This Is Why (A Brookside Romance Book 3) Read online

  “What if I want to know those parts? What if I want to know the things that make the impenetrable Tyler Reed afraid? A person isn’t all one thing, you know? The good parts, the bad parts, the strong parts, the weak parts … we’re all made up of so much more than we want to share with the world, despite what our Instagram feed looks like.”

  Tyler makes a face that says he agrees with me. “True.”

  “I wonder what it would be like to have a person you didn’t have to hide from. And I mean you in the universal way right now. Not just you personally, but all of us, myself included. What if there was a person who knew everything about who we are? Would it be amazing? To be so naked and stripped bare in front of each other?” I shake my head. “I don’t know. Maybe it would be intimidating, but there’s a part of me that thinks it’s the way things are supposed to be. You know, drop all those social pretenses and just be.”

  Tyler leans in. “And you want to be that person for me? That person who gets to see deep down into my soul and know all the things that make me what I am?”

  I nod. “I think I do. Every little bit I learn about you only makes me want to know more. And something tells me there are so many layers hidden beneath this perfect exterior with the award-winning smile. I want to unravel you.”

  Tyler kisses me, trailing his lips along my jawline and across my mouth. His hands trail up my legs, his thumbs gripping my inner thighs. “I want to unravel you, too,” he says and then bites my earlobe.

  “Is that a yes?” I ask. “I get to read the letters?”

  “Only if you’re a very good girl.”

  “Oh, Ty. I promise you, I’ll be very, very good.”

  He growls his approval and slides his hands further up my legs while he kisses down my chest. “You’re wearing entirely too much clothing.”

  “So are you.” If his body is anything like I remember it, then I need to see more of it, and now.

  There’s a flurry of movement and the rustle of fabric and we are undressed, our clothes in a discarded heap on the cheap tile floor of my kitchen. Ty swipes his drink from the counter and steps back, his erection straining towards me. He is perfection. His broad chest and shoulders. His chiseled abs and oh, shit, that V right at his hips. His thighs are strong and muscular.

  He takes a long drink, his eyes on my body. “Look at you, up on that counter with your legs spread for me. You’re everything I need, Lexi. Everything.” He takes another drink and then steps between my legs to put the glass down on the counter. He runs his hands up my thighs.

  “They’re so cold.” Goosebumps travel across my flesh and when his chilled finger swipes across my slit, I drop my head back and a moan escapes my parted lips before I can clamp my mouth shut.

  “Does that feel good?” Ty parts my lips and strokes my clit and my hips buck at the sensation. “I have an idea,” he says before stepping away and opening the freezer, giving me a delicious view of his ass, one of the few parts of him that isn’t tan. He grabs an ice cube from the bin and pops it in his mouth before he kneels in front of me, using his hands to spread my knees even further.

  He draws his tongue across my pussy. It’s chilled from the ice and I slap a hand over my mouth and hum my approval. He looks up at me, that devious smile brightening his face and then pulls the ice from his mouth and slides it past my lips and into my opening. I clench around it, unsure how I feel about the intense sensation. He doesn’t leave it there long. Oh no. After only a few seconds, he’s on the move, running the dripping ice cube up around my slit and then spreading my folds to expose my clit. The ice burns like fire and I swallow a scream, but when he bends and goes back to using his tongue, licking and sucking and caressing the frozen parts with his warmth, I melt into him, rolling my hips against his face.

  He alternates between the ice and his mouth. Water drips from my legs to the counter and an orgasm builds. I need friction. Movement. I need him inside me, thrusting again and again because holy fucking shit I need to come. Now.

  “Please, Ty,” I say. “Please, I need to come.”

  “Do, it baby.” He flicks his tongue across my clit and slides his fingers into my opening. “Come for me, Lexi.”

  “I want to come on your cock.” I hold eye contact with him as he stares up at me, his gaze heated, his tongue and fingers still working my aching pussy. He has me so close. So. Close. “Please.” I don’t recognize my own voice, need and lust and desire has thickened it and I do everything but purr.

