by Pamela Clare
“I know you worked your butt off today. You can take off. Have a night to yourself,” she prodded. He’d started working for her father almost since the day Jay had bailed them both out of jail because Tanner insisted on repaying his bond. Then he’d joined the construction crew that built this new room. She understood his need for money and loved her dad for giving Tanner the chance, but now the room was done and Tanner had no reason to hang around. He’d have to find a job, which he could do in another city since he didn’t have to be back until the trial. Of course that meant finally giving up her apartment since she’d sublet to him when the house arrest began. That would mark the beginning of her actual loss of freedom and the thought made her stomach cramp.
“Today wasn’t so bad,” he said, moving farther into the room. “Just returned some of the materials.”
“Yeah, but they weighed a ton.”
He shrugged it off then turned and faced her. Working outside had given him a healthy tan and he looked better than ever. His hair had grown out and she itched to run her fingers through its thick softness. It was hard to believe they hadn’t touched each other in three months. The first month, the whole family had focused on recovering from the trauma. Then the construction on the house had started and what was supposed to be a four week job had doubled because of one thing or another. In all that time, Tanner had melded into the family. He’d stayed for meals and her family had treated him like gold.
“How’s the screenplay going?” he asked, gesturing to her computer as she zipped her files in a case. She’d been working on it since the room construction started. Two months of intensive hours at her computer, trying to come up with a screenplay good enough to make Bobby McBride want to invest his money with her. It was surreal to think that Maurice’s potential partner, the oilman from Texas, considered doing business with her. Bobby told her he’d noticed her problem solving abilities and her attention to detail. It was his appointment she’d canceled the morning she’d abducted and shot her boss.
Like several of Maurice’s other investors, Jess had called to tell him there would be no meeting. That Maurice had been killed in a freak accident and if he still wanted to invest in a Hollywood film, then he needed to find a producer looking for money. In the course of a half dozen calls, he’d asked tons of questions about show business and movies, and he’d decided that she was the producer he wanted to work with. Bobby had told her if she brought him a project he liked, he’d fund it. She’d been upfront with him during their phone calls. Told him she’d never produced a movie before, but he hadn’t seemed bothered by the fact. He insisted he was prepared to write her a check whenever she was ready.
Instead of involving a scriptwriter, instead of unnecessarily getting someone else’s hopes up, Jess had another idea. It was Tanner who convinced her to run with it. So in the span of two months, she’d written a screenplay. It hadn’t been hard. The story was fresh in her head. She called it Payback. It was certainly the kind of thing that moviegoers wanted. Action, intrigue, romance. It had a little of everything. Including violence, which Jess had hated writing.
The pride she hadn’t felt at typing the end suddenly washed through her, but only because she knew how Tanner would react.
“It’s done. For real.”
His eyes widened and a giant smile lit his face. “Finally!” In two strides, he reached her and pulled her out of her chair, crushing his arms around her in a massive bear hug. “That’s great! God! That’s so great!”
Jess closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of his body, the strength of his big arms wrapped around her. She hugged him tight, reveling in the moment before it ended. In all these months, Tanner hadn’t made a move on her. Hadn’t given any sign that he wanted her, and even though her conscience argued that the guy hadn’t had a chance to do anything with a houseful of people and considering that he’d worked from sun up to sun down most days—she still didn’t know what to make of it.
But now, as Tanner eased back and stared down at her, she saw something else in his eyes. She saw the man who’d snuck into her heart three months ago. One hand eased through her hair and his gaze smoldered.
“Your hair is growing out,” he said softly. He’d barely glanced at her hair. He focused on her eyes, then her mouth.
A sharp thrill zinged beneath her skin, down her back. She loved when he looked at her like he might eat her up in one bite. It made her feel valued. Desired. Jess pushed aside the unfamiliar feelings. “So is yours.” She had to touch him and stroked her thumb across his jaw.
He slowly leaned down and Jess braced herself for contact. But nothing could ready her for the electric sensation when his lips touched hers. He didn’t kiss her hard, but he kissed her well. Jess ran her hand up his muscled chest as his tongue explored her mouth. She’d forgotten how good it was to kiss him. How safe she felt in his arms. How the intimacy always made her forget everything around her. His erection grew against her lower belly and Jess rubbed against him, loving the fact that she made him this way. That she had that kind of power over this man. His hands trailed down her sides then roamed lower and cupped her ass until he’d brought her more firmly against the hard ridge in his jeans.
