In Forbidden Territory (9 page)

He brushed a kiss across her lips, then took her hand as they walked toward his house. It had been an ideal day filled with a perfect combination of carefree fun and heated passion. She was everything he wanted, everything he could hope for.

So why were his insides knotted into a hard lump and his nerves dancing on edge? If only he had some insight into what she expected from him. Or, more accurately, what she assumed the future held.

He tried to convince himself that things were very good just the way they were. They had an unspoken bond between them. There was no need to talk about commitment to a relationship—no need to make those promises that other people seemed to believe were necessary. That's what he wanted to believe, but the thought left him as unsettled as he had been before. He didn't want to lose her, but it seemed to him that they had managed to establish a relationship without having discussed it. There was no reason to talk about commitment now, to verbalize what was already happening.

He knew from experience that making promises and even signing the paperwork to make it legal didn't guarantee that a relationship would work out, that it would be lasting. It wasn't the words or the piece of paper that made a relationship. It was how two people felt and how they behaved toward each other.

He stopped walking for a moment, then pulled her into his embrace. He continued to hold her. In spite of his attempt to dismiss his concerns, the question continued to circulate through his mind. What had been a
remote concern began to loom larger and larger in his reality.

What exactly were his feelings toward her, his concept for the future? Just how involved had he become? He tried to force the fragmented thoughts and feelings to crystallize into a single thought that would clarify things, but each time he came near the word
love,
the one word that would define everything, he panicked and shoved it away. All he knew for certain was that it truly frightened him.

He gathered his determination and reinforced his long-held belief. Commitment was nothing but a word and didn't have anything to do with how two people felt about each other. His inner turmoil began to subside. Things between them were great, so why mess it up with a bunch of unnecessary conversation and useless words about commitment and relationships?

He forced a false sense of confidence. Things were perfect just as they were. The two of them were already sharing their time, their passion and their emotions. That was everything. That was all they needed. They continued on to the house, walking hand in hand.

Once inside, he built a fire in the fireplace and opened a bottle of wine. They sat in front of the fire and watched the flames dance across the logs. Warmth surrounded them, enfolding them in a soft cloak of delight, caring and contentment.

As perfect as the day had been, Angie found herself wrestling with the underlying uncertainties of what path she needed to follow. Her once single-minded objective to procure a career position with Mac's company had been wrenched sharply off-track by her unexpected involvement—she didn't know what else to call it, she didn't feel comfortable using the word
re
lationship
—with Ty. If only she knew where things stood between them.

It was a theme that continued to play over and over in her mind, something she realized she was beginning to obsess about. Each time she started to dwell on it, she tried to shove it away. It seemed to occupy more and more of her thoughts and had become a towering obstacle for her.

Could she count on his help in approaching Mac with her desired goal? Would he be a part of her future or would working in the same environment end up being awkward for each of them? It had all been so clear in her mind the day she arrived at Mac's house from Portland. Then she was swept into a whirling vortex of passion and emotion by the name of Tyler Farrell. Now nothing was clear. If only she could ease her mind and stop dwelling on it.

A moment later a tingle of excitement rippled through her as Ty's lips brushed across her nape, nibbled at her earlobe, then captured her mouth with an intense kiss that left her reeling and her concerns scattered to the far corners of the wind. Yes…she loved him. She loved this playboy who lived in the fast lane and seemed to already have everything he wanted.

And what she wanted more than anything was him.

Their lovemaking on the sailboat had been even more spine-tingling and all-consuming than the previous night in Ty's bedroom. It was as if they couldn't get enough of each other. Only the late-afternoon hour and the need to return home brought a temporary calm to the desires that continued to sizzle just below the surface—to the sensual heat she suspected would never be completely cooled.

He ran his hand beneath her shirt and up her rib
cage, his fingers tickling along her skin until he reached her bare breast. The moment he brushed his fingertips against her nipple her desires exploded into a world of need and want just as they had that afternoon. He teased her nipples with his tongue until they formed taut peaks.

She had never felt so free, uninhibited or sexy as she did when she was with him. She reached for the snap on his cutoff jeans. She didn't hesitate as she unfastened them. She marveled at her own aggressiveness and blatant audacity as she lowered his zipper. She bent forward and kissed his growing hardness through the fabric as it pressed against the front of his briefs.

The doorbell rudely interrupted the rapidly escalating need that enfolded them in a cocoon of heated desires and rekindled passions. The same disappointment that swept through her body was mirrored in his eyes. His husky words told of his level of arousal. “Do you suppose whoever it is will go away if we ignore the doorbell?”

The incessant ringing continued. She emitted a soft sigh of resignation. “Apparently not.”

Ty reluctantly turned loose of her. They each adjusted their clothes and made a valiant attempt at regaining their composure. He placed a tender kiss on her lips, then turned his attention toward the front door. His annoyance came out in his voice and surrounded every word as he spoke. “Someone is much too persistent for their own good and I believe that's exactly what I'm going to tell them.”

A combination of surprise and anxiety shot through Ty when he yanked open the door and found Mac standing on his porch—certainly the last person he expected or wanted to see at that moment. He maintained
his stance, neither stepping aside nor asking Mac to come in. He forced a calm to his voice, but couldn't keep the coolness out of it. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Mac nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “May I come in?”

Ty paused for a moment as he decided what to do. His first inclination was to protect Angie from embarrassment. He finally stepped aside and motioned for Mac to come in. “Sure.”

