Who’s Ambar?If she was drunk, Tanner wouldn’t sleep with her.What if he kissed her though? Or they did this morning? She was wearing his shirt…
It doesn’t matter.Nope.I finished the rest of the cereal and set the bowl in the sink. Then Tanner stepped outside, looking all sorts of tempting in an old pair of jeans and a freshly cleaned baseball tee. The air crackled between us in the morning haze. My breath caught in my throat and even the player appeared lost.
“Morning, TJ,” I managed to say in an even voice. “You look ready for the day.”
“How are you?” he asked, moving a couple of steps toward me so he was up in my face. It was hard not to stare at the stubble lining his jaw, the curve of his lips that I knew tasted like forbidden lust or the way those dark brown eyes clouded with uncertainty.
“Experiencing my firstrealhangover.” I gave a weak smile, which he returned, and I ran my free hand through my hair. I’d left it down, the wild curls going in every direction, and made my move to get us back to normal. “I’m real glad you and Aaron owe us breakfast. This cereal did not do the trick.”
“They say greasy food helps.”
“You feel fine, don’t you?” I pointed my finger at him, annoyed at his grin. Only he could be cocky about not being hungover. “Jerk.”
“I didn’t drink much. I wanted to make sure you had a good time.”
Uh oh.My stomach did that swoopy thing again, but I shut down the thoughts that would surely follow. I swore his eyes heated when his gaze moved to my lips, but I was sure I’d imagined it. “I had a great time.”
“Good.”
Cool, we sounded like junior high kids trying to flirt. He was working on saying something, with the way he kept clearing his throat and glancing back at the kitchen and my face, but he didn’t get the chance. Zade, Aaron and Greta burst through the door. “Let’s go, assholes. If I’m buying breakfast, I don’t want to wait any longer,” Aaron barked.
That was our cue. I followed them to my brother’s car and jumped into the back seat—Greta called shotgun so that meant I got the bitch seat between two large athletes, Zade to my left, Tanner my right. Their thighs touched mine, their body heat traveling straight up to my core, making me sweat.
Greta rambled on about something, making everyone laugh, but I couldn’t focus. Tanner adjusted his position so his arm went around the back of the headrest behind me. That put his incredibly strong biceps centimeters from my face. I gulped. I swore he heard me, because he brought his fingers to my ear and ran them down my neck.What the fuck?
The car fell silent, and I feared that everyone knew about the kiss Tanner and I had shared. They knew and were going to laugh. But Tanner let out a deep chuckle that sent a warmth through my body, from my head to my toes. “I think Kenny is more hungover than she thought. She’s not able to speak and looks a little sweaty.”
“Girl, I tell your brother all the time, cereal is not the move the morning after.” Greta spun around in the front seat with a pitying glance. “Hold tight. We’ll be there soon.”
Zade patted my arm and handed me a piece of gum. “This will help.”
How cute. They all thought my struggle was from drinking too much. I snuck a glance at Tanner and regretted it. He damn well knew I wasn’t hungover like they assumed. His eyes danced with humor, his lips were pursed and he had a ridiculous, smug expression that lit me up.Okay, asshole. Game on.
“Yeah, can we roll the windows down?” I made my voice shake and leaned all the way over Tanner, my entire upper body pressed against his. He turned into a fucking brick, unmoving and stiff. I wiggled against him, moving my hand to his chest so I could balance myself.Mistake, abort mission.His toned pecs tightened against my hand and my instinct was to lick him.Not the right move. Get back in the game, Kenzie.I collected myself and said, “I might—I could get sick.”
“Fuck, come on, Kenzie. Don’t do this in my car,” Aaron said, more annoyed than concerned. He sped the car and rolled the window all the way down so the fresh air hit my face. I turned just enough for Tanner to make eye contact, and I winked.
His reaction was priceless. He tightened his jaw to the point I swore his teeth ground and he tightened his grip on me. We spoke unsaid dares with our eyes, his glowing with the challenge. It went on like that for a full minute before Aaron veered into a parking lot and stopped without warning. “Get out!”
I crawled over Tanner, making sure to touch him as much as I could, before opening the door and putting my hands on my knees. “Go ahead and get a table. I’ll be inside in a bit.”
Aaron patted my head once before following my order, but my plan backfired. Tanner put one of his large hands on my back and rubbed. “I supplied her with the beer. I’ll make sure she’s okay and come in with her.”
“Thanks, man,” my brother said, completely unaware of the sick game we’d started in the car.No, it started last night when he kissed me.
That left Tanner and me alone, in the parking lot of a rundown diner everyone insisted was the best place in our college town for hash browns. The bell of the door echoed as Zade slipped inside and it was then I stood, a smile on my face. “How noble of you, to make sure I’m okay when you damn well know I’m fine.”
“My thoughts aren’t noble right now, Kenzie. Trust me.” He moved his hands from my back to my neck, taking his time caressing me there before tilting my chin up to him. I thought he might kiss me again and I admit I wanted him to. Ambar chick or not, his kisses could change the world. A wave of disappointment crashed through me when he used his lips for words instead. “We need to talk about that kiss.”
Chapter Ten
Tanner
Since high school, every time I said the wordswe need to talk, the lady would gulp and say just about anything to please me. It was still the truth. Cleat chasers had started going after me when I’d made the news at fourteen after hitting two homeruns against a senior, and dealing with them and everything they entailed had become a game I’d learned to play.Don’t anger them, but don’t make promises.I was nicer than Aaron, with his disgruntled female fans who wanted to get revenge, and I couldn’t recall a woman hating me after I’d ended the one-night, maybe two-night, relationship. Because that was what I did. My world was baseball, ensuring my mom and brothers’ safety and whatever time I had left was for fun. But that kiss with Kenzie had snuck in and I wanted to clear more room for it.
I repeated the words, slower this time. “We need to talk.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled mint. “No, I don’t think we do.”
