Evan - Chapter 15

Evan - Fifteen

I sat down at the breakfast bar with Jake just as Mom was serving up our plates of pancakes. I was waiting for her to ask what took me so long taking out the trash but she never did and I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up. I didn’t want to think about Tyler, especially with Jake sitting across from me and the possibility of him still being outside.

     As I drizzled syrup over my pancakes and picked up my fork ready to tuck in, Jake started talking like he always did, chatting about the day ahead, his next wrestling match and all other kinds of crap that usually I absorbed like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Today though I barely heard his voice, which I usually just loved the sound of, because I was wondering what was going on with him. He was Jake again, my Jake, my best friend of fifteen years; not the guy who nearly fucked me and treated me like shit yesterday. I wanted to call him out on his behaviour and talk about where we stood but I couldn’t do that with Mom in the room.

     I was almost finished with my first pancake when Ryan walked in and Mom handed him a plate. She then said she had to get going and rushed off to grab her things for work. I continued eating as Ryan began to devour his food but as soon as Mom left the room Jake suddenly stopped talking and went silent. What the hell? Had he been putting on an act in front of my mom, making her think nothing was wrong, and now she was gone his true colours were coming back out?

     The three of us kept eating quietly until we heard Mom call to say she was leaving, followed by the sound of the front door closing. Ryan looked at me and then at Jake, who now had his head lowered toward his plate like he didn’t even want to make eye contact.

     “So what’s up, Jake?” Ryan asked.

     Jake looked up, startled. “What?”

     “Emily told me you were all over some girl yesterday even though you’ve never mentioned her before,” Ryan said, glancing sideways at me and then focusing back on Jake.

     Jake swallowed even though I don’t think he had any food in his mouth and nodded, “Yeah, Tina, she’s awesome, man.”

     “Really?” Ryan asked.

     “Yeah,” Jake said, growing in confidence by the second. “She’s smart, funny, cute and she’s got a killer body. You should see her tits, Ry.”

     I stared at Jake as the words just started to flow out of his mouth. I had never heard him talk about any girl the way he was talking about Tina and I was genuinely surprised. Not to mention it was clear they had had sex if he had seen her tits.

     “How did you two meet?” Ryan asked.

     “I was in the hall yesterday and she bumped into me. We laughed it off but there was this connection when we looked at each other. She asked me to have lunch with her and we had a great time so I offered her a ride home after school and when we got to hers she was all over me,” Jake said. He looked over at me and continued, “I ripped her clothes off and fucked her on the coffee table in her living room. She was screaming, wanting more. I pounded her so deep I thought the table was going to break. Then, after she came and sucked a load out of my balls, I took her upstairs and fucked her again in her bed, flipping her into every position I could think off until I pulled out and shot all over her tits.”

     I sat staring at Jake with my mouth hanging open. Those words were directed at me, meant for me to hear, maybe meant to make me jealous. Who was this guy I was looking at because it wasn’t the Jake I knew. He didn’t just meet a girl and fuck her the same day, that wasn’t him. And even if he did have sex, which he had before, he was never so open and forthcoming with information about her or what they did; he usually kept it pretty quiet. It was like he was a typical jock now, bragging about nailing some chick to his buddies. He was starting to act like Tyler usually did and I didn’t like it. With Jake there was nothing hot about his attitude, he just sounded like a douche.

     Putting a final forkful of pancakes into his mouth, Jake stood up and said, “Come on Ev, we’d better get going. I told Tina I’d see her before our first class.”

     I shook my head and finished off my food as Jake went out to wait in his car for me. When the door closed I looked at Ryan.

     “What the hell was that?” I asked.

     “He’s acting out,” Ryan said.

     “For my benefit though, right?” I asked. “He’s making a point that he’s fucking her to show me that what happened Saturday night is never going to happen again.”

“That’s what it looks like,” Ryan said. “I told you this could happen. All this macho bullshit is as much for himself as it is for you. He needs to convince himself he’s straight, that’s why he found the first girl who’d let him screw her. You think he really likes her? He probably couldn’t give a shit about her but she makes him feel like a man and that’s what he needs right now. Just hang with him until he gets over it.”

     “And what if I can’t do that? If he keeps acting like he is I’m not sure I want to even be around him. That’s something I never thought I’d say,” I sighed.

“So don’t be around him. You’ve got Emily, and it’s not like she’s your only option right now,” Ryan said.

