From her vantage point in his arms, Libby was able to have a good look around the room.
Miniblinds were open a fraction to let in the light. Tyler hadn’t minced words. Clothing was scattered on the floor leading to the bathroom, a damp towel was slung into the sink and the chest of drawers was covered with an equal amount of dust and personal items.
Tyler let her down, sliding her down as slowly as possible against his aroused body.
“I want you so much,” he whispered, his voice raw with need. “But I don’t want to make any mistakes this time.”
She was touched by his admission.
“Then just listen to your heart,” she whispered back as she began unbuttoning his shirt.
They took their time undressing each other. They explored each other’s bodies as thoroughly as could be done, pleased when either would find a sensitive spot.
Libby discovered this Tyler’s arousal points were the same as her first Tyler’s. The tender skin behind his ear. The curve of his shoulder. And behind his knee. Wherever her fingers or lips touched, he moaned her name.
They lay naked on the rumpled covers, content to caress each other.
Libby trailed her hands over Tyler’s chest. Crisp brown hairs curled around her fingers as she found his nipples. She touched the coppery brown peaks with her tongue and smiled when he groaned and moved under her touch.
“You like that, do you?”
“Very much.” He gulped in heavy breaths of air, then swiftly moved over her and circled his tongue around her nipple. “Turnabout’s fair play.”
But Tyler couldn’t be content with that. He felt as if he needed to study every inch of Libby’s body. He felt the need to crawl inside her and find out everything he could.
He’d never felt such strong, intense desire for a woman before. Yet all he had to do was look at Libby, experience her smile, and he wanted to take her away and keep her all to himself.
He tunneled his hands through her hair, feeling the silky softness against his skin. He buried his face in the silken mass, inhaling the scent that was all hers. When he placed his hand against her taut belly, for a brief moment he thought of her swollen with child and felt the pride of knowing the child was of their making.
His hand moved downward to the triangle of dark blond hair and farther down to find her moist and welcoming to his touch. He inserted one finger, then two, feeling her close around him. Libby arched up, crying out as he discovered the tiny nub of her pleasure.
“Libby?” He looked into her face, seeing passion cloud her eyes and tighten her features.
She smiled as she wrapped her hand around his erection and squeezed lightly. He groaned at the exquisite pain.
“Tyler Barnes, if you don’t finish what you started I will make you very sorry,” she murmured.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Really? Are we talking kinky here?”
Libby was already lost. This was her Tyler. It had been so long since they’d indulged in teasing love play like this. And she knew exactly what to do.
“More like this.” She encircled his erection with her hand and dipped her head downward.
From the first touch of Libby’s lips on his ultrasensitive skin, Tyler felt as if the air had been punched out of his stomach.
“Libby.” His voice was raw with need. He grasped her shoulders, pulling her upward to meet him. Their mouths fused at the same time Tyler rose up and thrust into Libby’s waiting softness.
She cried out with joy and arched up to meet him.
“Look at me,” he ordered. When her eyes still didn’t open, he repeated his words. Her eyes swept open and stared back at him.
He could already feel his body wanting release. He threaded his fingers through hers, anchoring her hands onto the bed by her head.
“Together, Libby.”
“Together,” she whispered.
The word barely left her lips before they both shot upward into the heavens. Before they had a chance to come down, the explosion happened again.
Afterward, Tyler rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around Libby, pulling her back against his chest.
“Now this is what I call perfect.” He brushed her hair back with his fingers and dropped a kiss on her ear.
“Arrogant male.”
“Because of you, darlin’. Because of you.”
Libby curved her hands around his wrists, relishing the warmth of his skin against her palms. She lay there staring at the window, noticing the light starting to dim.
How many times have we lain just like this? she asked herself. How many times did we make love with the thought of conceiving a child? But there was more to our marriage than children. We had each other, Tyler, and I abandoned you when you needed me most. Oh Tyler, how could I have done such a thing? Tears ran unheeded down her cheeks and onto his wrist.
“Libby?” He raised up on one elbow so he could look down upon her face. “What’s wrong?”
She clutched the arm still around her chest. The tears refused to cease and she could only shake her head.
Tyler had never liked tears. They usually frustrated him, since he felt as if women used tears to control him. Yet he instinctively knew Libby wasn’t using her tears to manipulate. Something was truly making her sad.
He sat up and pulled her onto his lap, keeping his arms tightly around her as she buried her face against his chest and sobbed brokenly.
“Libby, please tell me what’s hurting you,” he begged.
“Let me make it better.”
She shook her head, still unable to speak.
“Please?” He wiped her eyes with his fingers.
She took several deep breaths and soon her tears lessened.
“I had a baby girl,” she whispered.
This wasn’t something he’d expected to hear.
