I knew Victoria would come looking for the hairpin. I'd seen her cherish it for years and last night when I'd seen her wearing it, I'd taken it off and slipped it into my jeans. She'd been too distracted by the sight of me to notice it gone.

I needed an excuse for Vicky dearest to come closer to me, even if it was just a little. Any type of invitation was likely to be rejected and I wasn't sure I enjoyed being rejected by anyone, especially not Victoria. Honestly, I didn't know any woman in my life who would ever say the word no to anything I asked for. Most of them were attracted to me, like a moth to a burning candle. When I say most women, I meant the ones who preferred dicks over vaginas.

The day I'd come back to Cold-Bay, I thought I would be content by just looking at Victoria, making sure she'd moved on with her life, thinking maybe Maya had exaggerated when she said she never saw Victoria hang out with any man other than Noah Fucking McCloy but there he was; with his perfect copper-gold hair and broad form flirting with her like it was so natural. From a ladies perspective, he did look like shiny gold coin fresh out of the treasure chest. He put Goldilocks to shame, our Noah.

I was aware I would see Victoria at Queer-Kevin's birthday party and apart from the drinks and the cake; she was the one I was most looking forward to. And honest to god, my expectations had been blown to bits. She used to have a fabulous body even for a teenager, (at least from a perspective of a hormonal seventeen-year-old boy) and now it was just fucking out of the world. Her little breasts were now full and her hips were having that delicious curve, her platinum blonde hair longer and thicker. The past decade had treated her well regardless of the fact that they were having financial crisis.

When I'd seen her talk to Good-boy-Noah at the party, when I'd seen her give him that smile and wrap her arms around him, something had gone off inside me and something else had turned on. The animal instincts that I'd buried for ten years had started to come alive. A piece of me that I'd shut was unlocked with one look from her. At this point, I didn't care if Good-Boy-Noah and Vicky were even dating, I could un-date them in a couple of days, tops.

All I needed was to check if Victoria was at least about ten percent interested in me, even five would be good. Five is still better than nothing at all and in order to find out about her feelings, I'd decided to trap her in the bathroom with me.

And yes, I'd seen that look in her stormy gray eyes.

She still wanted me the same way.

If there was one thing that I was great at other than giving orgasms and driving Supercars, it was to read people. I'd observed and learned behaviors by watching lots of movies and applying those formulas in real life. Mom had taught me how to differentiate from the right and the wrong. Normal people learned about social ethics as they grew older, they learned to differentiate between good and bad behavior.

To me, the lines blurred, and a lot of times I had the urge to do just the opposite.

But you know, Mom had told me that if the lines blurred one day and if I let those urges consume me, I'd be locked away. Worse case, executed. And in order for me to not succumb to my nature, I had to control these demons.

There was nothing in the world that the Lockharts' wanted and couldn't get, and so with the help of a few key people I'd tried to stay in line (as much as I possibly could).

My mother's voice reverberated in my mind every time I did something wrong.

'Tyler, honey, you're in control of who you are. Do not let these emotions consume you.' she said.

'Mom, I'm scared.' I sobbed as I pressed my hands to my ears. 'I don't want to become like Dad but...but I'm afraid I'm like him.'

'No, you're not.' She insisted, the silly woman. 'You're far stronger than Jasper will ever be. You're my son, you have a little of me inside you, sweetie.'

'And what's that?' I asked.

'Love, honey. You know how much I love you.'

'I have urges.' I shrieked.

'What kind of urges?'

'To kill someone,'

Mom didn't even flinch. Calmly she said. 'You won't do that, Ty. You won't hurt anyone. Promise me.'

And then I couldn't control myself as I'd started laughing, and I'd laughed so hard that I had tears in my eyes. 'Oh Mom, I was kidding.' I grinned. 'Victoria falls for this every time.'

Mom had given me a look of sympathy and said, 'I do hope that you're really joking, Tyler, because if it's real, only you can control yourself, and the man that you're about to become.'

'Oh, I'm looking into acting schools now. I'd make a great actor one day, what do you think?' I always dodged the actual subject by weaving a chain of lies. It kept me sane, joking and kidding about what was actually wrong with me.

