One Season Collection
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‘Back off,’ he warned.
‘It’s okay,’ Miranda’s voice said. ‘I’ve got this.’
‘I said, back off.’
The dark-haired man grimaced behind his glasses but didn’t let go. When he raised his other arm and tried to put it around her waist Tyler’s most basic instincts kicked in. Nudging her to the side to make room, he grasped fistfuls of sweatshirt and shoved the guy away from her.
‘What are you doing?’ he heard her say a split second before one the Hollywood stars appeared.
Suddenly the crowd was screaming and surging forwards. The guy he was holding stumbled backwards—was torn from his grasp—and Tyler was surrounded. Whirling around, he searched frantically for Miranda while his muscles clenched with the adrenaline-fuelled need to protect her. When he got a glimpse of her hair a second before her head dropped out of sight the thought of her being crushed almost made him lose his mind.
‘Get out of the way!’ he roared, shoving bodies aside until he could see her on the ground trying to get to her feet. Dropping down onto his haunches, he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. ‘You okay?’
She looked up at him and nodded, her eyes glittering with fear. ‘I’m fine,’ she lied.
Tyler pressed his forehead against hers for a moment, relief surging through his body. ‘Let’s go.’
Helping her upright, he took one of her hands in a firm grasp, his pace not slowing until he’d dragged her across Times Square and into the underground parking of the Hyatt. When they got close to the Escalade he turned around and hauled her into his arms. But instead of holding on to him, she struggled free and took a step back.
‘Have you lost your mind?’
Tyler frowned. ‘He wouldn’t let go of you.’
‘I was handling it.’
‘It didn’t look like you were.’
‘You’re putting me more on edge than those stupid letters,’ she said with exasperation. ‘How am I supposed to act normally if every time we go somewhere you freak out like I’m about to be kidnapped?’
‘I suppose I should just stand there and let you get sucked into the crowd or crushed.’
She frowned back at him. ‘What you should do is what everyone else who has surrounded me for the last eight years never learned to do—ask me if I’m okay.’
For the first time since he’d realized who she was talking to in the crowd Tyler stopped to think. Telling her it was the same guy he’d seen outside the school wouldn’t help. He couldn’t confess how uncharacteristically scared he’d been when he thought she might be hurt or how relieved he was when she wasn’t, either.
So where did that leave him?
‘You’re right,’ he admitted flatly, partly because she was but mostly because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
The admission took the wind out of her sails. ‘Thank you.’ She searched his eyes. ‘Now do you want to tell me what happened back there?’ When he didn’t reply she took a short breath. ‘Tyler, I’m trying to make an effort to communicate with you but you’re gonna have to help me out here. I can’t do it alone.’
He popped his jaw and tried to meet her halfway. ‘Maybe I’m having a problem with the crowds.’
‘Why?’
‘Too many people.’
‘We live in New York—it comes with the territory.’ Her expression softened, the warmth of understanding in her eyes making him feel about two feet tall. ‘It’s because everywhere you look you’re seeing potential dangers, isn’t it?’ She smiled. ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve survived this long, haven’t I?’
Tyler ground his teeth together. He’d liked it better when they were arguing.
‘When I’m not appearing at public engagements I barely merit a second look.’
He very much doubted that. The night they met he would have picked her out of the crowd without any difficulty.
Stepping forwards, she took his hands and tangled their fingers together. ‘I’ll prove it to you.’
‘How exactly are you gonna do that?’
‘You have to trust me.’ She lifted their arms out to the sides and briefly rolled her gaze towards the concrete ceiling. ‘And possibly veer off the schedule a little bit...’
He didn’t like where the conversation was headed any better than he liked the sensation he was being managed. ‘Where are we going?’
‘For a walk,’ she replied with the same impossibly soft smile he’d seen her use on a small child.
‘Not in Times Square, we’re not.’
‘I was thinking more along the lines of Carl Schurz Park.’ Rocking forwards, she lifted her chin, her voice taking on the liquid cadence he’d been able to resist not so long ago. ‘Seems to me we could both use the break...’
