Free Only Tyler by Jess Dee

the reddish blush in her skin. Even now, almost thirty minutes later, her neck was stained a delicate pink, the fading remnants of her passion.
    The telltale color tingeing her neck nearly choked him. He couldn’t find air.
    The blood in his body emptied into his groin, again. Jesus, she’d been in her room with her door closed, and now her neck was flushed.
    Count to ten, Bonnard. Count to ten, and breathe. Do it. Now!
    Her cheeks turned the same color as her neck. “You you what?” she prompted in a strangled voice.
    His gaze was glued to her neck. “Yeah, I, uh, I organized dinner.
    Thai home delivery.” He flexed his fingers. Made a fist. Anything to stop himself from reaching out to her. “That okay with you?”
    “Of course it is. Thank you.” Katie’s hand crept to her chest, covering her neck.
    “Chicken with cashew nut and thin rice noodles still still your favorite?”
    Jesus, he couldn’t think. couldn’t talk.
    She nodded awkwardly.
    “Good.” Finally he dragged his gaze up to meet her eyes. They were wild, desperate, and he was sure they mirrored his own. He leaned against the doorframe and flexed his hand again. Damn it, he wanted to haul her against him. Crush her belly against his dick. “Katie…”
    She licked her lips nervously. “Uh, yeah?”
    “Katie,” he said again, and dropped his gaze to her mouth. Her lips quivered, and he felt the tremble in his bones.
    “Ty?”
    He shook his head, forcing reason into his thoughts. he’d sought her out to tell her something. What? What the hell was it? “Are you doing anything Sunday morning?” Yeah, that was it.
    She frowned. “Not that I know of.”
    Sunday. Focus on Sunday. “Now you are. We’re going out.”
    “Alone?” Her voice was fractionally louder than a squeak.
    Did the idea of being alone with him frighten her? Good. “No, sweet Katie. Steve’s coming too.” Steve had to come. This might well be one of the last activities they did together as friends. After Ty made his move on Katie, Steve would, in all likelihood, despise him.
    She nodded, relief evident in her face. “Where are we going?”
    Huh, no way. If he told her, she’d never join them. “Don’t ask, my sweet. It’s a surprise.”
    “Why not just tell me?” She looked pointedly out the window behind him, to where his motorbike was parked. “I wasn’t all that impressed with your last surprise.”
    Ty frowned. What was it about the bike that Katie found so objectionable?
    “We’re headed out of Sydney for the day, to do something you’ve never done before. You’ll love it, I promise. And don’t worry,” he reassured her. “We can take a car.” Of course she’d love it. No matter how ambivalent she might be at first, this was right up her alley.
    She looked at him dubiously.
    “Trust me.” He gave her a wicked grin. Katie smiled back. It fried his insides and did funny things to his balls.
    “Well, as long as Steve’s coming…”
    His grin faltered. Steve. Always Steve. Even when he wasn’t there, his presence lingered between them. “Make sure to wear something warm. It might be a little cold for a while.”
    “Cold?”
    “Don’t ask questions, Katie,” he chastised her. “You’ll ruin the surprise.”
    “At least tell me if I need to dress smart for the occasion.”
    Hell no. “Jeans or trackie daks and running shoes will do just fine.
    One more thing I won’t be here tomorrow night.”
    “You won’t?” she asked, perhaps a little too quickly.
    “Nope, I have a business investment to look into.”
    “At night? What kind of business takes place at night?”
    Ah, was that a flare of jealousy in her voice? He hoped so. “A British conglomerate is opening a string of hotels in Australia. A casino, entertainment center setup, similar to Star City.” He pushed his desire to the back of his mind, focused on their conversation. “They want to build them all over the country, and they’ve approached us for capital.
    One of my