“I spent a week convincing her that I wasn’t a thief,” Tanner says, and I laugh while elbowing him in the ribs.

  “I’m sure there’s a story there.” Mason smiles; then his eyes move over Tanner’s shoulder, and something in the look he has on his face has me turning to see what’s captured his attention. When I see Margret with her head back, laughing at something, I turn back to Mason and notice his jaw clenching.

  “So, Mason, have you known Tanner long?” I ask, and he blinks as he focuses on me.

  “Since he started coming to town years ago.”

  “Mason and Blake grew up together,” Tanner tells me.

  “That’s cool. This town is starting to feel like where I grew up, everyone knowing everyone.”

  “Small towns tend to be like that,” Mason says. “How long are you in town for?”

  “Six more days.” I chew the inside of my cheek as the reminder makes my skin itch.

  “Are you really going to be the third wheel on Tanner’s first-ever date with a woman?” Margret breaks into the moment as she stops at the side of the table to pass Tanner and me the coffees she’s holding.

  “Yep.” Mason shrugs; then his eyes drop to her stomach. “How’s Little Miss Orange doing today?”

  “She graduated. She’s now the size of a grapefruit,” she tells him, resting her hand on her stomach.

  “Just three months left.”

  “I know.” She blows out a long breath. “And I still have to take that birthing class.”

  “Is Hank going with you?” Mason asks, and Tanner’s muscle tightens under my palm.

  “I don’t know—maybe, maybe not.”

  “I’ll go if he doesn’t show,” he tells her, and I wonder who Hank is and why the air around us seems to have thickened with tension.

  “Mason.” She shakes her head.

  “If he bails, I’m taking you, Margret.” His tone brooks no argument, and she nods before looking over her shoulder when his name is called.

  “Your to-go order is ready. Do you want me to change it to stay?”

  “Nah.” He pushes up to stand. “I have some stuff to take care of.” He leans down and places a kiss on her cheek that causes her face to turn a pretty shade of pink; then he looks at Tanner and me. “Come to the bar for a drink before you head out of town.”

  “Sure.” I nod before saying goodbye and turning to watch Margret and him chat near the door.

  “Never gonna happen,” Tanner says quietly, and I turn my head to meet his gaze.

  “Pardon?”

  “Margret and Mason are never gonna happen.”

  “Oh.” My heart sinks. “They like each other, though, don’t they?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, you never know what might happen.”

  “I wouldn’t get my hopes up about that situation, sunshine. He’s one of Blake’s best friends, so he won’t go there, and she’s still fucked up over her ex and praying he pulls his head out of his ass before their daughter comes screaming into the world.”

  “Her ex is a jerk?”

  “Her ex is a dick,” he says, and my nose scrunches.

  “So how was everything?” Margret asks when we stop to pay at the register near the front door after eating.

  “Delicious.” I don’t even hesitate to answer. Like Tanner promised, the coffee was a whole lot better than at the place down the street, and I don’t even think I paused to take a breath between bites of pancakes because they were so good.

  “So you’ll be back.” She grins at me, then looks at Tanner. “Mom said you two are coming to dinner this week.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Good.” She smiles at me. “And just so you know, Cybil, if you ever need a break from this Neanderthal, I’ll give you my number. We can get lunch and putter around some of the shops down Main Street.”

  “I might just take you up on that. A few of the places we drove by on the way here looked cute, and I doubt Tanner would be fond of me dragging him around a dozen shops.” I nudge his shoulder with mine.

  “I’m going to have to veto you taking Cybil anywhere alone, since the last time you were out in town without supervision, you broke out the windows in Hank’s truck and poured sugar in his gas tank.”

  “Wow, you really have no faith in me.” She bats her lashes. “I’ll have you know the cops said there wasn’t proof that I had anything to do with that incident. Also, that entire situation could have been avoided if Hank was at work where he was supposed to be, instead of taking a woman out on a date.”