‘Why there?’ he asked while weighing up the pros and cons in his mind to distract his body from accepting the invitation she’d issued to kiss and make up.
‘Because I’ve never got to see much of it beyond the view from my bedroom window. You can help me change that...’
Tyler finished the sentence for her when he realized what she was doing. ‘And it’s close enough to the mansion to set my mind at ease if you get mobbed.’
‘I won’t get mobbed,’ she promised. ‘You’ll see.’
He’d been right; he was being managed. But while it was laced with thoughtfulness and a shared need to escape...
Flexing his fingers around hers, he lowered their arms to their sides and warned her, ‘If I’m being played again, there’ll be consequences.’
Just because it felt to him as if their relationship had changed didn’t mean she felt the same way. He’d fallen into that trap before.
She fluttered her eyelashes. ‘You promise?’
EIGHTEEN
As they walked side by side along paths that twisted and turned through theatrical staircases Miranda tried to enjoy the surroundings. It probably looked like Narnia in the winter with a blanket of snow on the ground, especially when the paths were lit by old-fashioned lamp posts. But even with her hand held in a reassuringly strong grip as soon as they were out of sight of the mansion, she couldn’t relax. The incident outside the movie theatre had shaken her more than she cared to admit.
It magnified the sensation she should hold on to him but when she questioned if it was more than the natural reaction to a second reminder of the frailty of her body in comparison to his strength, she wasn’t certain she wanted to know the answer.
They eventually got to the boardwalk where even with the FDR driveway beneath their feet it was easy to forget they were in the city. In silent agreement they headed to the railing. Sharing a few quiet moments of nothing—something she suspected was a rarity for them both—she smiled at the view. The thousands of square and rectangular windows lit up on the buildings across the river, the stars and moon above, the draped twinkling lights of the Fifty-ninth Street Bridge reflected in the moving water below.
It was magical.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in and caught a hint of the sweet scent of pipe smoke coming from some of the old men sitting on a bench to watch the last boats go by. Then—as if someone felt the need to add another layer of fairy dust—a harmonica started playing.
Opening her eyes, she tugged on Tyler’s hand to draw him away from the railing. ‘Dance with me.’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t dance.’
‘Didn’t anyone ever tell you that everyone should dance a little every day?’
‘I don’t sing into a hairbrush in front of the mirror, either,’ he replied dryly as he allowed her to pull him into the centre of the boardwalk.
‘How about laughing—you ever try that one?’
As they stilled he looked into her eyes and confessed, ‘It’s been a while.’
The returning hint of hollowness to his voice made her heart ache. Whatever had happened to him—the thing that made him so angry—wasn’t something she could fix. But she could make an attempt at helping him put it to the back of his mind for a while.
‘One arm goes around my waist like this...’ Stepping forwards she moved the hand she was holding behind her back and released it. ‘You hold this hand... I place this one on your shoulder...and we sway...’
She could feel the resistance in his body as she started to move. ‘Don’t think about it. Listen to the music—let it wash over you—and move your weight from one foot to the other.’ When she felt him start to move with her a smile blossomed on her lips. ‘It’s like the ebb and flow of the tide. You’re just a leaf in the wind...’ When he lifted his chin her smile grew. ‘The leaf was too much, wasn’t it?’
‘You could enjoy this a little less...’
She chuckled softly. ‘I don’t think that’s possible.’
As they slowly turned in a circle she revelled in the luxury of being close to him and openly studied his face. Despite the times it felt as if she knew him better than she possibly could in such a short space of time there were others—like now—when she found him impossible to read. What was he thinking? Did the closeness feel as good for him as it did for her? Did he want her as much as she wanted him?
While he looked at her in a way that made it feel as if he could see her soul and held her with a gentleness that belied his strength it didn’t feel wrong to trust him with her body. But before she did she wanted him to trust her and she wasn’t certain he did yet.
Swiping the tip of her tongue over her lips, she took a short breath and decided to broach what she suspected was a difficult subject. ‘If I talk to you about something you have to promise you won’t freak out.’
‘Meaning it’s something I’m not gonna like.’
