Relentless Liberation (5 page)

His low chuckle filled the silence of her room. “Best
birthday ever, baby.” When he kissed her ever so lightly on the lips, she knew
she must have been dreaming.

Morning sunlight filtered through the window blinds, landing
right over Mina’s closed eyes and rousing her. Screwing her eyes tighter, she
burrowed farther into the pillow to escape the brightness. Why hadn’t she
closed the curtains last night before she’d gone to bed? Had she fallen asleep
reading again?

She stretched out her arm, blindly searching for the book
that was sure to be sprawled out above her pillow. Hopefully she’d at least
remembered to mark her page before she’d passed out. Patting around on her
mattress, her hand came up empty. She frowned.

Then she remembered.

Eyes flying open, she sat bolt upright and immediately
regretted it. The world tilted on its axis and her head started to pound. She
groaned and covered her head with her hands and it was then that she became
aware of the god-awful taste in her mouth. Why had she let Tyler give her so
many shots?

Oh God. Tyler. He’d been here last night. And he’d been the
one to put her to bed. That was why her curtains were still open. Groaning
again, she brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself. She must have
seemed like such a lightweight moron last night. Distinctly she remembered
prattling on and on about something in his car, but for the life of her she
couldn’t recall what.

But did it really matter? She just hoped that she hadn’t
confessed her feelings for him. Even though she was pretty sure he was aware of
them, it was one thing to subtly know something and quite another to actually
hear it confirmed out loud.

Getting to her feet, she steadied herself against her
nightstand, then made her way out into the hall to her bathroom. She took extra-special
care of her teeth that morning, brushing and gargling until that taste was
completely out of her mouth.

Upon exiting the bathroom she was starting to feel somewhat
human again and decided that coffee would get her all the way there. With this
goal in mind, she ambled her way toward the kitchen but only got as far as her
living room before she was shocked into immobility.

Tyler’s big body was sprawled out on her moderately sized
couch, which wasn’t near long enough for his frame. He’d propped one of her
throw pillows up under his neck and his head was turned to face her but he was
fast asleep. Despite what must have clearly been an uncomfortable sleeping
position, he looked peaceful and completely relaxed. And downright adorable.
How was that even fair?

Well shit, now what was she supposed to do?

Make herself more presentable before he woke up and saw her
looking like a mess, that’s what, her subconscious roared at her.

Turning on her heel to sprint back into her bedroom, she was
once again stopped cold when his gravelly voice reached her ears in a gruff
“good morning”.

“Good morning,” she muttered as she turned back to face him.
She watched in fascination as he stretched his arms above his head, the
delicious muscles there flexing with the movement. His t-shirt rode up to
expose his stomach and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the happy trail
that disappeared enticingly into his low-slung jeans. Then, rubbing his face,
he sat up, swung his legs out and placed his feet on the floor. Tilting his
head to either side, he cracked his neck, then gazed up at her with a sleepy
smile.

She knew she was staring and that was probably the reason
for his amused expression. But what was the proper etiquette when waking up
with the mother of all hangovers only to find the man of your dreams had camped
out on your couch? She was at a complete loss, so figuring she should just
stick with her original plan of the morning, she shook herself out of her
stupor and made her way around the island that separated the kitchen from the
living room.

“Coffee?” There were about a hundred other questions she
wanted to ask him in that moment but this one seemed the most practical. Plus
it gave her some time to stall and get her wits together. And of course, of all
the mornings to need to be able to think straight lest she make a total fool of
herself, it would be this morning. The morning when jackhammers were going off
inside her skull and she was fuzzy around the edges. And
so
not in the
fun way.

“Please.” He stood. “Mind if I use your bathroom?”

“No, help yourself.”
Yes, please leave the room for a
minute so I can quietly freak out without you seeing
, she thought.

Busying herself with the coffee, she’d just set out two
mugs, cream and sugar when he reappeared and took a seat at one of the stools
along the island. She filled a cup and slid it to him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled before dumping about half the bowl of
sugar into his coffee.

“Want a little coffee with your sugar?” she asked, arching
an eyebrow.

He shrugged. “What can I say? I like sweet things.” The dark
look he sent her over the rim of his cup was making her fidget, so she put down
her mug before she spilled scalding-hot coffee all over herself.

