Chapter 3

J ustine struggled against the arm holding her down, elbowing the body attached to it in order to get up as panic sliced through her.

"There's no need to beat me up, Just," Tyler said with a chuckle giving her a lazy smile when her head whipped around to face him. He saw a look of fear slip out of her eyes and sat up, sliding his hand along her cheek. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied grabbing the sheet to pull around her unable to believe what she'd allowed to happen last night.

"No? Someone else might believe you, but I know you honey, and I know what your fear looks like. So combine the look in your eyes along with the fact that you just elbowed me in the ribs lets me know something's up. What is it?" he questioned brushing the hair from her eyes as he dropped a soft kiss on her lips.

"I forgot where I was," she said honestly, giving him enough to stop his questions while keeping the rest to herself. "I'm not used to someone being in my bed."

"No? There's no boyfriend back wherever you've been living who would happily beat my head in for last night?" he questioned, his hands trailing down her side, wanting her as hungry for more as he was, but also needing to know who had claim on her now.

"No, no one right now," she stated fighting to keep herself from giving into more with him.

"Good," he said with a longer kiss that overrode her commonsense but sent her back into their blissful heaven for several long hours.

Tyler dropped a kiss onto the top of her head as it rested on his chest wondering how he'd managed to live without her the last ten years. "How long are you staying in town?" he asked, and she tensed slightly turning over to look up at him.

"I honestly don't know Tyler."

"Your vacation's that long?" he questioned wanting more—needing more. Needing to know how long he had to convince her to be his entirely despite their families' objections. He couldn't lose her again—not knowing what he did now.

"You could say that," she hedged.

"Just?" he said, lifting a brow her way and she felt as though she were eighteen again, back in time when the simple gesture could make her cave and tell him everything.

"I'm between assignments right now. I have almost five years' worth of vacation time on the books and decided to take a break," she finally said. She had to be at least partially honest, or he'd know she was lying the same way he'd known this morning.

"And where are these ‘assignments' typically located?" he asked when she stopped talking.

"I've been living in Maryland. I went to the University of Maryland for psychology and did my masters there."

"You always wanted to understand the feud more than any of us," Tyler stated with a smile, running his hands through her hair as it splayed across her back.

"That's because of you, and I learned that when you grow up in a world of fear and prejudice you can't change anyone—not unless they want to change."

"Is that why you stayed away for so long?"

"Partially…and it's partially because I was working non-stop for the last five years."

"And what do you expect to happen now, baby?" he questioned lifting her chin to stare into her beautiful green eyes. "I can't simply let you go—disappear from my life after knowing everything you did."

"Ty…nothing can happen between us—nothing more than what already has," she stated, sitting up to slip off the bed as someone knocked on the door. She moved over and checked to see who it was, grabbing her robe before cracking the door open to see what Angela needed.

"Justine, I'm so sorry to disturb you this early but we had a plumber come to work on an issue upstairs. He has to tear out part of the flooring up there and ceiling down here in this old place to get to it. I hate doing this to you, but I have to move you to a different room."

"It's fine Angela," she said giving her a half smile, "give me say…thirty minutes?"

"Take your time, I put you in the king business suite on the top floor for the inconvenience. If you need help with your bags…"

"I can manage it," she assured the woman, taking the key she held out and Angela turned nearly tripping over the newspaper that was sitting in the hallway yesterday that she'd ignored. Her brain kept telling her it was normal for their town to deliver the paper to the hotel rooms, but her instincts wouldn't let her begin to touch the thing to keep herself safe.

"Oops, looks like you forgot this. Each room gets a copy of the Sunday paper delivered to it as an added perk, so this one is yours," Angela said picking it up for her. "Sunday's paper has tons of gossip in it still. It'll help you get caught up on a bit of it."

"Thanks Angela," she stated, taking the paper before closing the door as she looked at Tyler sitting, thankfully, out of view on the end of the bed. "You should go."

"We still need to talk Justine," he argued, and she didn't want him raising his voice if someone was still out in the hallway.

"Fine but get dressed and don't let anyone see you," she cautioned, dressing quickly as she grabbed the rest of her things to head to the other room.

He took the back hallway up to the floor where the suite was, giving her extra time to get her bags put away before going to knock on the door. She answered it with a full glare that shocked him with the way they'd left things, and he had no clue what was going on with her, confused yet again by her sudden change of attitude.

"Go away, I don't want to see you again," she said keeping a hand on the door.

"Just, what's wrong now?" he asked, glancing into the space to make sure no one else was there that might have caused it but all he saw was the newspaper open on the table that split the kitchenette with the rest of the living room space.

"What's wrong? Oh, I don't know, Tyler. What on earth could I possibly be furious at you for after last night?" she said lifting a brow at him.

"That's exactly what I'm asking because last night was more incredible than any night we've ever had."

"Until your fiancée showed up at my door," she tossed at him moving to shut the door in his face, furious with herself that she'd allowed him to pull her in so deep. To think he felt anything close to what she was last night—that he'd actually forgiven her for leaving, realized everything she'd done was for him, so he could be happy even if she never was.