She searched his eyes before continuing. ‘I think you know you can’t go around intimidating people.’
‘Not much call for good guys in the world I inhabit.’
Meaning he thought he wasn’t one or he’d had to change to survive? She could have pointed out bad guys didn’t come to a girl’s rescue, share popcorn at the movies or dance with her in the moonlight, but instead she said, ‘I’d have thought there was even more call for them there. At times lowering to the level of the people you deal with probably seems like the only way you can make them understand you—it’s dog-eat-dog, right?—but—’
‘It’s not how the people in your world behave.’
‘You make it sound like we live on different planets.’
‘To all intents and purposes we do.’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t begin to imagine some of the things you’ve seen.’
‘You’re not supposed to. It’s why there are people like me doing the job we do. We’re buffers.’
‘Even soldiers in a war zone take the occasional break from the front line. When’s the last time you did that?’
He frowned. ‘That’s been a while, too.’
Having spent more than enough time around people in high pressured jobs to recognize stress when she saw it, she’d thought it might be part of the problem.
‘Taking time for yourself—spending it with the people you love and dancing every now and again—wouldn’t that remind you of what you’re fighting for?’ When some of the tension returned to his body she sought a way to make him understand what she was doing stemmed from the fact she cared, even if it was more than she should. ‘Haven’t you ever had someone in your life you looked forwards to seeing—who made everything you did and all the sacrifices you make worthwhile? You can’t have gone this long without meeting someone like that. Everyone has a one who got away, right?’
The fist of jealousy that gripped her stomach made her hope the answer was no.
‘Yes,’ he replied.
Not that she wanted to know details but, ‘Was your job part of the problem?’
‘We both worked long hours.’
‘What happened?’
‘She married someone else.’
The information made her look at him with new eyes. Had his heart been broken? She wondered what kind of woman he’d fallen for and came to the conclusion she must have been pretty amazing. It left her with the sensation she had a lot to live up to—something her insecurities would play on if she let them. But if the woman had been dumb enough to let him go she couldn’t have been that great. ‘Was that when your work started taking over your life?’ she asked.
‘We’re back to the subject of finding a balance.’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s not always easy.’
‘You think I don’t know that?’
When he stilled she realized the music had stopped and turned to smile at the musician as he saluted them with his harmonica before walking away.
Tyler removed his arm from her waist and lowered their hands. As he led her back into the park he took a long breath and exhaled before asking, ‘How did you know?’
‘About the discrepancy in your work-life balance?’
‘That I wouldn’t hurt you that night in the alley...’
Miranda answered honestly. ‘I just did. It was a gut-instinct thing. When something feels right it feels right.’
‘You place that kind of faith in everyone?’
She arched a brow at him. ‘After spending a quarter of my life surrounded by people who are never themselves around me— who laugh even when my jokes aren’t funny or pretend to be my friend just so they can say they know me?’
‘I’ll take that as a no.’
Miranda stopped and turned towards him. ‘Wait a minute. Are you telling me you didn’t know?’
‘No one knows what they’re capable of till they’re pushed,’ he said flatly.
‘Something pushed you before me, didn’t it?’
The shadows between arcs of lamplight illuminating the path seemed to close in around him. ‘Yes.’
Despite the dark tone to his deep voice her feet took a step forwards, her hand reaching out to the tense line of his jaw. When a muscle clenched beneath her fingers she wanted to reassure him nothing he said would change how she saw him—that when a person had the kind of faith she had in him it wasn’t just for a minute or a day. She wanted to tell him that she thought he was strong enough to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders but he didn’t have to. Not alone. But when it came down to it all she could manage was his name. ‘Tyler—’
‘Don’t.’ A large hand covered hers and removed it from his face. ‘We can’t do that here.’
The rejection stung but somehow Miranda managed to rise above it and seek a rational explanation when she knew he wasn’t immune to her touch. ‘Has there been a noticeable rush of people who have recognized me? Why do you think so many famous people choose to live in New York?’