Bracing her hip against the counter, she cleared her throat.
“So, you spent the night?” Such a stupid question. Obviously he’d spent the
night but this situation was so awkward she felt the need to state the obvious.

“Yeah, you were pretty tanked. Do you remember much about
anything after I brought you home?” He watched her carefully and the intensity
in his black eyes was making her squirm.

“No, I just remember you carrying me up the stairs and into
my bedroom. After that it’s a total blank. What happened?”

“Damn, I can’t believe you don’t remember.” He looked at her
again as if silently asking her to confirm. When she shook her head and
shrugged, he scowled. “After I laid you down on your bed, you pulled me on top
of you and started kissing and rubbing up against me.” He spoke slowly as
though he were addressing a dimwitted child. “We had sex, Mina.”

This time she felt it when her jaw hit the floor and he
paused to take in her reaction. Then just to clarify, he said, “In fact, you
fucked me so good last night I think I might’ve seen God.”

When she still didn’t say anything, just stood there,
stomach bottomed out and too stunned to speak, he shook his head.
“Unbelievable. Best lay of my life and you don’t remember.”

There were literal black spots dotting her vision as she
choked. “W-we did what?” He didn’t say anything, just glared at her. “B-but I…and
you…how did…what!” She was so shocked and flabbergasted she couldn’t even form
a full sentence.

Before her mind could spin out into a thousand different
directions and she hyperventilated, she forced herself to take a deep breath
and then she caught his expression. That mischievous smirk was back in place
and his eyes were glittering with barely suppressed laughter.

After expelling that deep breath, she took stock of her body
and found the only sore part was her head. If she knew anything at all, it was
that if Tyler decided to seduce her—or be seduced by her, as it were—with the
way he controlled his body she’d be sore in a hell of a lot more places than
just her head. And then there was the little fact that he’d woken up, fully
clothed, on her couch.

Narrowing her eyes on him, she folded her arms across her
chest. “What really happened after you brought me home?”

The smirk spread into a full-on grin. “You mean after the
fictional hot monkey sex?”

She nodded curtly.

“I was about to leave when you bolted upright and made a beeline
for the bathroom. Let’s just say you got sick. I held your hair and then I
thought it’d be a good idea for me to hang around in case you needed something.
Like an aspirin. Or a cold compress. Or a trip to the emergency room to deal
with alcohol poisoning. It was so late by the time you settled down that I
passed out on the couch.”

Well, at least this story made much more sense. And in spite
of his teasing lie, a wave of tenderness swept through her that he’d even
bothered with her at all. Although she was surprised that he’d stuck around and
taken care of her like that. Good thing too because she’d obviously not been
able to do it herself. The adrenaline was starting to fade away from the shock
he’d given her and she deflated onto one of the barstools.

“That’s a crappy way to spend your birthday. I’m sorry.”
More than likely he thought so too and was now in regret mode.

“Nah, that’s okay. It’s not even your fault. It’s mine,
actually. I thought I cut you off in time but I misjudged. For that
I’m
sorry. But I don’t mind taking care of you.” He propped his elbow up on the
counter and rested his chin in his hand as he shot her a lazy smile. “All in
all, it was a good night.”

She felt herself blush all the way down to her toes. “Would
you like some breakfast? After last night, the least I can do is feed you.”

“I’d love some breakfast.” He glanced down at the silver
watch on his wrist and frowned. “But I can’t. We have a shipment coming into
the bar in an hour, so I should get home and take a shower.”

Unbidden, an image of his naked body standing underneath the
hot spray of the shower popped into her mind, causing her salivary glands to
kick into overdrive. She shook her head and cleared her throat before he
noticed her drooling all over herself.

“Okay. I would say maybe next time but hopefully this isn’t
an experience that repeats itself.”

He chuckled. “No more tequila for you, then?” When she
adamantly shook her head his smile broadened. “How are you feeling, anyway?”

“Okay.” She shrugged. “My head’s kind of pounding but other
than that I’m all right.”

Nodding, he stood and went to her coffee table to retrieve
his keys, phone and wallet. “Do you have any bananas?” he asked after pulling
on his shoes and coming toward her.

“I think I do, actually. Why, do you want one for the road?”

“No. Apparently they’re good for hangovers. Must be a
potassium thing.”