“You mean…” I implied.

     “Tyler,” Ryan smiled. “I saw him sneaking off this morning just after Jake got here. What was he here for?”

     “Just to wind me up,” I chuckled.

     “But in a good way?” Ryan grinned. “I can see it in your face. You’re starting to like him.”

     “I wouldn’t go that far,” I said. “I dislike him less than I did but I’m a long way from liking him.”

     “And how far away are you from fucking him?” Ryan asked.

     “Not very,” I smiled. “I just need one more sign.”

     “Sign of what?” I asked.

     “That he’s not messing with me,” I said, “That I’m not just another conquest to brag about. I’m not saying I want him as a boyfriend or even for regular sex, though it would be nice, I just don’t want to be like Tina, you know, someone he’s fucking to prove a point. I’m worth more than that.”

     “You are,” Ryan said. “That’s why you can’t let Jake get to you. As for Tyler, honestly bro, I don’t think he’s messing. He’s got too much on the line to risk messing with you if it’s all just a game.”

     “I think you’re right. I just need proof,” I said.

     Before Ryan could say anything else we heard Jake sounding his horn in the driveway. I rolled my eyes and ran upstairs to grab my bag before heading out to find Jake already revving the car, waiting to go. I was only half way through the door when he sped off and I had to scramble inside before I was left in a pile on the road.

     The drive to school was uncomfortable to say the least. I kept looking at Jake, trying to figure him out, focusing on his face, but I never saw his eyes leave the road and not once did he look at me. I really wanted to punch him on that perfect jaw but Ryan’s words about giving him time to sort his head out kept coming back to me and I knew that as painful as it was I needed to let this thing play out by itself.

     Arriving at school was more of the same. Jake pulled into a parking space, turned off the engine and got out of the car without saying anything. We walked into the main building in silence and went to our lockers. It was only once I had my books sorted for my first two classes that I heard Jake’s voice, but he wasn’t speaking to me.

     “Hey babe,” he said, greeting Tina, who immediately pressed herself against him and leaned in for a kiss.

     “I’ve missed you,” Tina replied, running her hand over Jake’s chest. “I can’t wait until after school tonight so I can have this inside me again.”

     My eyes went wide as Tina ran her hand down over Jake’s stomach and continued on until she was squeezing his crotch, moving her hand up and down the length of his cock, which was visibly hardening in his pants right there in the school hallway for everyone to see.

     Their lips met again, though Jake had one eye open and was looking at me the whole time as he slid his hands down her sides, letting them rest on her hips for a moment before he slid them around to cup her ass, giving it a good squeeze.

     “Aww, look at that, little Jakey boy has to pay some slut to suck his dick so we’ll think he’s a real man,” Tyler laughed from across the corridor. I had to take a second look at him because there was a scratch across his cheek that hadn’t been there when I had seen him less than an hour ago. Did I cause that when I pushed him?

     “What the fuck did you just say?” Jake asked, holding Tina by his side as they both turned to look at Tyler and his jock buddies.

     “I said welcome to the club, Jake,” Tyler grinned. “You’re just another guy to hop aboard the school bus known as Tina.”

     “Bus?” One of Tyler’s jock buddies commented, confused.

     “Yeah, she’s had too many passengers to be a bike,” Tyler laughed.

     I could see that Jake was seething and that Tyler was just waiting for Jake to bite and start a fight. Usually I would have stepped in to stop it, trying to diffuse the situation, but with the way Jake was acting and the mixed signals Tyler kept sending I just didn’t care enough to stop them kicking each other’s asses if they wanted to. It would save me a job. I just closed my locker and walked away to my classes.

     When the bell sounded for lunch I went straight to the cafeteria, grabbed some food and sat down at a table, waiting to see if anyone would join me. After a couple of minutes Emily sat down across from me with a huge grin on her face.

     “What?” I asked.

     “Have you seen Tyler?” she replied.

     My heart jumped into my throat when she mentioned Tyler’s name. Did she know something? Had Ryan told her?

     “No, why?” I asked.

     “He’s got this big scratch on his cheek. Apparently Jake threw a book at him in the hall earlier and it caught Tyler in the face.”

     I tried to hold back a chuckle but it still came out.

     “Why are you laughing?” Emily asked.

     “Because Tyler’s not as dumb as he looks,” I said. “He had that scratch this morning before anything happened. I saw him in the hall.”

     “Then why are people saying it was Jake?” she asked.

