Alpha Male Romance(82)

Now, as I stood in front of the full-length mirror, almost every piece of clothing I owned was piled onto my bed, and I still wasn't entirely satisfied with the way I looked. I told myself it was because I'd left most of my 'date' clothes back in Texas, knowing I’d go back for them if I decided to stay. I'd left them because I hadn't seen the point of bringing dresses I'd bought specifically for going out to fancy restaurants or clubs with Tanner – not to mention the sexier outfits I owned to mingle with other like-minded people at Black Masque – but now I was wishing I had something nicer than just a cute sundress.

Not that I didn't like the dress I was wearing now. It showed off my curves and the color made my eyes practically glow. With the right makeup, it didn't look too casual, but it was more the sort of thing I would've worn to a brunch or a day out, rather than dinner at what I assumed would be a nice restaurant.

As I brushed out my hair, I reminded myself that this wasn't an actual date. This was a dinner between friends. I had yet to decide if we'd go back to being anything else.

In fact, I suddenly thought, I'd even insist on paying for my half of the meal. That way it couldn't be construed as a date in any sense. I knew Tanner would argue with me about it, but I had a feeling he was trying very hard not to push while I figured things out, so I might be able to win in the end.

With that firmly set in my mind, I settled by the front window to watch for his rental car. I didn't want to go down early and risk running into X, but I also didn't want Tanner coming in and having to wait with X either. Instead, I waited until I saw the car pull up in front of the house, and then hurried downstairs. As I went past the second floor, I heard the muted sounds of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. That made things a lot easier.

Tanner was halfway up the walk when I came out, then stopped and waited for me to meet him.

“You look lovely,” Tanner said as he walked around the car to open the passenger side door. “I am allowed to say that, right?” He winked at me to show that he was, at least, half-kidding.

“Of course.” I gave him an easy smile back. “Compliments are always welcome.”

I slid into the passenger seat, grateful for the cool air keeping my legs and back from sticking to the leather seats. It wasn't as hot here as I was sure it was in Texas, but Philadelphia wasn't exactly Alaska when it came to summer heat.

“I'd never been to Philadelphia before today,” Tanner said as he closed his door. “New York, Chicago, DC, but not Philadelphia.”

“Are you thinking about branching out here?” I asked.

I didn't know a lot about Tanner's business, but that was because I had absolutely no head for business and Tanner didn't like talking about it. We'd decided early on in our relationship that we didn't want to be about business. He had money. I knew that, but I didn't care about it. Our relationship had never been about how much he had or how he got it. Sometimes I'd gone to parties or fundraisers with him, but that was about it. He knew that if he wanted to talk, I was there, and I knew he'd answer questions if I had them.

“That wasn't why I came,” he said with a glance toward me. “But if you decide you want to stay here...”

He left the sentence hanging, but I already knew what he would've said. If I wanted to stay here, but still wanted to be with him, he wouldn't make me choose. If I wanted to be with him, he would go wherever I wanted to be.

Well, at least that was one less thing I needed to worry about. Or, if I looked at it another way, it made my decision harder.

My head was starting to hurt.

First, I thought I needed to decide between staying in Philadelphia or going back to Texas. Then he'd shown up and said he wanted us to get back together. He was synonymous with Texas.

Or so I thought.

Now it wasn't about Texas and Tanner versus Philadelphia...and X. Tanner could be a part of my future, no matter where I wanted to go.

If I wanted him to be.

“Any place in particular you'd like to go?” Tanner asked. “A favorite restaurant?”

I gave him an incredulous look. “You think I've been doing nothing but cruising the city for the past two weeks?”

“You mean you and the soldier don't eat at the city's finest establishments?” The teasing tone was familiar and comfortable.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, Tanner, we go out every night.”

Tanner's expression sobered. “You've pretty much been stuck in that house since you got here, haven't you? I mean, I know you've never been one to go out a lot, but you have to be going stir crazy.”

I started to open my mouth to agree with him, but then it hit me. I actually hadn't thought much about getting out. I'd been so pre-occupied with taking care of X and making sure he was okay, that I barely noticed how long it'd been since I'd left the house.