Torn (15 page)

Chelsea’s brows raised. Clearly, this was news to her. She cupped her chin in one hand, taking on a listening mien. She kept the inquiring,
Oh
? that was written all over her face to herself, but Tyler answered her as if she’d spoken it aloud.

“Jennifer had an affair nearly a year ago,” he said, forcing himself to meet Chelsea’s warm, brown gaze. In those depths, he saw only astonishment and sympathy.

“You know, I saw that in a tabloid rag,” she blurted. “I remember I started laughing in the grocery aisle, because the concept was so ludicrous. I remember thinking, ‘How preposterous! She’s married to the man most women would cheat on their husbands
with
!’”

Chelsea clapped a hand over her mouth, her lashes fluttering down, but not before Tyler caught a glimpse of the emotions conflicting inside her.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, rolling onto her back, one arm slung over her closed eyes, “Did you
hear
what I just said? I am
such
an ass.”

His brows lowered as he looked at her. What could he say that would erase her guilt? Her self-disgust? He knew he shouldn’t bring up the ironic humor of the situation. She wasn’t there yet. Maybe he should just finish his story.

“Well, in this case, it was true. Here I am, supposedly with the planet’s ‘best ass’ –– oh, the joy –– and not only does my former fiancée cheat on me ––“

“You mean Meredith?” Chelsea interrupted; peeking out from under a mocha skinned arm.

Tyler rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Meredith Smythe.”

Chelsea sat up with a smirk. “Ha! I
knew
it! I
knew
it wasn’t you! I told my friends that
no
way
you’d cheat on someone you were truly in love with! I
knew
it was
her
!”

He arched a thick, honey-blonde brow, his lips twitched. “So I take it you
heard
about that,” he said dryly. A coyote yipped in the sudden stillness. He felt her embarrassment so keenly, that he could practically
hear
her blush as the blood rushed to her face.

“Oh, just shoot me now,” she mumbled. “Not only
am
I an ass, I look and sound like one too.”

Tyler could tell by her tiny jump that his shout of laughter startled her, and the sheepish glance she gave him made tip his head back and laugh even harder. Chelsea bit her bottom lip, rolled her eyes even as she joined him.

“This isn’t funny,” she protested weakly. “You’re not supposed to know that I’m a
fan
!”

“So
this
is how the Other Half gossips! I always kind of wondered,” he said, when he could speak again.

“Oh, yeah? Well, maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll let you watch me as I critique each and every single movie you’ve ever made.
That’ll
be a treat. You know I love you, and that you’re one of my favorite actors, but holy smokes, you have made some
crappy
movies! I call them your
I-have-to-pay-the-rent-this-month
movies and… Tyler?”

Tyler froze, and stared at her, soaking in her words, her expression, and storing them carefully deep within himself. No matter what else, he had this moment. Chelsea had just said that she ––

“Tyler?”

He blinked and pulled away.
You know I love you…
He gave his head a quick shake. “What? Sorry… Just intellectually tripped there for a second. You were saying that my movies suck and that you hate me?”

“Noooo,” Chelsea said, rolling her eyes as her lips curved upwards. “I said that your movies suck and that I love you.”

He knew a soft, goofy smile was on his face, by the way Chelsea seemed to give herself a swift, mental kick as she shook her head. “You know… Your acting… and all that… You were saying about Jennifer?”

She couldn’t have erased the sensual haze he was contemplating any faster if she poked him with a branding iron.

“Right,” he said tersely, “Jennifer. So anyway, in that case, the tabloids were right. I was so pissed, I even packed a bag and stayed at Julie’s. I stayed at her place for so long Jennifer accused me of having an affair with
her
.”

Chelsea coughed down a threatening chuckle, and Tyler rolled his eyes. “I know, I know,” he said. “Ridiculous. I mean, hello? Julie was my best man at our wedding and she brought her
girlfriend
? Fucking stupid. And Jen knew it. Anyway, she broke it off with her boyfriend, or whatever he was, and I went back. We patched things up –– sort of –– and then I signed on to do this movie, and Jennifer signed on to do a movie in Greece.”

She drew in a slow breath. “Wait a minute. You're saying that you and Jennifer have basically been apart for a year?”

