A soft, surprised laugh came out of me. “Really. Two whole minutes ago.”
“Maybe five,” he teased, and my stomach twisted pleasantly. “Ten minutes might be pushing it, though.”
I almost laughed again, but his mouth was so close to mine that if I shifted a fraction of an inch, our lips would meet, and I really wanted to remember my drunken kiss. His fingers found their way through the tangle of curls. I had no idea what was happening. For the first time in my life, I couldn’t speak.
“No sex in the backseat,” Kyler announced. “I just cleaned this thing out.”
Snapping out of our own little world, I jerked free, wincing when my hair caught in his hand. Cheeks burning, I glanced forward as he eased his fingers out of my curls.
In the rearview mirror, Kyler grinned at me.
I flipped him off.
Heart thumping unsteadily, I glanced at Tanner. Our gazes met again, and a slow smile pulled at his lips. Leaning back against the door, he tossed his arm over the back of our seat. The stare was intense, piercing, like he wasn’t seeing me, but was seeing inside me, scoping out all my secrets. Flushed, I was the first to look away.
Syd had twisted around, peering into the back seat. Her gaze flitted from me to Tanner and then back. Her lips pursed. “Alrighty then.”
I had absolutely nothing to say as she flipped back around, tapping the screen on her eReader. Nope. I wasn’t even thinking anything. I stared at the back of Kyler’s head, totally bewildered by—by everything. As my heart started to pound even harder, I did know one thing. This week was going to be really interesting.
After what felt like forever, the Durango’s tires crunched over gravel and as soon as it rolled to a stop, I all but threw open the door and hopped out. Okay. All ignorant jokes about West Virginia aside, this little piece of the world was stunning and breathtaking.
Tall pine and elm scented the air, and although the August sun was oppressively strong, the trees blocked the harsh rays, providing much welcome shade. Above the leafy branches and green needles, I could see a giant sandstone structure bursting into the blue, cloudless sky. The mountain glimmered faintly, and each jagged point reminded me of a massive hand trying to grasp at the clouds.
Syd joined me, smiling as she followed my gaze. “Those are the Seneca Rocks. I think Kyler wants to check them out either Wednesday or Thursday. You’re more than welcome to join us.”
I laughed as I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m more of a lie-by-the-pool kind of girl versus getting all up into wildlife.”
Syd nudged me with her hip as she glanced over her shoulder, to where the guys were grabbing the suitcases out of the back of the SUV. “Or maybe a check-out-what’sgoing-on-with-Tanner kind of girl?”
I smacked her arm. “I’m not that either, and you know that.”
“Uh-huh.” She bit down on her lower lip as she turned her gaze to mine. “You know, I’ve always thought he liked you.”
“Stop,” I sighed. Syd was forever playing the matchmaker since she’d settled down with Kyler. The night I’d left her place feeling all kinds of butt sore over what Tanner had said to me, she’d started in on how she truly believed we were secretly in love with one another.
“What?” she challenged. “It’s like a typical playground love affair. Instead of you two pulling each other’s hair and pushing each other down, you get on each other’s nerves on purpose.”
“I’d like to think I’m a bit more mature than that.”
She arched a dark eyebrow.
I giggled. “Okay. Maybe not.”
“Yeah,” she dragged the word out. “You guys have hooked up before, right?”
Shooting her a look, I shook my head. “Um, no.”
A look of doubt crossed her face. “You’ve made out, then—”
“No. No, we haven’t.” I laughed under my breath, because I was so not counting that kiss. “Why do you think that? He and I have never done anything. I would’ve told you.”
The disbelief didn’t fade from her face, and I wondered why in the world she’d still think that after all this time. Pushing the conversation out of my head, I dragged in a deep breath and smiled. I realized there wasn’t a hint of fumes or body odor or any other nasty street smell that clung to the city, a kind of smell you got used to until you were out in a place like this. Clean air. Lord, I’d forgotten how nice that was to breathe.
“Let’s go help them.” Looping her arm through mine, she slipped her sunglasses down and then led me to the back of the SUV.
Tanner had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and it boggled my mind how guys could pack for a week in a bag I could easily double as a purse. In his other hand was my pink and purple polka-dotted suitcase.
Slipping free from Syd, I went to his side. “You don’t have to carry that.” I reached for my suitcase.
“I got it.” Facing me, I could clearly see myself reflected in the silver aviator-style sunglasses he’d slipped on. Damn, he looked good in them. Air Force pilot hot.
“I can carry it,” I insisted while Kyler headed around the SUV. Syd was behind him, carrying an armful of plastic bags.
Tanner grinned as he stepped back, holding the stuffed piece of luggage out of my grasp. “Grab the leftover bags. I’ll carry this.” He pivoted around.
We’d stopped at the grocery store in town and there was a load of groceries in the back, enough to feed an army. Grabbing two paper bags, I lifted them out, eyeing him warily. “Are you trying to get laid or something? Because I know going a whole week must be hard for you and all.”
Tanner stopped and then turned back to me. One brow rose above the rim of his sunglasses. “Now, come on, Andy. There’s no such thing as trying when it comes to this.”
My eyes narrowed as I walked to where he stood. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He lowered his head so that we were almost eye level. His lips tipped up at the corners and he spoke in a voice only I could hear. “If I wanted you, I’d have you.”
What in the holy hell hotcakes? My jaw hit the gravel as I barked out a short laugh. “Oh, wow. That’s cocky.”
One shoulder rose. “Nah, just confident.”
I snorted. “Or really optimistic in a special kind of dumb way.”
He laughed under his breath as I shifted the bags in my arms. “Let’s make a bet, Andy.”
“Stop calling me that,” I ordered, but hated—absolutely loathed—the breathlessness of my voice. I wanted to punch it out of my chest. Or him. Yeah, punching him would be better. “And I’m not making any bets with you.”
I walked around him, stomping on the gravel with my sandaled feet. I’d taken a few steps when he said, “That’s because you know you’ll lose.”
Halting suddenly, I almost tripped over my own feet. I whipped around, facing him once more. He did not just say that. No way. “Excuse me?”
Tanner’s grin and walk were full of swagger as he strolled on past me. “Yeah, it is. You know you’ll be under me by the time we leave this cabin.”
Chapter 5
Tanner
Andrea’s cheeks matched her hair, and that was…it was cute. I didn’t do cute. Or at least I didn’t until now. Now I was all about the cute—the Andrea kind of cute.
I knew I should’ve felt like an ass for saying what I did, but I didn’t. No regrets. None whatsoever. Heading up the porch steps, I realized I had no idea what that said about me.
And I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t know what I was starting, because I did. I fucking knew exactly what I was provoking, but I had no game plan when it came to how this was going to end—no clue. And I always had a game plan.
Or, in other words, an exit strategy.
I’d always been a “no relationship” kind of guy. Everyone knew that. It wasn’t that I ruled them out completely, but I didn’t go there unless I really wanted to go there. Something fucking bizarre had happened between Friday night and this morning, because I knew I wanted to go there with Andrea. I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly had happened to cause that and I wasn’t sure why it was even Andrea. Why not Brooke or Mandie? Or Lea? Never once had they made me want to slam my face into a wall, and Andrea had brought me to the edge of crazy many times over.