He gave me a knowing smirk at my open perusal, but I just prayed he couldn’t tell what my mind was saying. “You got a little blush going on, Kenny.”
Kenny.The most unsexy nickname ever. That got my words going again and I shrugged. “Eh, you have an impressive upper body.”
“I’ve got an even better lower body,” he quipped and immediately blanched. “Shit, that just came out. I didn’t mean—I wasn’t—I can’t turn it off sometimes.”
“Settle down. It’s fine. I’ve seen a lot of half-naked dudes. It’s not that big of a deal. Yours just surprised me, that’s all.” I smoothed my extra-large shirt and tried to pull it down past my stupid short shorts I wore to bed. “So, Casanova, did you have ahappynight?”
He snorted, breezed past me into the kitchen and returned with a mug of black coffee. He could’ve sat on any of the spots available in their living room, like the recliner, or the love seat. Instead, he sat on the cushion next to me and spread his legs so they almost touched mine. I ignored the swooping of my belly at how close his tan skin was, or how his bedhead and sleepy eyes made him dangerously attractive. He yawned, leaning back onto the cushion and gave me a lazy smile. “I did have ahappynight. Thank you for asking.”
“I’m friendly like that.”
“You weren’t friendly walking Mia out of the door.” He glanced at me over the mug, laughter dancing in his eyes.
“Incorrect. I was the friendliest. I offered her coffee, to go, but I didn’t like the way her eyes lit up when she asked me about you. It gave me the creeps, like she wanted to get dirt on you, and I was not about to help with that. No, sir.” I pursed my lips, shaking my head with overdramatic flair. He chuckled, his entire body moving with the motion, and it took a lot of effort to not stare at his abs.
“You’re like my mini bodyguard.”
I held up my fists and kissed my left biceps, then my right. “I am tough.”
He loved my response and threw his head back, cackling too loud for the early morning. When he finished, his stare got serious and he directed those warm brown eyes at mine. He reached over with his free hand and squeezed my shoulder. His warmth traveled down my arm to my fingertips. “Thank you.”
His tone told me more than the words and a heavy feeling began my chest. Vulnerable. Tanner was someone who didn’t show weakness and he’d let me be a part of just a sliver of it. “You’re welcome. What are roomies for?”
I said the right thing to defuse whatever mood our unsaid words had built. He glanced from my face to the table a couple of times before he blessed me with his dimples. Leaning forward, he snatched the legal pad before I gathered what was happening. “Wait, no. No!”
He set his mug down, holding the paper out of my reach, and read my list out loud. “Schedule times for all school work. Get student ID. This is fucking adorable.”
“Give me my list, asshole.” I set my mug down in a hurry, the contents spilling over the sides, and jumped onto his lap, stretching to grip the edges of the paper, but I couldn’t do it. “Damn it, Tanner. You weren’t supposed to see that!”
“Hang out with Greta. My god, this is so nerdy.” He laughed, a full belly laugh, and held me at bay easily with his other hand. “Have fun at first college party and forget Sean. Wait, who’s Sean?” His tone got serious and he look me in the eyes with nothing but concern.
“My ex-boyfriend.”
“What do you need to forget him?”
We both seemed to forget I was straddling him, my thighs placed over each one of his large ones, the heat from both our bodies combining into a dangerous shift of energy. He stilled, dropping the paper onto the couch and removing me from his lap in one swift motion. He swallowed hard, gritted his teeth and let go of me like I’d caught fire.
My heart beat in my throat. His hands on my hips made my knees weak. He had an innate strength I wanted to spend hours exploring, but it would never happen. Not with his future in the MLB in the way and mine just starting. Not with my lack of experience and his expertise. It couldn’t be, but that didn’t get rid of the want or the lust I had for him. Desire coursed through my blood at a disarming rate and it took more effort than I cared to admit to talk in a normal voice. “Don’t steal my shit again.”
For good measure, I picked up the pad and swatted him with it. He didn’t react, just stared at the blank TV for a solid ten seconds before meeting my eyes. “Why do you need to forget about Sean?”
I fought not to scoff. “He was a shitty boyfriend.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“What? No, not anything like that,” I replied, the warmth of his protective tone pleasing me. “He said and did all the right things to get what he wanted, so he called it quits after prom. Said it wouldn’t do any good to try something we’d know would fail once we went to college.”
He pressed his lips together, to the point they turned white, and cracked the knuckles on his right hand. “He slept with you and left? What a fucking asshole.”
My face burned red, and I was stuttering and hoping like hell I could figure out how to change the subject. “No-no, he didn’t-it wasn’t…you know, yeah. We fooled around for about a month and he got bored. Told me I worked too much, spent too much time at the hospital and lacked spirit in the bedroom. He was a fucking asshole but…”
I paused. Tanner breathed a little heavier and had a dangerous glint in his eyes. “It wasn’t a big deal to me. I didn’t cry. I didn’t react. I just said whatever and walked away. I’ve always felt like my life would start in college and he was never going to be in it. I became a little numb after the diagnosis. It was the only way to deal with all the pitying looks and questions. Where Aaron exploded on the outside, I imploded.”
I shrugged, alarmed at how easily the words flowed from me. My school counselors, my close acquaintances from class and even my fellow waiters at the restaurant had tried to get me to open up, but the words had never come…until now. I let out a nervous laugh that bordered on hysterics. “I don’t know why I told you all that.”
The intensity on his face disappeared in an instant and an almost tender expression replaced it. He gave me a proud smile. “Thanks for sharing it with me. I’ll make sure to keep it and your list our little secret.”
“Ugh.” I held it tighter against my chest. “So, do I still get a tour today? I don’t have get a tour on my list, but I’d like one anyway.”