Tyler nodded and Chelsea’s eyes narrowed before she continued. “So where exactly do Rebound? Payback? Diversion? C, all of the Above?” Hurt, anger, and betrayal were just some of the emotions that rolled across her face as Chelsea started to get to her feet, but Tyler’s hand shot out to grab hers.
I
fit into all of this?

“I
wish
.” he exclaimed, his voice harsh and raw. “I
wish
that was all you were. It’d be a
hell
of a lot cleaner and easier than what I feel for you. I
love
you. In the months we’ve worked together… for the first time in my life, my heart, my soul… I can’t call either one of them mine anymore. They belong to you. I’m in love with you, Chelsea, and damned if I don’t wish you looked at me the way you do your husband!” He let go of her hand and fell back on the makeshift pallet, rubbing his eyes with unsteady fingers.

She stilled. Chelsea leaned back on her elbows, her eyes glistening in the moonlight.
Oh, my God.
She slid him a glance beneath lowered lashes, and saw a Tyler Benson never seen before: Exposed, vulnerable, and infinitely…
Real
. He had just offered her his soul on a silver platter –– she could read the confirmation in the dark blue depths of his unwavering stare. She recognized the gift for what it was, and accepted it, feeling the warmth of that acceptance unfurl and blossom inside her. Her smile, sweet and tender, was returned by the soft light that glowed inside his eyes.

“How am I looking at you now?” she whispered.

“Like you see me. Like you know me. Like you love me.” He tensed, his eyes dark. “Do… you?”

Tyler let his hands drop to his sides and Chelsea picked one up, lightly caressed the fleshy pad under his thumb.
The Mount of Venus
. “You know,” she murmured, “you and I are married… but not to each other.”

Tyler groaned and started to pull his hand away, but Chelsea’s grip was firm. “I know all of this,” she continued, “and just in case I forget, my head keeps reminding me.”

He drew a breath. “What does your heart say?”

She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips along his jaw, letting her thumb come to rest on his bottom lip. Her dark brown eyes were huge and fathomless as they looked first at his mouth, then into his eyes. “My heart,” she whispered, “say come on in… the
fire’s
fine.”

And for the first time since their relationship began,
she
kissed
him
.

~ * ~

Mozart
. That goddamned cell-phone was ringing. It had to stop.

A slender, dark chocolate arm struck out from beneath a mound of covers, reached for and grabbed it, and brought it to a barely cognizant ear. “What!”

“
Where is he, Julie?”

“What? Who?”

“
Don’t give me that shit, Julie. Where’s Ty?”

Inside her warm cave, Julie rubbed the furrow between her brows. “How the fuck should I know, Jen. I’m not his damn keeper.”

“
Oh, please. You’re his best friend. That’s the next best thing.”

“I thought
you
were his best friend.”

“
No, I’m his
wife.
Where is he?”

“What fucking time is it?”

“
It’s after three here in L.A.”

“Bitch, why are you calling me at four in the fucking morning! What is
wrong
with you? Are you dead? In jail?”

“
Don’t be such a snarky bitch, Julie. It’s unbecoming in a lady such as yourself.”

Even though she knew Jennifer Benson couldn’t see her expression, Julie’s eyes narrowed. “You’d best say what you’ve got to say; I’m rapidly losing interest in this conversation.”

“
I’m worried about Ty –– he’s not answering his phone.”

Julie snorted. Smart man. She should take lessons. “Probably because he’s
sleeping
?”

“
He never returned my call.”

Wow. Did she say smart man? She meant a frigging
genius
. “We’ve been
busy
. I’m sure he’ll call you when he has a chance.”

“
Come on, Julie. I got this weird postcard in the mail the other day.”

“What’d it say?” Julie asked, curious in spite of herself.

“’
Do you know where your husband is?’”

“Like you
care
? Are you
kidding
me?” Julie’s laugh was groggy, but her appreciation of the irony still managed to come across. “And you woke my shit up for
this
? I’m gonna hang up on you now, you miserable crack whore.”

“
Wait! Just tell me where he is, you dyke bitch!”

A vision of Ty and Chelsea wrapped up in each other on the dance floor of
The Jailhouse
flashed in her mind. “Camping,” Julie said as she recalled the gossip she’d heard in the hotel lounge, and promptly ended the call and turned off her phone.