She had given me the 'You-can't-bullshit-me' look before walking off.

"Tyler, are you even listening to me?" Victoria said coldly pulling me back to reality. "I said I'm going to your room to look for it."

I was fire and she was ice. We were so wrong for each other and yet we were meant to be.

I watched as she turned on her heels and left the room. I was left to admire her lovely backside as it swayed in her tight jeans; she walked to my room unguided just like old times. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, her loose shirt tucked in. Any other girl in my presence would want to impress me, but not Victoria. She looked at me like I was a fly in her bowl of cereal.

Can't say I hated that, in fact, quite the contrary.

I was a glutton for punishment. A sadist really, because I loved the look of pure hatred she was giving me. Hatred could also be a form of love, and I could be fucking delusional for thinking that.

I took the Python that was coiled around my neck and placed him back in my chair as I followed Victoria to my room. I stood in the doorway allowing her space to investigate to her heart's content, and she wasn't a disappointment, my Victoria. She knew me too well, so she wasn't leaving any leaf unturned.

I slowly closed the bedroom door behind me. She straightened up and turned. "What the fuck are you doing? Do not close the door!"

I wanted to make sure if she liked me if only just a little.

"Just making sure we won't be disturbed," I said with a smile.

And she gave me a look so filthy; I could have mistaken it for lust. "Keep the door open, you douche canoe!"

Yeah, she definitely loved me. Like a lot.

Tyler was seriously getting on my nerves. If he had matured even a little, the world would come to an end. When I'd started rummaging through his room for my hairpin, he'd slipped in behind me and closed the door.

I was more than a little pissed because now I was going to jail and I needed to call Archer to tell him to come and look out for Hazel. If I didn't find my pin by the end of the hour, the Lockhart's were losing their favorite heir and I knew that wouldn't bode well with Jasper Lockhart, might even do the family a favor. He'd come out of hiding as soon as he heard the news that his son was getting assassinated.

I looked over my shoulder to find Tyler standing there, leaning against the doorframe. Truthfully, he looked like a total meal. His dark hair was rumpled, a perfect contrast to his midnight blue eyes. I could see the outline of a set of very impressive abs and strong biceps underneath the clean white shirt, the few top buttons were undone and that delicious collarbone peeking out of it.

I know it was maddening, but I had a serious fetish for Tyler's collarbone and his strong hands and now that he was so much more mature, the old feelings were beginning to resurface.

"You'd probably want to wipe that droll off your face," Tyler said with a grin. "It's ruining my carpet."

I'd been staring for too long.

Shhiiiittt.

"I wasn't staring at you." I retorted, a blush creeping on my cheeks. "I was just making sure you weren't making a move on me while I wasn't looking."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. When I make a move on you, Victoria, you'd know about it."

"Where do you bring that confidence from?" I asked. "It's kinda getting on your nerves."

"Aw, aren't you a sweet liar?" He teased me. "I bet you're wet right now just talking to me."

"Ha! In your dreams!"

"Right, you are. Every single day. In my bed, writhing under me and moaning my name."

I sighed. "You're incorrigible."

My gaze flew to his dresser. I opened the top drawer to find his things all arranged in order. Then I proceeded to open the second one and saw more than two dozen expensive watches all lined up. Next came the ties, and below that, I daresay, his underwear all neatly arranged in different colors. I wondered which maid did this job and if she took extra time to organize this drawer. I wouldn't be surprised if she stole one or two.

When I'd successfully raided all the drawers, I moved to check under the pillows of his massive oversized bed that resembled a giant cloud. Under the bed I found several magazines.

Playboy. Each magazine had a naked woman posing on it.

I threw him a look, "Seriously?"

Tyler gave me an amused smirk, "I'm a twenty-seven-year old red-blooded male. What else do you expect to see in my room? Pokémon cards?"

I stashed the magazines where I'd taken them from. If I had to do a thorough search through his entire room, it would probably take me until dawn, or an entire day because there was no way I was going to be able to cover the room adjacent to this one that was filled with his things. Tyler knew that of course and he wasn't going to give up on this game not until I'd given him what he wanted.

"Give me my hairpin, Tyler. I'm done playing your silly games." I said folding my arms across my chest.