     “Because Tyler’s letting them,” I smiled. “What’s Coach going to say when he sees that scratch and hears that Jake was the one who did it?”

     “It’s gonna get Jake in trouble without Tyler ever having to fight back,” Emily said.

     “Exactly,” I still smiled.

     “Aren’t you going to tell someone so Jake doesn’t get in trouble?” Emily asked.

     “No,” I said. “If Jake wants to act like a dick let him be punished like one. He should know by now to just walk away.”

     Just then Tyler entered the cafeteria with his buddies, including Joe, by his side. His eyes met mine and a huge smirk spread across his face as he reached up and touched where the scratch marked his cheek. I shook my head, smiled and turned away.

     “Did you just smile at Tyler?” Emily asked.

     “No,” I lied. I wanted to tell her the truth but it still wasn’t the time. I needed to know what was going on with me and Tyler before I started telling anyone, even Em. “I was looking at Joe. I can’t stop thinking about that video. Every time I look at him it’s all I see.”

     “Yeah, him on his knees in front of you,” Emily winked.

     “I wouldn’t say no,” I smiled.

     Emily slapped my arm but we both just laughed and ate our lunch. It was only after I finished eating and was putting my tray on the trolley that I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket with a text message. I pulled it out and read the screen.

     “Meet me in the locker room toilets, there’s no one else here.”

It was Tyler.

I quickly looked around to see that his buddies were still eating their lunch but somehow he had slipped away unnoticed. Before yesterday I wouldn’t even have thought about meeting him alone somewhere but I was drawn to him and some stupid part of me felt the need to apologize for the scratch.

     When I got to the locker room it was deserted just like he said. I went in through the doors, checked there was no one in the office and then headed on back to the toilets. When I entered, Tyler was leaning back against one of the sinks looking up at the ceiling. He looked so beautiful it was almost painful and when he turned to look at me and a smile lit up his face all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss him.

     I walked straight up to him to get a look at the scratch across his cheek. It wasn’t too serious and would fade in a day or two but I still felt bad for causing it. I reached up and put my hand on the side of his face, letting my thumb trace the line of the scratch.

     “I’m sorry,” I said.

     Tyler took my hand in his and turned his head so he could kiss my palm. “It’s okay, you didn’t mean it. I’d probably look worse if Jake had caught us.”

     I smiled and felt a little tingle inside I’d never felt with Tyler before. I was actually starting to like things about him.

     “I didn’t know if you’d come,” Tyler said.

     “I wasn’t sure if I should,” I replied.

     “I need to say something and I wanted you to hear it from me rather than reading it in a text,” he said.

     “What?” I asked, starting to worry a little.

     “I’m not playing games with you. I know that’s what you think this is,” Tyler said, looking me right in the eye. “I don’t know what I thought when whatever this is between us started, but now I know how I feel about you. We’re not going to be boyfriends though, you get that, right?”

     “Yes,” I nodded.

     “I can’t date you publicly and take you to the movies or for a meal,” he said. “I can’t act differently in school. I can’t be nice to you all of a sudden or make you the focus of my day because people will start suspecting something and I can’t have that. I want a college football career. I want to be in the NFL. But I can’t do that if people know I like guys. That’s still the world we live in.”

     “I understand,” I said.

     “It doesn’t mean I don’t like you or that all I want is to fuck you. We can do things behind closed doors, at my house or yours. We just have to be smart about this, okay?” he pleaded.

     “Yes,” I whispered, knowing that if things had worked out with Jake I would most likely have had to make the same deal with him. I didn’t have to like it but I understood and accepted it.

     “Do you believe me when I say I’m not messing around here?” Tyler asked, gazing down into my eyes.

     “I want to,” I said.

     “That’s still a no then,” he said. “I want you to trust me before we have sex. I NEED you to trust me because when you do I’ll know I can trust you. This isn’t something I’m going in to lightly, Ev. I’ve only ever been with guys I could bet my life on.”

     I didn’t know what to say to that. This was more real and more serious than I ever thought I’d get from Tyler and it just made me want him that much more. He was opening himself up to me, letting me in, and I wanted to see everything.

     I was about to speak but Tyler beat me to it. “I’m gonna show you that I mean what I’m saying tonight. Jake’s in detention so you’re gonna have to walk home. Head the normal way, then turn down Bleaker. I’ll pick you up there.”

     “Wait,” I said. “Don’t you have practice tonight?”

