“Bring her along, sweetie. There’ll be plenty. Any friend of Tyler’s friend is a friend of ours.”
“Daisy—” Tyler starts.
“Enough, peasant.” She smiles broadly at him, and I swear the entire room lights up with fireworks because she’s that brilliantly gorgeous. “Breakfast, or my feelings will be hurt.”
“Can’t have that,” Tyler’s brother says with a shit-eating grin. “Also, put pants on, or I’m sending pictures to the rest of the family.”
They leave as fast as they came in.
I should pick up the cookie tray again. Or at least try to. But instead, I gape at Tyler. “How—”
“Pointless question, Muffy. It’s Daisy. There’s always a how. And don’t ask why didn’t she just call either. Not her style when she has a private jet and wants to get somewhere.” He pauses on his way to the bathroom and looks me up and down, his gaze finally settling on mine. “You okay?”
Am I okay?
I confessed my worst secret to him last night after I took him to a funeral home where he passed out because of childhood trauma, and my best friend from college has to lay her father to rest today.
I’m probably not supposed to be okay, and my therapist would tell me that it’s okay to not be okay today. But I paste on a bright smile anyway. “I’m great.”
He studies me until I want to squirm. “Shower?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.” He wiggles his eyebrows, which makes my nipples tighten.
“Oh! Oh, no. I mean, not together. You go ahead.” Awesome. My panties are suddenly soaked too.
Why am I saying no?
Right.
Because he probably knows I have exactly zero experience with shower sex, and I really don’t want to be naked in front of him in the light right now.
I’d probably fart.
And I’ve caused enough trauma to the poor man already in the past twenty-four hours.
Not even.
He sighs, shakes his head, grabs his bag, and disappears into the bathroom. “Not like there won’t be enough food next door whenever we get there,” he mutters.
“Wait. We’re doing that? We’re having breakfast with your family?”
“If my options are a breakfast buffet in this hotel or whatever Daisy’s having catered to her room next door, I’m having breakfast with my family. You’re welcome to come along. Or you can stay here. Or call Veda. Have her join us. West and Daisy won’t mind. Or do something completely different. Whatever. But I’m going to shower, and you can join me if you want to make it fast, or you can wait your turn and risk missing out on all the bacon. Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”
And now I’m confused.
Is he offering to take a shower with me and have sex, or to shower quickly together to save time?
Does he like me?
Does he not like me?
Did we have a moment last night?
Did I dream the whole thing?
Is he in denial because there were feelings involved?
Am I in denial because there are feelings involved?
Why are men so complicated?
Or was he actually serious when he told me I broke his penis?
And speaking of dicks, I think I’m actually done being embarrassed about what happened when I left med school.
I think I’m pissed.
And I don’t know why, but I have a feeling it has to do with one very sexy man currently getting naked on the other side of that bathroom door.
Did Tyler Jaeger, clean-eating athlete supremo with buns of steel and arms of wonder, actually lecture me last night about how I’m perfect exactly the way I am?
And that anyone who would shame me for it should go to hell?
I think he did.
But you know what’s crazy?
I think I believe him.
I shouldn’t be ashamed of my body. I shouldn’t be ashamed of doing what I felt I needed to do to pay down some student loans. And I shouldn’t be ashamed that my married professor bid on me.
He was wrong.
I can’t control what he did.
But I can control what I do. And how I talk to myself. And how I let myself feel.
And right now, I feel like being brave.
Taking a chance.
Seeing if this Tyler Jaeger who’s here this weekend is more than just a guy who’ll take any available woman.
If he likes me.
And I think he does.
Would he have told anyone else about what happened with his grandfather? Would he have stuck around after the funeral home last night and still be planning on going to graveside services with another woman today?
I kinda don’t think he’d do it for any of his hockey buddies.
Or possibly even his sisters.
But he’s here. Being not just a date, but my champion.
Screw it.
I’m doing this.
I’m being brave. I’m taking a chance. I’m being bold.
I’m going to do what I’d tell my clients to do, and I’m going to march myself into that bathroom, strip off my clothes, and climb into the shower with him.
He invited me, right?
He wants me to.
And even if it’s only because he’s horny and I’m a girl, do I care?
Probably.
Okay, yes.
I want him to want me like I’m someone better than any other girl.
I take one step toward the bathroom.
Then another.
And another, until I’m standing at the door.
I hear the shower turn on.
It’s now or never.
So I pull off my Thrusters T-shirt and fling open the door as I launch my shirt into the room at him.
The door connects hard with something and thuds to a stop. Tyler yelps, straightens, and grabs his bare ass, and oh my god.
Oh my god.
I flush so hard I get an instant headache as I slam the door shut again.
My face is on fire.
My scalp too.
Even my hair.
I think my hair is blushing.
I’m standing here with my boobs hanging out after accidentally ramming a doorknob up Tyler Jaeger’s ass.
Maybe there’s a reason I was a virgin until the night of the walk-in fridge at the club.
And maybe that reason is me.
18
Tyler
Never, ever, ever let me think that things couldn’t possibly get more awkward.
Somehow, passing out at a funeral home, telling her about my zombie grandfather, and snuggling her with a broken dick all night is still not the end of the awkward.
Now, we’re sitting at a comfortable table in a high-scale suite while the train wreck gets worse, unable to look at each other since she tried to join me in the shower.
Not that we discussed that that was her intention.
Pretty clear given that I caught a glimpse of her tits and found her shirt on the bathroom floor once my ass quit aching.
This’ll be a fun one to explain to the team doctor. Yeah, it’s bruised because I almost got a prostrate exam from a doorknob.
And speaking of exams—
“Oh my gosh, you’re both doctors!” Daisy’s saying to Muffy and Veda, who made the fatal mistake of telling Muffy that anything would be better than breakfast with her own family this morning, and is now sitting with the four of us as the fifth wheel in a married-couple-plus-two-spare-wheels-already situation.