Off Limits

Chapter 3

Tyler hesitated in the doorway, his eyes taking in the scene before him. Kate was sitting at the bar dressed like he'd never seen her: in tight black jeans, knee-high boots and a leather jacket. Her chestnut hair fell in long waves down her back, and as she took a swig of something strong-looking out of a tumbler, he noticed her eyes were rimmed with black make-up. Even though he didn't go out with her often for fear of his lie being discovered, he was pretty sure this was an unusual dress-code for her. She looked angry, and dangerous. The effect sent the blood running straight to his cock.

He shifted uncomfortably and headed over to her. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure what he was going to say. All he knew was that he couldn't just leave things as they were when she'd left the office. He'd tried to keep working, and when his mind hadn't been able to focus on even the most simple of tasks, he'd gone home. But his mind just couldn't stop wandering to how her lips had felt beneath his, how her sweet sex had yielded beneath his fingers and drawn him in, and they'd melded together like their bodies had both somehow found their way home. He'd gone for a drive to think things through, to try and figure out how he was going to explain things to her, when he'd spotted her car in the nearly-empty lot outside the Jolly Roger. He'd pulled in alongside it before he could talk himself out of it, and here he was.

But the Kate sitting at the bar was clearly not somebody he was familiar with.

He eased onto a stool next to her and gestured for the waiter to bring him one of whatever the hell it was Kate was drinking.

She didn't take her eyes off her drink, and her voice was eerily quiet. "What are you doing here?"

"I went for a drive and saw your car outside. I think we need to talk."

She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, Tyler. A year and a half is a little too soon for honesty, don't you think?" Her relaxed, unchanged posture was betrayed by the whip of acid in her tone.

He opened his mouth to apologise, but a glance at her out of the corner of his eye told him that would be asking for trouble, so he shut it again. After a moment of silence he decided to change tack. "How was your date?"

That finally produced a physical reaction and she turned to look at him. Incredulously. Those dark-rimmed eyes were also laced with red, which he hoped was more a product of the whiskey than of anything to do with him. The last thing he'd ever wanted to do was hurt her.

"Dull." She finally answered. "But in a happy, coincidence, I ran into your ex."

The bar-tender placed a tumbler in front of him and Tyler took a small sip, barely restraining himself from downing the glass in one go. Kate Hamilton was full of unexpected surprises today. He cleared his throat. "My ex?"

She laughed coldly. "I know. Funny right?"

That wasn't quite the adjective he would have chosen.

"And guess what?" she asked, her voice shrill with fake enthusiasm. "She's not a guy!"

"Kate—"

"I know, I know, I'm kind of an idiot for falling for that one, right? I guess I have this really irritating habit of believing in my friends."

Jesus. Tyler's heart dropped to his stomach like a leaden stone. He deserved it, he knew that. It just cut really deep to hear her say it. "What did she say?"

"She said you hadn't seemed gay with your cock down her throat, but she wouldn't be surprised if she'd ruined you for all other 'girls'". She said, with air quotes for emphasis. Tyler felt sick. That was exactly the kind of thing that Veronica would have said.