The fact Tyler lives in one of the most expensive parts of the city shouldn't surprise me, nor does the fact that we're riding a private elevator to his penthouse.

Yet, this is another reminder that no matter how much I try to ignore it, he's not just a regular guy.

The elevator doors open directly into his place, and I feel his eyes on me as we step into the marbled entry foyer. Unlocking the double-door entrance, he ushers me inside with a smile.

His place is warm but luxurious, of course. Perched on the highest floor, the view of the city is magnificent. The glass curtain walls, high ceilings, and clearly custom-designed furniture transform the apartment into a palace.

Amidst all the extravagance—antique rugs laid over hardwood floors and breathtaking artwork on the walls—personal pictures are scattered throughout the living room, adding a sense of normalcy to such an opulent place.

"You said you just moved in?" I walk to the fireplace, admiring the pictures of him with whom I assume is his family.

"My grandfather bought me this place when I was twenty-one. Here's a picture of him." He points to a photo of an elderly couple. "My grandmother helped me get it set up like this, but I've never lived here before."

I turn to him, finding his eyes on the pictures. "Why not? This is a great place."

"I never really felt like I belonged here, you know?" His eyes meet mine, something unspoken passing between us.

"Oh?"

"Yeah..." He places the chocolate mousse we got from the restaurant on a coffee table before walking over and grabbing my hand. "Help me choose a bottle of wine." He guides me to an impressive glass-enclosed, temperature-controlled wine cellar.

"Wow." I allow my eyes to roam over the bottles. "You're really trying to wine and dine me, huh?" I look at him, and he tilts his head to the side.

"Maybe..." He grins, and I shake my head as I pick a Cabernet Sauvignon that costs more than what I make in a week.

"Here." I pass him the bottle. "This is a full-bodied yet fruit-forward wine, so it will match the intensity of the dark chocolate."

Holding the wine with one hand, he uses the other to grab my waist and pull me to him. "I love that you know all about drinks, you know?" He lets out a charming smile that goes straight to my heart.

"You're such a sweet-talker," I smirk, making him chuckle.

"Come on, let's grab some glasses and go back to the living room," he says, his eyes dancing with humor.

As Tyler opens the wine, I go to the window, watching the city spread out before me with no obstructions. A moment later, he's handing me a glass.

"Is it weird that you're this famous MMA fighter I've never heard of before?" I take a sip of my wine, watching him open the plastic container with our desserts.

"It's definitely refreshing." His lips curl into a smile as he offers me one.

We eat our dessert in silence, both of us admiring the view of the city. After a moment, a thought crosses my mind. "Is that why you wanted to go out with me? Because I didn't know who you were?" I take a deep breath, feeling my cheeks flush. We come from totally different worlds, so a wave of insecurities invades my heart. Why would he even want to go out with me?

Tyler's eyes meet mine, his smile fading into a frown. "No. I simply couldn't get you out of my mind since that first day we met." He motions for me to sit on the large brown leather sofa.

"I just... Look at all this." I open my arms, feeling a bit suffocated by all the luxury surrounding us.

"This..." He joins me on the sofa, looking around for a second before bringing his eyes to mine. "This is not who I am."

"You don't get it, Tyler." I put my wine and dessert down on the coffee table. "I work at a freaking bar. My whole place might fit in one of your bathrooms. And you... You drive expensive cars and live in a penthouse."

"Is your worth based on what you own?" He puts his wine and mousse down on the coffee table too, his eyes locked with mine. "Because I haven't owned anything until my parents adopted me and introduced me to clean clothes and a hot meal when I was ten." He shakes his head, and my jaw drops in surprise.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..." I let out a quick breath, my hands touching his cheek so he's looking at me. God, I had no idea he was adopted, nor that he had such a hard childhood.

"Fuck! I hate the pity in your eyes."

"No kid should have to go through a bad childhood." I caress his cheek, and he lets out a humorless chuckle.

"Bad was an understatement, babe." He holds my hand, our fingers entwining. "My biological mom died when I was three. After that, my life just..."

"You don't need to explain yourself." I squeeze his hand, and a ghost of a smile touches his lips.

"Why did you want to go out with me? You're clearly not impressed with me or my job, nor with my place or my money." He searches my face with his vivid brown eyes, holding me captive with a single look.

"I..." My eyes close at the intensity of his gaze. I'm impressed with the man he is. But I can't help but feel intimidated by his money. I'm just getting used to the fact he's a fighter, and I guess all this luxury is throwing me off a bit.

"Look at me." He cups my face, leaning closer enough for his nose to touch mine. "Am I alone here? You don't feel this connection between us?"

Unable to lie, I lick my now dry lips. "No... You're not alone. I just..."

"Just?" He brushes his lips against mine before pulling away to look at me.

"I have no idea who you are and we've just met. I shouldn't want you this much, right?" I swallow past the lump in my throat.

Looking away, I take a deep breath. I've been on my own for so long, having to make sure I didn't crumble under the hand I was dealt, that I've learned that no matter how great my friends are, all I have is me at the end of the day.

