Possessed by Passion (12 page)

She tossed her robe on the chair and slid beneath the covers. Stretching out in bed she gazed up at him. “Goodbye, Tyson.”

He stared at her for a long moment before finally speaking. “Goodbye, Hunter.” And with his overnight bag clutched in his hand he walked out of the bedroom.

Hunter didn't release her breath until she heard her front door open and then close behind him.

Chapter 12

“S
o, what's been going on with you, Tyson?”

Tyson glanced over at his brother Galen. He had stopped by to see how Brittany and the twins were doing, as well as to see how his laid-back older brother was faring. It seemed Galen had everything under control and had accepted his role as father to twins pretty easily. Almost as easily as he'd stepped into his role as husband.

To this day it still confused the hell out of Tyson. Of the six of them, Galen had been the most notorious womanizer. His reputation had extended from Phoenix all the way to the Carolinas, specifically Charlotte, North Carolina, where their Steele cousins lived. Galen was the last person Tyson thought would settle down with one woman. Yet now he was a husband and a father. Tyson shook his head. And had he heard Brittany right at dinner tonight when she mentioned them buying a van? Galen was known for his love of sports cars and as a collector of muscle cars. A van was the last vehicle Tyson would have thought his brother would be caught driving.

Deciding to answer Galen's question, he said, “Nothing's been going on with me but the usual. I've been pretty busy at the hospital.” But not too busy to think about Hunter McKay, Tyson thought.

This time last week he'd been inside her. It was hard to believe a full week had passed. He thought of her often. Too damn much, in fact. The days weren't so bad, since like he told Galen he was pretty busy at the hospital. But it was at night, mainly when he went to bed, when he mostly thought about her. Not making love to her in his bed had turned out to be a good thing, otherwise he would never get any sleep.

But still...he had made love to her and that was the crux of his problem. They had shared passion, passion and more passion. And now he couldn't get all that passion out of his mind. He would get an erection just remembering their times together. And what was even worse, it seemed his desire for other women had abandoned him. Women called but he didn't call them back. How crazy was that?

“It's Friday night and you're off work,” Galen pointed out. “Why aren't you hanging out at Notorious? That's usually your mode of entertainment on the weekends.”

He didn't need his brother to remind him of that. “Would you believe me if I told you I'm getting bored with the place?”

Galen stretched his legs out in front of him. “Not unless there's a reason. Scoping out the women there used to be your favorite pastime.”

Tyson was tempted to remind Galen that Notorious used to be Galen's favorite hangout for that same reason before his Brittany days.

“Is there a reason, Tyson?”

Tyson shrugged. “No reason.”

It got quiet and that didn't bode well for Tyson. He knew Galen. He was trying to figure out things that weren't his business. Just because he was the oldest, Galen thought he had a right to know everything about what his five brothers were doing. That assumption might have had some merit when they were kids, but now he, Eli, Jonas, Mercury and Gannon were adults and didn't need their big brother looking over their shoulders.

“What's her name?”

Tyson frowned. “Whose name?”

“The woman who left her mark on you.”

Tyson almost chuckled at that. Especially when he recalled all the marks he'd left on Hunter. “No woman left her mark on me, Galen. You're imagining things.”

“Am I?”

To be honest, Tyson wasn't sure. He still dreamed of Hunter and thought about her all the time. It was quite evident to him that their tumble between the sheets hadn't worked her out of his system. That annoyed the hell out of him.

“Did I tell you how I met Brittany?”

“Yes,” Tyson answered, taking a sip of his wine. “The two of you met for a brief while in New York when we were there for Donovan's wedding.” Donovan Steele was their cousin who'd gotten married several years ago. If everyone thought Galen falling in love was a shocker, then Donovan doing so was an even bigger one.

“True, that's when we first met. We ran into each other again six months later here in Phoenix at the auction house. To make a long story short, she had something I wanted and I had something she wanted.”

Tyson nodded. “And what did you have that she wanted?”