  “Right.” Tanner sighs while I fight the urge to ask about a million and one questions. Like why the hell she is with Hank and not Mason, who is obviously into her, is clearly paying close attention to her pregnancy, and is willing to go with her to a birthing class.

  “Anyway, enough about that.” She locks eyes with me. “Ignore whatever he tells you about me when you two walk out the door, and”—her head dips after she rips off our receipt from the register and jots down her number, handing it to me—“use that if you need me to break you out of Tanner prison. I’ll come help you escape.”

  “I’ll call you.” I can’t help my grin as I tuck the piece of paper into the front pocket of my shorts.

  “I knew I liked you.” She grins back before turning her attention to a couple who walks through the door, causing the bell to ding. “Duty calls.” She gives us a smile before grabbing two menus from the holder on the counter. As she walks around to greet them, we head out the door.

  “I don’t care what you say. I’m going to pray to whatever god is listening that Mason and Margret get together,” I tell Tanner when he opens the door to let me into his truck.

  “Why am I not surprised by that?”

  “Because girls gotta stick together, and she and Mason are obviously perfect for each other.”

  “Cybil . . .” He starts to say more, but I cover my ears with my hands, then watch him shake his head before he shuts my door. When he gets in behind the wheel a moment later, he raises a brow, and I remove my hands. “All right, sunshine, where to now?”

  “I’m okay with whatever we do, but I do need to stop by the store to get some body wash and stuff, since I don’t have much, and whatever that bar soap is you have in the shower isn’t going to work for me.”

  “Are you going to fill my shower with girly shit?” he questions, reaching over to wrap his hand around the back of my neck and pull me closer.

  “Yes, do you have an issue with that?” I ask, slightly breathless, and his eyes scan my face as he seems to ponder the question.

  “Not even a little bit.”

  “Good,” I say, not having much time to think about the fact that my heart suddenly feels a little too big for my chest as he leans in, covering my mouth with his. As his tongue slides across mine, my thighs press tightly together. I wish we weren’t in his truck.

  Or at least not in his truck in a public space outside a busy restaurant.

  Chapter 17

  TANNER

  With Cybil lying on top of me—the softness of her curves pressed against me from chest to thigh—and my eyes to the TV, I settle in the feeling of contentment that only she seems to be able to give me.

  “Later on, will you help me wrap my hand for a shower? I did it this morning, but some water got in, so I’m obviously not as good as you are,” she says, and I tip my head down as she places her chin on the back of her hand that’s resting against my chest.

  “Sure.” I push her hair back away from her pretty face as her fingers move to my bottom lip. Looking into her eyes, I think back to her comment yesterday about this being so easy. She’s right; this shit between us is easy, from conversation to just being like we are right now, lying out on the couch in the living room, watching a movie. Every moment feels like we’ve done it all before, even though we haven’t, not with each other.

  I keep waiting for her to do or say something that will annoy me, or for me to do or say something that annoys her, but it hasn’t happened since we met, which makes me wonder if it will. Then again, real life hasn’t touched us much since we got off the mountain, so only time will tell.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asks, moving up to straddle my waist, and my cock jerks against my zipper.

  “How perfect you are.” I grab hold of her hips to hold her steady.

  “I’m not perfect.” Her hands move to rest against my chest. “Far from it.”

  “Hmmm.” I move my hand under her shirt and slide it up her side, feeling her shiver as my fingers smooth over her soft skin. “From where I’m sitting, you’re perfect.” I cup her breast, and her head falls back to her shoulders before she dips down and locks her gaze with mine, the look in her eyes making my dick throb.

  “Please don’t tease me, Tanner.”

  “Tease you?” I smile, and she frowns at my mouth. “Sunshine, when have I teased you?”

  “Since the first time you kissed me you’ve been teasing me.” Her breath hitches as my thumb scrapes across her nipple through the lace of her bra, and my other hand slides into her hair so I can drag her mouth closer. “Last night, you definitely teased me.”