“Where is she?” He didn’t want to think the baby’s father had taken her child from her or something equally distressing.
“She died.” Her voice was a bare rasp. She looked away. “Sara was only a few months old. She just didn’t wake up one morning. They call it SIDS.” Libby wiped her face with her hand. “I didn’t want her to die. I didn’t want to put her into the earth where she would be alone. So I allowed my grief to rule my life. I didn’t want anyone to tell me things would get better.”
He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “What about the father?” He didn’t want to ask, but he had to know.
She was quiet for so long he didn’t think she was going to answer him.
“He wanted to go on. He wanted us to have another baby. I couldn’t do it.” She kept staring at the window. “I was afraid.”
“So he left you?” Tyler couldn’t imagine any man wanting to leave Libby. He hadn’t known her for long, but he felt as if he’d known her forever.
She pulled herself free from his embrace and slid off the bed.
She didn’t stop on her way to the bathroom until she reached the doorway. She kept her back to him as she whispered, “I left him.”
LIBBY WAS GRATEFUL she could find a clean towel in the bathroom, so she wouldn’t have to go back out and ask for one.
She turned on the shower. Luckily, the temperature was easily adjusted and she could step into the stall. Under the stream of hot water she could cry without being overheard.
I’m proud of you, Libby. You were able to speak out about Sara.
“I don’t want anyone feeling proud of me.” She wiped her hands over her face. “Talking about Sara didn’t feel good at all. I hurt all over.”
With her face upturned to the spray of water, she didn’t hear the shower door open and Tyler step in.
She cried out when she was turned around and enfolded in a pair of arms. When she tried to struggle free, the embrace only tightened. She buried her face against his shoulder and tried to stifle her sobs.
“It’s okay to cry,” he murmured in her ear, running his hands up and down her back in a soothing caress.
“I was a horrible mother!” she sobbed, gripping his shoulders.
“I don’t know a lot about babies, but I have heard about SIDS, and no one knows why it happens.” He kept his lips close to her ear. “It’s not your fault, Libby. Did your husband blame you for what happened?”
She shook her head.
“Did he accuse you of neglect?”
Again she shook her head.
“Did he want your marriage to end?”
There was a pause before she shook her head.
“Then let go of all that hurt, Libby.” He kept rubbing her back.
“I can’t!” she sobbed.
“Yes, you can.” He reached past her and switched off the water. He pushed the door open and grabbed a towel, which he wrapped around her. He plopped a second towel on top of her head and began rubbing vigorously until Libby protested.
“I won’t have any hair left,” she said, holding up her hands.
His touch immediately gentled.
Libby stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her and tucking a corner in to keep it secure. She leaned over the sink to get a better look in the mirror. She mumbled something incoherent and slicked her wet hair back.
“You don’t look that bad,” Tyler protested, taking another towel from a cabinet and wrapping it around his waist.
“I’m not fishing for compliments,” she said, picking up a tissue and wiping away specks of smeared mascara from under her eyes.
“Libby, you didn’t do anything wrong. It seems you were so busy not forgiving yourself for something you couldn’t control that you decided to punish yourself,” he said quietly. “Don’t you think you’ve been too hard on yourself? That’s why you moved away from Webster Falls, isn’t it? Because it happened there?”
Her laughter held no humor. “Oh, I ran much farther away than that. You have no idea how far.”
He walked over and settled his hands on her shoulders. As if sensing she didn’t want comfort, he waited a moment before speaking.
“Don’t let this get around, but I’m a real jerk,” he stated.
Libby’s eyes snapped upward.
He turned her around and placed his forefinger against her lips.
“Now, now, I don’t want to hear what a charmer I am and such a perfect gentleman. I’ve been a jerk because we’ve made love two days in a row and I haven’t even taken you out on a date.” There was a look of pained embarrassment in his eyes.
Libby reared her head back. “I guess I’ll just have to agree with you.”
“Then how about dinner out tonight?”
“I’ll need to go home and freshen up. But first you’ll have to drive me back to my car.”
“Done.” He wasn’t taking any chances. He pulled a hair dryer out of the cabinet and handed it to her. “I’ll go get dressed.” He walked out, closing the door after him.
Libby collapsed against the counter.
“Matthias.” She hissed the name. “Dammit, where are you?”
I’m right here. His deep sigh was evident. You should feel much better now after coming out and telling him what happened.
“Then why aren’t I back where I belong?”
It’s not that easy.
“I already figured that out.” She plugged in the hair dryer and turned it on. “I hate you.”
I never said it would be easy.
Libby dried her hair in record time, then ventured out into the bedroom. She found her clothes neatly laid on the bed and quickly put them on.
After she dressed, she found Tyler in the living room. He stood at the front window looking out. As if he sensed her presence, he turned around.