“The title to the house she's now turned into a school.”

“And what did she have that you wanted?”

“Sex.”

Tyson nearly choked on his drink. And then he quickly glanced around for his sister-in-law, hoping she hadn't heard what his brother just said.

Galen smiled. “Relax. Brittany went upstairs to put Ethan and Elyse to bed. But even had she heard me, she would have backed up my story, because it's the truth.”

Tyson stared at his brother. “And you're telling me this why?”

“Because I know you, Tyson. I might not know all the particulars about what's going on with you—especially why you dropped by here tonight instead of going to Notorious, where there're a slew of women just waiting for you to make an appearance. For you to deny yourself a chance to take a woman home to warm your bed can only mean one thing.”

“What?”

“There's some woman you've fallen for.”

Tyson frowned. “I haven't fallen for her. Not exactly. Let's just say she left a lasting impression on me.”

Galen chuckled. “In other words, she was good in bed. Almost too good to be true. And you're wondering if it was great sex or something else.”

Tyson's frown deepened. Was that what he was really wondering? No, he assured himself. It wasn't anything other than great sex. His problem was that he wanted more of that great sex, which meant he wanted more of Hunter. One night hadn't been enough. “You're getting carried away, Galen. It's not that serious.”

“Isn't it?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

He hesitated a minute, then said, “Yes. I'm sure.”

“I hope you're right. Take it from a man who thought there couldn't possibly be a woman out there I'd want forever. If there's that possibility, then you owe it to yourself to find out.”

* * *

“So how was your night with Tyson?” Kat asked.

“Did he remind you just how great having an orgasm can be?” Mo queried.

Hunter figured the questions would come sooner or later. In a way she was surprised they hadn't come earlier. After all, it had been a week. She couldn't believe it was Friday already. This time last week she and Tyson were engaging in what had turned into a sex marathon. She no longer had dreams to contend with. Now she had full-fledged memories, which she discovered was even worse. Now she knew how it felt to be touched by a man, tasted by a man, and all she had to do was close her eyes to remember those hard thrusts into her body.

“Well, if you're not going to tell us, then...”

Hunter rolled her eyes. “I have no problem telling you what you want to know, since it was one and done. Yes, Kat, I went out with Tyson. We had dinner at his place and later we went to mine.”

Kat arched a brow. “Why?”

Hunter took a sip of her tea before continuing. “Because I knew how the night would end, and I refused to be seduced by him and share a bed that a zillion other women had shared. I told him I would be the one doing the seducing and it had to be done at my place. In my bed.”

Both women stared at her with something akin to amazement on their faces. “And he actually went along with it?” Mo asked.

“Yes.”

Kat and Mo stared at each other for a minute, and then they stared back at her. Kat shook her head. “I can't imagine a Steele running behind a woman.”

“He didn't run behind me, Kat. He merely came to my house to be seduced.”

“Okay, forget the seduction part for now,” Mo said. “Did you get the big
O
at least once?”

Hunter thought it would serve no purpose confessing just how many times she had gotten it. Whenever she thought about it, she found the entire experience almost too overwhelming. Tyson had the ability to make her come with his mouth on her breasts, licking around her navel, between her legs... She shifted in her seat just thinking about it. But all she said was “Yes.”

“And was it worth all the trouble?” Mo asked.

Hunter couldn't help but smile at the memory. “Definitely. I can't speak for the other Steeles, but I can say the rumors about Tyson are true.”

“Hot damn,” Kat said, grinning.

“This calls for a toast,” Mo added. “Your dry days are over and we have Tyson Steele to thank.”

“Whatever,” she said, deciding it was time to change the subject. Especially since talking about Tyson was making her think of him, wonder what he was doing, who he was with.

“Do you think the two of you will get together again?”

“No,” Hunter said, responding quickly to Kat's question. “There was a lot of sexual chemistry between us and we needed to work it out of our system.”

“Did you?” Kat asked.

“Did I what?”

