I looked at my cousin, and the protective look on his face probably would have scared most men.
Luckily, I wasn’t most men.
I didn’t really owe him any kind of explanation, but I could see no reason to bullshit him or not tell him the truth.
Tanner was, in fact, my blood, and I knew that he’d been watching out for Lauren for years.
For some reason, the fact that he’d always looked out for Lauren made me want to be straightforward with him.
“We didn’t really know each other until she helped me out when I was sick with the flu,” I explained gruffly. “She was nice to me. I decided I wanted to get to know her better.”
Tanner frowned. “How much better? I have a feeling you’re only here tonight because Lauren’s here. You’ve never bothered to show up at any of our Mug And Jug gatherings before.”
I knew what was happening.
The two of us were sizing each other up.
Tanner was looking for my motives, and I was trying to decide just how much I really wanted to share with my cousin.
“It’s not exactly comfortable for me to get out and about in town,” I said reluctantly.
“I get that,” Tanner replied earnestly. “There’s a shitload of gossip in this town, and I hate it for you and Asher. I’d probably avoid it if I were in your position, too. I figure you must have found some kind of motivation to be here tonight.”
I shrugged. “I wanted to take Lauren out for dinner at Charlie’s, so I agreed to show up here afterward with her.”
Tanner shot me an empathetic gaze. “Has it really been that bad? I know some people are assholes, but there’s a lot of good people here who don’t believe the old stories.”
I thought about his question before I finally answered. “Not as bad as I thought it would be.”
Surprisingly, I was telling my cousin the truth. I’d gotten some strange looks from some, but others had been nice, and no one had dared to call me a murderer to my face.
“It will take a while,” Tanner said. “But the gossip will eventually fade away once people get used to seeing you around again. Most sensible people know that you and Asher didn’t kill your father.”
I raised a brow. “Including you?”
Tanner nodded. “Including all of your family here. None of us ever believed it. However, that doesn’t mean that I trust you to date a woman who’s like a sister to me. If you hurt her, things are going to get ugly.”
The warning was issued in a calm voice, but the look on Tanner’s face was ominous.
“We’re not dating,” I said unhappily. “We’re getting to know each other. I don’t date and I don’t do relationships. Even if I wanted that, I don’t think she’s interested. I think she wants to be friends.”
Tanner chuckled. “That must suck when you’re attracted to her.”
“What makes you think that?” I said defensively.
Tanner swallowed a slug of his beer before he answered. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the way that your eyes keep looking around the room to find her. I do the same thing with Hannah when we’re in the same room. I’m a guy, Cole. I recognize what attraction looks like in another male.”
“I’m not a player,” I said tersely. “I don’t play with women’s emotions, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had any kind of arrangement with a woman who just wanted physical gratification without emotional entanglements.”
“Lauren is the kind of woman who can get under your skin,” Tanner warned. “She’s smart. She’s too damn sweet, but she’s also sassy when she needs to be. Keith was my best friend from the time we were kids. I’m going to protect her when I need to, Cole.”
“Is that another warning?” I asked irritably.
Tanner stroked his jawline. “I want Lauren to be happy. I have no idea why she hasn’t already found the right man. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to scare the right guy away.”
I shook my head. “I’m not that guy.”
“She seems to like you,” he mused. “You seem to like her, too. I just want to make it clear that if you mess with her emotions, I’ll have to hurt you, and that would be a damn shame since we’re just getting to know each other.”