Tyler swore under his breath as he moved quickly, getting his foot in the doorway in order to slip inside with her, shutting it before anyone overheard them. "It's not what you think."

"Isn't it? My god, what was last night to you Tyler? Payback? Did you enjoy getting me to spill everything, admit that I never truly wanted to leave? Were you just laughing the entire time knowing how much you could hurt me today?" she asked unable to stop her heart and pride from smarting.

"No, Just, it was none of them," he said calmly moving over to her, pulling her into his hold despite her attempts to stop him. "Hurting you was the absolute last thing on my mind last night and this morning. Since I saw you yesterday, the only thing I've wanted was you—to have you back in my life for good. I don't care about the feud. I don't care what anyone in this town thinks. I love you. I've always loved you and nothing will ever stop me from loving you."

" Love me? " Justine said shaking her head in disbelief. "How can you stand there claiming you love me when you're engaged to someone else?"

"Because I'm not in love with her and she's not in love with me and we both know it."

"No? So then why are you engaged to her?" she questioned moving out of his hold because being in his arms was too much.

"Mutual diversion for the rest of town," he stated making her brow lift higher his way as she shook her head refusing to believe it. "Angela's still in love with her ex and I never wanted to fall in love with anyone after you."

"Really?" she scoffed. "That's what you're going with? I mean out of everyone in town you could choose you pick Angela—the girl who had the biggest crush on you early in high school?"

"Justine, I swear there's nothing between me and Angela… nothing baby," he said sliding his hand into her hair before covering her lips with his.

"Only a wedding planned for four weeks from now," she countered, pulling back as the need built so deeply inside her it was almost impossible to resist again, and moved away from him again. "Even if there's not—I still can't do this Tyler. I can't be in a relationship—not with you—not with anyone."

"Why? Who broke your heart so badly that you won't risk it for us again?" Tyler asked turning her around to face him after she began to walk away.

"The last ten years are none of your business Tyler. You should go," she stated taking a deep breath to strengthen her resolve and stance. "I won't live a lie anymore."

"There's not a chance in hell that I'm leaving like this, Just. You think the right thing to do is to not give into this," he argued refusing to give her the space she needed to continue her objections. "You think we shouldn't be together because of our families but don't you see that's exactly why we should be together? Do you honestly want to spend your entire life pleasing your family?"

"I haven't spent any of it pleasing them."

"No? Not marrying me certainly pleased them without them ever knowing it."

"I told you why I left Tyler."

"To stop my family from rejecting me and to help my sister—yeah, I know Just, but do you not understand what that does to me ? Knowing what you gave up to see me keep them kills me because for the longest time, all I could do was complain and grumble about you leaving me, because I swore the only thing I needed to make me happy was you. But it's different now. One, I know that without you doing what you did, I might not have her now, and if that'd happened back then, yeah, things would have gotten complicated fast. But there's also the fact that I'm not about to lose my sister and I don't care if my family accepts us. I don't care if your family accepts us, and neither should you."

"No," she said trying to stop herself from giving into the connection between them. "We can't do this."

"We can't not do this Justine," he said softly, lowering his lips to kiss along her jaw. "If we try to deny this we'll simply wind up giving in at an inopportune time."

"You're still engaged…" she moaned, breathless from his simple touch already.

"You're just trying to find something to argue about, but if it makes you feel better I can tell Angela right now that I can't go through with the wedding," he offered kissing her neck as he moved the hair from her shoulder.

"We need to be smart about this," she argued trying to bring some rational thought back into it. "We can't simply fall straight back to where we were."

"Can't we? Did last night feel any different from the hundreds of times before? Did it feel less connected? Did we feel less in tune with each other?"

"It's been ten years Tyler."

"Two, ten, ten thousand…it won't change this Justine. Nothing is going to change us."

"You just want sex again," Justine mused seeing the look in his eyes, the way his body felt against hers.

"You can't deny you want it too baby," he said with a grin.

"That's all this can be Ty—it's all it can ever be."

"No, it's not, but right now it's a damned good start," he suggested feeling the wall that was up around her. "What do you say you give me the chance to show you hmm?"

"Show me what?" she asked as his hands slid underneath her top leaving flames behind as they trailed along her skin.

"Show you that this isn't and has never been simply about sex with us," he answered, and she stopped pretending she didn't want him as desperately as she always had.

"This stays in here," she said beneath the kiss she initiated. "No one finds out about it."

"And Angela?" he asked lifting her into his arms carrying her to the bedroom.

"Is your issue to deal with," she said not wanting to think of them together.

"She won't miss me Justine. I've never slept with her, rarely kissed her and usually when I did, it was on the cheek even," he stated, and she relaxed into his arms wanting to believe it whether it was true or not.

∞∞∞

"I think you've been avoiding me," Angela said with a full grin as she ran into Justine inside the café.

"Now why would I do that?" Justine asked with a half-smile knowing exactly why she'd been avoiding Angela. She couldn't stop herself from giving into the desire to sleep with Tyler every single night of the last nearly three weeks. She'd stayed in town far longer than expected but she couldn't bring herself to leave yet. No matter how much her brain told her to just pack up and go she couldn't force herself out the door and away from Tyler.