“Get Tyson Steele out of your system?”

“Yes.”

Mo didn't look convinced. “Are you saying that you haven't thought of Tyson Steele—not once—since that night? That you don't dream of the two of you reliving memories of last Friday night?”

Hunter glanced around the restaurant, hoping Mo's voice hadn't carried. “I'm not saying anything.”

“Umm,” both Mo and Kat said simultaneously.

Hunter frowned. “And what do you guys mean by
umm
?”

Mo smiled sweetly. “Trust me. You'll find out soon enough.”

* * *

Tyson entered his home and glanced around. This was a Friday night and he was away from the hospital, yet he would be going to bed alone. It was so unlike him. And he'd been acting strangely in other ways, as well. In fact, lately he had begun finding Macy Phillips's phone calls so annoying that he had removed her from his “to do” list.

Had he somehow been turned off from beautiful, sexy women? He sucked in a deep breath, knowing that wasn't true. If given the chance, he would do Hunter McKay again in a heartbeat. Even more times than he'd done her last Friday night.

He threw his car keys on the table as he thought about what Galen had said. Sometimes his older brother talked pure nonsense, but tonight Tyson couldn't help wondering if perhaps he should heed his brother's words. Should he find out if the reason he couldn't get Hunter out of his mind was because of the great sex or something else?

He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and searched his contact list for her phone number. He was a second from calling her when he regained his senses. He repocketed the phone and went into his bedroom. He would get a good night's sleep, convinced that when he woke up in the morning, his outlook on things would be different. He forced a smile. He'd even give one of the women still on his “to do” list a call.

Chapter 13

“H
onestly, Mom, skateboarding?”

Hunter had rushed to the hospital after getting a call from the ER nurse that her mother had been brought to the emergency room by ambulance due to an accident on a skateboard. She hadn't known what to expect and gave a sigh of relief upon discovering there were no broken bones, just scrapes and bruises.

“I wore a helmet and knee pads, Hunter,” her mother said, seemingly somewhat aggravated over all the fuss being made over her.

“And it was a good thing you did, Mrs. McKay,” the ER doctor said, shaking his head. “Your injuries could have been a lot worse. You'll be sore for a couple of days, but the X-rays don't show anything broken.”

“Oh, I could have told you that,” Ingrid McKay said matter-of-factly. “In fact I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen,” she said, scolding the doctor.

“Just following procedures,” the doctor said, writing information in the chart he held in his hand. “You took a nasty fall. I'm writing a prescription for any pain you might start to feel later. And I suggest you stay off the skateboard for a while.”

“Whatever,” her mother grumbled under her breath.

Hunter rolled her eyes, hoping her mother took the doctor's advice. “Where's Dad?”

“Today was his golf day, so I had that nice nurse call you instead of Bernie. I didn't want to upset him. And I sure wasn't going to call Bernie Junior.”

Of course you wouldn't
, Hunter thought. Her brother would have read their mother the riot act. Now she understood his concerns about their parents' risky playtime activities. “Can you walk out to my car or do you want me to have the nurse get you a wheelchair?” she asked.

“Why would I need a wheelchair? I can walk.”

“Just asking, Mom.”

She was leading her mother toward the exit door when a deep, husky voice stopped her. “Hunter?”

Hunter didn't have to turn to know who the voice belonged to. The stirrings that suddenly went off in the pit of her stomach were a dead giveaway.

She turned around and before she could regain her composure enough to answer, her mother exclaimed, “Hey, aren't you one of those Steele boys?”

Hunter fought back a smile. The male standing before them was definitely no boy. She knew for a fact he was all man. Her pulse rate escalated when she recalled just how she knew that. It had been twelve days since she'd seen Tyson last. Twelve days. Not that she was counting. He looked good, even wearing scrubs.

She studied his features, the ones that still dominated her dreams every night. Her gaze latched on to his mouth, a mouth that had sent her over the edge so many times. And as she looked at him she saw the corners of his mouth hitch up in a smile at her mother's question.