  “Last night, I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.” I lift up to kiss the pout off her lips. “I still don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  “I won’t hurt myself, but I might hurt you if you don’t take things past second base,” she says, trying to sound stern, and I chuckle. “I’m not joking, Tanner.”

  “I see that, sunshine.” I sit up, adjusting her in my hold. “But there’s no need to get violent.” I listen to her laugh right before I whip her shirt off over her head and lower my mouth to her breasts that I’ve captured in my palms. I kiss up her neck, and she lets out a squeak as I move my hands to her ass and stand.

  “Tanner,” she moans against my lips as I start down the hall with her in my arms, and having her mouth on mine makes it almost impossible to walk in a straight line. Then her body freezes, and my footsteps pause when there’s a loud knock on the front door.

  “No.” I drop my forehead to hers.

  “Were you expecting anyone?” Her whispered pant has my fingers flexing into the cheeks of her ass, still in my hands.

  “No, it’s probably just a package being dropped off or something.” I start to move us toward the bedroom, then curse when the doorbell rings.

  “You should make sure it’s not something important.” She wiggles to get down, but I don’t let her go. I drop my eyes to her swollen lips, her hair spilling over her shoulder, and her breasts, still heaving. “Tanner.” She grabs my face. “Let me go, and answer the door.”

  “All right, but I’ll meet you in bed as soon as I get rid of whoever’s at the door.” I set her on her feet, and she nods before turning for the room while I head for the door, pretty sure I’m going to kill someone when the bell goes off again.

  When I reach the entryway, my brows drag together. Standing outside the glass door on my front porch are Margret and her best friend, Cammy, along with Mav, Blake, and Mason. As I get closer, Margret spots me and starts to wave wildly while Cammy shakes her head at her. I pull open the door and start to ask what the fuck is going on but don’t get the chance.

  “We brought dinner.” Margret lifts a small shopping bag before walking past me into the house.

  “Sorry, Tanner,” Cammy says quietly as she follows Margret, and I move my gaze to the men still standing outside.

  “Margret insisted we bring dinner to make Cybil feel welcome,” Blake grumbles, not looking happy about the idea, while Mav and Mason share a look.

  “Did you think to tell her no?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at the three of them.

  “We all tried, but she couldn’t be stopped,” Mason says, walking past me with Blake following him.

  “A phone call would have been appreciated,” I tell Mav, and he shrugs while trying to hide his smile. “Payback is a motherfucker. You know that, right?”

  “Don’t be pissed at me. Besides, Margret just wanted—and I quote—‘Blake to see how happy and cute you and Cybil are together.’”

  “Great,” I mutter before closing the door behind him and locking it. When we hit the kitchen, I notice the girls are both unpacking the bags they brought in, while Blake and Mason are opening beers. “Give me five.”

  I walk past them and head for the bedroom. When I don’t see Cybil in the room, I go to the bathroom and find her coming out of the closet wearing a new shirt, this one a thin white material that’s hanging off one shoulder with about a thousand holes cut in the material.

  “I heard voices, so I figured I should get dressed.” She closes the distance between us and rests her hands on my chest. “Is everything okay?”

  “Besides the fact that Margret, her friend Cammy, Mav, Blake, and Mason showed up with dinner when I had a whole different set of plans for us tonight, yeah, it’s all good.” I wrap my hand around her hip as she laughs. “Do you think that’s funny?”

  “No, just thinking this is a little payback for teasing me last night.”

  “Is that so?” I lean down and nip her bottom lip while my hand slides into the back of her jean shorts, and my fingers find the wetness between her legs, making her jump. “You’re wet, babe.”

  “Tanner.”

  “Yeah, sunshine?” I slide my fingers back and forth over her sex, keeping my strokes gentle.

  “I think I might hate you right now.” She gets up on her tiptoes, bringing her mouth closer to mine, and bites my bottom lip hard enough to sting.