‘You’ve made your point,’ he replied. ‘And I’m open to the idea of allowing more off-schedule walks to let you take a break. But we’re still not doing that here.’
Frowning a little at the intimation she still needed permission to do what she wanted, she laid her palm on his chest, sidled up to him and cut her inner siren loose. ‘Then take me somewhere we can be alone...and get naked...’
From her perspective, the sooner they started playing out a few of her fantasies, the better she’d feel.
‘Not gonna happen.’ Suddenly he was standing taller and straighter, his voice edged with fierce determination. ‘I’m not interested in helping you stick a middle finger at your parents before you leave the family business.’
It was the closest she’d ever been to experiencing a slap in the face.
NINETEEN
The second the words left his mouth Tyler regretted them.
When Miranda flinched it wasn’t outwardly visible but he could see it in her eyes.
‘You’re trying to push me away again, aren’t you?’ she said with a hint of uncertainty that almost broke his resolve. ‘It’s what you do when someone gets close to you.’
He had to stay strong. Encouraging her anger would be better for both of them. ‘I’m on the couch now, am I? Okay. I’ll take a seat.’ He moved over to one of the benches at the edge of the path, sat down and stretched his arms along the back. ‘Don’t you need a pen and paper to take notes for the rest of this therapy session?’
Miranda shook her head in a way that suggested she was disappointed in him. ‘All you had to do was say you weren’t ready to talk about it.’
Reminding him how close he’d come to spilling his guts wasn’t the best tactic. ‘What makes you think I’d talk to you when you have no idea how the world works?’
‘If there weren’t so many people trying to protect me from it I might have a better idea.’ She arched a brow. ‘You think I can’t handle whatever you tell me?’
Good question. He knew she had guts and bravado. She’d demonstrated she had compassion, warmth and understanding. When added to her sensuality and the way she could turn him on with just a glance, it made him realize she was exactly the kind of woman a less tainted guy might want to build something with if things went well.
But the truth was it didn’t matter if she could handle it. Simple fact was she shouldn’t have to try.
Clearly seeking an explanation for what had gone wrong when they’d been getting along better she came up with, ‘I’m certain getting personally involved isn’t something you’re encouraged to do during working hours.’
‘What makes you think I find it difficult to avoid?’
She sighed. ‘No one is that detached.’
‘It’s my claim to fame. Kinda like yours is being your father’s mouthpiece by day and a closet rebel at night. That’s what this is—’ he lifted an arm to wave a forefinger between them ‘—another rule for you to break.’
‘Deflection—you invented that, right?’
‘I’m sure the mayor would be overjoyed to discover you’re doing the nasty with one of your bodyguards.’
‘What a delightful way to put it.’ She lifted her chin a defiant inch. ‘But even if I was, what happens between us has nothing to do with my family. It’s not like this could go anywhere. They won’t have to size up your suitability for a future son-in-law.’
Just as well, wasn’t it? He could imagine how great he’d fit in at fancy dinner parties and how happy he’d be to traipse out his firstborn for the cameras. He’d create more negative publicity inside a couple of appearances than she had in years. ‘Which is another part of the attraction, isn’t it?’
‘Unlike someone I could mention I didn’t know who I was kissing that night in the hall. So what’s your excuse for breaking the rules?’
‘I needed a way to get you out of there before you were identified. It was the first thing that came to mind.’ If he’d known how it would feel he might have thought twice, but when he tried to regret it, he couldn’t.
‘You hate that you’re attracted to me, don’t you? I’m probably not even your type.’ Her chin lifted another, more defensive inch. ‘What was she like—your one who got away?’
When the thought she was jealous immediately made him want to reassure her she had nothing to worry about on that score, Tyler frowned. ‘Not going there.’ He pushed to his feet. ‘This is just another example of you getting mad at me because you’re not getting your own way.’
‘That’s not why I’m— You know what? I’m not going to be goaded into an argument with you. Back on the boardwalk I thought...’ She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. ‘Obviously not—my mistake. I get it now.’
Tyler bunched his hands into fists at his sides so he wouldn’t reach out to her.