~ * ~

Her lips brushed his, tentative at first, then with more daring. Tyler resisted deepening the kiss; gave the chance to Chelsea, who took it. Her tongue swept his full, soft lips and he briefly touched it with the tip of his own, feeling himself stiffen instantly with the contact. Electric. Amazing. He would have dwelled on the sensation longer, but then she was sucking on his bottom lip and he couldn’t concentrate on anything else.

Tyler opened his mouth –– devoured hers as he divested himself of both his T-shirt and sweater, tugging them over his wrists, tossing them carelessly aside. Chelsea’s hands were cool on his skin; his nipples already hard, he practically quivered with delight when she scraped them lightly with her short nails.

Wanting to give as good as he got, he deftly unhooked her bra and he cupped her large breasts in his hands.
Christ
. Lush and delicious, her breasts were a feast, and he was starving. He dipped his head to taste, but his breath caught when the tips of her fingers dipped below his navel, reaching beneath the waistline of his pants.

Too many clothes.

She unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper carefully down, pushed the denim past his hips, down his strong thighs. Her mouth found his neck and feasted there for a while, before following the seductive trail of her hands.

Before he knew what was happening, his pants went the way of his shirt. Chelsea glanced down. Her fingers curled around him; squeezed the solid, thick length. The delicate flesh was smooth –– save for the slightly raised ridge along its underside –– and she pressed gently under the glans, where the head of his cock met the shaft. A tiny bead of moisture resembling a dewdrop formed at the tip and she smoothed it away, rubbed it around the blunt head until it was reabsorbed into his skin.

“Don’t you
ever
wear underwear?” she asked, her brown gaze lifted to meet his, a smile hovering around her mouth.

His chuckle was low, succulent, and breathless. “Not if I can help it.”

Her lips found his again and he reveled in the smooth texture of her tongue as it slowly thrust in and out of his mouth. He caught it, drew on it as he pushed down those notorious denim shorts, then her –– hello, red silk thong –– underwear. She braced her hands on his shoulders as she kicked them off.

Tyler brought her down on top of him, held her dark gaze with vivid blue eyes while he claimed her mouth for his own. With a sigh, Chelsea opened for him, allowing him entrance into her heart, her soul… her body. Her actions voiced what she could barely form into words: She loved him. As much as he loved her, she loved him. God help them both.

He pulled on her bottom lip, nipped it tenderly with his teeth. She raised up, braced her hands against his chest. He slid his hands up until one hand cupped a breast, and gently squeezed, while the other rested above her ribcage, against the rapid beat of her heart.

Leaning forward, he wrapped his lips around a nipple and tugged it into his mouth. His name escaped her lips on a breathy sigh and she pushed herself closer as he rolled the dark berry with his tongue.

Chelsea arched her back, relishing the sweet torture of his tongue, then twisted around until she straddled him, her back facing him. His soft sound of protest turned into a deep groan of pleasure when her mouth, hot and wet, clamped over the head of his rigid penis.

Oh, God. Yessss…

Her mouth, a wet, fiery, pleasure vacuum, sucked hard and drew his cock deep down her throat, turning it from solid, flushed pink to turgid, pulsating purple, as she licked an escaped tear from its tip.

Thumb pressed against his perineum, Chelsea paused to catch her breath, and Tyler pulled her hips up and onto his face, stabbed his tongue up and into the depths of her moist, fuschia folds. Her muted shriek of surprise spurred him on; he sucked gently on her clitoris, then rubbed it with his stubbly chin while he thrust his tongue back into her.

Her inner walls clenched onto his tongue and, because he couldn't wait to feel them clamped onto his dick, he maneuvered her back around until she faced him again.

“Tyler…”

“Please… Chelsea… I can’t ––“

Chelsea’s hips lifted and his grip tightened on her flexing thighs as she raised, then lowered herself onto him, taking him inside her –– inch by slow inch, until he filled her. “God…
Tyler…
”

Tyler pushed up against her, grinding his pelvis on hers as she reached behind her, between his legs, and roughly grabbed his balls with one hand. As she rocked, she rolled them in her hand while she squeezed, rode, and milked his cock.