     “No,” Tyler smiled. “Because of what I did to you yesterday Coach is making me sit this one out.”

     “Everything always works out for you, doesn’t it? All the stars align,” I smiled back and then stopped. “Wait a second. Did Coach bench you yesterday when he was yelling at you? Oh my God, he did. You planned all of this. That’s why you let everyone think Jake scratched your cheek, you knew he’d get detention and you could get me alone after school?”

     Tyler just grinned and closed the little gap between us. He pulled me into his arms and planted his lips on mine in a deep, tongue-filled kiss that made my dick hard and my entire body quiver.

     “See you tonight,” Tyler laughed as he walked out, leaving me with a throbbing hard on. What was he going to do to me?

     My final two classes were spent thinking about Tyler and what he might have in store for me if I decided to meet him. I didn’t have to turn off, I could walk straight home and try to forget about him, but I don’t think I ever truly believed I’d do that.

     When the bell rang to signal the end of the day I headed to my locker to pick up some of the books I had left in there that I’d need for my homework. I was just about to head out when I saw Jake and Tina walking my way and stupidly I decided to stick around to see what happened.

     Jake went straight to his locker and pulled it open, throwing his bag inside before slamming it shut again. He pulled Tina to him and kissed her right in front of me, turning just enough so I could see his tongue slip into her mouth. I felt that mixture of rage and disbelief building up inside me again.

     “I’ve got detention thanks to that fucker Tyler,” Jake said as he broke the kiss and looked down into Tina’s eyes. “I’ll come round to yours when I get out. You’re sure your parents will be gone until after seven?”

     “I’m sure,” Tina smiled. “I’ll leave the front door open. Just come in. I’ll be waiting for you upstairs.”

     She smiled and kissed him again, running her hands over his muscles before she skipped off down the hall to where two of her friends were waiting for her. Finally Jake turned to me.

     “You’re gonna have to walk home tonight unless you want to wait for me,” Jake said.

     “What’s the point?” I replied. “I’d wait around for you for an hour, spend ten minutes not talking to you in the car and then you’d ditch me ‘cause you’ve already got plans.”

     Jake looked at me for a moment in silence. “What’s up with you?”

     “What’s up with me?” I asked. “Do you really want to do this here?”

     Jake quickly looked around and saw all the people still in the hallway. His eyes settled on mine and he shook his head, no.

     “We need to talk,” I said, “Seriously. You obviously don’t have time for me tonight so decide when you do and come find me.”

     I could see the almost baffled look on Jake’s face, like he didn’t understand why I was talking to him the way I was. He probably didn’t even realize what he was doing and thought I was the one who was acting weird all of a sudden. Not that I liked the way I was talking to him, I just couldn’t hold my feelings in any longer.

     “Where were you earlier?” He asked out of the blue.

     “When?” I replied.

     “When Tyler started saying all that shit about me. You’re supposed to be my best friend, always by my side, but you just walked off. What was that about?” Jake said.

     “What was I supposed to do? Punch him again? It won’t stop him. He gets his kicks out of you taking the bait. Every time you bite he sees it as a victory. And I’ve got to be honest, Jake, he’s kicking your ass.”

     “Fuck you,” Jake spat.

     “Yeah, you almost did, that’s why you’re acting like such a dick,” I snapped back.

Jake stared at me like he couldn’t believe what I had said. Hell, I don’t think I could. I almost smiled because it felt good to finally say something to him but I still didn’t want to argue so while he was silent I turned and walked away.

     My mind was all over the place. I was still in love with Jake I knew that, that didn’t change. If he came to me tonight and told me he wanted to be with me I would take him in my arms, hold him, kiss him, do anything he wanted me to because he was the guy I wanted to be with more than any other. But at the same time I was starting to feel like the guy he was inside, the Jake I had fallen in love with, was no longer there. He was changing and it was into something I didn’t like. If he doesn’t want to be with me I can accept that. I never really thought he would ever be an option for me anyway. But to have him acting out, kissing girls in front of me to prove his point, making me feel like crap, actually kind of started to make me hate him.

     Part of me wanted to turn around, to go back and find Jake to apologize. I wanted to sort things out so I could get my friend back if nothing else. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to put on this stupid act because I knew he wasn’t gay and that we were never going to be together. The other part of me won out, however, the part telling me to let Jake come to his senses on his own. I continued walking and didn’t look back.