  “That wasn’t very nice.” I move my hand to the front of her shorts and find her clit with ease. “Put your hand on my shoulder and leave it there, or I stop.”

  “Oh God.” Her head falls back, and her hips buck as she rests her wrist on my shoulder.

  “And you gotta be quiet, sunshine.”

  “If you stop when I’m so clos—”

  “I won’t stop unless you move your hand,” I say, interrupting her threat, and her eyes open to meet mine, then widen in shock—or maybe it’s awe—when I circle her entrance and her clit. I know the instant she starts to come. Her pupils dilate, her mouth opens on a gasp, and her pussy starts to clench. Hearing her whimper and feeling the nails of her good hand dig into my biceps, I cover her mouth with mine and swallow down her moan before slowly easing my hand from between her legs. When really, I want nothing more than to slide her shorts down her hips, wrap her legs around my waist, and plunge into her.

  “Don’t let me go,” she whispers when I drag my mouth from hers and remove my hand from her pants.

  “I won’t.” I smile at the satisfied look on her face. “Still hate me?”

  “Not anymore.” She laughs, dropping her forehead to my chest, where she whispers, “Thank you.”

  “I’m here for that anytime you need me.” I kiss the top of her head while my arms wrap around her.

  “I think I can stand without the risk of falling on my face now.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.” She lifts her head, putting her hand to my cheek to run her thumb over my lip where she bit me. “Sorry about that.”

  “I’m not complaining.” I kiss the tip of her nose, watching her face soften.

  “We should probably get out to your friends before they think we’re being rude.”

  “Since they showed up uninvited, they can stay out there all night by themselves for all I care.”

  “Now, that would be rude.” She grins before leaning up to place a kiss on my jaw and then steps away from me. “I’m just . . . umm . . . I’ll be right back.” She hurries to the small room where the toilet is and closes the door, while I go to the sink to wash my hands and will my cock to die down as I adjust my erection. After she comes out and washes her hands, we leave the room together and head to the kitchen, where Margret and Cammy are cutting up vegetables and the guys are nowhere in sight.

  “Cybil.” Margret smiles when she spots us. “This is my best friend, Cammy. Cammy, this is Cybil.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Cybil gives her a wave, then looks around. “Do you need help with anything?”

  “You can be in charge of skewering the veggies for the kabobs.” Margret passes Cybil a pack of sticks, then looks at me. “The guys are out starting the grill. I don’t know why three of them need to start it or why they haven’t come back in. Maybe they need you to go out there to sing ‘Kumbaya’ while holding hands.”

  “I’ll go help them.” I hook Cybil around the side of her neck, and she looks at me. “Are you okay in here with these two?”

  “She’s fine.” Margret laughs and Cybil glances at her, smiling before meeting my gaze once more.

  “I’m good. Go hang with the guys.”

  “Wait.” Margret holds out a beer toward me. “I think you’ll need this for your fire-starting ritual.”

  “Thanks.” I take it and kiss the side of Cybil’s head before I leave out the back door.

  When I step outside, Mav turns my way. “Leave it to you to purchase the most fucking complicated barbecue around.”

  “It’s not complicated. You just gotta know how to use it.” I flip up the switch on the wall that’s attached to the gas hidden under the deck. “Now turn the knob.”

  He does, and the middle row of flames comes to life, followed by the others.

  “Well, that was easy,” Mason mumbles before taking a swig of his beer.

  I twist the top off mine, flicking the piece of metal toward the garbage in the corner, then look at Blake, noticing the annoyed look on his face. “You still pissed about Cybil and me?”

  “No.” His gaze meets mine.

  “Then what crawled up your ass?”

  “Margret told him that Cammy’s boyfriend is going to propose,” Mason says, and Blake shoots a glare his way, and he holds up his hand. “Just saying, I know that’s what’s had you in a shit mood all day.”

  “I couldn’t give one fuck about Cammy marrying some douchebag banker from Missoula.”