it to me on the first day?’
Determined he could control her without it would have been the honest answer. But since showing it to her would then be somewhat akin to admitting defeat...
‘Wasn’t time,’ he lied.
She turned her head a little, her gaze searching the air while she gathered her thoughts. As something occurred to her there was a blink of long lashes and she looked him in the eyes again. ‘You think the person you saw in the crowd this morning might have sent one of these letters?’
Tyler nodded. ‘It’s possible. I’ll know if I see him again. I’m good with faces.’
She frowned for a moment before confessing, ‘I can’t believe there are people out there who would write these letters to me. Let alone mail them.’
‘I told you, famous brings out the crazy.’
‘I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to this.’
‘Calm is good. A lot of folks would be nailing boards over the windows and bulk buying pepper spray by now.’
The comment earned a brief if somewhat half-hearted attempt at a smile before she closed the file and stood up. One of her hands rubbed her hip while she stretched out the other. ‘Can you take this with you?’ She avoided his gaze. ‘I don’t want it in here.’
For the first time since he’d entered the room Tyler took a look at his surroundings and realized his mistake. He’d done more than introduce her to the darkness in the world beyond the walls of her cushioned existence—he’d brought some of the sickness he dealt with every day into her haven. But it didn’t stop there—one mistake leading directly to another—not only shouldn’t he have come to her bedroom, he shouldn’t have taken a look around.
It revealed more about her than he’d wanted to know.
Large, bright flowers covered the wallpaper, crystal chandeliers and mirrored glass sparkling in the autumn sunshine pouring through the windows. The furnishings were soft and textured, reminding him what she’d said to a little girl about liking the way things felt.
The penny dropped. She was tactile.
It was why she touched so many arms and ruffled heads of tousled hair. She’d demonstrated the same thing when she traced the pearls around her neck. It was part of her inherent sensuality; as witnessed when he’d watched her cup her breasts and smooth her palms over the curves of her body. With the revelation came a question: How did she deal with being surrounded by people who weren’t allowed to make physical contact? The need to touch and be touched had to make her as much of a ticking time bomb as him.
It explained a lot when it came to that kiss.
The file nodded in front of him, her brows lifting.
Unfolding his arms, he stepped forwards and took it from her. As he walked back to the door she followed him.
‘Tyler?’
He turned to look at her. ‘Yeah?’
‘Thank you. You’re the first person who thought I could handle this and I appreciate that.’
In fairness he hadn’t stopped to consider that any more than he’d thought about the repercussions of charging into her bedroom like the proverbial bull in a china shop. But the knowledge softened his stance a little. ‘Does it make more sense as to why I’ve been so rough on you?’
The question garnered a better attempt at a smile. ‘It’s not just because you’re mean and moody?’
‘And mysterious, let’s not forget that one.’
The knowing gleam in her eyes placed him about two seconds away from offering to touch and be touched, any time she felt the need. If he didn’t think she would come out the other side of it a lot worse off than him, he wouldn’t have any qualms about being used that way. He doubted any guy who’d watched her dance would. Though he’d never felt the urge to step on a dance floor, he knew what it meant when a woman moved the way she did.
The sexy rotation of her hips, the back-and-forth movement of her pelvis, the fluid curve of her spine, mile after mile of flawlessly tanned skin with spectacular breasts and long tresses of flame-red hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back.
Suddenly Tyler could see such a vivid image of her naked he could practically feel her weight on top of him as she hovered on the edge of release.
Time to go.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’
She nodded in reply.
Despite frowning on the way back to the control room he decided—as risky as it was—he would have to pay