  He bends down to dig through the pile of clothes for his pants and pulls a condom out of his wallet.

  I shake my head. “I hate the way they feel. I want you. All of you.” I spread my legs. “I’m on the pill.”

  Ty gives me a long hard look and then drops the unopened packet on the ground only to bend down and grab something else. He strides over to me, his eyes hard and cold as steel. When he shows me my panties balled up in his hand, he grins. “Open your mouth.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m going to make you want to scream.” He grabs his cock in one hand and runs it over my clit. “And you absolutely may not scream.”

  I open my mouth, ever the good girl, and he shoves my panties into place. His eyes capture mine for one second that might as well be an eternity. I stare into them and I swear, I feel myself falling. Hard. Fast. He presses his tip against my opening and then grips my hips as he slides himself into place. I moan against the lace fabric in my mouth and he comes to an abrupt stop. I need more of him, all of him, but he won’t move, not even when I try to slide my own hips forward.

  “Not a sound,” he says, his own voice low.

  He’s so big and he fills me so completely, there’s no fucking way I can keep quiet but I nod and do my absolute best to be a good girl.

  He moves again, sliding all the way in until his hips meet mine, and then he gives my ass a hard yank. I’m full. So full it hurts and then, blissfully the pain recedes, replaced by nothing but pure pleasure. I wrap my legs around his ass and clutch at his back as he picks up speed.

  “You like having my cock inside you, don’t you?” he whispers into my ear.

  I nod, stifling a moan.

  “I wonder where else you’d like me to put my dick?” He thrusts ever deeper and I pull back enough to make eye contact. I know exactly where I’d like to have his cock. Anywhere he’d like to put it. My body is his playground and I hope he plans on taking full advantage.

  I dig my heels into his hips again, urging him to move faster, harder. He complies and I feel that first little fluttering of an orgasm. My eyes roll shut as I drop my head down onto his shoulder, my breasts pressing against his sweaty chest. He lifts me off the counter, gripping my ass so hard I bite into the ball of panties to keep from crying out. He’s in complete control now, lifting me up only to impale me again and again. I sigh as an orgasm overtakes me. My thighs grow wet with my own juices and Ty moans in appreciation.

  “Did you come for me?” His voice is sin, low and raw and the absolute definition of lust as the stubble on his chin rakes the skin near my ear.

  I nod, falling even further over the edge. Losing myself to the physical pleasure of sex, and the emotional pleasure of it being with him, and the spiritual pleasure of whatever the hell this is between us. Ty picks up speed and then abruptly stops, holding me close while he’s still buried deep inside me. He lowers me down to the cold tile floor, using our balled-up clothes as a pillow beneath my head.

  He hooks my legs over his shoulder and sits upright before he resumes thrusting. My eyes go wide and the receding orgasm speeds back to life. He holds my gaze and, as ecstasy overtakes me, he smiles. The warmth on his face does me in and I come undone, arching and writhing beneath him.

  Ty chases his own release until finally he grits his teeth and closes his eyes. “I’m close,” he says.

  Good. I’ve had my release, now I want him to have his. Much to my confusion, Ty pulls out and straddles my waist, high up near my rib cage, his slick
dick resting between my breasts. He grabs them and pushes them together before he starts pumping his hips. His cock slips between my breasts and I don’t know why, but it feels so good. He tightens his grip and I lift my head to see his crown pushing out past my skin over and over again. I smile up at him, pleased by how much I like this new experience.

  His eyes roll back and he looks up to the ceiling as he comes all over my neck and chest. After he shifts his weight back, I prop myself up on my elbows and stare down at the mess as it slides down towards my belly button.

  “That is so hot.” Ty’s gaze is locked on my body but he slowly brings it up to meet mine. “That was okay?”

  I nod. “That was more than okay.”

  He stands and pulls a handful of paper towels off the roll before bending over me to clean me up. “Did you know you liked to be titty fucked?”

  “I did not. That was a first.” And I hope it won’t be the last. “You feel free to do that to me anytime you want.”

  “Like I told you earlier, be careful what you wish for.”

