brothers volunteered to drive them down along with more ofmy own clothes, but I managed to head that off, thank God.”
“You don’t get along?”
“It’s not that. My brothers are great, my parents are great, everyone in my whole small town is great, but…” She shrugged.
He let her Pleasantville depiction go unchallenged, because he remembered he didn’t need to know any more about her than he already did. He was supposed to be thinking of himself, poor Tanner. Poor Tanner, stuck in a windowless bureaucratic office building beside a woman he wanted to bed in the worst way.
And shouldn’t. Couldn’t. Would not.
Her number was finally called and he watched her walk to the counter, keeping his eyes off those pseudohandprints on her cute butt cheeks. He looked at her silky hair instead, and her delicate shoulders, and the graceful length of her fingers, the left ones still wrapped around the tabloid he’d found.
In mere minutes she turned around, the new ID in hand. He stood up and couldn’t help himself from stretching out his palm, curious to get a gander at her plastic card.
Frowning, she whipped it behind her back. “Everybody lies about their weight,” she said, defensive.
“And everybody looks like crap in their photo too.” He tugged on her elbow. “C’mon, let me see. I’m searching for clues as to why you’ve gone four years without a date.”
Her full mouth tightened. “Forget it. I signed up togive away my organs, not donate to your quota of daily laughs.”
Shrugging, he stepped back to let her precede him toward the exit. Then, as she relaxed and fell for the trap, he leaned forward to snatch away the card.
“Hey!” She whirled on him.
Tanner closed his fingers over the ID and smiled. “What’ll you give me if I don’t check it out?”
“You should worry about what I’ll give you if you do check it out. Did I mention my older brothers? They taught me how to fight dirty.”
He smiled wider, leaning close to chuck her under the chin. “Mine too, sweetheart. See how much we have in common.”
His hand lingered on her soft skin. That was a mistake. That and knowing what else they had in common. Desire. Christ, in the middle of the DMV of all places, it was acting like some kind of hot air machine, heating the inches of space between them and causing his cock to stir to life. Again.
The gaggle of other people receded into the far distance, and instead of being aware of the babble of voices and hum of computers in the cavernous room, his senses fine-tuned to her. Her reaction.
His hearing picked up Hannah’s startled hiccup of concern, and he saw her eyes flare wide. Her whole body trembled beneath his fingertips. Her skin started to burn against his, and he knew he could have her. Right now. Right this minute.
Tanner snatched his hand away. Then he cleared his throat and flipped her the plastic card. She caught it out of the air in one hand, and then they both swallowed, both broke their joined gazes, both moved on.
He kept silent until they were back in his Mercedes and he was waiting for her to buckle her seat belt. She lifted her butt from the bottom cushion so she could slide the new ID into her front jeans pocket.
“I didn’t look closely, but isn’t that a regular license? I thought you said you didn’t drive.”
And he’d noticed on their journey to the DMV what a tense passenger she was too. She’d braced one hand on the dash and strangled the door handle with the other.
Her tongue came out to moisten her lips. “I took the classes.” The rain drummed against the roof of the car, and she stared out the windshield, as if fascinated by the rivulets of water washing down. “I took the test and passed. But I’m not confident behind the wheel.”
“It can take some practice.”
Her head bobbed in a jerky nod. “I ride a bike to work. I live close enough to stores and anything else I need that I can use my two wheels or my two feet. It’s good exercise
“You don’t get along?”
“It’s not that. My brothers are great, my parents are great, everyone in my whole small town is great, but…” She shrugged.
He let her Pleasantville depiction go unchallenged, because he remembered he didn’t need to know any more about her than he already did. He was supposed to be thinking of himself, poor Tanner. Poor Tanner, stuck in a windowless bureaucratic office building beside a woman he wanted to bed in the worst way.
And shouldn’t. Couldn’t. Would not.
Her number was finally called and he watched her walk to the counter, keeping his eyes off those pseudohandprints on her cute butt cheeks. He looked at her silky hair instead, and her delicate shoulders, and the graceful length of her fingers, the left ones still wrapped around the tabloid he’d found.
In mere minutes she turned around, the new ID in hand. He stood up and couldn’t help himself from stretching out his palm, curious to get a gander at her plastic card.
Frowning, she whipped it behind her back. “Everybody lies about their weight,” she said, defensive.
“And everybody looks like crap in their photo too.” He tugged on her elbow. “C’mon, let me see. I’m searching for clues as to why you’ve gone four years without a date.”
Her full mouth tightened. “Forget it. I signed up togive away my organs, not donate to your quota of daily laughs.”
Shrugging, he stepped back to let her precede him toward the exit. Then, as she relaxed and fell for the trap, he leaned forward to snatch away the card.
“Hey!” She whirled on him.
Tanner closed his fingers over the ID and smiled. “What’ll you give me if I don’t check it out?”
“You should worry about what I’ll give you if you do check it out. Did I mention my older brothers? They taught me how to fight dirty.”
He smiled wider, leaning close to chuck her under the chin. “Mine too, sweetheart. See how much we have in common.”
His hand lingered on her soft skin. That was a mistake. That and knowing what else they had in common. Desire. Christ, in the middle of the DMV of all places, it was acting like some kind of hot air machine, heating the inches of space between them and causing his cock to stir to life. Again.
The gaggle of other people receded into the far distance, and instead of being aware of the babble of voices and hum of computers in the cavernous room, his senses fine-tuned to her. Her reaction.
His hearing picked up Hannah’s startled hiccup of concern, and he saw her eyes flare wide. Her whole body trembled beneath his fingertips. Her skin started to burn against his, and he knew he could have her. Right now. Right this minute.
Tanner snatched his hand away. Then he cleared his throat and flipped her the plastic card. She caught it out of the air in one hand, and then they both swallowed, both broke their joined gazes, both moved on.
He kept silent until they were back in his Mercedes and he was waiting for her to buckle her seat belt. She lifted her butt from the bottom cushion so she could slide the new ID into her front jeans pocket.
“I didn’t look closely, but isn’t that a regular license? I thought you said you didn’t drive.”
And he’d noticed on their journey to the DMV what a tense passenger she was too. She’d braced one hand on the dash and strangled the door handle with the other.
Her tongue came out to moisten her lips. “I took the classes.” The rain drummed against the roof of the car, and she stared out the windshield, as if fascinated by the rivulets of water washing down. “I took the test and passed. But I’m not confident behind the wheel.”
“It can take some practice.”
Her head bobbed in a jerky nod. “I ride a bike to work. I live close enough to stores and anything else I need that I can use my two wheels or my two feet. It’s good exercise
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