Page 40 of Perfect Together

“Sam!”

His name on her lips triggered his release, and he pumped into her once, twice, and on the third time, his groan vibrated through her body, which was just beginning to come down from her climax.

She held on to him as he came, aware that this wasn’t the tepid sex she’d had before. This was explosive, and it could get addicting. What scared her most of all? So, she feared, could he.

***

Tyler paced thesmall room he was renting at the Serendipity Inn, which, in reality, was a large colonial that the owners had remodeled into a bed-and-breakfast. The floral decor and the warm colors were soothing at a time he felt anything but. Macy had been right when she said he’d be comfortable here.

Hell, she’d been right about a lot of things, including the fact that Nicole meant what she said and wasn’t coming home to him anytime soon. The thought should bother him more than it did, but instead of focusing on Nicole, he couldn’t stop thinking about Macy.

Something about the dark-haired woman was appealing, and it wasn’t that she looked a little like Nicole. Macy Donovan was a force of nature, a gorgeous woman who wasn’t intimidated by anyone, who said what she thought and did what she wanted. He admired her a lot.

Unfortunately, he was also extremely attracted to her. But he didn’t have the luxury of acting on it. Indulging in anything beyond friendship with Macy was something he could not afford. Even if he had gone to bed thinking of her instead of Nicole, the woman he was trying to win back as his fiancée.

He’d been shocked to feel the stirrings of desire for Macy when he’d been so convinced he and Nicole were meant to be. But meeting Macy had forced him to reevaluate Nicole’s breakup words—maybe she had a point about there being no fireworks after all. With Macy, her quick wit, and her ability to force him to do what she wanted, there were sparks aplenty.

How had his life gotten so out of control? Tyler ran a hand through his short hair. Not long ago, he’d thought everything was perfect. The family investment firm was doing well, him due to take over when his father and Nicole’s retired. And Tyler had been engaged to the woman he’d been in love with for what felt like forever. It turned out he’d been living in complete denial.

First, Nicole had informed him that what she felt for him wasn’t love. It was comfort and expectation born of being used to each other. There were no sparks between them, she’d said. Tyler convinced himself his fiancée was just getting cold feet. He figured she’d come to her senses.

Then she up and moved to Serendipity, and he realized she was serious about starting her life over without him. If that wasn’t humiliating and life-altering enough, his father informed him that Nicole had come into possession of information that could bring down the entire business and put them all in jail, Tyler included. Then Robert Stanton admitted he’d added mob money to help their coffers when the market was bad, and now he was in too deep to ever stop.

He’d ordered Tyler to get himself to Serendipity and return with his obedient fiancée in tow—or he’d have no choice but to tell hisclientsthat there was a chance Nicole had overheard a conversation and knew about the money laundering. And thoseclientsweren’t the type to leave any loose ends, no matter how uncertain. They would put out a hit on Nicole, and Tyler would be responsible. He wanted to believe his father was bluffing but couldn’t take that chance.

Nausea and panic threatened to engulf him—still did—but he ruthlessly pushed those feelings away. He couldn’t afford to give in to weakness in the huge mess he called his life. Tyler was in deep trouble and so was Nicole. So he had no choice but to remain here and try to persuade her to reconcile and pick up where they left off—with her running his mother’s campaign for borough president, him heir to the family financial firm, their marriage set.

And he had to persuade her without letting on that he knew about his father’s illegal dealings. Though it would be damn easier to get her to come home with him out of fear and loyalty, there was still a chance Nicole didn’t know the truth, and his admission would be filling her in. The more people who knew, the greater the risk of someone going to the police. Especially Nicole, who was now involved with a cop.

Of course, Tyler considered turning his father in himself. But he needed time to insulate himself, his mother, whose campaign accepted funds from the firm, and Nicole. Tyler also needed Nicole to cooperate. But from the way she looked at Sam Marsden, he didn’t see them separating anytime soon.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do everything in his power to try. Even if guilt rode him the entire time and he couldn’t stop thinking about a woman other than his ex-fiancée.

***

Sam woke ina strange bed with a warm body wrapped around his. Since he didn’t normally spend the night anywhere but his own place, he came awake immediately and realized where he was and who he was with. Instead of relaxing, he tensed even more because no sooner had he realized he was with Nicole than he instinctively pulled her deeper against him, wrapping his arms tighter around her smaller body. She fit him perfectly.

Sex last night hadn’t been good; it’d been incredible. And that was what put his radar on high alert. The last time he felt anything remotely like this, he’d been a naive younger man, duped by his fiancée and best friend. And he was enough of an adult now to be able to look back and see that what he’d felt for Jenna paled compared to the beginnings of what he felt for Nicole. Young love had been just that, he realized now. And if Jenna was able to hurt him, what kind of havoc could Nicole wreak on his heart if he let her?

He wondered if he could extricate himself without waking her. He was just about to roll over when she stirred, easing onto her back and looking up at him with big blue eyes.

“Hi there,” she said in a sexy morning voice.

“Morning.”

“A good one, I hope?” she asked, vulnerability shining in her expression.

Obviously, she wasn’t used to mornings after, and no way would he hurt her just because he was running scared. “After last night, how could it be anything but?”

The tension in her body fled fast, and her smile shot awareness straight to his cock, which apparently hadn’t gotten the memo about keeping a safe distance.

Now to work on his tension. As long as he took things slow and guarded his emotions and heart, he’d be fine. Just because they’d had great sex didn’t mean their agreement of nothing serious didn’t still hold. Leaving now would be his best bet.

“Breakfast?” she asked. “I packed up the big stuff for the move later today, but I have enough to whip up an omelet or pancakes.”

His stomach rumbled, answering before his brain kicked in.

She laughed, the happy sound making him feel like an ass for his darker thoughts. “So which will it be?”