Ty remained in the foyer, not volunteering to move any farther into the house. “So, what brings you here? Did I miss a meeting? Forget to do a report?” He made no attempt to keep the sarcasm and irritation out of his voice. “I didn't check with you before I left the offices? What?”

“I've been trying to reach you all day, both on your cell phone and here at your house.”

“It was a beautiful day so I decided to go sailing. I had my cell phone turned off because I didn't want to be bothered.”

“I…uh…I thought we might talk.”

Ty leveled a steady look at Mac. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he did know it made him uncomfortable. “Okay…what do you want to talk about?”

Mac's exasperation covered his features. “You're not going to make this easy, are you?”

“Make what easy? You haven't told me why you're here and I certainly wouldn't want to make any assumptions about what might be on your mind.”

Ty inwardly winced at the harshness of the words he had just spoken. He and Mac had never been at odds before and he didn't like the feeling, but he still hurt
from Mac's attitude that morning—from the thinly veiled assertions that he wasn't good enough for Angie. The brief confrontation with Mac had done more than upset him. It had also opened the door on his concerns and fears about his own future on a personal level, something that left him decidedly confused and troubled about what to do.

Mac's words became louder and took on a level of irritation. “Look, Ty, I don't know what you imagined that I said—”

“Imagined?”
Ty's volume increased to match that of his business partner. The anger he had been trying to control refused to stay tucked away. “I heard you very clearly. There was no doubt you were telling me to stay away from Angie—that I wasn't good enough to go out with your sister.”

“That's not what I meant. I was merely trying to point out that she's too young and inexperienced to handle your lifestyle. I don't think you should—”

“Stop it!” Angie's shouted command broke into the rapidly escalating disagreement between the two men. They turned toward the sound. She stood framed in the doorway leading to the den. She looked from one man to the other as she walked toward them.

Ty moved quickly to intercept her. His voice softened as it filled with emotion. “Angie—”

Mac started to speak. “I came here straight from the office, Angie. I didn't know you were—”

“The two of you…just stop it!” A combination of anger and emotional upheaval filled her voice, but she didn't care. “I can't stand seeing this happen.” She glared at both men. She felt as if her entire life was being torn apart. On one side was the brother she idolized and on the other side was the man she loved. She
had never experienced such a helpless feeling as the sinking realization about what was happening settled over her.

“You two have never argued about anything and here you are suddenly yelling at each other.” Her voice cracked as she fought to keep a sob from escaping her throat. “I don't know what started it or why, but I do know that I'm to blame.”

Mac immediately tried to smooth over the situation. “Don't be silly, Angie. It's just a little misunderstanding—”

She made no attempt to curb her growing anger. “Don't do that to me again. Stop patronizing me, Mac. Stop telling me not to be silly as if I had no concept of what was going on around me. I'm a grown woman, but you're always treating me like a child. I'm twenty-four years old. Think back to the time you were twenty-four. Did you need to be protected from everything and everyone? Were you incapable of making intelligent and mature decisions? Did you need someone to constantly pat you on the head in a condescending manner while telling you to stop being silly and not worry your cute little head about things?”

A look of shock spread across Mac's face. “I don't do that.”

“The hell you don't!” All of Angie's pent-up frustration with the situation finally overruled her feelings of intimidation and awe where her brother was concerned. For the first time she gave free rein to her anger. “I wanted only one thing when I arrived here. I wanted to work for your company.”

Mac was at an obvious loss about how to respond to this very uncharacteristic outburst. “But all you had to do was—”

“I don't want an entry-level position like the one you mentioned in the note you left me on the refrigerator door—I'm not interested in a receptionist position that has nothing to do with my education or my work experience. I don't want the type of job you'd hand to me just because I asked, something that would be yet another instance of you taking care of me. I want a career position where I can prove to you that I'm good at what I do. Something where I can make a viable contribution to the company. You've never noticed anything about me beyond that little girl.”

She paused a moment to take a calming breath, but not long enough for Mac to get in a word. Now that she had started, she didn't want to stop until she said everything that was on her mind. “Don't get me wrong, I truly and deeply appreciate everything you've done for me. I know there's no way I'll ever be able to repay you.”

Then she blurted out the words before she could stop them. “But more than anything I want your respect for me as an adult, to be treated as an equal.”

The tears welled in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away before they trickled down her cheeks. She glanced at Ty, then returned her attention to her brother. All the steam had suddenly gone out of her. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “But it seems that the only thing I've accomplished is to cause a rift between the two of you.”

This time she could not blink away the tears. She turned away, hoping to prevent anyone from seeing them slowly overflow the brims of her eyes and make their way down her cheeks. She had not meant to explode like that, but now it was too late to stop it or take back anything she had said. At that moment more
than anything she wanted the warmth and comfort of Ty's arms around her, to be enfolded in his embrace where she could feel safe and secure. She stole a quick glance toward Ty. He seemed totally bewildered.

A horrible rush of embarrassment engulfed her. She had just made a fool of herself in front of the two men who were the most important people in her life. She had to get away. She needed time to think, to collect herself. She grabbed her purse and dashed toward the door.

Ty attempted to grab her arm, but she pulled away. He called to her. “Angie, wait—” The door slammed and she was gone before he could stop her. The two men stared at each other in stunned silence. The expression of shock and confusion on Mac's face mirrored the upheaval churning inside Ty.

It was Ty who made the first move toward the door with Mac closely behind him. He raced outside and came to a halt in the middle of the driveway. He looked up and down the street, but didn't see any sign of her. It was as if the night had literally swallowed her up. He fought the increasing level of panic that tried to take over.