“Ready to go?”
As they walked outside, Libby was aware of Tyler’s arm around her shoulders.
“Miss Libby! Miss Libby!”
She stopped from climbing into Tyler’s truck and turned toward the street. A familiar red-haired child ran toward her.
“Becca? Do you live around here?” She crouched down to the little girl’s level.
Her head bobbed up and down. “Me and Mrs. Robinson and King Tut live over there.” She pointed two houses up the street. Her eyes shifted from Libby to Tyler. “Is he your boyfriend?” she asked in a loud whisper.
Libby felt her cheeks burning.
“I’d like to think I am.” Tyler spoke for Libby. “So your name’s Becca? You must be in Miss Libby’s class at Miss Regina’s.”
Becca stared up at him. “You’ll be a very good daddy.”
“Well, thank you, darlin’.” He flashed her a grin. “Although I may not find that out for a while.”
Becca looked back at Libby. “And you’ll be a good mommy. I want a mommy just like you,” she said in her whispery voice.
Libby’s smile seemed to freeze on her face as she stared at the girl. She slowly reached out and touched Becca’s cheek with the back of her fingers.
“What do you know, Becca?” she whispered.
Becca’s smile didn’t hold any of the wistfulness it had before.
“You know, Miss Libby. You really do.” She bobbed forward, kissed her on the cheek and ran off.
Libby slowly straightened up. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the small figure skipping along the sidewalk.
“Cute kid,” Tyler commented, not noticing the intensity of Libby’s gaze. “I bet you looked just like her when you were her age.”
“I guess I did,” she murmured.
Libby was aware of Tyler’s questioning looks as he drove her back to her car. She wasn’t sure what to say to him. She knew she couldn’t tell him the truth.
“Are you all right?” he asked her as he waited by her car while she unlocked the door.
She started to nod, then saw the look of uncertainty on his face.
“It’s not you,” she assured him, touching his arm.
“Don’t feel bad about the little girl saying you’d be a good mom.” He apparently misunderstood. “A good teacher like you is bound to be a good mom.”
She shook her head, amused by his comment. “You’ve never seen me teach.”
He dipped his head and nuzzled her ear. “Hey, you can keep me after school anytime. I’ll pick you up at seven, okay?”
She shivered under the warmth of his breath. “I’ll be ready.”
“So will I.” There was no doubt what he was talking about. “You better get in your car before I change my mind and order in pizza.”
“Oh no, we are definitely going out.” She slid into her car and started the engine. Tyler stood nearby until she drove off.
“Well, well, look who’s teacher’s pet.”
Tyler mouthed a pithy curse before he turned around to face the speaker.
“Hello, Renee,” he said calmly.
“Hello my butt,” she snarled. “I won’t even ask you what you were doing with her. That was pretty obvious! What I want to know is why with her?” Renee had one hand on her hip as she glared at him.
Tyler studied the woman standing before him and couldn’t help comparing her to the woman who’d just left.
Renee’s hair was brushed in a casual style that intimated she’d just gotten out of bed. Her makeup was too artfully applied, from her gray eye shadow and navy liner to her red-glossed lips. Her sweater looked to be one size too small in order to show off her full breasts, and her jeans were also more than a little too tight. She wore her coat open so no man would miss her.
Tyler felt as if a light had gone on inside him. He had lusted after Renee for years, and yes, he’d finally gotten her. But he had always felt as if he needed more. Now he knew. Renee had always seen him as a trophy she could display to everyone. As if she’d won some contest.
Libby had given him a hard time, yes, but he deserved it. And he doubted she’d ever view him as a prize. Now he wished he could give her everything she deserved. And she deserved a hell of a lot more than he could ever give her.
Renee’s eyes were flat with hate as she stared at him.
“So the teacher is nothing more than a little slut. I wonder what the sainted Miss Regina would think about that,” she taunted.
Tyler didn’t hesitate. He strode toward her until he stood over her.
“You will not say anything negative about Libby, do you hear me?” He spoke low and furiously. “She’s never done anything to you.”
Renee wasn’t about to back down. “She took you from me.”
“Let me make this perfectly clear, Renee. I was never yours to begin with,” he stated in a tone that brooked no argument. “We had a lot of laughs. I’m sorry it ended this way between us.”
Her furious expression took any beauty out of her face.
“If you want someone like her, then you aren’t the man I thought you were, Tyler. Just don’t come crawling back to me when she decides she wants a man who has some class.” She turned on her heel and walked swiftly away.
Tyler watched her hips wiggling from side to side as she approached the mall entrance.
“You never lose your touch, Renee,” he murmured before he headed back to his truck. “And I’m sure in no time you’ll find someone to console you.”