     It was only once I was out of the school gates, walking down the street, that I remembered what Tyler had said to me. I had been thinking about Jake so much that Tyler wasn’t even on my mind until then. I immediately slowed down and my throat felt completely dry. I thought I was going to be sick. The idea that something might happen between us, sexually, if I met him was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

     The walk to the corner of Temple and Bleaker seemed to take forever. Tyler knew what he was doing. By the time I got to the corner most of the other kids who were walking home had already turned off, there were maybe only a dozen left on the street and most of those were ahead of me. I took one last look around to make sure no one was watching or lying in wait for me and then I made the turn into Bleaker.

     It was another few hundred yards or so before I saw Tyler’s car parked at the side of the road. I was starting to think he wasn’t there or that I’d been stood up when I didn’t instantly see him but I continued walking because with how smart Tyler had been about the whole thing so far I knew he wouldn’t risk us being seen by parking too close to the main road.

     Nerves started bubbling up inside me as I approached the car because a tiny part of me still thought it was all a set up to embarrass me or beat the crap out of me. Tyler had done so many things to contradict that but the thought still lingered.

     Despite all of my fears that it was a trap and there could be a group of Tyler’s friends waiting inside his car to attack me I was more afraid of being seen getting into it of my own free will than of anything else. I also think the idea of being fucked by him was such a turn on that it started to override all of my other feelings. I had to take the chance. Because of that I didn’t hesitate when I got to the passenger door. I pulled it open, jumped inside and closed the door behind me as quickly as I could.

     I didn’t realize it until I fell back against the seat but I was panting heavily and my forehead was covered in sweat. I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to get my heartrate to slow down. Then I remembered I hadn’t actually seen who was sitting beside me and I opened my eyes again in an instant.

     “Hey,” Tyler smiled warmly as our eyes met. I quickly looked over my shoulder to make sure no one else was with us only to hear Tyler let out a deep chuckle. “We’re alone. You can relax and unclench now.”

     My body felt like it melted when he said those words. I let out a long breath, relief washing over me, so happy that it was just him and me, the way I actually wanted it to be.

     We didn’t talk as he drove off and the silence continued for the whole journey, but it was a comfortable silence. There was no tension, no dark energy, we were both calm, and dare I say it, happy.

     I watched out of the window as houses rolled by, soon giving way to trees and fields. It was only when Tyler slowed down and pulled onto a single track road that it dawned on me that we were going somewhere specific. I don’t know why I was surprised since Tyler had everything else planned to perfection.

     At the end of the road there was a small clearing, completely surrounded by trees, and in the centre lay a tiny wooden cabin that looked more like a restroom than a home. It was clear we were alone and no one had been to the place in a while.

Tyler stopped the car and turned off the engine but he made no move to get out so I continued to sit in silence waiting for him to do something.

     He reached over and put his big hand on top of mine as it rested against my leg. I shivered at the touch. It was so gentle, so intimate. Then slowly his hand moved around, pulling my hand up just enough so his fingers could slip between mine, lacing them together. He caressed the back of my hand with his thumb and smiled as we held hands.

     “I told you it’s not a trick,” Tyler said.

     “I know, but I couldn’t be sure,” I said, staring down at our hands. “You show signs of being nice and then you turn back into an asshole. Not just with me, with kids who don’t deserve it.”

     “Look at me,” Tyler said, waiting until I was gazing into his amazing blue eyes before he continued. “I know I’ve been an asshole before, and I’ll try to tone it down with the kids at school, but even I’m not enough of a scumbag to mess with you like this.”

     I nodded because I knew he was right. I gave him a brief smile and then watched as he lowered his head. “What is it?”

     “I just wish you’d trust me. I want you to understand. You’re not the one with everything to lose by us being together,” he said, solemnly. “If someone spotted us it’s not you who is going to get the crap, it’s me.”

     “I know,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry. You’ve just got a reputation and a track record. Being with someone is a big deal to me. I don’t want to be like those girls you just hump and dump. I don’t want to be someone you fuck just so you can say you’ve had me.”

     “Is that what you think I’m like?” Tyler asked.

     “I don’t know. That’s the problem. I don’t know you. I don’t know Tyler the guy, all I know is Tyler the jock.”

     “Yeah, that’s the same with most people,” Tyler sighed. “All they see is the guy I’m expected to be; the cocky, confident, slut of a jock. They see the guy who parties, not the guy who studies. They see the bully who terrorizes people, not the guy who is terrified of being exposed for what he really is because the one thing he’s always dreamed of doing since he was four years old would be ripped away from him in an instant because of something he has no control over.”