“Yes, ma'am, I am,” he said respectfully, extending his hand out to her mother. “I'm Tyson Steele.”

Ingrid accepted Tyson's hand. “Those green eyes gave you away.” She peered over her glasses to study the name tag on his jacket. “So you're a doctor?”

“Yes, I'm a heart surgeon. Someone came through ER needing my services.” Tyson's gaze left Ingrid to return to Hunter. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded, not sure she could speak at that moment. Then she found her voice. “Yes, everything is okay. Mom took a fall on a skateboard. It could have been worse.”

Tyson lifted an amused brow. “A skateboard?”

“Yes. Hopefully it was her first and last time trying one out.”

“Don't count on it,” Ingrid muttered under her breath. Before Hunter could give her mother a scolding retort, Ingrid spoke up. “I recall when the two of you attended the same high school.”

“Yes, we did,” Tyson said, nodding.

Hunter hoped that was all her mother remembered. The last thing she needed was her mother bringing up the short time she and Tyson had dated. “Well, we better get going,” she said. “I want to get by the pharmacy to pick up Mom's prescription.”

“All right,” Tyson said, but he didn't move away. He held her gaze.

The sexual chemistry. The physical attraction. The desire. They were still there. She felt it and from the look in his eyes she knew that he felt it, too. Hadn't they worked all that out of their systems that night at her place?

Evidently they weren't the only ones feeling it, because at that moment Ingrid cleared her throat. When they both glanced over at her, Ingrid asked Tyson, “Are you the one who got expelled from high school for being caught under the bleachers with the principal's daughter?”

“Mom!”

Ingrid shrugged. “Just asking.”

Tyson chuckled. “No, that was my brother Galen.”

Hunter figured she needed to get her mother out of there before she remembered something else that was best forgotten.

She wasn't quick enough and Ingrid asked, “What about church?”

Tyson lifted a brow. “What about it?”

Ingrid had no problem telling him. “I see your parents on Sundays but I don't recall seeing you and your brothers.”

Tyson grinned at her mother's observation. “I haven't been to church in a while. Usually I work on Sundays.”

“Every Sunday?”

“Mom!” Hunter shook her head. “Sorry about that, Tyson.”

A smile spread across his lips. “No need to apologize. And to answer your question Mrs. McKay, no, I don't work every Sunday. In fact I'm off this weekend, so you can look for me on Sunday.”

“Don't think that I won't,” Ingrid said in a serious tone.

Hunter thought it would be best to get her mother out to the car quickly before Ingrid invited Tyson to Sunday dinner or something. “Well, I'll be seeing you, Tyson.”

“Same here.”

Taking her mother's arm, Hunter led her over to the exit door. She couldn't resist looking over her shoulder. The attractive nurse who had taken care of her mother—the one whose name was Macy Phillips—had approached Tyson and was all in his face. She was touching his arm while chatting away with a huge smile on her face.

Hunter felt a pain stab her heart when she saw that Tyson was smiling back at the woman.

“Well, at least he's not the one who got caught with that girl under the bleachers.”

Ingrid's words reclaimed Hunter's attention. She was still holding tight to her mother's arm as they exited the building. “Mom, that was over eighteen years ago. Galen Steele is now married with twins.”

“Umm, I guess that means there's hope for those Steele boys yet. I recall they used to have quite a reputation.”

Hunter was close to saying that they still did. At least the single ones. However, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

“So what's going on with you and Dr. Steele?”

Hunter almost missed her step and glanced over at her mother. “What makes you think something is going on?”

Ingrid rolled her eyes. “I wasn't born yesterday, Hunter. I saw the way he was looking at you and the way you were looking at him.”

“You're imagining things. Tyson is nothing more than a client.”

“If you want me to think so.”

Hunter didn't say anything to that. So what if she and Tyson were looking at each other in a way that raised eyebrows? No big deal.