  Ty finishes cleaning me off and I stare down at my body. “Feel like taking a shower with me?” I ask.

  “You mean, do I want a chance to keep looking at you naked, but this time with the added benefit of you being wet and glistening and covered in soap?” He puts a finger to his chin. “Gee. Let me think…”

  I laugh lightly and extend a hand. “Help me up? I don’t think my legs work.”

  Ty grins and helps me to my feet. I wobble a little and he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close, running his hands up and down my back. The closeness feels amazing and I lean into him and rest my head against his chest. This is good. I don’t know what to make of it, considering he’ll be leaving Brookside in just a few short days, but right now, this is very wonderfully, dangerously good.

  Ty’s dick bounces against my stomach and I stare down between us, shocked. “Already?” I ask.

  He grins sheepishly. “Just looking at you is enough to get me going, but with your naked body pressed against mine? I’m a goner.”

  I look for something to say but my body responds to his and I’m just as ready for another round as he is. I grab his hand and lead him towards the bathroom where we lose ourselves to pleasing the other until the water runs cold.

  TY

  I wake with a start. Someone’s in the room. I reach for the gun I keep in the bedside table only to find that I’m not in my room and this particular nightstand doesn’t even have a drawer. The intruder freezes as I fumble for my phone. Turning on the screen will give me enough light to assess the danger. Whoever this motherfucker is, he is not prepared for the combat-ready Marine about to launch himself out of the bed.

  “Ty?” The voice is a harsh whisper and much smaller than I expected.

  “Gabe?” I calm down enough to recognize that my heart is pounding and my jaw and fists are clenched tight. I sag back on the bed, relief flooding through me, and then swing my feet over the edge. Lexi’s carpet is soft beneath my feet, but all I can think is thank God I put on my underwear or this would be about one hundred times more awkward than it already is. “Let’s go out to the kitchen,” I say as I grab my pants. “So we don’t wake Mom.”

  Gabe dutifully heads out of the bedroom and I take a quick second to pull on my clothes and check the time. It’s early. I can barely make out Lexi in the glow of the light put out by my phone. Her hands are up near her head and her hair is strewn across her pillow. I lean down and place the softest kiss on her temple. She smiles and shifts, but doesn’t wake, and I head out to find Gabe perched on the couch in the living room.

  “What are you doing up, buddy?” I drop down beside him.

  “I always get up early.” He shrugs. “I’m old enough now that Mom lets me make myself some cereal, but I always check on her before I do. In case she’s awake and might want some, too.”

  “And this morning you saw me in there and got scared?”

  “Nope. Not scared, just confused. But once I saw it was you, I knew everything was okay.” He smiles. “Mom doesn’t ever have sleepovers.”

  I nod knowingly while stifling laughter. Of course he’s going to translate what he saw through his own life experiences. He’s used to having sleepovers with Claire and to him, that’s all this is. Although if he’s sharing a bed with that little girl, maybe that’s cause for discussion later on.

  “I know I can use some coffee,” I say, slapping my knees and shifting to the edge of the seat. “You want some?” I give him a wink and wait for him to catch on that I’m joking.

  “Mom says I’m too young for coffee.” Gabe grins. “Besides, it tastes gross.”

  “How about you come in the kitchen with me and help me get it started? And then maybe we can surprise your mom with breakfast in bed.”

  Gabe’s eyes light up. “That’s sounds great. Do you know how to make pancakes?”

  “Why? Is that your mom’s favorite?” I grab hold of that nugget of information to use later.

  “No. But it’s mine.”

  So maybe it’s not a nugget of Lexi info, but Gabe info is just as good. I laugh as the boy leads me to the cabinet where Lexi keeps her coffee. I let him scoop the grounds into the filter and then show him how to fill up the carafe with water and get things brewing. He watches with interest and asks a few questions and then nods decisively once we’re done. We decide on breakfast that includes pancakes as well as scrambled eggs and bacon—all foods I know how to make—and he helps me with that, too, until I get distracted by what looks like a pull-up bar in the doorway leading into the dining room.