"Because you don't want to reveal everything you've been up to lately," Angela replied not sensing her distress.

"Lately? Not much—spending some time with the family," she said with a shrug making Angela laugh.

"Uh huh…and before that? Come on girl, you've been gone for ten years, what have you been up to?"

"School, work, and more work," she said attempting to get out of the conversation, the same one she'd avoided with her family and Tyler the majority of the last two weeks.

"Well then, shall we walk and talk?" Angela asked not really giving her an option of saying no as she slid her arm through her own and began to lead her out of the café.

"And what exactly are we talking about?" Justine asked after five minutes of silence. "Considering you're getting married next weekend I'd think you'd have tons to talk about or at least do."

"Yeah well I don't know if the wedding's going to happen."

"Why's that?" Justine questioned praying she didn't know about her and Tyler. If the woman had seen the security footage, she'd likely wonder why Tyler was always coming into the hotel late at night.

"Tyler and I…"

"What?" she said when Angela stopped.

"I get your families don't get along and that you and Tyler have always had this weird…I don't know, way of relating to each other because of it I guess…"

"I'm not interested in continuing the family feud, I'm really not Angela."

"Okay then if I tell you something you won't use it to hurt him, right?" Angela asked and she nodded needing to know what Angela thought could possibly hurt Tyler. "My ex-husband called me last night."

"Because?"

"He found out through someone we were friends with that Tyler and I are getting married, and he asked why."

"And what did you tell your ex?" she asked, waiting for the answer with bated breath.

"That I was sick of being the pitied party and I wanted what he didn't want to give me," Angela replied with a light laugh. "He asked if I was serious, and I said yes…then he said there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to have another man's child before hanging up."

"You and Tyler are thinking of having kids?" she asked nearly choking on her coffee at the idea of another woman having his baby. It sent a wave of pain deep through the very heart of her that wasn't sane.

"No…Tyler and I aren't, the marriage was to be in-name only. No, Tyler isn't gay," Angela added when her eyebrows rose in surprise. "He said he'd never love anyone the way he loved his first, but his mother is pushing him to get married because she's desperate for grandchildren. You should have seen the way she would parade women in front of him before we started ‘dating'. It was pure madness considering how conservative she is."

"Why did you agree to the arrangement?"

"Because I still love Daniel, and I was sick and tired of everyone in town looking at ‘poor pitiful Angela' or else every guy who was single—and some who weren't—expecting me to hop straight into bed with them."

"And the way your conversation with him ended last night has you questioning the choice to marry Tyler?" Justine asked as pressure lifted from her chest.

"Yes—I don't want Daniel thinking I'm sleeping with Tyler, trying to get pregnant. I just wanted to make him hurt the way he did me when he said I was just a pretty thing on his arm he could easily replace before we split."

"What would you say to him if he were here in front of you?" Justine asked seeing the man stalking purposely towards them. He looked vaguely familiar, but she'd only seen Daniel once in a mostly blurry photograph and couldn't be certain it was him after ten years.

"I have no clue…I guess I'd ask him who he thinks he is telling me that I'd never have anyone's child. He didn't want them or me in the end…"

"Says who?" Daniel questioned and Angela flipped around in shock.

"What are you doing here?" Angela asked and Justine glanced away as he pulled her up against him, kissing Angela much the way Tyler had kissed her that first night.

"We need to talk," Daniel told Angela and Justine let out a light smile.

"Let me know what happens," Justine said giving Angela's hand a squeeze as she left.

Late that afternoon she heard a knock on her door, and she opened it to find Angela standing there, her hair no longer in a neat twist but bouncing around her shoulders in abandon. "I take it your talk went well?"

"I really hate asking you this, but can you give this to Tyler?" Angela asked holding out a note. "He'll be at the reunion tonight and I can't face him. I…Daniel and I…"

"Are leaving town together—again?" she guessed, and Angela nodded.

"We talked some and I have to at least see if we can get back what we had," Angela said unable to hide her smile any longer. "I just can't face Tyler and this town, especially our class. My mother will likely murder me for doing this, but I can't help it. Have you ever loved someone so much that you'd do anything to be with them?"

"No—for a while maybe but not for keeps," she lied, after the look of surprise on Angela's face.

"Well when it's the right one you just know it is and for me it's Daniel. I really hope one of these days you find out what loving someone is really like," Angela said giving her a smile. "Honestly, if it wasn't for the feud I'd say you and Tyler should get together."

"Yeah could you see that?" she questioned letting out a nervous laugh. "You'd have to take the animosity that's typically found at church and multiply it by about a gazillion—that's what you'd find if that ever happened."

"You two are so much alike in a way though—yes, you are total opposites, but I knew you in high school and I know Tyler now…mark my words you two could make something of it if it wasn't for the families," Angela said giving her a hug. "Take care of yourself and get glammed up for me tonight. Tell Tyler I'm sorry."

"I will," Justine assured her shutting the door to lean against it closing her eyes. Her best excuse as to why she and Tyler couldn't be had just left town with her ex-husband. How was she going to keep Tyler from pushing for more than their nights together now?