Slow Burn (The Blake Boys Book 7) Read online

  “I knew there was a reason I loved your big mouth.” Michelle sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

  “I aim to please.” Tyler kissed her thighs.

  “Well it’s been a long night. Time to get some sleep.” She moved out of the way, picked up the tray of mugs and scooted into the kitchen with what little energy she had.

  “That’s it?” Tyler asked. “I thought you wanted some kind of answers.”

  “They can wait.” She gathered up her clothes and headed to bed.

  * * *

  Tyler didn’t mind pleasuring her. He’d been dreaming about the feel of her skin against his for months. What he did object to was lying on the couch tuned up like a car on racing blocks. She could have had the decency to at least hit him with an actual mallet over the head before sashaying her way to bed. But he suspected the titillation was part of the kidnapping revenge scenario. He laughed at how little women knew about men. He didn’t need to be within a breath of her to know what he was missing. She could have picked up her cell phone a few times and tortured him just as efficiently.

  From the look in her eyes after the intimate moment they’d just shared, getting some sort of definition to their relationship was more important to her than the toe curling sex they could definitely be having right now. But he wasn’t ready for what she was asking with her eyes.

  Michelle was different. She was beautiful and she knew it, but she didn’t try to flaunt it. She was pleasant to talk to and was sharp as a tack. She was opinionated and like him, said the most awkward things at the most unexpected moments.

  Truth was, he didn’t know what to do with a woman like her.

  Each Blake man had taken a different tack, but the result was that they each had found the woman of their dreams. All his father had to do was give his mother a kiss on the hand and she floated around the house for the rest of the day. His father wasn’t overly romantic but when he did come home with flowers or surprised her with a trinket, it made her day. The money they had was nothing compared to the little things that made their connection strong. Seth, Tate and J.J. were still driven men, but there was a look of contentment on their faces when they were with the woman they loved that was more enviable than anything they’d ever achieved. The countdown to Seth’s retirement from football was on. He’d asked Seth what had motivated him to do it, and Seth had replied that loving Morgan and raising kids with her was a far greater feeling than fame and attention from adoring fans. Tate seemed more comfortable in his own skin now that he was with Isabelle. He’d found someone who knew the real him and loved him more for acknowledging the scars from childhood that he’d tried to hide from himself. J.J. had rid himself of years of misery with Eden, only to find Sam soon after. He said that Sam had strength in her that he admired and respected but it was the gentle way she handled his heart that made him fall in love with her.

  Perhaps all of the love surrounding him was making him think he desired something he didn’t really want. If that was the case, he’d never forgive himself if he strung Michelle along and broke her heart. But he had to admit he nearly had a coronary when she told him about that guy Finn. And a second one when Seth had told him about Derek Popovich.

  Was his immature thinking fair? No, but that was all he had to go on right now. Rome wasn’t built in day, but this night with the erection from hell was bound to last a lifetime.

  Chapter Five

  Michelle had been trying for an hour to decide what to wear, but that wasn’t the reason for her lack of energy. Being with Tyler last night had been phenomenal, and it was all she could do not to barricade herself in the bedroom. For months she’d been dreaming about him—she was tempted to give up the plan and take in the temporary pleasures he offered. But that was the problem. If she did that, nothing would change.

  She was still mad at him but she wanted to cuddle in front of the fireplace with him too.

  She entered the living room to find him awake. He’d tidied the space, was freshly shaven, and was looking at some racing footage on TV. So much for the hopeful picture of disheveled hair and drool in the corner of his mouth from wanting to be with her so badly last night.

  “Good morning,” she said as she dug her hands into the pockets of her lavender sweater. She didn’t anticipate it being quite so cold in Colorado and wished she’d packed her clumpy but warm sweaters instead of the winter fashion show she’d been putting on the past few days.

  “Good morning to you too. I would ask if you slept well but I already know the answer to that.” He smirked.

  “You’d have to give a better performance than last night to get me into a desire-induced sex coma,” she bit back.

  “I think I hit all the right spots. It’s ten o’clock and you’re just getting up.” He winked and pressed the up button on the remote volume so he couldn’t hear her comeback.

  She rolled her eyes. “Jerk.”

  “Would it be too much to ask for a coffee with no sedatives in it?”

  “I’ll see what I can do. But I think I like you better asleep.” She threw a pillow at him and went into the kitchen.

  Michelle put on the coffee maker and fired up her laptop. There were plenty of recipes she could demonstrate, but she wanted something colorful that popped on screen and illustrated her cooking skills. She could try a seafood stew or a lemon herb roasted chicken with sides but she also wanted something that showcased her funny side. Using a zucchini was a good prop for some food comedy, but she didn’t know what dish she could make with it. She always thought the word fusilli was hysterical, but there was no point rendering her incoherent while she giggled though her monologue. Cooking Thai with Tyler would have been a great title for a segment, but right now she just wanted to throw a red delicious apple at him and hit him square on the forehead. He was a little too relaxed and smart-assy for her today.