“Apparently?” She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know from
personal experience?”

That lopsided smile graced his face again, sending her
stomach into a fit of flutters. “Nah, I don’t get hangovers and I never black out.
Dunno why. Alcohol must not affect me the way it does everyone else.”

If at all possible, that pedestal he’d been sitting on just
got a little higher. So if alcohol didn’t make him forget his actions, then he
couldn’t use it as an excuse. She’d have to file that information away for
future reference.

Wait, what was she doing? She knew he wasn’t like that. He’d
already more than proven that to her. Bad experiences reaped a paranoia she’d
do much better without in this case. She didn’t know when but somewhere along
the line in their brief acquaintance she’d grown to trust him.

He smiled warmly as if he could read her thoughts, and the
feeling of security he gave her intensified.

“Well, I better go.” He moved toward the door and opened it.
“Thanks for letting me crash on your couch,” he tossed playfully over his
shoulder.

She snorted then laughed. “Anytime, Tyler, anytime.”

“Did I just see you get out of Tyler’s car?” Chloe
dive-bombed Mina as soon as she walked into the bookstore for her shift.

Startled by the abrupt question, Mina raised her eyebrow,
then began making her way to the break room to punch in, Chloe in tow. “Hello
to you too. And yes, you did. I had to take my car to the shop this morning and
Tyler offered to follow me out and give me a ride to work. Why?”

“Oh no reason. But the two of you have been spending a lot
of time together lately.” Instead of the normal excitement that would have
followed such a statement, Chloe looked worried.

It was true, though. They
had
been spending a lot of
time together. Ever since that fateful night he’d given her a ride home from
the gym, she’d either seen or spoken to him on a daily basis. He came in
regularly to have coffee with her on the occasions she didn’t work the same
shift that he was working at the bar. If she didn’t see him, he’d either call
or text her.

In fact, she’d gotten so used to him in the last month or so
that if she didn’t hear from him in some form during the day she got antsy.

“Yeah, we have. So what? Why are you acting so weird?” She
gave Chloe a sideways look while she put her purse in her locker. “I thought
you’d be happy about it.”

“Well, before now I would’ve been happy about it. It’s just—”
She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s none of my business.” She turned to walk
out of the break room and back onto the sales floor.

That gave Mina pause, so she followed her out of the room.
“Just the fact that you told me it was none of your business has me worried.
What’s wrong, Chloe? What aren’t you telling me?”

Chloe sighed as she turned to face Mina and leaned against
the cash register. “Honestly, it’s nothing to be worried about. Tyler’s a great
guy and I’m really glad you two hit it off so well and became such good
friends.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a but in there somewhere?”

“But…I think that’s all you’ll ever be with him, Mina. Just
friends.” Chloe bit her lip.

Mina’s brow furrowed but before she could get anything out
of her mouth Chloe continued. “So I may have pumped Brian for some information
where Tyler’s feelings for you are concerned.”

Oh God. She swallowed hard, not sure she wanted to hear
this. But now that Chloe had brought it up and she got the gist of what was
coming, she’d obsess about it incessantly if she didn’t find out exactly what
was said. “And?”

“He said that Tyler talks about you all the time. To the
point where he thought Tyler had a thing for you but was just taking his time,
you know? So in the way that guys do, and maybe with a little prodding from me,
Brian flat-out asked him what his intentions, so to speak, toward you were.”

Groaning out loud, Mina propped her elbows on the counter
and buried her face in her hands. “And what did he say?” The sound of her voice
was muffled through her hands. She felt as if she were back in middle school
listening to Daisy tell her the latest thing she’d heard about Mina’s crush.
The news had never been good back then either.

“He said that he couldn’t believe how close the two of you
had gotten in such a short period of time. But when Brian asked him how he felt
about you, he said that you were like the sister he never had.”

Yup, it was official. She
really
hadn’t wanted to
know that.

Everything had been going so well between them. He was
always so attentive to her, always sought out her company. As they’d gotten to
know each other, she found that when it came to her, he was a total sweetheart.
That feeling of security she’d known around him had only grown. She felt like
she could tell him just about anything and she just about did.

