Chapter 2
Odd but yummy.
Oakley trotted along through the park that surrounded the condominium on three sides. The open area proved a major selling point in her book. She didn't feel hemmed in by people below and above, as if she lived in an apartment building, and the park allowed space and convenient running room for her and Hercules. It made for a peaceful neighborhood with everything she wanted and needed for her work and activity levels. As a bonus, it was only a ten minute drive to Hilltop Junior College where she taught classes.
Her mind turned back to the neighbor she just met. The landlord warned her that he was out of town on business a lot and spent little time at home. That only sealed the deal on the condo for her at the time. The less exposure to a bothersome neighbor, the better.
Tanner wasn't what she expected though. Dark circles under his eyes spoke of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Despite that, his mind clicked sharply, and his eyes flashed with amusement at her attempted teasing. That body.
Wow.
Jeans covered a muscular, large frame, while that button-down shirt hinted at sheer power just beneath the coarse material. She would bet next week's paycheck he sported a six pack. Partial to those, they made her mouth water every time. A tattoo peeked out from under his right sleeve, tempting her to search for more under his clothing.
What am I thinking?
He probably had tons of women lined up to be with him, if not a steady girlfriend. He didn't wear a ring and the fact that he lived alone told her he wasn't married. That didn't mean he lined up as most available bachelor in the neighborhood, though. Besides, what would she do with a man? She'd sworn off those years ago, after seeing the pain and misery they could cause firsthand. She drew the line in the sand at looking. Nothing wrong with a bit of eye candy to sprinkle in her dreams at night. The rest she would leave to the juicy romance novels she curled up with now and again. She liked her life as it stood. No complications needed.
If only things had turned out differently seven years ago. If she had known then…
She shook her head, increasing her speed in an effort to leave behind those lingering nightmare memories.
You can't outrun the past. You can only meet it head-on, deal with it, and move forward.
How many times had the counselor reminded her of that fact? More times than she could count. It proved true, but that didn't stop painful memories from re-emerging now and again. Running helped. It allowed her time to daydream while pushing the ghosts back into their locked cell deep inside her mind or setting them free for a day while she pushed herself physically to relieve pent up anger and frustration. Logging miles became a necessary outlet for her sanity.
Thirty minutes later, she panted heavily at her back door. Grabbing the water hose, she twisted it on and quickly filled the oversized bucket, Hercules' water dish, to the brim. He lapped and lapped, lowering the levels twice before plopping down on the small outdoor rug he claimed as his. Since he tended to slosh water all over the place when drinking, Oakley learned to serve him water outside after their runs, rather than on the kitchen floor. Saved her having to mop.
She startled as a quick glimpse revealed Tanner lounging on his side of the patio, sipping his soda and watching her while he relaxed with his feet on a makeshift stool.
"Have a good run?" His chocolate eyes roamed the length of her body.
"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "Do you run?"
His lips curled up. "Sometimes."
Not sure what that meant, she turned the hose off and used the left-over water to soak three containers of cherry tomato plants. They made for a tasty snack as the wild rabbits had found out right away. She couldn't get upset, since they were so cute standing on hind legs to pluck a round tomato off the plant for breakfast. The babies were especially precious.
"When is your next race?"
She looked back up at Tanner, trying to read between the lines. He was probably just making small talk. "Saturday morning. The proceeds go to a church charity that buys shoes for underprivileged kids."
"Two days." He took another sip, and seemed to come to a decision. "How do you get registered?"
"You're going to run a 5K?" She blinked at him before stooping over to replace the bucket next to the hose. Considering his physique, she didn't think she would be required to drag him over the finish line. More than likely, he would outdistance her, leaving her in a cloud of dust.
He sat forward, placing the can of soda on the ground to his side. "Sure. Why not?"
Why not, indeed? Because she suddenly wanted to see his tight rear in shorts, fixate on those masculine muscles as they jerked and stretched from the motion, and hear his breathing escalate with exertion.
Dang hormones.
"I can give you the website to register or you can do it the morning of the race, but it'll cost you an extra five dollars."
He nodded. "They give away T-shirts?"
She plucked at her own. "Yeah. That's part of the entry fee. If you register early, you're guaranteed one and of the right size."
"Good. I'll do that tonight, if you'll get me that website?"
"Give me just a minute." She headed inside, leaving the sliding door open in her wake. Finding a piece of scratch paper, she jotted down the website for him. Returning to the patio, she paused as a wide smile spread over her face.