  After leafing through twenty recipes, she whittled it down to a prospective ten. She took Tyler his coffee and he barely uttered a thank you. She checked her blog and found she’d gotten a few responses and started typing away. Tyler had the sound up pretty high, so she could tell the race had just barely started. Two hours later she’d not only responded to her followers and posted a new holiday cookie recipe, but she’d also narrowed her list of ten recipes down to five. She was going to try one of them for lunch.

  Michelle heated some olive oil in a pan then started chopping some onions and garlic. That’s when she heard it. He must have fast forwarded through parts of the race because he was watching the infamous kiss on the podium. The nerve of him replaying it like it didn’t hurt her feelings!

  She’d had enough of his childishness for one day. Michelle marched into the living room and lobbed an apple at his head, but he caught with his hand. Tyler lowered the volume.

  “Thanks for the snack.” He furrowed his eyebrows and bit into the apple.

  “We are having shrimp and tortellini Alfredo for lunch. I know how you like to eat so I brought you something to snack on.” She leaned against the doorframe.

  “That’s one of my favorite meals.” He tore into the apple.

  “I know. Your mother told me.”

  “You’ve been talking to my Momma about cooking?”

  “She’s coaching me on southern cuisine.”

  “Really?” He scratched his temple.

  “She explained that food is a soulful connection to loved ones. It was inspirational. I’d never really thought about it that way until she said it.” She looked down and cleared her throat.

  “Is that what you’re hoping to do if you become a chef on this show? Make a soulful connection?”

  “I don’t know,” she mumbled.

  “It helps to know why we’re driven to do things. It can give you an unbelievable clarity about life.”

  “So racing is about more than going fast for you?” she asked.

  “Speed is good, but lately I find that it helps my mind slow down and put things in perspective.”

  “So you f
ind enlightenment at Mach one?”

  “I know it looks fast on television, but I feel like a turtle moving around the track.” He tore his eyes away from the screen. “I’ve enjoyed the meals you’ve cooked the last three days. Being handcuffed to the couch didn’t even hamper my appetite.”

  “You’re getting better at driving that thing.” She bit her lip and motioned to the screen as the camera panned on his car making a turn.

  “It may seem like random, wild action, but I do my best to be safe.”

  “That won’t stop Teri-Lyn from worrying.”

  “How often to do you talk to her?”

  “A few times a week. We’ve had a blast with her coaching me on cooking. She thinks I should consider putting out a cookbook.”

  “I think that’s nice.” Tyler smiled. “My two favorite women spending time together.”

  “If I were your favorite you wouldn’t kiss women on national television when I’m watching and stand me up for countless dates,” she shot back.

  “It was a surprise kiss. I had no idea she was going to do that.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Honest. She’d been flirting with me a lot, but I wasn’t returning the sentiment. I haven’t been with anyone since we were together the night before Seth and Morgan’s wedding.”

  Michelle looked at Tyler. She opened her mouth to respond but the sudden sound of the fire alarm blaring in the kitchen stopped her.

  “Oh crap!” She made a mad dash into the kitchen.

  “Is something wrong?” Tyler yelled after her.

  “No!”

  Michelle rushed into the kitchen and saw the flame coming out of the pan. She was barely able to turn off the stove and frantically searched the cabinets looking for the fire extinguisher. The flames were getting higher and looked like they were going to spread to the wall behind the stove. She grabbed the pan lid and was trying to get close enough to smother the fire with it when Tyler appeared with the fire extinguisher.

  “Michelle, get out of here!” he yelled.

  She ignored him and tried to get closer but Tyler jumped in front of her with the extinguisher and put the blaze out.

  A few minutes later Tyler set the extinguisher down. White foam was everywhere and the kitchen was a mess. He turned off the fire alarm and Michelle promptly punched a code into the security keypad on the wall. Michelle went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face to calm the panic welling up inside her but it wasn’t enough to stop her from bursting into tears when she looked around the room. A scorching black mark draped the white wall near the stove.

  “Hey.” Tyler placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Are you OK? Did you get burned?”

  “I almost killed us and blew up my best friend’s house,” she said, trying to hold back tears.

  She didn’t protest when Tyler pulled her into the safety of his arms. His grip was strong yet tender. It was strange how someone who brought her to the brink of such confusion could also make her feel so blissful. It occurred to her how easily the comforting came, because he wasn’t attached to anything. “How the hell did you get out of those handcuffs?” She scowled.

  He held up her necklace with the keys. “This isn’t my first rodeo.” He kissed her.

  “You stole that from me when we were…”

  The doorbell rang. It was not a shock that the fire department and a security patrol from Regency responded to the alarm even though Michelle had punched in the correct code. They wanted to make sure everyone was OK. An hour later the fire department was gone and Tyler was talking to the Regency guy, who’d arranged for a professional cleaning service to come in the next day.

  Michelle went into the bathroom and searched for some aspirin. Between the crying and humiliation, she had a splitting headache. She didn’t want to face him again. She heard him call out her name from the hallway, so she quickly closed the bathroom door.

