cops or something? I’d hate to do it, because I kind of liked her. I don’t know what she’s really after, of course, but she seems like a nice person.”
“No need to call the cops just yet. Not until I’ve had time to strangle her,” he said, only partly in jest.
He drew in a deep breath, then opened the door toDaniel’s office. His boss was sitting behind his desk, chair tilted back, feet propped up. The casualness of his pose was belied by the glint in his eyes. His gaze was pinned on the woman seated on the edge of a chair across from him. At the sound of the door, two pairs of eyes shot to Tyler. There was relief in Daniel’s, but Maddie’s filled with something he interpreted as resignation.
“Thanks, Daniel. You can take off now. I’ll handle Ms. Kent.”
His boss regarded him uneasily. “Maybe I should stick around until we know what she’s up to.”
Tyler shook his head. “Not necessary.” He allowed himself a slight smile. “I assume you frisked her to see if she was armed.”
Daniel stared. “Armed? Are you serious?”
“No. It was a bad joke. I think Ms. Kent’s weapons are of the less deadly variety,” he said, his gaze locked with hers. She turned pale at the taunt.
As Daniel left, Tyler pulled a chair away from the conference table at the far end of the room, turned it around and straddled it, facing Maddie. She jerked slightly when the door clicked closed behind Daniel. Under Tyler’s relentless scrutiny she swallowed hard, but she didn’t look away. He had to admire her for that. She was a gutsy little thing.
“So, Maddie, what’s up?”
“I can explain,” she began.
“I certainly hope so, because from where I’m sitting this doesn’t look good. In fact, if I were a suspicious man, I would think you were up to no good.”
Color flamed in her cheeks, but her gaze remained steady. “I like you, Tyler. I really do.”
“You have a funny way of treating someone you supposedly like.”
“I know it must seem that way, but I can tell that something’s happened to you in the past, something to make you extremely cautious when it comes to women. I thought if I could figure out what that was, I could help you get past it.”
She spoke with utter sincerity, but he almost laughed at the pathetic explanation. “You’re a psychologist, then?”
“No, but I—”
He shook his head. “Try again.”
“It’s the truth. I just wanted to know about your past.”
“You could have asked me.”
Her gaze clashed with his then. “Would you have told me? I don’t think so. Every time I came close to asking about something that hit on a raw nerve, you clammed up.”
“That should have been enough to convince you to leave it alone, then.”
“Maybe so, but I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“I told you—because I like you.”
Again he listened for a false note, but he didn’t hear it. At the same time he couldn’t bring himself to trust a word she was saying. There was more to this than she’d confessed. Women didn’t take off to dig around in a man’s past just because he wasn’t forthcoming about it. They nagged until they got at the truth or they gave up in frustration and moved on to someone easier to get along with.
What if he simply told her? What would happenthen? Would she be satisfied? Or would she use the information in some way that hadn’t occurred to him? And why did her dishonesty seem to matter to him so much? Why not write her off and move on to some less complicated relationship himself?
One glance into her beautiful, vulnerable eyes gave him the answer to that. He wanted her. Maybe even needed her, if he was ever going to get Jen out of his head.
Reaching an impulsive decision, he stood up abruptly. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t budge. “Go where?”
“You want answers. I’m going to give them to you, but we’re doing it my way. I just hope to hell we can both live with the truth once it’s out in the open.”
Maddie reluctantly
“No need to call the cops just yet. Not until I’ve had time to strangle her,” he said, only partly in jest.
He drew in a deep breath, then opened the door toDaniel’s office. His boss was sitting behind his desk, chair tilted back, feet propped up. The casualness of his pose was belied by the glint in his eyes. His gaze was pinned on the woman seated on the edge of a chair across from him. At the sound of the door, two pairs of eyes shot to Tyler. There was relief in Daniel’s, but Maddie’s filled with something he interpreted as resignation.
“Thanks, Daniel. You can take off now. I’ll handle Ms. Kent.”
His boss regarded him uneasily. “Maybe I should stick around until we know what she’s up to.”
Tyler shook his head. “Not necessary.” He allowed himself a slight smile. “I assume you frisked her to see if she was armed.”
Daniel stared. “Armed? Are you serious?”
“No. It was a bad joke. I think Ms. Kent’s weapons are of the less deadly variety,” he said, his gaze locked with hers. She turned pale at the taunt.
As Daniel left, Tyler pulled a chair away from the conference table at the far end of the room, turned it around and straddled it, facing Maddie. She jerked slightly when the door clicked closed behind Daniel. Under Tyler’s relentless scrutiny she swallowed hard, but she didn’t look away. He had to admire her for that. She was a gutsy little thing.
“So, Maddie, what’s up?”
“I can explain,” she began.
“I certainly hope so, because from where I’m sitting this doesn’t look good. In fact, if I were a suspicious man, I would think you were up to no good.”
Color flamed in her cheeks, but her gaze remained steady. “I like you, Tyler. I really do.”
“You have a funny way of treating someone you supposedly like.”
“I know it must seem that way, but I can tell that something’s happened to you in the past, something to make you extremely cautious when it comes to women. I thought if I could figure out what that was, I could help you get past it.”
She spoke with utter sincerity, but he almost laughed at the pathetic explanation. “You’re a psychologist, then?”
“No, but I—”
He shook his head. “Try again.”
“It’s the truth. I just wanted to know about your past.”
“You could have asked me.”
Her gaze clashed with his then. “Would you have told me? I don’t think so. Every time I came close to asking about something that hit on a raw nerve, you clammed up.”
“That should have been enough to convince you to leave it alone, then.”
“Maybe so, but I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“I told you—because I like you.”
Again he listened for a false note, but he didn’t hear it. At the same time he couldn’t bring himself to trust a word she was saying. There was more to this than she’d confessed. Women didn’t take off to dig around in a man’s past just because he wasn’t forthcoming about it. They nagged until they got at the truth or they gave up in frustration and moved on to someone easier to get along with.
What if he simply told her? What would happenthen? Would she be satisfied? Or would she use the information in some way that hadn’t occurred to him? And why did her dishonesty seem to matter to him so much? Why not write her off and move on to some less complicated relationship himself?
One glance into her beautiful, vulnerable eyes gave him the answer to that. He wanted her. Maybe even needed her, if he was ever going to get Jen out of his head.
Reaching an impulsive decision, he stood up abruptly. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t budge. “Go where?”
“You want answers. I’m going to give them to you, but we’re doing it my way. I just hope to hell we can both live with the truth once it’s out in the open.”
Maddie reluctantly
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