Hercules decided to meet and greet Tanner. His way. Which meant not only did you get big doggie kisses, but he laid across your lap if you happened to be sitting. He simply didn't realize how big he was.
A giggle escaped her. "Oh, Hercules."
Tanner grinned up at her from over the dog's back as Hercules's front legs and chest covered most of his lower body. "He seems friendly."
"Most of the time." She walked over, giving a tug on Hercules's collar to make him get off. "Surprising since he had a bad experience with people."
Tanner patted the dog, watching her as he spoke. "What happened to him?"
Oakley sat in her fold-out deck chair. Hercules hurried over, plopped down in front of her, and looked back as if to remind her that he needed attention. Absently, she stroked his head and back. "Someone dumped him in the middle of nowhere. By the time a good Samaritan found him, he was nothing but skin and bones, nearly half his ideal weight. A Great Dane rescue took him in, spent months nursing him back to health and putting the weight back on him while treating him for heartworms too. I adopted him a few months ago. We're still working on his weight issue. He's been nothing but gracious and happy the whole time."
"You'd never know he had such a rough time by the looks of him now."
She grinned at her neighbor, rubbing the floppy ears of her pet. "He eats me out of house and home, but he's the best dog."
Tanner shot her a mischievous grin. "And leaves you very large presents in the yard to clean up?"
Oakley rolled her eyes. Leave it to him to bring up the least favorite part of dog ownership. "Pooper scooper extraordinaire at your service."
He chuckled.
Her breath caught as she watched amusement transform his face. The lines of fatigue still existed, but faded enough to make his appearance much younger. Bright white teeth flashed in the fading late spring sun. Dark eyes sparkled with life. A strong chin gave him an appearance of pending stubbornness or tenacity. Probably both, she decided.
She handed over the paper, noticing the deep tan on his arms. He worked with those large hands, she could tell that.
With nothing much left to say, she cleared her throat and turned away from his piercing eyes. "Well, I'd better call it a night."
He watched her but remained mute.
"Welcome home… again."
She turned to go in when his voice stopped her.
"Why don't you come to my side? I have this delicious pound cake to share."
Tilting her head, she watched his facial expressions intently, surprised by the offer. "I figured you would be busy unpacking, shopping, and catching up with sleep." She chewed her bottom lip, uncertain about this new offer by a man she had literally known less than an hour.
"I think I can spare a few minutes for dessert." The low tone teased and caressed, as if he beckoned a shy flower to open before his eyes.
What would it hurt to eat with him? Dessert one day, sex the next. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression about her, since she had absolutely no intention of getting naked with him and swapping bodily fluids. Steeling herself, Oakley shook her head. "No, thanks. I really have a lot of work to catch up on." With that said, she turned and retreated into the house.
Chapter 3
Tanner stood and watched her go, more intrigued than ever. He easily read the indecision marked loudly with her changing facial expressions. Yet, in a heartbeat, she shut him down. Her eyes appraised him just as he had with her earlier, and he felt confident she liked what she saw.
Must be the timing.
That would explain her reaction. She didn't trust him, having just met him, and didn't want to roll the dice. Mentally, he shrugged. She would come around. They always did. Even the shy, naïve ones.
He glanced down at the scrap paper, pondering his impulsive response when she mentioned the upcoming race and who would benefit from the entry fees. Helping kids get a new pair of shoes that they might not receive otherwise caught his attention. He'd never considered that people raced for reasons other than to win prizes. The idea that some just do it to raise money for charity made him consider the world a marginally better place.
Heading indoors, he locked up for the evening, purposely leaving the curtains open in case Oakley reappeared. She provided scenery, he would give her that.
Sitting down at the kitchen table, he pulled the laptop in front of him. Firing it up, he soon located the event's website, entering the 5K with a few quick mouse clicks. The deed felt right, and the run would do him good.
He stayed in shape out of habit and necessity. Ever since high school sports, he strove to stay in tip-top form. Sure, he might have slowed a hair over the years and suffered a few injuries that would certainly haunt him with arthritis later, but he managed to survive the intense rigors of his job. Much like the Marines, slackers didn't make it in his line of work. Only, with his current status, 'didn't make it' meant a funeral and being buried six feet under. Not that dying frightened him. He no longer feared death since that harrowing day when he watched buddies and teammates fall before an onslaught of bullets and explosive power. Tanner lived on borrowed time and one day, just like his fallen comrades, he would meet a violent end in the line of duty. Maybe then he could find peace.
