Sliding her hand to his belly, she rode the ridges of his abdomen to his ribs and then drew her hand slowly back down.
Up and down. Up and down.
His breath hissed out. “You’re killing me.”
She turned her head. His eyes were dilated, shining hot with lust under the muted lights of the bar.
“Not yet.”
A tick appeared in his jaw when her hand slid close to his belt buckle. His jeans had to be tight, poor guy, but she wasn’t backing down. She half expected him to stop her, but he surprised her. He pulled her closer, one arm still twined around her shoulder while the other stroked her belly. His fingers slipped under her shirt and played with the hot skin above her jeans. She nearly moaned.
“You kids need to get a room,” Jill said, appearing by Meredith’s side.
Focusing was difficult, given that her eyes were nearly crossed with desire, but Meredith managed. Looking at Jill’s bright smile and equally bright dress in aqua blue, she tried to jerk her hand back from Tanner’s chest, but he held her in place.
“There are no nice hotels in Dare,” Meredith responded, her voice saucy.
“Well, go somewhere. People are watching, and as much as I want you two together, I really don’t want to see it. So, scram! I’ll even take care of the bill.”
Tanner shifted and dug out his wallet. “I can take care of the damn bill.”
“See, Mere, now you made him grouchy. Go put a happy face on him.”
Meredith kicked at her sister. “Shut up, or I’m going to put all your Abba CDs in the microwave.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
Jill pulled at her gold necklace. “Huh, maybe you would. You made a bonfire out of Rick-the-Dick’s Yankee baseball cards.”
Slapping a large bill on the table, Tanner pulled Meredith up with him. “Rick-the-Dick?”
“That’s what we call her ex,” Jill informed him.
Great. Always good to show one’s true colors. Torching baseball cards and calling your ex bad names.
Tanner leaned in to kiss her ear. “Kenny’s leaving. Let’s go.” He gave her sister a killer wink. “See ya, Jill.”
Waving goodbye to Jill, they tugged on their coats and stumbled outside.
The minute they hit the cold air, Tanner wrapped his arms around her. “Give me a sec,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I want to see where he goes.”
When he turned her by putting his hands on her ass, she almost forgot this was pretend. Her hips settled closer. His curse warmed her like clothes out of the dryer.
“Cut that out, dammit. I’m trying to see where he’s going.”
“Then you shouldn’t put your hands on my butt.”
He let go of her ass and pulled her along the sidewalk, nudging her into an alley. Her back was pressed against the icy cold brick, his body pinning her in place. She craned her neck to see.
“That’s Barlow’s car,” she breathed as Kenny stopped by the driver’s side.
“Turn your head to the left. I don’t want them to see your face.”
She shivered from his touch. The light ended a few feet behind them, casting their shadows on the icy pavement.
Thankfully, he didn’t kiss her neck, but the nuzzling didn’t dull the increasing, insistent throb in her body. How much longer could she ignore it without going supernova?
“Conversation looks heated. I wish we could get closer.”
A rustling sound near a garbage can made Meredith cringe. God, she hoped there weren’t rats in this alley. If one ran over her foot, it would be hard not to scream. Better to close her eyes. Unfortunately, that only enhanced her other senses. Tanner’s cedar and musk aftershave tickled her nose. His touch was protective and arousing at the same time.
“Kenny is headed back inside. He looks pretty upset.” He dragged her further into the alley. “Barlow is speeding off.” He stopped touching her and rested his forearms against the brick on either side of her.
She hunched her shoulders as a gale blew a mist of snow off the roof and into her face. “Do you think this is proof of Barlow’s involvement?”
“I doubt they were arguing about his last oil change.”
Her teeth chattered.
He stared at her, shifting from business to personal in a second. “I didn’t give you enough time to put your scarf on.” He wiped away the moisture on her cheek with a gentle hand.
He hadn’t pulled his gloves on either. The friction of his fingers against her bare skin made her want to purr. He tugged the scarf around her neck twice and played with the ends. When he looked into her eyes, his face shadowed in the darkness, she knew she was in trouble.
His tenderness eroded all the walls she’d erected.