to be inside her.

He leaned forward, pus.h.i.+ng her onto her back, her hair spilling like cherry wine across his pillows. She smiled up at him, lifting her hips, inviting him to come to her now, and he searched the bed for a condom. She took it from him, rolling it down and didn't let go, opening for him. Braced above her, Tyler trembled as the tip of him pressed to her softness. She was hot and wet, squirming beneath him.

She lifted her hips. "Now, Tyler, please, now."

He entered her with unforgiving slowness, smiling when she begged for more. He pushed deeply, filling her to the hilt and she wrapped her legs around his hips. Braced on his elbows he stared down at her, smoothing her hair back, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"You're so beautiful."

She smiled. "Flattery will get you anything you want."

"I have what I want right here."

Her eyes misted with tears. "Tyler..."

"My heart's in this, Lane."

"Mine, too, handsome."

He withdrew and plunged, her body closing tightly over his, capturing him, stealing more than his desire. Feminine muscles flexed and clawed, and their tempo increased, a pumping madness that fused them with every stroke.

A match, a perfect fit.

He watched her eyes. He'd seen it once before and it had stolen through his blood, the fire that sparkled, the primal side of her he wanted to unleash.

Lane thought she'd break apart, her heart was pounding so fast. Wanting him all over her, wanting him to explore and taste and stroke and never stop. She felt the connection to him grow and fuse, her body capturing him in a slick glove and taking him deeper into her. She couldn't get enough of him. It was rapture and agony when he left her fully, then plunged home.

Flesh met flesh, muscular and sculpted mes.h.i.+ng with soft and yielding. They danced in quick rhythm. Eyes locked on each other, tingling heat spiraled through her like a tornado, gaining speed and power.

Then it came, the exhilaration only he could give her. The pa.s.sion she'd waited so long to feel. His arousal throbbed inside her, slick muscle and tender skin quaking with pleasure and sending it streaming through her body.

"Tyler, oh, Tyler."

"I know, baby, I know," he whispered huskily, his gaze locked with hers as his climax roared up his spine like an animal cut loose from a cage. He threw his head back, shuddering, his body flexing against her like a bow strung too tight. Lane gripped his hips, pulling him harder to her, the pulse and throb thras.h.i.+ng them over and over until they never thought it would stop. Then didn't want it to.

The crest shattered him, and tears filled her eyes again, the shocking power of their loving leaving her weak and breathless as the haze faded to a delicate hum in their blood.

Tyler peppered her face and hair with kisses before his mouth settled warmly on hers. He thought his heart might explode, the power of their lovemaking stunning him to the core. When he caught his breath, he rolled to his back taking her with him, pulling her leg over his hip and keeping her close.

Lane gazed into his soft blue eyes and smiled. She loved him. If she'd doubted her heart before, she didn't now. It should make her terrified, but it didn't. It was as if a door tightly locked had been opened in secret. Little by little parts of her poured out and Tyler stole them. Kept them private for her. As much as he pestered and pursued, he was gentle and determined. She wouldn't think of the lies she'd told to protect herself. She'd only think in the here and now. This moment.

"Lane."

"Hmm?"

"You're amazing."

She blushed and kissed him. "I won't tell you what great hip action you have, darling. You'll get conceited." He grinned and toyed with her nipple, then palmed her breast.

"You starting something?" she asked, and he loved the playful look in her eyes.

"I never said I was done."

The phone rang and Tyler glared at it, then reached over and answered.

Lane slid on top of him, folding her arms and watching him.

"Ah, yes, Mom, I'm okay."

Lane covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

"No, it's not broken." He held up his finger, wiggling it. It was still swollen. "No, Lane is with me."

Her eyes flew wide.

"We'll see you tonight on the beach." He hung up.

"I can't believe you told her I was here."

"She can't see us, you know."

Lane started to move away, and Tyler tossed the phone aside and grabbed her, throwing her on her back. "You can't keep hiding, baby."