Read Online Tell Me You Love Me by Kayla Perrin - Free Book Online Page B

handle and opened it. If he continued to sit here and think, he would talk himself right out of going upstairs to see her.
    Sheldon hopped out of his Ford Explorer and started for Tyanna’s low-rise apartment building. In the lobby, he hit the code for her unit. Tyanna buzzed him up without speaking into the intercom.
    Sheldon took the stairs two at a time to her third-level apartment, but paused before opening the door to the hallway. He blew out a quick breath, then swung open the door and stood in front of Tyanna’s end unit. He was about to knock when the door opened.
    Tyanna smiled up at him. “Hey.’’
    His shoulders drooped, the fight going out of him. Damn, if she was going to look at him like that, it was going to be near impossible to keep his mind off sex.
    “Hi.” Suddenly nervous, he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “See, I told you I’d be quick.’’
    “Guess you didn’t run into any traffic.’’
    “Not at this time on a Sunday evening.’’
    “Well.” Tyanna stepped backward. “Come in.’’
    Sheldon stepped slowly into the apartment. He glanced around, looking for signs of change. It was pretty much the way he remembered it. A variety of shoes were scattered near the doorway, and looking further into the living room, Sheldon could see a pile of clothes in one corner that no doubt needed to be laundered.
    Some things never changed. Tyanna was a sweetheart, but she wasn’t the tidiest person around. Whenever he teased her about that, she always told him that in Florida, an apartment was just a place to shower and sleep. There was so much to do outdoors that she couldn’t be bothered with beautifying the inside of her place.
    Not that it was a complete mess, but…well, she wouldn’t win any Martha Stewart awards.
    “That’s new,” Sheldon said, pointing to a painting on a nearby wall. It was a watercolor of a beach, with palm trees and seashells and a lone sailboat in the distance.
    “Yeah.” A smile touched Tyanna’s lips. “I painted it when I was on the cruise ship.’’
    Sheldon’s eyes bulged as he stared at her. “ You ?”
    She placed both hands on her hips and replied, “Yes, me. You don’t have to act so shocked.’’
    Shaking his head, he chuckled softly. “Guess that shouldn’t surprise me. What job haven’t you done?” She’d worked a stint as a chef, as a fundraiser for a local charity foundation, a waitress, a personal trainer. “Wait a second—did you say a cruise ship?’’
    “Yep.”
    “Business or pleasure?”
    “I was working.’’
    “You don’t slow down, do you?’’
    “Why? So much to do, so little time.” She paused, then said, “After you left, I got a job as a bartender on a cruise ship. I figured I should see more of the world. I did that for six months.’’
    She didn’t have to say that she’d needed to get away because of the heartbreak he’d caused her. “Where did you travel?’’
    “All over the Caribbean. It was fun for a while, but one day I woke up and realized that I needed to move on.’’
    “And you just felt inclined to start painting one day?’’
    “One of the other bartenders on the ship was an artist. He taught me some of the basics.’’
    “He?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    Sheldon could just imagine the kind of basics this guy tried to teach her, and it wasn’t a thought that sat well with him. He stared at Tyanna, waiting for more. But she remained tight-lipped. Shit, she wasn’t going to offer him any more details. But what did he expect?
    “Basically,” Tyanna continued, “I was just fooling around. Something to pass the time. Believe itor not, it can get boring when you’re staring out at water.’’
    “With all the excitement cruise ships are known for?’’
    “Mmm hmm.’’
    What else had she done to pass the time on that ship? he wondered. And did it include painter-boy? He almost asked her, but as the words were on his tongue he realized how pathetic he would sound prying. Instead, he