it behind him earlier and his keys were back with his clothes, but he’d left his “back door” open. He circled the building to the rear where the loft window was open wide, high above the ground.
Gathering himself, Tyler crouched and sprang to the roof of the nearby parts shed. The corrugated metal rang dully like a muted tuning fork even though he tried to land softly. From there he leapt into the oak tree that shaded the area, timber groaning and creaking ominously under his weight. Lions were among the heaviest cats and the high branches bowed and cracked as he ran lightly across them and launched himself across the space to the open window.
He tucked his body tight, trying for an aerodynamic grace that his bulky cat form naturally lacked. His front legs and shoulders made it through the open window, but the ledge caught him hard on the ribs and his back paws scrabbled against the exterior siding for purchase. He muscled his hindquarters through the window and flopped onto his belly on the cement floor of the loft, panting softly.
Not the best secret entrance, but the height of the window discouraged the cubs from trying it.
Tyler shifted back to a form with opposable thumbs and pulled on the spare coveralls he kept stashed in the loft. His bare feet were silent on the metal stairs leading down to the garage bay.
The world made more sense when he was elbow-deep in engine parts.
The shop had always been his refuge. He could take something run down and cast aside and bring it back to life. He could keep everything moving smoothly, all the pieces interacting together just as they should. There was justice in that, satisfaction and worth.
Tyler knelt next to the engine he was rebuilding, and his brain fell into silence as he concentrated on his task.
The other side of the bed was empty and cool when Zoe woke. With the first few rays of dawn streaming in through her window, her fears of the night before seemed ridiculous.
They’d had sex. Nothing earth shattering in that. For the life of her she couldn’t think why she’d been so paranoid. Why she’d been so stupidly convinced they wouldn’t be able to keep things no strings.
Zoe rolled out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and her snug Bigger in Texas T-shirt, propelled by the urge to talk to Tyler. She wanted to smooth thing over with him and make sure they were still on the same page. Make sure he hadn’t read anything—accurately—into her awkwardness the night before.
She hurried down her porch steps, following the scent trail Tyler had left. She was so tuned to his scent, she probably could have found him even after a rainfall, but the morning was dry and hot, the sun already gearing up for an early summer scorcher, and his scent remained fresh.
She wove between the buildings, grateful there was no one about this early to see her. The garage bays were all closed when she arrived, the main door locked, but his scent circled the building before disappearing and there wasn’t another trail leaving. He had to be in there.
“Tyler?” Zoe called, tapping on the metal door. She smoothed her palms over her hips and fidgeted, agitation bubbling up inside her.
This was stupid. For all she knew he was sleeping in there. She’d seen a cot in the loft. That didn’t explain why he would have gone to the garage rather than back to his own place…unless he was trying to avoid her. He’d expect her to check his place first, wouldn’t he? Was he hiding from her?
Zoe hated this insecurity. She felt like such a girl. She reminded herself that she was here only to make sure he knew they were still no strings.
Which, now that she thought about it, was a really freaking stupid reason to be here. Dammit. What had she been thinking?
She took a step back, pivoting on her heel, when the door creaked open behind her. “Zoe?”
Shit. She turned back, a fake smile plastered on her face. “Tyler. Hey.”
“Were you looking for me?”
Yes, because I was being a total freaking moron. “Yeah, I…” Shit. She needed a reason to be looking for him. What the hell kind of reason could she make up?
“Is this about the clothes?” he asked. “I was going to come back for them. I just needed to work on some stuff.”
For the first time, Zoe noticed he was wearing a pair