     I was stunned into silence by how open and frank Tyler was being with me. He was squeezing my hand tighter with every word but it didn’t matter, I wasn’t going to interrupt or stop him.

     “I’m sick of acting, Evan. I’m tired of picking up some girl to fuck just because it’s expected of me or because I have an image I have to protect. I still like girls, don’t get me wrong, but I like guys too, maybe more.” Tyler took a deep breath. “I just want to be with someone because we like each other. Someone I can talk to where it’s not all about sports or girls or social bullshit. I want to be me with someone.”

     God I wanted him. Those thoughts shouldn’t have been running through my mind but hearing the honesty and vulnerability in his voice just made me want him more than I ever did. My heart was opening to him.

     “You want that to be me?” I asked in shock, still reeling from everything he said.

     “Yes,” he nodded. “I’d like to see what happens anyway.”

     Suddenly the image of Joe sucking Tyler’s dick popped into my head and I had to know more.

     “Do none of the other guys you sleep with give you that?” I asked.

     “Guy,” he said, “Singular. I’ve only ever had sex with two guys and one of them doesn’t live around here anymore.”

     “What about the guy who does?” I asked, knowing it was Joe.

     “He’s a jock like me,” Tyler said. “Only he’ll never admit what he’s feeling. He keeps telling me he’s straight even though he comes begging for my cock and can’t get enough. I’ve fucked him more times than I can remember but he never lets me kiss him. When we’re done I just want to hold him, be with him, feel some kind of connection to him, but he jumps up, showers to wash away the evidence and runs off to bang some chick even though I’ve just fucked the cum out of him. I hate it. I want more; with someone who wants me for more than my dick and how it can make them feel.”

     I didn’t have the words to respond to him. Instead I tightened my grip on his hand and closed the gap between us, pressing my lips against his in a sweet, closed-mouthed kiss. I knew the mental image of him fucking Joe more times than he could count would serve me well later but it wasn’t the time for those kinds of thoughts.

     When we pulled apart I asked, “Why me?”

     “Because I’ve seen you with Jake,” Tyler said.

     “What does that mean?” I asked.

     “It means I’ve seen how loyal you are,” Tyler said. “I’ve seen what you’d do for him. How much you love him…”

     “I… You can tell?” I asked.

     “Yeah,” Tyler nodded. “You’d give your life for him.”

     Now it was my turn to nod. “But why does that make you want me?”

     “Because I know I could trust you,” he said. “If you really were sleeping with Jake he wouldn’t want you to tell anyone because he’s a wrestler just like I’m a football player.”

     “What’s your point?” I asked.

     “I don’t think you’d tell anyone, no matter how much you wanted to,” Tyler said. “At least not someone you couldn’t trust yourself. You’d keep his secret. You wouldn’t throw some hissy fit and out him because he wouldn’t publicly declare his love for you. You’d just be happy being with him, having him tell you he loves you to your face whether other people know it or not.”

     “You’re right, I would be happy with that,” I said after thinking it over for a moment.

     “So maybe you could be happy with me,” Tyler said. He let that thought sink in quietly and then said softly, “At least for a while. I know I’m not Jake. I’m not the guy you dreamed of being with. But I’m the guy who’s here, telling you how he feels, wanting to be with you.”

     I closed my eyes as his words played over and over in my head. This didn’t seem like it could be the same Tyler I had seen at school. It was the same beautiful face, the same incredible body, but the man inside was completely different and I was scared because I think I was starting to fall for him.

     When I opened my eyes Tyler was looking at me like a scared little boy with an innocence that stripped away all the bravado that usually exuded from him. He thought I was going to reject him. Instead I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips against his again.

     It was a conscious kiss, one not made in the heat of passion, and it conveyed more than my words ever could as our mouths opened and our tongues began to dance around each other.

     After a moment Tyler broke the kiss, giving me the tiniest peck on the lips before he moved away and opened his car door. He got out and the door closed behind him. Seconds later he was at my door, opening it and holding out his hand for me to take. When I did he pulled me to my feet and into his arms, pressing me back against the car as his lips found mine again and his hands roamed over my body.

     This time when Tyler broke the kiss he pressed his forehead against mine and said, “Come on, let me show you why we’re here.”

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