Farmer Wants a Wife: Love and Friendship, Book 3 (10 page)

“I love roast beef with all the trimmings, but since I started dancing I’ve cut back on red meat. I eat mainly fish and lots of vegetables and fruit with an occasional foray into the naughty stuff.”

Tyler paused to accept the menu from the waitress. “No huge sweet tooth?”

“I have a fondness for anything lemon and chocolate. What about you?”

“I like cinnamon and spices,” he said and reached over to tug a lock of her glossy brown hair. “Your freckles remind me of cinnamon drops.”

“Cut out that flirting,” Connor said in a stern voice. “We don’t want to attract attention.”

“Hell no,” Ryan said with a quick glance at Julia. “That’s the last thing we want.”

“I guess I should behave,” Tyler said.

Susan winked, leaned closer. “We can play footsie under the table.”

Her casual manner quashed Tyler’s stirring apprehension, made him relax and enjoy the treat of adult company his own age.

The dinner was full of spirited conversation and laughter. Tyler liked Susan’s friends, but he craved alone time with his lady. He’d never talked to a woman before, not like he did with Susan. Their frequent emails seemed to have cut through the awkward getting-to-know-you conversations. Now Tyler was impatient to get to the physical stuff—if Susan agreed.

He caught her frequent glances, shared smiles and under the table they held hands for an all too brief moment.

“Hello.”

Tyler glanced up to see a young couple from a neighboring table. They looked straight at Susan.

“You look like the girl on the farmer reality show. Are you Susan?” the female of the couple asked.

“Yes, I am,” Susan said with a smile. “Are you enjoying the show?”

“It’s great. We hope Nolan chooses you,” the woman said. “Can we have your autograph?”

Tyler bit his tongue, bit back his protest, bit back his inner fears. Nolan bloody better not pick Susan again, not now that Tyler had met her in person.

“Sure.” Susan smiled again and accepted pen and paper from the woman. Tyler watched her scrawl a message and a signature before she handed back the autograph.

“Thanks!”

“Good luck,” the man said, and he ushered his lady back to their table.

“You’re famous,” Tyler said.

“I’ve had a few requests for autographs. A teller recognized me at the bank and a group of teenagers noticed me in the café. I get a lot of messages on the website. Some are creepy.”

“The price of fame,” Maggie said with a loud sigh.

A solo male guitarist started on another bracket of songs, the music soft and dreamy and perfect for lovers.

“The guy has a good technique,” Ryan said. “Julia, do you want to dance?”

“Do you play?” Tyler asked.

“A little,” Ryan said.

Susan laughed. “He’s actually being modest. He’s a pretty fair musician.”

Connor and Maggie joined Julia and Ryan on the dance floor, leaving Tyler alone with Susan.

“What would you like to do after dinner?” he asked.

Susan groped for his hand under the table and their fingers entwined. “I’d like to be alone with you.”

Tyler’s pulse jumped on seeing her expression. “In my room?”

“Yes.” She glanced across the room at her friends. “I’d better let Julia know I’m leaving. What room number are you?”

“I’ll wait for you.”

“No,” Susan said. “People keep looking in this direction. We’d better leave separately or else we’ll start a gossip blitz.”

“How about if I say goodnight to your friends first and pretend I’m leaving?” Susan was right to act with caution. Josie had mentioned the stories in the ladies’ magazines. If an enterprising reporter got hold of the fact Susan was dating someone other than Nolan, they’d shout the news across the media.

And his mother would create merry hell. She barely spoke to him as it was…

“Tyler?”

“Sure.” He pushed aside his past to concentrate on Susan. “Good plan. I’m in room 612. Will you stay the night?”

“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate.

“What about Nolan?”

Her nose crinkled in a cute manner. “Your brother and I are not a good match. He doesn’t approve of me, and I’m still trying to figure out why he picked me during the last round.”

“See you soon,” Tyler said, standing. Without a backward look, he strode between the tables, most of them still full despite the lateness of the hour. He tapped Ryan on the shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m off now. It was great to meet you all.”

“You’re still gonna play rugby, right?” Connor asked after he steered Maggie over to them.

“Sure,” Tyler said. “What time do you need me and where is the game?”

“Have you got a phone?” Connor asked. “I can text you the details. Is Susan not going to go with you?”

“We’re leaving separately,” Tyler said, after giving Connor his number.

“Good idea,” Ryan said, offering his hand.

Tyler left with a final wave and hoped like hell Susan wouldn’t keep him waiting too long.

Susan took her time, not wanting to make their planned meeting seem obvious to anyone taking notice.

“Why are you checking your watch every few seconds?” Maggie asked.

“You should have another glass of wine first,” Julia said. “You don’t want him to think you’re too eager.”

Susan tossed her head and shared around her scowl. “Easy for you to say. You have husbands. I have to rely on my battery operated boyfriend. The real thing would make a welcome change.”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to jump into bed with him,” Julia said.

“Stop.” Susan held up her hand. “We’ve been emailing back and forth for two weeks. I know more about him than I knew about any of my previous boyfriends. Connor checked him out. Everything he’s told me is the truth. I didn’t get any weird vibes tonight. Did you?” Her challenging gaze slid from face to face, measuring her friends’ reactions. “I want him. Don’t judge.”

Julia sighed. “I want you to be careful. Where will you be?”

“He has a room here.” Susan lowered her voice in case the loitering waitress was eavesdropping. “Room 612. That’s where I’m spending the night.”

“Don’t tire him out too much,” Connor said. “We need him to play rugby.”

“You and your rugby.” Susan stood and kissed him on the cheek. Ryan received the same treatment, and she gave Maggie and Julia a swift hug. “Don’t worry. I’m not a kid. I’m not a virgin either,” she whispered. “Although things might have sealed over because it’s been a hell of a long time.”