  “What’s that?” I ask, pointing at the thing with my spatula.

  “That’s my pull up bar.” Gabe puffs out his chest proudly.

  “Aren’t you too young to do pull-ups? Or at least too short to reach the bar?”

  “I’m not too young. I practice at the playground all the time. And I am too short, but Mom showed me how I can get a chair to reach. Wanna see?”

  “Sure.”

  Gabe pulls a chair from the dining room and sets it up a little bit away from the doorway. He climbs up on the thing and then, just when I’m about to ask him how he’s going to reach the bar, jumps off the chair and grabs hold. He swings a little until he gets control of himself and then damn if he doesn’t do seven really good pull-ups. He tries for eight but fails and then lets go, dropping to the floor with a huge grin on his face.

  “I want to get to ten.” He stares up at the bar with his hands on his hips. “But I haven’t gone past seven yet.”

  “You keep at it and I promise you, you’ll come to a day where ten feels easy.” I have to hand it to the kid. Pull-ups aren’t easy and he really is too young to be that good at them.

  “Just what in the world is going on in here?” Lexi appears in the doorway, her eyes bleary from sleep but she looks like a goddess in a pair of shorts and a tank top with her hair loose and wild around her shoulders.

  “Ty is cooking pancakes and I showed him how I could do pull-ups.”

  She slides the chair back into place at the table and then comes into the kitchen, stopping to ruffle Gabe’s hair. “How many did you get?”

  He looks down at his feet. “Seven again.”

  “Remember when you thought five was hard?”

  “Yeah. I thought I’d never get to five.”

  “And what did you do?”

  “I kept practicing until I was strong enough.”

  “It’s the same thing now. You just have to keep trying.”

  Gabe leans into his mom. “I know. That’s what Ty said, too.”

  “Ty is a very smart man.” Lexi comes into the kitchen and leans into me as she reaches up for a coffee cup. It’s a brief moment of contact, but I welcome it. I wish I could pull her close and wrap her in my arms and kiss her good morning, but I suppose that wouldn’t go over well with a six-year-old in the room.

  “Good morning to you,” I say, smiling down into her beautiful face
,

  “Good morning to you.” She reaches into the fridge for some cream. “Thank you for making coffee. And breakfast.”

  “Thank you for inviting me to your sleepover.” I give her a wink as Gabe drags the chair back in range of the pull-up bar. “He’s pretty wicked strong.” I flip the last pancake onto a plate and add the scrambled egg mixture into a fresh pan.

  “That he is. Everyone thought I was crazy for buying him that pull-up bar, but it was that or the shower curtain rod was at risk.” She eyes Gabe. “Again.”

  He drops from the bar. “How was I supposed to know it wasn’t strong enough to hold me?”

  Lexi shakes her head and then looks at me. “See what I’m dealing with here?”

  The conversation between them is comfortable, familiar. It reminds me of the way the Carmichaels interact. Warm. Relaxed. And full of love.

  I finish cooking and get everything plated up. Lexi grabs the syrup out of the pantry and pours a glass of milk for Gabe. We eat until we’re stuffed and then Gabe and I go out into the backyard and throw the football back and forth for a while. I give him a few pointers and his wobbly throws straighten out enough to make him sure he’s going to impress his friend the next time he goes to daycare. Lexi watches us from the patio and the look on her face is priceless. Pride mixed with love mixed with something bigger. I don’t have a name for it, but I recognize it because I feel it, too.

  My phone vibrates in my pocket and I hold up my hand to Gabe. “Hold on a sec, bud.” I fish it out and swipe it open.

  Paige: Remember me? Your sister? The one who just had a baby? The whole reason you came to Brookside in the first place?

  I tap out a quick reply.

  Me: Wait? Who is this? I have a sister???

  I toss the ball to Gabe and then head over to Lexi. “My sister is full-on about to kill me right now.”

  “Oh no. What happened?”

  “Well, I came to home to Brookside because she just had a baby and I wanted to see her and meet my nephew.”

  “Michelle told me at the wedding.” Her voice is like storm clouds on the horizon, full of impending threat.