Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (4 page)

“This is what I do when I’ve had a gruesome week and I need to unwind. Technically, I could write about this for the paper, but after a couple of these,” she
paused to tap her glass, “I forget how to spell, so I’ve decided I’m off duty.”

“Gruesome? What kind of stories do they make you cover?”

“The flower show, the opening of the new garden center, an Easter egg painting class…”

“You’re right, that sounds tortuous.”

“What she’s trying to say is,” Bailey piped up from across the table, “She’s bored out of her mind at work, and she’s looking for some excitement. I bet you’ve got a lot of exciting stories to tell. You’re an EMT, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…and I’ve been pretty lucky to never have a week I’d describe as gruesome.”

“Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit. But not much.”

“So, if the garden center is your idea of a bad week, what would a good week be?”

“One where I get a front-page byline that isn’t scooped by the infamous Golden Boy of journalism. I’m sorry.” She waved away her comment. “I don’t want to talk about Chad or the paper. Tonight, I just want to have a good time.”

Tanner leaned over again, his nearness setting off every warning bell in her body and his sensual whisper
lighting every nerve ending on fire. “Your wish is my command.”

* * * *

“Did you scare that girl away already?” Taylor asked an hour later when he reappeared at the cramped little corner table.

“Evie and her friend went to the ladies
’ room,” Tanner replied before finishing the last of his beer. He’d been trying for an hour to locate his missing brother in the hopes he could get Evie to himself for a little while. He felt like he’d managed to break through the reporter’s brittle outer shell, but each time he caught her friend’s eye, Bailey’s leery expression made him feel like something she’d scraped off her shoe. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Refereeing. Claud
ia and Owen are having an issue.”

“They fight a lot. I thought they were friends.”

“They are. They’re just so much alike they can’t stand it sometimes. Anyway…we’re taking off. I just wanted to see if you—”

“You can’t leave now. Come on, I thought you liked Bailey. Stay and hang out with us…maybe help me divide and conquer.”

“Did you really just say divide and conquer? No wonder that girl thinks you’re some kind of monster.”

“I just mean, give her friend something to do so I can
—”

“Make your move, Romeo?”

“Yeah. Anyway, what are you and Claudia and Owen going to do tonight?”

“Nothing. He’s got inventory at the store, and I offered to drive her home. I can’t back out now.”

Tanner sighed. “You’re killing me here.”

“Look, just ask the girl for her number and call her tomorrow.”

“I’m working tomorrow. And come on…a cute redhead? Taylor, this is your chance, man.”

“Sorry, I’m beat. And I promised Claudia a ride. Maybe another time.”

Tanner sighed. Normally having two beautiful women to entertain would have been fine with him, but if he turned the charm on Bailey he knew that would just fuel Evie’s wrath. With that in mind, he’d played it very cool, which was probably why Bailey glared at him every chance she got. Now his only choice seemed to be to make a graceful exit and just leave the indomitable Ms. Prentice wanting more.

* * * *

“How can you leave me like this?” Evie cornered Bailey in the narrow hallway just outside the crowded ladies’ room. She tried to sound utterly bereft, hoping to convince herself, as well as Bailey, that she didn’t want her friend to go home early. Some part of her, though, secretly hoped Bailey would find a way to give her some one-on-one time with Tanner. She hated that part of her and wanted to squash it where it lived. She had to be insane to want to spend any more time with the man who’d been relentlessly hinting at seduction for the past hour. His every move and glance had made Evie acutely aware of him from his body heat to the enticing scent of his cologne. Her nerves were as taut as piano wire and her inhibitions loosened just enough by the alcohol to have her considering things she knew she shouldn’t.

“I’m tired, and Aiden’s not doing anything. He doesn’t mind coming to pick me up.”

“To spend an evening at a pub that’s lousy with gorgeous men and call your brother to drive you home is missing the point of going out. You realize that, don’t you? What about Taylor? He’s cute and obviously much less prowly than Tanner.”

“He’s nice and…in case I didn’t say it before—my God, there are two them! I thought I’d pass out when you showed up at the table with both of them.”

“I know.” Evie fanned herself. “It’s a bit overwhelming. All that good-looking in one family.”

“Right? Like I said, Taylor is really nice, but I’m just not up for seducing anyone tonight.”

Evie growled. “Who said seduce him?” Hadn’t she been trying to stop herself from fantasizing about seducing Tanner for the past hour? What was wrong with her? “Just hang out with him.”

“No, really. I’m exhausted, and I just want to go home and relax. This place is noisy and crowded. I can only take so much.”

“So you’re abandoning me here?”

“We came in your car, dear. Which is why I called my brother. I would never leave you here without wheels.”

“Fine. I’ll just have to manage.”

“To ward off Tanner? Really
? Like you want to do that. I’ve been watching you. You can’t stop staring at him.”

“Because I can’t get over how utterly
rude and—”

“He’s gorgeous, and in case you hadn’t noticed, he can’t take his eyes off you either.”

“In case
you
hadn’t noticed, he looks at every female that way.”

Bailey lifted her chin defiantly, a superior smile on her lips. “Actually, I hadn’t noticed. In fact
, he’s barely made eye contact with me at all. It’s you he wants. Only you.”

“He’s a player.”

“So play a little.”

“This coming from the woman who swore off men for a year?”

“I’m going to live vicariously through you. Go have some fun.”

“He’s not my type. We’ve been over this.”