Desire flared hot and hungry, and Jess lost the will to take her time. She stood on her toes, yanked Tanner closer and took control of the kiss. A second later, he jumped on board, and what had been sweet and soulful turned rough and raunchy. Their kiss exploded into a ferocious taking of lips and mouths. Their hands searched out soft skin and hard muscle. Jess wanted him more than anything else in the world, every part of her focused on the way his fingers moved along her body and the way his tongue danced with hers, so when he pulled back, breathing hard, she didn’t understand his problem.
“The phone,” he panted. When she looked at him blankly, he said it again at the same time she heard her cell phone ring. “You’d better answer it. Don’t want anyone worrying about you if they think something’s wrong.”
Taking a deep breath, Jess reached for her phone on the table. The distraction was probably a good thing. What would be the point of hooking up with Tanner? She couldn’t risk starting something with him on the chance she ended up in prison. The man deserved a full life with a woman at his side and her odds at remaining free were fifty-fifty at best.
Tanner ran a hand through his hair and reined in his libido. He’d been about two seconds from tossing Jess onto the new sofa and making her his. He wanted her so bad he could barely think straight. He was so damn proud of her he wanted to burst with it.
“This is Jess,” she said, answering her phone. She listened and looked up at him. “Yes, hi, Bobby. How are you?”
Bobby McBride. The man who could make her dreams come true. Tanner held his breath, waiting for Jess’s side of the conversation. McBride was just the kind of patsy that Juneau always targeted, a man with a ton of money and no experience in show business. It was Tanner’s idea that Jess write something herself. He figured it would take her mind off the trial and kick-start a career she wanted more than anything. Her family had agreed. Instead of trying to rewrite an old screenplay, Jess had started fresh with a new idea. The past two months, she’d spent as many hours at her computer as he’d worked on the new room.
“Actually, I was going to call you tomorrow,” Jess said. “I have a project you might be interested in.” She listened and her eyes went wide. “Tonight? Oh, I don’t know about to—” She listened again and looked a little panicked before finally nodding her head. “Yes, I can, it’s just that I—” She waited again, darting a glance at him. “Okay. Sure. I’ll email it to you as soon as we hang up.” Another brief pause and she went on, “Okay. Thank you, Bobby. You too. Goodnight.” She hung up the phone, sat down and scrubbed her hands through her hair. “He wants it now. Tonight.” Then, as if Tanner might not understand her words, she looked at him with wide eyes and repeated them very succinctly. “He wants the screenplay now! Tonight!”
Tanner grinned. “Yeah, so? You
finished it. Your exact words were for real. Send it to him. What’s the problem?”
“The problem? The problem?” She jumped to her feet and started pacing. “The problem is I just typed the end ten minutes ago and I’m not sure it’s good enough. I mean, am I really done or do I need to change the ending? Maybe I should read through it again and see if it’s really good enough. I should—”
Tanner snagged her by the shoulders as she passed him. He kissed her hard, just once, and set her back. “It’s good enough. Send it.”
“How do you know? You didn’t even read the whole thing.”
“I read most of it. I would’ve read it all if you’d let me. Besides, you didn’t just finish. You finished it weeks ago and you’ve been obsessing over it since. I know it’s good.” It was better than good. It was their story. She’d called it his story, but it was about them. He was dying to know the ending, but she’d struggled over it and he didn’t want to press her. “It’s ready. Send it.” He watched her worried eyes. “Look. What’s the worst thing that can happen? He’ll say no to this project and ask you to find another one.”
“Or he’ll take his money somewhere else,” she said.
“Or that. But you risk that with any project you send him. You’re the one who told me it’s subjective. Not everyone is going to like the same things. You have to take the risk.” He rubbed her shoulders and tried to ease some of the tension out of her tired muscles. “Go on,” he told her. “Send it.” He gave her a little shove toward her computer and lifted the lid. Jess waited for it to boot up, then typed a quick email, attached the screenplay and, after a few seconds of hesitation, hit Send. The ensuing silence hovered like a fog filled with mind-numbing possibilities. Would McBride like it enough to offer the money Jess needed? If he did, would Jess retain her freedom and make her dreams come true?