Maggie grinned and Julia chuckled.

Susan made her way to the elevator and hit the call button. The lobby was empty. She stepped into the car and waited for the door to slide shut. Nerves swirled in the pit of her stomach, but they were the good kind. No second guessing. She really liked Tyler, and at least he wasn’t married.

She tapped on his door, and it opened abruptly.

“What took you so long?”

Chapter Six

“I didn’t want our disappearance to look too obvious.” Susan stepped inside and the door clicked shut, closing down outside distractions. “I’m here now. What are you going to do with me?”

Tyler prowled toward her and backed her up until the wall hit her spine. His mouth covered hers before her startled cry could emerge. Then he was all hands, mouth, teeth, dragging her into temptation, tossing her into lust and passion and shoving aside every single bit of past history with other men.

Her mind and body focused on him, the enticing rasp of his calloused fingers against her collarbone. The ravenous hunger of his mouth. A shiver worked down her body, her nerve-endings singing. Each pleasurable blast from his attentions, the press of his lips, the stroke of his tongue, pooled at the needy spot between her legs.

The contact gentled, and she moaned, clutching his broad shoulders in case he decided to do something stupid, like lift his head to breathe.

Oh yes. She had to kiss him again, let him kiss her in return. Feed the simmering passion gathering inside her like one of those romance novel infernos she’d started reading after Maggie introduced her to the erotic romance concept.

Finally, Tyler lifted his head. “I thought I’d never get to kiss you again. The one taste in the office wasn’t enough.”

“More,” she demanded.

“Don’t you want a drink? I arranged room service to deliver a nightcap.”

Susan raised her hand and ran her fingers over his jaw. She liked the rasp of sound and repeated the move, petting him like a cat. “I’ve had enough to drink. I want to remember everything we do together.”

“I have a rugby game tomorrow. I’m under strict instructions to get plenty of sleep.”

“If you want to sit back and let me do the work, I’m up for that.” Susan tried to keep a serious expression, but her twitching lips spilled her lurking jocularity. If he called her on this, she might stuff up the seduction process. Maggie might think sex was like riding a bike. Susan wasn’t so sure. Those memories lived in the dim recesses of her mind.

Heck, maybe it was best if she went on instinct anyway. Just strip away his clothes and explore his lovely, muscled body to her heart’s content. She could take him into her body or impale herself on his hard cock and grasp pleasure. Humor spurted forth, and she pretended to ponder. “What do you think about me tying you up?”

“As long as I get my dick inside you soon, I don’t care what you do.”

She blinked. Not the response she’d expected.

Someone knocked on the door. “Room service.”

Tyler tugged Susan away from the wall and held her to his side as he opened the door.

“Room service, sir,” the young male attendant said.

“Thanks,” Tyler said, standing aside to let the lanky employee wheel his cart into the room.

Susan took the opportunity to take in the details she’d missed when she’d first entered. It was a standard room with a huge bed. Pillows in various shades of green, cream and brown festooned the end nearest the headboard. A sage green cover spread across the king-size mattress while a chair and desk sat against another wall. It was the view that drew her, and she moved away from Tyler to kick off her heels. Her bare toes sank into thick carpet as she made her way over to the huge window.

During the day, Tyler would have a gorgeous view of the harbor and the bridge that spanned the water. Now, she could see the lights from the buildings hugging the coast and those of vehicles driving over the bridge, but the actual water was dark. A lone ferry bobbed across the expanse, one of the many night charters full of party people.

Behind her, Tyler closed the door and she turned to him. “I never tire of looking at the harbor. It’s so pretty in all its moods.”

“You’ll like Clare. The sea isn’t too far away. Eric’s farm is partly flats and the rest is hills. The views over the valley toward the town are spectacular. We’re about twenty minutes drive from the township. We have nearby vineyards and lots of places to walk.”

“You like it there,” Susan said.

“I like it here too.” And the expression in his gaze told her why.

Her stomach turned to pudding, the burst of lust taking her by surprise even though it shouldn’t. She shifted her weight, trying to ease the heat surging through her. “You’re younger than me.”

“So?” He crossed the room and wrapped her in his arms. “A few years younger. It’s not a major difference.” His fingers traced across the throbbing pulse point at her neck. He stared for an instant, then reached for the zipper at the rear of her dress. This one was blue and she knew it suited her, making her eyes look like the tropical sea on a sunny day. At least that was what Christina had told her when they’d gone shopping for outfits.

He slid the zip down slowly, as if he were waiting for her protest. Not gonna happen. She lifted her hand and stroked his biceps beneath the cotton of his gray shirt. Warmth seeped to her fingertips and impatience tore through her. “Race you to get undressed.”

“No, you don’t.” He grasped her shoulders to halt her retreat. “I’ve fantasized about undressing you ever since I first saw you on TV. It would be plain mean of you to deprive me.”

Susan swallowed, her knees threatening to buckle. “Okay.”

She quivered as he peeled the blue material from her torso and let the dress slide over her hips. Earlier that night, she’d donned a brand new set of lingerie in a shade a fraction lighter than her dress. The bra cupped and lifted while the high cut panties did wonders for her legs.

He blew out a breath that came close to a whistle. “Way better than the vision I’d conjured.” His fingers traced the swell of her breast before moving to the other. She gasped when he followed the same path with his mouth. Her breasts prickled and her nipples pulled to hard points beneath her bra.

Without warning, he lifted her from the circle of fabric and carried her to the edge of the bed.

“It’s been a while for me,” he said. “The first time is gonna be fast and hectic. If I come first, I’ll make it up to you.”