Bailey grabbed Evie by the shoulders and spun her toward the main room. “Go. Have. Some. Fun. Say good-bye for me. Aiden’s probably here by now, so I’m heading outside.” Bailey made a phone shape with her fingers and mouthed the words
Call me
before disappearing through the crowd and leaving Evie to “fend” for herself.

Heart thudd
ing wildly, she realized she was finally on her own. Amid the wall-to-wall people, it was just her and Tanner. She should have been appalled, but instead, her pulse raced and her palms grew damp. She rubbed them on her skirt, took a deep breath, and headed for their table, hating herself for hoping he hadn’t lost interest and left while she and Bailey were gone.

Relief washed through Tanner when Evie reappeared at the table, alone. He made a show of looking around, certain Bailey was lurking nearby. “Where’s your chaperone?” he asked finally.

“She called her brother to pick her up. She’s not used to the crowds
, so I’m on my own.”

The challenging look in her eye told him this too was some kind of test. Would he let her go just to prove he’d caught her independent vibe, or would he step up and play the knight protector?

“Taylor left too. Too bad. I think he and Bailey would make a perfect match.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we should try to arrange to get them together again.”

That wasn’t exactly what had been on his mind, but at least it was an excuse to see Evie again. “We could meet here, on a less crowded night and all have dinner together.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” She took out her cell phone. “Give me your number
, and maybe we can talk later in the week and arrange something.”

He took the phone from her and entered his number, but rather than putting his name in her contacts he typed in
The Evil Twin
. He saved the entry before she had a chance to look at it, and she tucked the phone back into her purse.

They spent the next few moments in semi-awkward silence while the crowd shifted around them again. The next band had taken the stage, and like a tidal wave, groups of people began moving tables and chairs, clearing a space in the center of the room. The man at the microphone, guitar dangling from his neck, clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention and gave the order, “Let’s dance!”

Tanner’s gaze shot to Evie as someone jostled her chair. She shook off her momentary bewilderment, and when the driving beat of a Latin-flavored song filled the room, she jumped off her stool. “Might as well,” she said. “If we sit still, we’ll probably be trampled.”

Tanner caught her hand
, and together they threaded their way through couples and groups and found a relatively empty spot on the makeshift dance floor. He put his hand on her hips and drew her toward him. He thought his heart would stop when her eyelids fluttered closed and she began swaying to the music, transforming from the sweet little spitfire who’d captured his attention to a petite seductress. In a second, she was bumping against him, hip to hip, her arms in the air and an expression of sensual ecstasy on her face.

“I love this beat,” she yelled over the pulsing rhythm from the synthesizer. So did he, but it wasn’t the music that had him enthralled. Watching her move, feeling her curves undulate beneath his hands, set his nerves on fire. He may have been an equal opportunity flirt up until now, but from this moment on, the only woman he noticed was the one dancing in front of him.

Halfway through the song, the crowd shifted, squashing them together. Her half-closed eyes popped open and met his. Her warm hands molded to his pecs, practically searing his skin through his shirt. The shimmer of her glossy lips held him mesmerized for a second, but just as he was about to lean in and taste for himself, a couple bumped into them and they were shoved a few steps over.

“I can’t breathe,” she whispered in his ear. “Can we go outside?”

He nodded and led her through the crowd. They reached the door and burst into the chilly April evening, their breath condensing into clouds around them.

“Are you all right?” he asked, pulling her to the left of the vestibule that offered some shelter by the front door.

She leaned against the wall, and he put his hand up to brace himself and lifted her chin with the other. “Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine. It was getting close in there.”

“Yeah. To be honest, I think they exceeded their guest limit. Someone should really report them. If they have another fire in the kitchen, someone’s going to get seriously hurt.”

She shivered, and he dropped a hand to her shoulder. “It was so much warmer a few hours ago. I left my coat in the car.”

Tanner stepped closer. How could she be cold when he was on fire? “I can warm you up.”

He didn’t hesitate when she looked up, lips parted. He dove in, capturing her mouth. She let out a startled moan, and her hands came up to his chest, but she didn’t push him away
. In fact, the resistance in her muscles faded by degrees. He sank against her and reveled in the sensation of her body yielding to his.

She tasted like coconut and rum, and she smelled like an exotic mix of wildflowers. He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek
, then cupped her jaw and angled her head to deepen the kiss that rocked him down to his toes. God, he’d had plenty of first kisses, but none of them had ever turned him inside out like this.

Breathless, she broke the kiss. “Oooh…you’re vibrating.”

“I know, so are you, but I don’t think it’s from the cold—”

“No, I mean, your pocket seems to be vibrating.”

“Oh.” He laughed, stepped back and fished in his pocket for his phone. Caller ID told him it was Quinn. Normally he would have ignored his partner on his night off, but they were supposed to meet at Colette’s hours ago. “Sorry, I’ve got to answer.”

She nodded, the back of her hand pressed to her lips.

“This better be good,” he greeted his best friend.

“Sorry to rain on your parade, but can you come in tonight? There’s a multi-car on the Thruway
, and Stanton is short-handed. They need assistance.”

“I’ve had a beer.”

“I’ll drive. Can you be here in five?”

Tanner sighed. He would have loved to pretend Quinn was calling about something else, but the small phone speaker projected the call very clearly. She’d heard every word. “A multi-car accident? You should go.”

“But your friend left you here—”

“I’ve got my car. I’m fine. It’s okay.”

“Evie…”

She waved him off. “They need you. I wish I could come along.”

He would have taken her, but he wasn’t permitted to bring anyone to the station with him on a call, and she couldn’t ride in the rig without special permission from his commander. “I’m sorry…”