  There was a light knock. “Michelle.”

  “Go away, Tyler.”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were OK.”

  “No, not really.” She snatched a few tissues from a box and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

  “It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone.”

  “Morgan is going to kill me. I almost burned down her lovely home that she hasn’t even had a chance to visit yet.”

  “She’s going to be more relieved that we’re not in the hospital. Now come on, open up the door.” Tyler turned the knob.

  “If you have to use the can, there are three more in this house.” She looked in the mirror and started crying some more. She looked like a raccoon with a hangover. There was no way she was letting him see her like this.

  “It would do my heart good to see your beautiful face.”

  “I look wretched.”

  “Impossible. I’ve never seen you look anything but stunning and that includes the time Jake spit up on you.”

  “I don’t know what I’m doing. This week I was supposed to bring my A game. I almost killed you.”

  “I’ve had worse dates.” He laughed. “This is ridiculous, talking to a door, please let me in. Unless you really are that shallow that I can only see you when you look pretty.”

  “Yes, I am,” she sniffed.

  “So you mean to tell me that if I looked…less that devastatingly handsome, you wouldn’t want to see me?”

  Michelle thought about for a minute.

  “Michelle!” Tyler called out.

  “I’m thinking.”

  “I’ll give you to the count of seven or I’m breaking down the door. I’d move away if I were you.”

  Michelle didn’t think he was serious but his voice seemed to be getting further away. The last thing she needed was an addendum to her story to Morgan and Seth about a broken bathroom door as well. Tyler was up to five, so she opened the door.

  “OK. It’s open.”

  “There’s my girl.” Tyler came over and kissed her.

  Michelle looked so sexy sulking about the kitchen being in ruins, there was nothing else to do but kiss her.

  A moment later he wrapped his arms around her and led her out of the bathroom, closer to the bed.

  “Why would you count to seven and not ten?” she whispered.

  “Counting to ten would take too long and I really wanted to kiss you.”

  “We have to tell Morgan and Seth about the fire,” Michelle protested as they tumbled onto the bed.

  “That’s not the fire I’m worried about right now,” Tyler murmured.

  Tyler covered Michelle’s body with his the minute they landed on the bed. She said she felt something digging into her back, so she reached behind her to find the remote. When she moved it to the bedside table, she accidentally hit the button and music flooded the room via the sound system that was wired throughout the house. Michelle turned quickly, rolling him to his back and straddling him without breaking the kiss.

  Tyler recognized the song. It was Tate’s. He broke the kiss. “Time out!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Turn that off.” He sat up and reached for the remote.

  Michelle glared at him. “That’s Tate’s holiday CD. Morgan gave it to me when I left for the trip. It’s a nice song.”

  “I do not want to hear my brother’s voice while I’m trying to get frisky with you.”

  “Why not?”

  Because it feels like he’s in here with us. We’re close, but there are some things I don’t want to share with my brothers.”

  “You know how ridiculous you sound?” Michelle nipped on his neck as she reached in his jeans and caressed him.

  “I proudly stand behind my immaturity.” Tyler’s eyes rolled back in his head.

  Tyler was elated when Michelle reached into the table drawer and retrieved a condom. They wiggled and pulled until they were both naked. Michelle steadied herself and rolled the condom over his shaft, and didn’t waste any time sinking onto him.

  Tyl
er gripped her buttocks and moved her forward, catching her lower lip between his teeth. They began to move together in a sturdy rhythm, eyes locked as the rush of the passion coursed through both of them like an electric current. Then suddenly the tempo picked up and became hurried. Tyler pulled her forward and covered her mouth with his when she started to climax. Michelle’s thighs began to quiver over his, trying to keep control of the position she was in. She started to wiggle a bit, and that set off an explosive chain reaction in him that made him call out her name in joy.

  * * *

  Michelle felt great waking up in Tyler’s arms. His huge frame took up most of the bed and made no apologies for it. He looked like a big sexy teddy bear when he slept, and the grin he had on his face only made him more adorable. She glanced out the window and saw the sun setting over the ridge. Phase three of her plan was out of the question for tonight, thinking maybe the fire was a sign she should stop her quest. Nothing had gone right this week and she was no closer to getting her questions answered. Now she had a new problem on her hands. As much as she hated to ruin the moment, there was a phone call they needed to make.

  “Tyler, wake up. We have to tell Morgan and Seth about the fire.” She brushed her lips against his stubbly cheek and ran a finger down his chest.

  “Later.” He pulled her closer.

  “No, right now. It’s the responsible thing to do. Although, you could be a sport and break the news for me.” She grimaced.

  “What’s the matter? You scared?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “As a matter of fact, I am.”

  Tyler propped himself up on his elbows. “It’s not as bad as it looks. The cleaners are coming tomorrow. I figure with a fresh coat of paint, we can have it fixed up like new. I agree, we can call them in a half hour, the boys should be finished eating by then. So we have some time to kill.”