As Hunter opened her car door for her mother, she truly hoped that it wasn't a big deal.

* * *

Tyson tossed and turned in the bed, finding it difficult to sleep. Each time he closed his eyes, images of Hunter and that night they spent together flooded his mind. The images were so vivid and powerful that he could lick his lips and taste her there.

Feeling frustration in every part of his body, he slid out of bed and headed for the living room. It seemed that sleep would evade him tonight, so he might as well see what was on television.

Moments later he felt even more frustrated. How could someone have over one hundred channels and not find a single thing of interest on television? He tossed the remote on the table and walked out of the living room into the kitchen, where he opened the refrigerator, needing a beer.

Something had to give, he thought, pulling a beer from the six-pack and popping the tab. Today, answering a page to the ER he had rounded the corner and seen Hunter standing there. Desire the likes of which he'd never felt before had consumed him. And when she'd turned and looked at him, their gazes had met and locked in a way that gave him sensuous shivers just thinking about it.

It didn't make sense. After all he and Hunter had done that night, how in the world could she still be in his system? Or he in hers? He knew the feelings were mutual. He had felt the chemistry, known she had felt it as well. They'd been standing there and he'd been able to actually feel her heat seep into him. It had penetrated every single pore in his body. Neither of them had said a word but their gazes had told it all.

He took a long gulp of his beer but it couldn't wash away the memories. Why was he remembering the way she would whisper his name right before she came, and the way she would scream when caught in the throes of passion? Why was he reliving in his mind all the times his body had straddled hers? Thrust into hers?

And why, considering all of that, was he beginning to believe it wasn't all just about sex? If not sex, then what? Could there be any credence to what Galen had said? That's what Tyson needed to find out before he endured any more sleepless nights.

Leaving the kitchen, he went back into his bedroom and retrieved his cell phone from his nightstand. He glanced over at the clock and saw it was after midnight. Hell, if he couldn't sleep, neither would she. He punched in Hunter's number.

A sleepy voice answered. “Hello?”

“We need to talk, Hunter.”

“Tyson?”

He loved hearing her say his name. Even when it was in a lethargic voice it sounded sexy. “What other man would be calling you this time of night?”

“Why are you?”

He couldn't help but smile at her comeback. “I told you. We need to talk.”

“Now?”

“No, not now. Tomorrow. I need to drop by your office.”

“Fine. Call and make an appointment with Pauline.”

“No. I make appointments with you personally. Expect me tomorrow. Good night.”

* * *

Hunter frowned when she heard the click in her ear.
Expect me tomorrow
. Who did Tyson Steele think he was? Did she even remotely look like that young nurse who'd been all in his face today, flirting and grinning all over the place? Touching his hand? The same one he'd flirted back with? He should be making an appointment with Macy Phillips instead of with her.

And maybe you need to tone down that green streak, Hunter McKay. Jealousy doesn't become you.

She hung up her phone and then slid out of bed to glance over at the clock. Tyson had a lot of nerve calling her at this hour. But then, if there was anything she knew Tyson possessed it was nerve. Right along with an abundance of arrogance.

And what did he want to talk to her about anyway? She preferred continuing on this trend of them not having anything to do with each other. But then that hadn't stopped her from thinking of him. From remembering. From dreaming.

Sliding into her slippers, she went into the kitchen for a cup of tea. Hopefully that would help her sort out a few things in her mind. Her mother's questions hadn't ended at the hospital. Once they'd gotten on the road Ingrid McKay had been determined to uncover all the details she could. The last thing her mother needed to know was that two weekends ago she had turned her bedroom into a real live hot spot. And that Tyson had taught her sexual positions that should be outlawed. Not only that, but all those packs of condoms were also just where he'd left them on the table in her bedroom.

A short while later, as she sat down at her kitchen table sipping her tea, Hunter couldn't stop the shivers that raced through her body at the thought of seeing Tyson again.

Although she had no idea what was on his mind, she had to remember that he only wanted to talk.