Forcing aside those somber thoughts, he quickly checked through his email and financial accounts, catching up and checking to make sure everything looked legitimate, free of hacking and fraud. He snorted while deleting the typical male enhancement spam. Not like he needed help in that department.
One email he immediately opened and typed a quick reply. His mother. He smiled at the thought of her struggling with new technology, learning computers just so she could communicate more often with him, her only son. She even took a class to help her understand the workings of software programs. That was years ago, when he'd first joined the Marines right out of high school. Now, she worked on computers daily, a requirement for any accountant. Each chance she got, she would send him a note, reminding him of her love and how much she missed him. He yearned for those emails. They helped him through the roughest times when he couldn't be home to personally soak up her attention.
Everything else looked up to speed, so he powered down the computer, softly closing the lid. No hot date. No pressing job to drag him away. No food in the house. Tension filled his body despite the lack of sleep. The outlet drew precedence over food. That meant a sexy young woman naked in bed. He knew just the place. Township Bar. Checking his wallet, he grabbed the car keys and headed out the front door to the waiting solid black SUV.
* * * *
Midmorning the next day, he jumped out of the car, grabbed up both sacks of groceries and headed toward the front door. After a long night with a beautiful young woman wrapped all around him in all sorts of flexible positions, he finally felt sated. He smiled slyly at the memory. Perhaps he would look her up again… or not. Spending too much time with one girl only encouraged her to become clingy and possessive. Attachments weren't for him. A roll in the hay and a kiss goodbye in the morning more closely described his style.
He yawned. With his needs fulfilled, tiredness came to the fore. His Marine training allowed him to function well on just a couple hours sleep per night, but between the job he just finished and a long night of sex, his energy reserves hit empty. Maybe now he could fall into bed exhausted and sleep without horrid dreams interrupting. He hoped so.
Tanner no more than got his door unlocked before Oakley stuck her head out, looking him over with a practiced eye.
"There you are. Your friend stopped by about an hour ago. Wanted you to call."
Suspicion and immediate concern stiffened his back, his mind kicking back into action. "Which one?" There shouldn't be any tails from their last mission. Every one of those vipers had been disposed of. For the life of him, he couldn't recall anyone else that might be gunning for him. However, someone could have managed to slip through the cracks, despite the precautions he took, the chance still existed.
"You would ask me that." She dashed inside for a second while he headed toward his kitchen, placing the grocery bags on the countertop.
She followed a moment later, carrying a piece of paper. Her sable ponytail swished behind her with each step, luring his attention to her nicely-shaped rear.
He stared down at her and the crumpled reminder. "Poor memory?"
She snorted. "More like too many blundering names for a single person. Here we go. Justin Adam Christian Kendall Aaron Sterling Smith."
Quickly deciphering the basic common code, Tanner relaxed. J-A-C-K-A-S-S. His lips twitched. "Spoon."
"Thank goodness."
One of his eyebrows shot up at her odd response. Intrigued, he waited for her to clairify.
She shrugged. "By the time you finished saying his name, you'd have already missed the off ramp."
Tanner chuckled. Interesting sense of humor. Something nice to look at and entertaining. A neighbor worth keeping.
"I made strawberry muffins this morning. I gave your friend a couple. Then Hercules ate yours." She grinned up at him. Her green eyes flashed with mischief.
"Leaving me to starve, huh?"
She nodded. "Yep." Taking a step closer, she sniffed. "The bar scene?"
Startled by her accurate guess, he remained mute while unloading the groceries, setting each item on the counter.
"Tomcats. Every one of them," she mumbled under her breath as she turned to leave.
Not willing to argue when she obviously hit the nail on the head, he called after her, "Don't you work?" He expected her to be away from home this morning; it was a weekday, after all.
"I teach online classes at Hilltop Junior College," Oakley said over her shoulder as she sashayed out his door.
A moment later he heard a click, signifying she had returned to her side of the condo.
Oakley taught junior college? The more he thought about it, the more it fit. The online classes she could manage from home, which explained why she seemed to be home all the time. Not a bad deal, he would imagine. Saves on gas money and allows for great flexibility for her running. Smart woman.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on putting away the newly purchased food items so he could hit the shower. After that, sleep called.