She didn’t know if she’d be able to tell the difference right now.
A taut silence stretched between them, broken only when someone knocked at the apartment door. Even then, it took Tyler a few seconds to lift his hand to brush his fingers across her lips, making them tingle. Then he dropped his hand to brush across her nipples.
Kate silently congratulated herself for remembering to bring a bra that wouldn’t show her nipples every time they got hard, which was all the time around Tyler.
“I guess we should be going.” Tyler sighed. “Greg’s already worked himself up over this. He doesn’t need me to be late.”
She couldn’t imagine Greg getting nervous over anything. The man seemed perpetually relaxed. They’d had lunch with him around noon, after she and Tyler had finally rolled out of bed around eleven. He hadn’t seemed any different than he had last night.
But when they joined Greg in the hall to take the elevator to the fifth floor, she noticed a few cracks in his composure. His smile wasn’t as wide and he didn’t laugh as much.
Tyler kept up most of the conversation, though Greg did contribute. Kate listened, not really up on the current Hollywood gossip. She did recognize several names that made her shake her head in bemusement a few times. The circles Greg ran in were those that magazines like People and Entertainment Weekly made a living covering.
“You look beautiful tonight, Kate.”
Greg’s serious tone caught her attention just as they arrived at the entrance to a room she’d never been in before.
Smiling up at him, she noticed how his gaze traveled from her head to her toes and back up again. His smile held an appreciation she’d not seen there before.
A quick glance at Tyler showed no jealousy. “Thank you. And you look amazing. These people won’t know what hit them.”
Greg bowed his head then looked at Tyler with a raised brow, though he didn’t say anything. The men apparently knew each other well enough that they didn’t need words to communicate.
Kate wasn’t sure she wanted to know what they’d been thinking, especially if that look had anything to do with her.
As Greg pushed through the doors, she realized they weren’t the first to arrive. A few couples mingled at the bar on one side of the beautifully decorated room.
Less than half the size of the ballroom, this room had a breathtaking view of the atrium garden.
She knew Tyler had personally designed the indoor garden, so when he excused himself to handle a question from one of the staff, she wandered over to the glass wall.
Though it was still technically winter outside, the atrium burst with color. She had no idea what most of the plants were, but they looked tropical.
“You’d never realize Tyler had such a flair for the dramatic, considering how conservative the man appears.”
Startled, Kate looked up.
The man standing next to her had a slim build, fair hair, and a handsome face.
And a smile that made her think he had an ulterior motive for talking to her.
Before she could say anything, he stuck out his hand. “Mark Vasser. Nice to meet you.”
She took his hand with a smile. If this was a friend of Tyler’s, she didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot. “Kate Song.”
“Beautiful name. I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m certain I would have remembered. Where are you from, Kate?”
“Adamstown. And you?”
“Right here in Philadelphia. My family’s company is considering investing in Greg’s film. Do you know Greg?”
“Only casually. What business is your family in, Mr. Vasser?”
“His family enjoys eating up companies and spitting them out, doesn’t it, Vasser?”
Behind her, she felt the solid heat of Tyler’s body. Turning to look at him, she could tell he didn’t like the man standing in front of her.
Not that Tyler showed any outright disdain. His expression was pleasant, though he wasn’t smiling. But when he put his arm around her shoulder, she felt the stiffness in his body.
She took another, closer look at Mark. And knew there was something going on here that she had no idea about.
Tyler couldn’t believe the bastard had the balls to show up in his hotel.
But then Mark had always had enough bravado to get him through any situation. That had never bothered Tyler before. In fact, he’d admired the man for it.
But now, with Mark’s father pressuring Tyler’s father to sell the GoldenStar chain of hotels to him, it made him want to strangle the man.
Mark’s smile held only a trace of snark as they shook hands, though he watched carefully as Tyler tucked Kate into his side. She fit as if she belonged there and he had a momentary caveman moment when her arm curved around his back.
Which Mark didn’t miss, if Tyler read his grin correctly.
“Actually, our company gives options to corporations that have become bloated or have overextended themselves. We can buy the entire company or we can buy pieces.”
They were corporate raiders, in Tyler’s opinion. They came in and sold off bits and pieces of companies, no matter the cost to the individuals.
Which wasn’t exactly true or fair.
Tyler didn’t have a problem with Mark. The person he had an issue with was his own father. Mark just happened to be the nearest target at the moment.
“Well, that sounds like something that would go straight over my head.” Kate laughed, giving his waist a squeeze as if she thought he needed comfort. What he needed was her.
“In that case,” Mark said, “I’ll change the subject. How long have you and Tyler been seeing each other?”
“We’ve known each other for a few months,” Kate answered before he could think of what to say. He wasn’t sure what she’d want him to reveal. Which is how he knew his brain was totally messed up. “We met at the New Year’s Eve party.”
“Lucky man. I was at that party. Too bad I didn’t see you first.”
“I wasn’t exactly looking for a man that night. Tyler happened to be too interesting to ignore.”
“Interesting, huh?” Mark’s grin widened. “Now I really am fascinated. You’ll have to tell me more about it after our meeting next week, Tyler.”
He bit back what would have probably been a profane and anatomically impossible suggestion. “I doubt we’ll have time then. I’ll see you around, Vasser.”
Mark nodded, his expression still cocky, but Tyler knew he should cut the guy some slack. It wasn’t his fault Tyler’s father was playing head games to get what he wanted.
With Kate tucked to his side, he made his way across the room to a quiet corner where he tried to stuff all those out-of-control emotions back into a deep hole. He didn’t want to think about business now. He had Kate for the weekend and he didn’t want anything to screw with that.
“Tyler, is everything okay?”
He didn’t want to lie to her, but there were too many ears listening to anything he might say.
“I’m sorry, Kate.”
“For what?”
“For Vasser dragging you into the middle of business.”
Her eyes widened. “That was business?”
He gritted his teeth. “That was an ambush.”
She paused. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” Grimacing, he shook his head. “Not now.”
With a sigh, he raised a hand to run it along her hair hanging in a sleek sheet down her back. Just the feel of it against his skin managed to calm him.
Probably didn’t want to think about that too closely.
“And I’m sorry again. Kate.” He waited until she looked up at him, dark eyes solemn, then he leaned down to speak into her ear. “I can’t get into it now. And tonight, I plan to devote to enjoying you. But I promise I’ll explain. Later.”