Page 24 of Love Me, Cowboy
Tyler didn’t respond right away. Instead, he looked up to the ceiling, then back down to the coffee table. Then, without warning, he joined Claire on the couch, taking her hands in his. The contact felt like a lifeline.
“I’ve been half in love with you for probably half my life,” he said, taking Claire by surprise. “You were always beautiful. Back in high school as much as you are now.” With the grin back in place, he added, “When I saw you in that dress tonight, you took my breath away.”
If Claire could have pinched herself in that moment, she would have. But Tyler held fast to her hands.
“I thought you were the one who regretted that night,” he said. “Falling into bed with your friend’s baby brother after too much alcohol. Then having to see me on all those visits and school breaks, wishing that night had never happened.”
Two distinct feelings warred in Claire’s mind. Frustration and happiness. She’d missed so much due to youth and insecurities, but tonight she had the chance to grab hold of a dream. Lifting a hand to Tyler’s cheek, trailing a gentle finger along the jagged scar that only served to make him more beautiful, she vowed not to make the same mistake again.
“Seeing you was the best part of those visits,” she whispered. “If I could, I’d go back in time and stay in that bed with you.” Her thumb rubbed across his lower lip. “But I can’t change the past. Maybe we could try again in the present. Do you still want me in your bed, Tyler?”
The look in his green eyes threatened to bring her to tears. “Always,” he said. “Always, Claire.”
Chapter Eight
Tyler feared he’d wake up to find the party hadn’t started yet. That he’d only dreamed of finding Claire looking beautiful near the bar and bringing her home with him. That a dream he’d had a million times was simply replaying in his mind, and soon the sound of his alarm would jar him awake, sending the soft body beneath him fading into the ether.
But then his hand slid along her warm thigh and Claire moaned into his mouth, and Tyler knew this couldn’t be a dream. This was better than any dream he’d managed to conjure.
“I can’t believe we’ve been missing this for so long,” Claire murmured while trailing wet kisses along his jawline. “We’re such idiots.”
He couldn’t help but laugh, even as she shifted to make more room for him on the sofa, which sent his hand higher to brush against soft lace. His temperature spiked. “I’m definitely an idiot,” he agreed, “but right now, I’m the luckiest idiot I know.”
Claire giggled and tucked her head under his chin. Then she kissed his neck and purred. “God, you taste good.” His thigh pressed between her legs, and she ground against him. “So good.”
The blood raged through Tyler’s body, all headed for the same place, which was not his head. At least not the one that held up his cowboy hat. If she kept driving him crazy like this, Claire would have to carry the weight of the conversation.
Though Tyler hoped she wasn’t much interested in conversation for the next little while.
To make sure, he took her mouth for another hot kiss, tasting red wine, cold beer, and hot woman. As her arms snaked around his neck, Claire pulled him closer, her tongue meeting his in a dance as old as time. She gave and demanded in equal measure.
She may have been a sweet-natured school teacher, but tonight she was all sensual woman. And Tyler was more than happy to give her anything she wanted.
As if she could read his thoughts, Claire broke the kiss and said, “I want to see you.”
“You can see me anytime you want,” Tyler answered, trailing his lips down her neck.
“No,” she said, pushing on his shoulder until he met her eye. “I want to see you.” One pearl snap clicked open. “I want to look at you.” Unable to do more than nod, Tyler let her undo another snap. “All of you.”
He’d never stripped for a woman before, but for Claire, he’d drop to his birthday suit and run around the cabin if she asked. Raising up on his knees, Tyler braced his arms on each side of her, letting her open his shirt the rest of the way down. When she brushed warm hands over his chest, he locked his elbows to keep from dropping.
When her nails danced along his rib cage, Tyler’s jaw clenched. She was trying to kill him.
And when one finger slid behind his belt buckle, his whole body jerked.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked, a knowing lilt in her voice. Claire was enjoying torturing him. Which made him wonder if he’d survive the night.
“Do I get to see you, too?” he asked, opting to turn the tables and show his sexy redhead she wasn’t the only one who was enjoying this game.
A moment’s hesitation shone in her hazel eyes. Tyler dropped low to place a kiss on her abdomen. “You’re beautiful, Claire. You always have been. Don’t ever doubt that.”
She nodded, a tiny smile sending one side of her mouth higher than the other. “You make me want to believe that.”
“Good,” he said, dropping a hard kiss on her mouth. “It’s true.”
“Okay,” she said, and the smile grew naughtier. “But you first.”
“Yes, ma’am.”