“Tyler, I—“
He places a finger over my lips and shushes me. “Don’t analyse it.” He he dips his head down and presses his lips against mine.
I know what I should do. I should pull away, tell him that this isn’t right, that I don’t want this, but in this moment the feel of his lips against mine, they make me forget. So, I slip my hands around his neck and kiss him back. He groans in satisfaction when I respond to him, and then he lifts the back of my legs until I am wrapped around him. He is chaos and danger sewn together and I drown in him, wanting to feel something other than the void I have been feeling since Grayson broke my heart. Tyler deepens the kiss and we become more frantic, hungry. I press my body closer to his. I shouldn’t be doing this. This is not the answer to my problems at all.
I find the strength to pull back and I catch my breath. “I can’t do this,” I confess, leaning my face into the crook of his neck. “I’m not thinking straight. I love him. Even though I’ll never forgive him for what he’s done, I love him.”
I hear Tyler exhale and then he’s lifting my face so that he can look into my eyes. “You might love him, but I know you want me. I know you feel this pull between us. You can love someone and still want another. Use me. Lose yourself in me. I’ll help you forget.” His blue eyes burn softly into mine.
Could I drown in him and forget the pain I feel? Even if it will just be for a short time? I know sex with Tyler would be all-consuming. He is the type of guy who knew how to please a girl. A part of me wishes I can be that girl. The one who lets go and just feels, but I’m not.
I meet his eyes and smile softly. “I can’t. It wouldn’t feel right or fair. I need to work through this. I can’t hide from the pain or the hurt. I need to face it and deal with it and move forward.”
Tyler nods and he leans down and gently presses his lips against mine and he kisses me softly. “When you’re ready to move on, I’d better be the first guy you ring, Taylor.”
I smile against his lips and kiss him back one last time, before I pull back and unwrap my legs from around him. He releases me and lies back into the water, floating and looking up at the ceiling.
“Where do you suppose those two are?” I ask him as I tread water and look around the vast space.
Tyler grins. “If Jake has any guts, I hope he’s finally giving Court what she wants, and he’s balls-deep in her.”
I splash water at him. “You’re disgusting.”
“Just keeping it real, Taylor.”
We splash about in the pool for another twenty minutes or so, play fighting in the water until Courtney and Jake appear.
“Well, well,” Tyler says grinning, “Where did you two disappear to?”
Jake simply gives him the finger, making Tyler chuckle even more, and he glances at me with a look that says ‘I told you so.’
We mess about in the pool for a while longer and we all have another go on the water slides before we climb out and dress. Putting clothes over wet underwear is not fun, so Courtney and I wander off and find the changing rooms and I take my wet underwear off and stuff it in my pocket once I’m dressed back in my jeans and top.
Tyler drops us off at Courtney’s house at just before midnight. Jake and Courtney climb out and I hang back, wanting to give them some space.
“Hey, thanks, for tonight. It was just what I needed.”
Tyler nods, turning those blue eyes on me. “Anytime Everly, anytime.” He leans his head back against the headrest. “Are you going back down south tomorrow?”
I nod. “Yeah. As much as I want to hideaway up here, I have college.”
He nods, looking out at the dark and quiet street before us. “You and me, Taylor, we’d be good together. I know you’re not ready, but one day, when you are, I want to be the one you call.”
I nod, toying with the sleeve of my jacket. “Who’d have thought it hey, me turning down Tyler Kingston. Fifteen-year-old me would scream at me right now and ask me if I am ill.”
Tyler chuckles and I join him. “I’d better go. I’ll message you.”
He nods, giving me a sexy half-smile. “I’ll be seeing you, Taylor.”
When I climb out of the car, Jake and Courtney reluctantly pull apart and I give them an apologetic look for interrupting. Jake drops a kiss on Courtney’s forehead before pulling away from her. “Goodnight ladies.”
When their car pulls away, we both stand there for a second watching them drive away. Courtney releases a dreamy sigh and I turn to her, grinning. “Awe, Courtney’s in love,” I tease.
She pushes me, making me wobble on my feet. “Fuck off, E,” she says with a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Someone has that just had sex look all over her face,” I sing and she pushes me again before pulling out her key and placing it in the lock of the door.
“Quit teasing me,” she chastises.
I follow her inside, and we head straight upstairs. The house is in darkness; everyone must be in bed already. I shut her bedroom door and then rugby tackle her onto the bed, making her yelp in surprise.
‘Ow, get your elbow out of my tit,” she groans as she rolls over so we are lying next to each other on
