Tyler's Undoing (Gloves Off #1)(19)

Kneeling in front of me and taking my face in his hands, Tyler gently rubbed his thumbs under my eyes to wipe away the tears. “Pushing people away only adds loneliness to the pain. I’ve been hurt a lot, Kacey, but you know what?” He tilted my face up higher. “I keep on going. Sometimes you have to let the bad in with the good. There’s no other way. It’s what makes us stronger.”

“I’m just tired,” I murmured. “Sometimes I feel like all I get are the bad things.”

Gently, Tyler brushed his thumb across my lips before placing his on mine. He waited on me to respond, and when I kissed him back, he opened my lips further with his tongue, slowly and deeply. It felt like it’d been forever since a man truly kissed me, but I knew not to move fast with him.

Reluctantly, I pulled away and placed my fingers to his lips. “I need you to be honest with me, Tyler. You said you would tell me the truth so I want to know . . . why me? What makes me so different from the other girls?”

Tilting his head to the side, he smirked and stared at my lips for a few seconds before meeting my eyes. “Honestly, it was your mouth,” he confessed. “I have never had a girl talk to me the way you did. It was startling, and refreshing.”

Laughing, I playfully smacked him on the arm. “So, basically calling you names and telling you to go to hell, turned you on?”

Biting his lip, he grabbed my wrist and placed a gentle kiss on my palm. “Maybe. You were f*cking sexy in the gym the other day. I can’t promise you that I don’t come with any problems, because I’m sure as hell not perfect. I can promise you this though. . . what I want is not the same type of girl I’m used to being with. I want something real and I didn’t even know it until I saw it in you. All I’m asking for is a chance to see what happens.”

If he only knew that my problems were bigger than any of his combined. Would he still believe I was something real?

“Tyler, I’m not perfect either. Being with me will only cause you more problems.”

Standing up, he leaned into me, guiding me back on my bed, covering me with his body. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Spreading my legs with his knee, he slid his hand along my bare leg up to my thigh. “Before you stop me, I already know you’re not ready for this. I know you don’t want to move too fast.”

“You would actually wait for me?” I asked.

He held his body above mine, with his arms on either side of my head. “For you . . . yes. It’ll be a new challenge.”

Wrapping my legs around his, I smiled and bit my lip. “Well, in that case I think I need to make it a little more challenging.” I rocked my hips against his, and then my phone rang in my back pocket.

Groaning, Tyler bent down to kiss my neck, trailing his lips down to my collarbone while keeping hold of my wrists. “Do you want to answer it?”

“No, but I need to,” I told him.

Reaching underneath my ass, he grabbed the phone out of my back pocket and handed it to me. I didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello,” I answered, trying not to sound breathless.

“Kacey, hey it’s Liam.”

“Oh, hey, how are you?” Tyler’s stubble tickled my skin as he kissed my neck, and it took all I had not to giggle.

“I’m doing well. I wanted to call and make sure we were still on for dinner. You haven’t changed your mind have you?”

“No, but if I go I want to make something clear. I’m not . . .”

Liam chuckled and finished my sentence, “Not ready for something serious. I get it, Kacey. We can go as friends. All I want is to go out to dinner with you and get to know you.”

“Okay, great. Friends it is.”

“Do you want me to pick you up at your house?” he asked. “I can be there by six.”

“That’ll be great.” I gave him the address to my house and said my goodbyes.

Tyler lifted up on his elbows and stared down at me. “I know you already told this guy you’d go out with him, but I have to say I’m not liking it.”

“He knows we’re going out as friends,” I reiterated. “And besides, I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to go out with other people. It’s a little too soon to be exclusive, don’t you think?”

Furrowing his brows, he pursed his lips. “Kacey, don’t get me wrong. You can do whatever you want. It’s just the thought of sharing you with other men gets my blood boiling.”

“What about you?” I challenged. “I know your reputation. If I were to invest time in whatever we have going on here, I have to tell you, I don’t like to share either. You’re not exactly a one woman kind of guy.”

His face was a stony mask. “There’s only one way to find out isn’t there? You will just have to trust me.”

“We’ll see,” I whispered.

He nodded his understanding and glared over at the clock on my bedside table. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me to the fight tonight?” Sliding off of me, he pulled me up to my feet.

“I can’t, Tyler. I’m sorry. You can call me afterward and let me know if you won.”

He tapped my chin with his finger. “Are you sure you’re not going to be too busy with your date?”