Yours Seductively

Chapter 4.3 (Part 1)

   Had Debbie decided that Tyler had been in mourning long enough? And, if so, what on earth made Debbie think she was a suitable match for a conservative lawyer with two small children?

   "Mother's not particularly subtle," Tyler murmured as he and Jane stepped into the still-warm evening air.

   To avoid his eyes, she concentrated on admiring the stars spread so brightly above them, on the music of the night creatures singing in the woods surrounding the rural house, on the earth smells of early summer. As much as she'd enjoyed New York, she hadn't lost her appreciation for Georgia in June. "Your mother is very nice," she said, her tone deliberately absent.

   "Yes, but she can be rather heavy-handed when she gets one of her nutty notions."
   Deciding not to dance around the subject any longer, she turned to lean back against her car and study his face in the shadows. "And just what 'nutty notion' are you referring to, Ty?"

   "My name," he reminded her, "is Tyler."

   "Yes, I know. You were saying?"

   "Surely you were aware that Mother's been nudging us toward each other all evening."

   Jane shrugged. "Since we were the only singles here this evening, it was only natural for her to encourage us to visit, I suppose."

    "Maybe. But just in case she has something more in mind, I hope she doesn't cause you any embarrassment."

   Chucking, she ran a hand through her hair. "I don't get embarrassed easily."

   "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

   Sometimes Jane just couldn't help herself. She reached out to stroke a fingertip along Tyler's firm, chiseled jaw. "How about you, Ty? Do you get embarrassed easily?"

   She saw his eyes narrow in the yellow light coming from the overhead security pole. "Not usually," he drawled.

   "Oh?" Still driven by her own personal imp, she walked her fingers up his chest until both her hands were resting on his shoulders. "Just what does it take to make you blush?"

   He might have worn a very faint smile when he replied, "I haven't blushed since high school."

   She fussed with his shirt collar, letting her fingers dip inside to lightly stroke his neck. "What was the cause then?"

   "I believe it was a suggestion you made to me behind the gym."

   She laughed at his dry tone. "And did you take me up on it?"

   "No, I didn't have the nerve...then."

   He was most definitely calling her bluff. Their mouths were only a couple of inches apart—and Jane hoped her wry smile gave no clue to the way her heart was racing. "What about now?" She asked, the huskiness in her voice not entirely feigned.

   "Now..." She felt his breath brush her lips, and her mouth tingled in anticipation. There was a momentary hesitation , and then Tyler drew back, slowly, breaking the contact between them. "I still don't have the nerve," he murmured.

   She sighed in regret—and she was only partially teasing. "Pity."

   He reached behind her to open the car door for her. "Drive carefully. And watch you speed."

   "No problem," she quipped, pleased to note that her voice sounded steady—at least to her own ears. "I've tested my limits enough this evening, I think."

   Tyler stepped back without answering. She slid into the car, started the engine and drove away. She glanced only once in the rearview mirror. Just long enough to see that Tyler was still standing there. Watching her.