“You don’t have to come downstairs with me,” she said quickly.
“Actually, I do. I’ll get you a pass for the club.”
They stepped inside the elevator in unison. Tyler pushed the button for the ground floor. He braced his hands on his hips and watched the display count down, obviously ensuring that there was distance between them. He was just as obviously not giving her any more chances to annoy him.
He’d given it up.
Shannyn knew she should be glad, not disappointed. She’d stuck to the terms of their deal and convinced Tyler to do the same.
The funny thing was that she didn’t feel very triumphant. It was fun matching wits with Tyler, maybe because it made her feel like she was walking a tightrope, over a raging volcano.
Like she was living dangerously.
And that was the trouble. Shannyn had been going through the motions since the end of her marriage and Tyler had jolted her awake again. She was not going to say that the handsome prince had brought her back from the dead with a kiss. She was not going to go back for more and risk getting hurt all over again.
And there was no way Tyler was ever going to know how much of a difference this night had made to her.
Shannyn would just accept it as the gift it was—and move on.
It had been a long time since Ty had wanted to give any woman a shake. Who would have guessed that Shannyn Hawke would make his blood boil? She’d been cute. Romantic. Sweet. The sex had been amazing, which completely challenged his preconceptions of her.
But now she infuriated him, another surprise.
Worse, she seemed to enjoy it.
If Ty hadn’t known better, he’d have thought she was deliberately provoking him, but that made no sense at all. The simpler answer was that she really did hate him and that amazing sex hadn’t changed one thing. It had just been biological need.
He had a feeling, though, that simple answers had nothing to do with Shannyn.
Maybe it hadn’t been so amazing for her. He’d tried to ensure it, but he must have failed. If it had been as great for both of them, what sane human wouldn’t want more?
She might be annoying, but she wasn’t crazy. Then why? And why didn’t she think he was nice? Everyone thought he was nice. Ty had never felt so at a loss with a woman before. There was a piece missing in the puzzle that was Shannyn and Tyler needed to find it.
ASAP.
He glanced down at her, noting that she seemed oblivious to his presence. She was petite and unpredictable, outspoken—and utterly fascinating. She had a gorgeous toned body, but no one would have guessed it who hadn’t seen her naked. In fact, a casual passerby might not have been sure of her gender. Short hair, no make-up. She wore that huge black sweater that practically swallowed her whole. Her boots were plain and everything she wore was black—except for the silver ring on her left thumb.
He wondered whether she wanted to be overlooked.
Her face, though, obliterated any attempt to be ignored. She was gorgeous and if she’d made any effort to be feminine at all, she would have stopped traffic. Those thickly lashed blue eyes were mesmerizing, never mind the way they twinkled when she gave him a hard time. Those full lips, especially curved in a wicked smile, were the stuff of fantasies. Ty found himself reliving those slow hot kisses—and wanting another one.
The kicker was that he had no idea what she might do next—but he really wanted to know, and he wanted to be there when it happened. She had his undivided attention, and yet, she didn’t seem to want it.
Maybe it was novelty.
Maybe he was a bad negotiator—when it came to Shannyn.
Maybe he’d met his match.
No, no, no. Ty didn’t need or want a match. They had a deal and he should be glad that she was sticking to the terms, even that she was reminding him to stick to the terms. This was a good thing. There was no possibility of their fake date morphing into anything more. She wouldn’t become emotionally involved. She wouldn’t make demands or have expectations. He wasn’t going to get a call tomorrow that she’d accidentally forgotten something at his apartment and needed desperately to come over. Shannyn wouldn’t play those games. Their deal was logical and tidy and would work perfectly.
The strange thing was that Ty was getting exactly what he knew he wanted, and he didn’t like it at all.
He should just pick up another of those messages from Giselle to feel grateful for the situation. There was a reality check.
Instead, he took a deep breath and did his job.
“When do you want to come on Saturday to take the pictures?” he asked. “I can make arrangements to facilitate it.”
“You sound so official,” Shannyn said with a playful smile that made him want to kiss her again. Her eyes were sparkling and they were so blue. “Are we going to pretend we didn’t have sex?”
She was teasing him and even though Ty knew it, he couldn’t match her mood.
“I thought that was what you wanted.” He sounded irritable, which made him feel irritable. When had he last gone from feeling amazing to being so disgruntled?
“No further negotiation, then.” Shannyn nodded, frowning slightly as if she was serious. “Got it, boss man.”
Ty was surprised one more time. Did Shannyn want to make another deal? He couldn’t read her thoughts and that irked him. “I’ll send you a text about the wedding,” he said. “You’ll be able to text me back.”
“Great.” She fiddled with her camera, apparently unaware of his frustration.
Ty noticed that she didn’t agree to do anything. They stood side by side, both watching the numbers illuminate as the elevator descended. Shannyn’s serene expression was completely at odds with Ty’s mood.
Might as well give her the official tour. “You probably want to know a bit about the layout of the club,” he said. “Floors ten to fifteen are empty, and sixteen has only my place so far. We’re waiting on permits to build condominiums on the floors in between. The building’s footprint gets smaller at the seventh floor, so eight has smaller rooms for private instruction. Seven is for massage and smaller yoga classes.”
“What about nine?” Shannyn kept looking at her camera, which hid her face from him.
“Offices and storage. We’ll probably change things around for a more efficient layout, but I’ll guess that anything above seven isn’t of interest to you.” Ty didn’t wait for her to agree. “Five and six have gyms and workout rooms. Four has the weight rooms, showers, saunas, and locker rooms. The pools are on three, one deep for lap swimming, the other shallower and used for water aerobic classes. There are some other change rooms there. The second floor is small, because there’s a double-height ceiling over the lobby, and is pretty much taken up by the dance club. On the ground level behind the rock wall, there’s a gym with a high ceiling often used for basketball.”
“The elevators must get a workout.”
“The stairs are more popular. It’s a fitness club, after all.”
The elevator doors opened at the lobby and he gestured for her to step out first.
“Shops in the lobby,” Ty said, indicating them with a gesture. “We sell gear, clothes, books and instructional materials plus branded merchandise, and we have the largest rock climbing wall in Manhattan.”