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“Thirty-five?” I clarify.That is older than me.“And your wife?” I ask tentatively, because he doesn’t wear a wedding ring. There isn’t even a tan line. He also acts like he is single, but you never know these days, and before I get too close to him, I should actually find out that small fact.
“I got Connor’s mom pregnant in high school whenwe were both teens. We decided to keep the baby. A few weeks after he was born, she skipped town, and I haven’t seen her since.”
While he shares his history, I can see his body tighten. He isn’t overly comfortable or happy about the topic. My heart hurts for him because I can’t imagine what that would have been like.
“Her loss,” I toss out to him as I continue to eat, and the question about his age pulses in my brain. I’ve never dated an older man. Never really spent any time with someone who was decades older than me. I am not sure how many men my age would actually assist me as much as Tanner has today. It could be the small-town way, or it could be the Tanner Whiteman way. Who knows. All I know is that it feels nice being around him. Not forced, not fake, not mindless small talk. As I take another bite of pasta, I can feel him looking at me.
“What about you?” he asks tentatively, and I look up, meeting his deep-brown eyes.
“No kids,” I say, smiling, trying to lighten the mood, and his lips quirk.
“Married?” he asks, and I swear I see him holding his breath.
“Nearly. Caught my fiancé Josh sleeping with his colleague. Then I lost my job, and to top it all off, I received a letter that my long-lost auntie had died. It’s been a hell of a year so far,” I tell him honestly. We are both sharing our dirty laundry and getting it out in the open. It is refreshing. When I used to meet men in the city, I found that everyone would cover up their little redflags in order to meet someone nice. Dating in New York is a dog-eat-dog world at times.
“His loss,” he mumbles, throwing my own words back at me. We smile at each other just as my cell rings, and I grab it from nearby.
“Speak of the devil…” I reject his call, frowning as I notice another five from today alone.
“Is he harassing you?” Tanner asks, sitting up taller, clearly not happy about something. His chest is broad, his muscles defined, and I lick my lips.God, this man is good-looking.
“Just another man who doesn’t take the word no very well,” I say, clearly teasing him, and his brow only deepens, so I clarify. “It is fine. He will stop eventually.”
Tanner grabs my bowl and continues to surprise me as he cleans up the kitchen, washes the dishes, and wipes the counters. I start to assist, but my cut pulls a little and I wince, which earns me a growl and another scowl from him, making me stay put.
“Put my number in your cell, in case you need help again, and yours in mine.” He hands me his phone, and I look at it, then back at him, my eyes wide. One, I am pissed off that he thinks I can’t handle myself. But two, it is a move that surprises me. Josh never let me near his phone, always said it was an invasion of privacy. I guess now I know why. He probably had so many girls' phone numbers in it that he didn’t want me to see.
“I will be completely fine on my own, but in caseyouneedmy help,I will add it.” I take his phone and add my details, sending myself a text so I have his details too. He smirks, seemingly finding me humorous.
“Call me for anything. I will be here quicker than anyone else,” he reiterates, and I swallow past a lump in my throat. Where the hell did this man come from? So full of concern. I watch him in awe before a yawn breaks out just as he finishes cleaning up.
“You need to sleep,” he says, again telling me what to do, but I don’t have the energy to argue anymore.
“Yeah, it’s been a big day,” I agree, starting to feel my eyelids become heavy.
“I’ll help you upstairs and then lock up the house behind me. Kevin will be here before school, at around eight.”
“Okay. That would be great. Thank you.” I’m a little bamboozled by it all. He is doing so much. I have never had this level of support before. I mean, Fiona was great with wine nights, and I miss my mother dearly, but this is on an entirely new level.
We remain quiet as he picks me up and takes me up the stairs. His hands are warm, firm, and comforting. Sighing, I relax in his arms. I am not sure if it is my imagination, but I think I feel his thumb rub my upper back a little, and I look up at his face, seeing him already looking at me. We stare at each other for a moment, our eyes searching each other’s as he comes to a stop.
“We’re here,” he says quietly, but my breathing has all but stopped as I look at his lips, then flick my eyes back to his. He hasn’t lowered me, and I haven’t made a move either, my hands still wrapped around his shoulders. My tongue darts out to moisten my dry lips, and I see his jaw pop as his eyes follow the movement. But then he’s straightening and lowering my feet to the floor. Heartracing, I turn to say something to him, but he is already out the door. I stand, waiting as I hear him downstairs, and then his footsteps come back up and he walks back into my room with my cell phone and charger, a glass of water, painkillers, and my sketchbook.
“Need anything else?” he asks, and wide-eyed at his action, I shake my head.
“Thank you, Tanner. Really,” I tell him, feeling breathless. He nods once, his eyes on mine for another moment.
“Good night, Victoria,” he says, and I watch him swallow roughly.
“Good night,” I whisper to him, and he turns, walking out the door. I slowly lower myself to sit on the edge of the bed, listening to him closing and locking the door as he said before his truck starts up outside.
It is only then that I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding, and I fall back onto the bed. Closing my eyes, I instantly dream of a tall, dark-haired grumpy man.
17
TANNER
I’m trying to work, my paperwork pile now sky-high and my emails coming in thick and fast, but every time I blink, all I see is her perfect body. Her peaches-and-cream skin, her pink cheeks, her curves, the tease of her black panties under that short robe. I couldn't sleep all last night, checking my phone every hour in case she needed me. I didn’t even want to leave her. I had to force myself to walk out of her bedroom last night, because the way she was looking at me, coupled with the way I feel about her, I didn’t trust myself, and I don’t want to take advantage of her. But I struggled with that decision all night.