Her only sin of omission had been to lay off the details of
that
night
, something she wouldn’t tell anyone. Ever. In the retelling was the
reliving and she just didn’t think she’d ever be ready to go there. But Tyler
could make her forget that pain, make her laugh like no other and put her at
ease. She trusted him, which was no small feat.

Was it her fault that every now and again she’d fantasize
that one day they’d grow even closer? That once he got to know her and saw how
brilliant her personality was that there could be some way in hell he’d
actually be attracted to her?

What a fool she’d been to entertain even the most fleeting
of such fanciful thoughts. She really should have known better.

Later, when she was alone and had time to fully process this
news, she’d let herself truly feel it. Later, she’d nurse the wounds left
behind by that tiny spark of hope she’d had as it died out. For now though,
she’d shrug it off like she always did, pretend it didn’t matter because in the
long run it didn’t. Deep down, she’d known that it couldn’t be any other way.

She forced a laugh and pushed away from the counter. “Well
what did you think he’d say, Chloe? That he was madly in love with me?” She
winked at her friend in a playful manner she didn’t feel. “I told you that a
guy like that would never be interested in me that way. Them’s just the facts.
No sense in entertaining delusions of grandeur.”

Chloe scowled. “To think that any man, even one like Tyler,
could be interested in you is not even close to delusional, Mina. You just
haven’t found the right one yet. He’s out there. And we’re going to find him.” She
muttered the last more to herself than to Mina.

“I don’t like the look of those wheels turning in your head.
Just stop, Chloe. It’s not gonna work. Tyler was a case in point.” One look at
Chloe’s empathetic expression and Mina’s shoulders slumped. “I do appreciate
the effort, Chloe, really. But you can’t force something that’s not there. I
have a lot of shelving to do, so I’ll see you in a bit.”

And with that, she walked away and tried to push all
thoughts of Tyler out of her head for as long as she could hold them off.

It worked for about three hours until Mina went into the
break room and heard her phone beep, alerting her that she had a text message.
It was Tyler.

Can’t make it today. Got stuck @ the bar. U still coming
2 the fight 2nite?

Shit, she’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she’d
forgotten it was Tuesday. And for the first time since their friendship began,
she was actually relieved that he wouldn’t be able to make their standing
coffee break. After clearing up the mental and emotional aftermath of that
little bomb of Chloe’s, she really wasn’t up to seeing him just then.

But no matter how she was feeling inside at the moment,
Tyler hadn’t done anything wrong. She didn’t even want to hint to him that
something was amiss because she knew he’d ask her about it. How humiliating
would it be if she told him that she’d actually thought their friendship might
be leading somewhere?

No, she didn’t want to have that conversation, so it had to
be business as usual. She’d never missed a fight before, so she wouldn’t miss
one now.

Sux to be U. I’ll B thinking of U while I sip my mocha.
And of course I’m coming tonight.

Almost instantly after she’d pressed send, her screen lit up
with another message from him.

Yeah yeah rub it in U lil tease. I’ll pick U up after
work.

Was this how brothers spoke to their sisters, she wondered
with a flush. Somehow she doubted it. It was when he said things like that that
she wrongfully thought she might have a shot at being more than his friend. He
was a shameless flirt and since he’d pretty much kept her to himself, she’d
thought that it was directed at her.

Now that there was some light from a different perspective
shining on it, the few times she had seen him interact with other women, mainly
at the fights, he’d been just the same. A shameless flirt.

There really must be something wrong with her that she hadn’t
seen it for what it was until now. It was just a personality trait of his from
which she should garner no special meaning. Perhaps it would be a good idea for
her to begin distancing herself from him. She still wanted him in her life even
though she couldn’t have him the way she wanted him, just maybe not so
frequently. Space was what she needed if she was going to be able to wrap her
head around what their situation actually was, not what she wished it to be.

That’s okay don’t go out of UR way. Chloe’ll give me a
ride.

Again came his instantaneous reply.

I Told U I like taking care of U. But I’ll see U l8tr so
it’s all good.

Taking a deep breath, she tapped out
okay
, hit send
and put her phone back in her purse. It was one thing to pretend that nothing
had changed in a few text messages. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it
when she actually saw him, as observant as he usually was. Then again, she
supposed nothing actually had changed. Now she just knew what she had suspected
all along to be true actually was. No big deal, right?

Tonight was going to be a long night. She could already feel
it.