I had to learn how to play it safe to protect myself.

And Tyler is anything but safe.

"Babe." His hand slides down to my nape, his thumb caressing the sweet spot behind my ear. "I've wanted you since the first time I laid my eyes on you."

And that's the thing. He's a man and virility pours off of him in spades. Of course, he'd want us to sleep together. But me? I'm already lost in his spell and could easily see myself falling for him.

"You've just got divorced." I clear my throat, putting some distance between us so I can think straight. "We should talk about that at some point."

"What do you want to know?" He brushes the back of his fingers down my cheek before pulling away and adjusting himself on the seat so he's fully facing me.

Everything. I think to myself. "How long were you two together?" I ask instead.

"I met Cristy about four years ago. I was twenty-five at the time, and she was twenty-seven. We were not looking for anything serious, so we were on and off for a year. At some point in our relationship, we became good friends, and then we were together for good the following year. She's British and wanted to be based here permanently, so we took the next step in our relationship and got married after those two years together." He shrugs, easily opening up about his past.

"So you two got married because she wanted a green card?" I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"Not really." He smiles. "We liked each other and thought it made sense at the time..."

"And when did it start not making sense?" I say, too curious to care if it's inappropriate to ask this or not.

"So. we were married for a year. But at some point, I realized we were basically living in different places. I can count on one hand the number of times we saw each other before we decided to get a divorce last year." He gives me a small smile and I notice there's no resentment or anger when he talks about his ex.

"Why was that?" I grab my glass of wine, taking a sip as I study him.

"She was one of the most in-demand models in the world and worked nonstop. Then she retired six months after we got married and opened some other businesses. I have also pretty much focused on my career since I started fighting, so..." He shrugs, looking down for a second.

"Oh..." My heart squeezes tightly in my chest. I don't know what I was expecting to hear, but that was not it. Tyler talks about his ex fondly and I can't help but feel a little jealous. I sense there's obviously a lot more to their story, but what he says makes me pause. They both wanted to get married but, apparently, neither of them was willing to put a lot of effort into making it work.

Does that mean he's ready to move on? Or am I just a rebound?

I'm about to ask him that when he speaks. "We're still friends, though. We were just not made for each other, I guess."

"I see." I force a smile out of my lips. My mind is racing with curiosity to google this woman, so I opt to change the subject. "You said you've been fighting nonstop. When is your next fight?"

"Uh, six weeks." He lets out a short breath, his eyes searching mine. I confess learning he'll be fighting so soon makes me a little anxious. I don't know how it all works, but if I want to keep seeing him, I guess this is something I'll need to get familiar with.

"Wow!" I take another sip of my wine. "Can you tell me more about it?"

"I'll be defending my title in Vegas. For now, my training routine is pretty much simple, but two weeks before the fight is when I start camp, so things get more intense," he explains and something on my face must show my awareness of him fighting because he soon grabs my hand and pulls it to his lap. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"Have you ever got seriously hurt during a fight?" I study him, seeing the exact moment his eyes crinkle with humor.

"Not in a while." He reaches over and brushes his fingertips over my cheek, making me instinctively lean into his palm.

"Oh..." I clear my throat when he cups my cheek.

"I've never felt like this before," I hear him murmur as he pulls me into a kiss. A soft, melting, and thorough kiss that easily dominates me. That quickly puts me a bit more at ease.

"Tyler..." I whisper over his lips, my hands holding onto his shoulders.

His lids lower a fraction as he studies my mouth for a second before cupping my face and pulling away a little. "I have no idea how to do this, Andie. I have a lot of baggage and come from a world you might find different, but... I can't get you out of my mind and honestly, I don't want to."

"We've just met, Tyler..." I let out a long sigh, a lump rising in my throat as my hands slide from his shoulders to his chest. "And I'm... I'm afraid you'll break my heart."

With a caress of his thumb, he eases a lock of hair behind my ear. "That's the opposite of what I want, babe. All I'm asking is for us not to pretend that this connection is not here. Fuck if we've just met. We're two grown-ass people. We are the ones who get to decide how fast or slow to take this."

Speechless, I feel my cheeks flush as we stare at each other. His eyes are open and searching and my heart is shouting at me to give this a chance.

Leaning in, I close the distance between us by touching my lips to his and stealing a soft kiss. "Okay," I murmur, and he lets a low groan.

His hand cups the back of my head, and he kisses his way down my neck. I shiver in response, tilting my head to the side and wrapping my arms around his neck.

"God..." I murmur, already surrendering to him. There's something about the warmth of his big, hard body and the way he smells that quickly intoxicates me, making me easily fall under his spell.

"You smell so good," he whispers. "What time should I get you home?" He pulls away to look at me with so much longing in his eyes that it makes me smile. He's everything I never knew I wanted in a man.

"Why?" I ask, loving when he wraps his hands around me.

"I need to make you come one more time before you go," he whispers in my ear. 

_____

A/N: *clears throat* How are you enjoying Andie & Tyler's story so far?

Please remember to vote!

XOXO

Celeste