Tank by Mating Season Collection, Ronin Winters Page B

where he’d left her, and he released the tension he didn’t know he was holding as he took her in.
    How the fuck could her boyfriend – and goddamn if he didn’t want to bare his teeth at the word connected to her? – not think she was perfect? She had a body of a 50’s screen goddess – curves for days, thick in areas he really liked thick, and a bosom that made him want to kneel before it in worship.
    Was what she was wearing because of her asshole of a boyfriend, those loose black slacks and a sweater that did its best to not show a hint of cleavage, as well as the ugliest shoes he’d ever seen on anyone outside of a nun? She should be wearing tight-fitting, knee-length skirts, and those stockings that had the one line running up the back. Spike heels, definitely, heels that would make her impossibly long legs crush all male willpower around them. And for her top, shit…if she wore a corset, he’d start coming in his pants as soon as he laid eyes on her. That, or maybe tight, low cut sweaters. Red, because it would set off that sexy, shoulder length brown hair of hers and make everyone aware of the sex goddess she was, especially if she would also wear red on those dick-draining lips.
    Tank swallowed hard, pushing those thoughts back and trying to bring his thoughts to neutral. Popping a boner in front of her right now might not get them off on the right foot.
    Beth went over and hugged her friend. “You okay?”
    Jess nodded, holding Beth tight. “You? You scared me.”
    Beth laughed, and hopefully only Tank could tell how forced it was. “We were so silly to get so worried over some dogs.”
    Jess laughed, taking Beth’s words at face value. “In our defense, they were scary looking.”
    Beth pulled away and brought Jess before him, until she was almost touching. “This is Tank, he’s a friend of mine. Tank, this is Jess. She’s a librarian here, and puts up with my studying.”
    Jess smiled at him, making something in his chest turnover, and held out her hand. He took it, absorbing the feel of soft skin and delicate bones. “I’m sorry for the earlier struggle.”
    “I’m sorry for scaring you.”
    Beth interrupted. “Tank owns and runs a gym nearby, and he’s an MMA fighter. He’s agreed to give us self-defense lessons.”
    Beth wasn’t just smart, she was a fucking genius, and even as Jess started to shake her head, Tank cut in. “I’ve been talking to Beth about it for awhile and it would help me. I want to start doing a class, and I need to know how to structure it. This way I can figure out where to start and what would be best to teach. Plus this way I know if you and Beth are by yourselves again, I’ll worry less. So would Regan, and making Regan worry less means she won’t hurt me.”
    He put enough humor in the words to make Jess relax, and just like he thought, making it seem as though Jess would be helping him out was making her hesitate and stare up at him with those big, blue eyes. “Are you sure you’d want to take the time to do that? I appreciate it, but I don’t want to mess with your schedule.”
    “Like I said, I want to eventually give classes on it. You’d be doing me the favor.”
    Jess bit her lip, and fucking damn, because he wanted to be the one nibbling on it. He wanted to do a lot of things to that body.
    Finally she nodded. “When would be best for you?”
    “Whenever you could come. My schedule is flexible.”
    “I’m off tomorrow night,” she offered up cautiously, as if she were expecting him to say it was all a joke.
    “Absolutely.” He pulled out a card from his wallet with the address. “Anytime after six, I’ll be there.”
    “Thank you.” And she finally smiled, with her eyes and that mouth and the boyfriend better step aside, because Tank wouldn’t be able to let her go.

Chapter Two
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    T he gym was something that you’d expect to see in one of those underdog boxing movies. There was nothing fancy or feminine about it. In the