She took the paper and nodded. “Thank you.”
Tyler waited for the two men to depart before turning to Ella.
“Don’t start,” she said, grabbing the doorknob. The door was already partially open from when she’d let the police inspect the interior. “I’m not in the mood to argue with you, so why don’t you turn around and go home. I’ll just set my alarm and be perfectly fine.” She opened the door and attempted to slam it behind her, but he caught it with his hand, following her inside.
He wasn’t leaving. “You’re pissed. Why don’t you tell me why.”
She spun around to face him. “Because you’re a man.”
He couldn’t suppress a grin. “Is that all?”
“It’s not funny. Look, I realize we agreed to sex only, but a one-line text after everything we did together … well, I don’t think… I’m not …”
“C’mere.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the sofa, feeling her resistance the entire way. He wasn’t deterred. At least now he knew how he’d fucked up.
“I was in Colorado doing work for a client. Between the time change and the way he insisted on overseeing the project, I didn’t have any time to myself. That said, I was an ass. I should have made the time to call. It’s not like I wasn’t thinking about you, because I was. And it’s sure as hell not like I didn’t want to see you when I came home, but I have a monthly dinner with Serena and her daughter, and I didn’t want to disappoint the kid.”
“And I wouldn’t want you to.”
“Texting works for a guy.”
She shot him a death glare. “It doesn’t for women.”
“Noted. Now when were you going to tell me you were being followed?”
* * *
Ella knew it was too good to be true that she could pretend this whole nightmare wasn’t happening. Why would anyone be after her? She couldn’t come up with one single reason.
“I really thought it was residual anxiety from the mugging,” she said, still surprised that Tyler was here and trying not to read too much into it.
After all, he’d said he’d gotten a call from his alarm company. He’d also said he’d wanted to talk to her, to see her…
“Okay, well, I think we can safely assume it wasn’t anxiety or imagination. Now pack your things. You’re coming with me,” he said, stepping ever closer as he spoke.
Whoa. Hello. “You can’t show up here, giving me orders.”
He raised an eyebrow in that cocky way of his, the one that gave him extra sex appeal. “Want to bet?”
“Oh no. No lifting me up and carrying me anywhere,” she said, figuring out what he meant because he’d done it before.
“Then pack up your things.” He hesitated before adding, “Please.”
She blew out a long breath. “To go where? And why?”
He took her hand, surprising her by running his thumb back and forth over her skin. “To a hotel for the weekend.”
He rendered her speechless and took advantage by continuing before she could gather her wits and argue.
“We’ve been going at this all backward, upside down, and crazy. Sex, then silence… I want to spend time together. To talk and just get to know each other apart from family and the insanity of someone obviously out to get you. And while we’re gone, I’ll get my men to investigate your life and see who could be after you and why.”
He might as well have picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, her head hanging down, because she was dizzy from his proclamation. She tried to process it all, from him wanting to take her away for the weekend to spend time together to his point about investigating her life, to the seductive brush of his fingers over her skin.
“So what do you say?” he asked, his tone all low and sexy.
“I have a choice?” she asked.
“Goddammit,” he muttered. “Are you for real?”