"I'll give you a clue. The hairpin is where your heart is."

"My heart? What are you even—" I stopped talking midsentence because I knew what he meant.

Slowly I walked to where he was standing. I looked up at him and tried not to feel intimidated by his towering height above six feet, "Raise your arms." I said.

He raised his arms to his sides and I placed both my hands on his chest, feeling the thick muscles under my fingers and the hard pecs through the thin fabric of his shirt. The scent of his perfume was enough to make me lose my senses. His eyes were boring into mine with such intensity, that I might have died if I kept staring into his gaze. My own breathing was getting out of control as my hands moved all over and around his body. My fingers could feel every inch, every ripple of his delicious body and it did nothing to stop the illicit images that were conjured up in my mind.

All of a sudden, Tyler caught my hand in his and brought it to his lips. A different man, a normal one would have kissed it. Not Tyler. His tongue darted out and he licked a lazy trail on my palm and then all over my knuckles and I realized he was breathing hard too like it was too much for him.

I whimpered but he took one of my fingers and sucked the tip. His warm mouth wrapped around my fingers was going to be the death of me, and he knew it. He sucked the life out of my fingers seductively and I didn't need to look down to know that he had a raging hard-on.

I pulled my hand out of his grasp like I'd touched a hot pan.

"Vicky..." He rasped. "Come to bed with me."

I almost laughed at the absurdity of his demand, and most importantly the nerve he had. Any other woman in my place would have started stripping her clothes right now and lied down in his bed without him asking a second time.

"Are you commanding me?"

"I'm asking you." He corrected.

"You know what, keep the hairpin with you, or throw it away. I don't care anymore."

He reached somewhere behind him and I wondered which other stunt he was about to perform when he produced the hairpin. I didn't want to know where he'd pulled it out from as long as I had the treasured possession in my palms.

"Thank you," I said taking it from him and started making my way out of the bedroom.

He'd kept the hairpin with him. Tyler was my heart, I used to say it years ago and he remembered. I'd always said that if I lost him, it would be like losing my heart too.

"We are not together." I reminded him in case it wasn't clear last night. "And we're not children anymore so stop messing with me. I won't play these games."

"Why haven't you married, Victoria?" He asked, completely ignoring what I'd just said.

"Is it so important to be married? I could ask you the same question. Why haven't you married yet, Tyler?"

He chuckled, picking up something from the top of the cabinet. A Hello Kitty keychain, the one he'd stolen from me when we were kids. I'd get to that story pretty soon. "You already know why I didn't get married."

Yes, I knew why.

"Like you have your reasons, I do too." I explained before this conversation strayed into dangerous territory.

"My reasons are pretty logical." He said in his defense.

"And mine are not?"

He smiled, amusement clear on his features. "I never said that, but you had a chance to get married. I'm sure Noah was panting after you to throw him a bone, and as far as what my memory serves me, you two got along really well."

I threw him a glare. What was he implying? Was that some kind of a jibe?

"It's my wish if I want to get married or not. Why are you trying to analyze each and every detail about my life like an old granny? And as if that's any of your business."

"If you don't have a boyfriend and you don't plan on getting a husband, why not allow me to take you to bed?" He asked me as casually as you would ask someone if they preferred their tea black or with cream.

"Because I don't want to?" I said sarcastically. "Have you heard of the words 'No, Nope or Nada?"

"Why?"

"You're so goddamn persistent!" I said. "No is a no. We're not friends now and I'm not going to be in your bed. Not now, not ever."

Tyler burst into a laugh, a soft masculine sound. "I was kidding, and you're twenty-seven now and you still fall for my jokes."

I rolled my eyes. "Because your jokes are lame."

Somehow it was hard to believe that he'd been joking about taking me to bed. Maybe he was testing my reaction.

Tyler sighed. "At least you could do me a favor."

"Sleeping with you would be doing you a favor?" My eyes probably the size of tennis balls now. "How about you do me a favor by keeping your mouth shut forever?"

"I really missed our friendly banter for the past ten years." He grinned, "what I mean is, I need a different kind of favor which doesn't include a bed, and only you can help me with it."

"And what's that?" I tapped my feet impatiently on the floor.

There was a mischievous look on his face.