He couldn’t tell her that she was the first woman he’d danced with or that while he did he’d experienced his first moments of peace in longer than he could remember. He couldn’t tell her when she’d asked if he had someone in his life he looked forward to seeing the first person he’d thought of was her. The number of things he couldn’t say increased with each passing day. But they’d known each other for two weeks. Even if they had a future he wouldn’t be telling her how he felt after two measly weeks.
What was next—a marriage proposal inside a month, quickie ceremony at six weeks and divorce a couple of weeks later? He wasn’t that kind of guy. If he ever got round to putting a ring on a woman’s finger it would stay there.
She rolled her eyes. ‘I mean, how silly of me. You’re obviously totally oblivious to me in that way. I could strip naked right now and you wouldn’t even notice.’
The hell he wouldn’t.
‘I could date a string of guys while you’re forced to watch and you wouldn’t care. Better still, I could spend the night at their apartment while you stand outside the door and listen to every sound.’
The hell she would.
‘Not that it would matter to you if I slept with every guy in the city...’
Something savagely territorial twisted hard in Tyler’s gut. He’d kill every one of them with his bare hands.
‘I could take every sex fantasy I’ve had about you since the night we met and try them out with whoever feels like getting down and dirty—’
That did it.
A single stride took him to where she stood. Then his hands were on her face and his mouth was on hers. There was nothing hesitant about it: a brazen mating of lips and tongues that sent him up in flames. The pent-up frustration of the past week, knowing what it was like to touch her and being unable to do anything about it, was released in a flurry of kisses.
If they’d been within striking distance of a bed she wouldn’t get to leave it until he’d shown her no other man would put as much effort into making her feel better than she’d ever felt before. He would find a way to brand her, bind her to him and make sure the world knew she was his, all the reasons he couldn’t claim her forgotten in a red haze of desire.
‘The things I said,’ she mumbled against his lips. ‘I would never do that to you.’
‘I know,’ he mumbled back.
The suggestion had been enough.
‘I don’t want you to think—’
‘I don’t.’
When he dropped his hands so he could wrap his arms around her waist and fit her soft curves to his body a moan vibrated in the base of her throat. ‘You drive me crazy.’
Then they were even.
As he lifted his mouth to place worshipful kisses on her closed eyes and her forehead in an attempt to slow things down she sighed contentedly. ‘Can we call the “who’ll crack first?” competition a draw now and progress to the kissing marathon?’
Tyler brushed a waving lock of silky hair from her cheek, committing the softness of her skin to his memory. ‘We don’t have that luxury with your schedule.’
‘We could try making time for it,’ she suggested.
‘How about we see how it goes for the next while?’ Having stepped over every line he’d tried to draw between them bar one, it was the only concession he could make.
‘I’m okay with that.’ She rocked forwards onto her toes, crushing her breasts tighter against his chest as she lifted her chin and demanded, ‘More.’
Tyler was happy to oblige, picking her up off her feet as he slanted his mouth over hers.
After several minutes of kiss-filled silence she mumbled, ‘You think I don’t know you’re carrying me back to the house right now?’
‘If you’d shut up I could distract you better.’
‘You can’t carry me the whole way there.’
‘Says who?’
Carrying her he could do. Looking after her while they were together he could do. Touching her and kissing her he could definitely do—wasn’t as if he’d managed to stop himself from doing either one. Making love to her—no matter how desperately he wanted to—he still had to avoid. She’d thank him in the long run, especially if the alternative was living with the fact she’d given herself to a man who became a cold-blooded murderer.
He could protect her from that.
Even if it was the last honourable thing he did.
TWENTY
Either Tyler was more in control of the risk-assessment aspect of her security than she’d given him credit for or he was better at escaping than she’d ever been. Not that it mattered after two of the happiest weeks of her life.
Every time there was so much as the smallest gap in her schedule he would take her somewhere she’d never been. An impromptu concert tour of some of the best musicians performing in subway stations; to partake of lunch from a street vendor and run back to the SUV through the rain when the heavens opened; people-watching in parks where they could pit his detective skills against her imagination in games of ‘guess the profession.’