Tanner closed the lid on her computer and put an end to the stilted quiet. He helped Jess to her feet and turned her toward him. “You have to risk to win,” he told her. “Life’s too short to put off living.”
Jess arched her brows. “Since when did you start quoting my parents?”
“Since I decided they know what they’re talking about.” He hadn’t planned on liking Jay and Terry so much, but some things couldn’t be helped. They were fair, decent people who looked out for their kids and their community. Since the day he’d gotten them out of Facinetti’s house, they’d looked out for him as well. He could’ve refused the offer to work on the construction crew, but Tanner hadn’t seen the logic in that. Taking the job accomplished a few things. It gave him the income he needed to survive, it kept him in Los Angeles before the trial and most importantly, it gave him close proximity to Jess. Even though he hadn’t been this close to her—and man, how he’d missed it—he’d been able to see her and talk to her practically every day. But having her in his arms…that was something he’d fantasized about for months. He’d been waiting for a sign, any kind of sign that might indicate she wanted him, but he hadn’t had one until now. Maybe she was afraid of what her family might think of them being together. Maybe she didn’t want a relationship with an ex-con. He’d been so close to calling it quits, packing up his belongings and taking off. But the thought of leaving Jess made him empty. Emptier than when he sat in a cold prison cell. As crazy as it seemed, the St. Johns were all he had. They’d circled the wagons to protect both of them from the media and anyone that might do them any harm. He wasn’t sure where he fit in. He just knew he wanted to.
Now, sticking with her parents’ new motto, Tanner seized the moment. Staring into Jess’s whiskey eyes, he traced her bottom lip with his thumb. Her eyes glazed over and a wave of emotion struck Tanner head-on. He didn’t take the fact that she wanted him lightly. Most women wouldn’t want a man with a prison record. But the desire in her eyes shone bright and it matched exactly what he felt for her. With a hint of pressure, he pressed her lip down and bent his head, taking her mouth with a hunger he’d been suppressing for too long.
Jess gave into his kiss with a soft moan, her mouth open and welcoming as he tasted her. It was when she pulled back and shook her head that Tanner sensed trouble.
“We shouldn’t,” she said. But her eyes said she wanted to.
Tanner moved toward her and she stepped back. “Why?” Why put on the brakes when they clearly wanted each other so badly. “Are you worried about someone coming in or—”
“No, no.” She shook her head. “That isn’t it.” She ran her hands through her hair the way she always did when she was torn, but now that it was longer, it settled against her scalp in messy, sexy layers. “I’m just thinking about the future. About the trial. I shouldn’t do this when I don’t know what my future is going be.” She paced away from him. “You especially, you should be going out and meeting people. You aren’t chained to my family just because my dad got you a job. You should be doing all the things you didn’t get to do when you were in prison.” Facing him, she looked as innocent as she always did, concern in her eyes and in her voice.
Was this her way of trying to get rid of him? Considering she was the one who’d lost control before the phone rang, he doubted it. “Be straight, Jess. If you want me gone, then say so, but don’t deny what’s between us because you’re worried about the future. That’s only another reason why we should live for now.” He moved toward her. “I want you more than I want to breathe. I want to feel what it’s like to be inside you again. I want your taste in my mouth. What happens at the trial isn’t something we can control, but we have control over right now.”
“Fine. Let’s say we do it your way. What happens three months from now if I go to prison? Are you going to move on with your life? If I get fifteen years, will you find a woman, fall in love and have a family?”
“I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do in two days, much less three months from now. I think your parents have the right idea, Jess. You have to live in the now, because you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” Tanner stalked her until Jess had the wall at her back. It was very similar to their first encounter in the kitchen and his blood revved hotter just thinking about taking her here. “Your call, Jess. Are you really going to give up the time you know you have left?”
“It’s not about me, it’s about you.” she insisted. “I want you to be happy. What’s the point of being with me when you can be out meeting someone who might not be spending the next ten-to-twenty years behind bars?”
“You’re wasting your breath, sweetheart,” Tanner whispered as he cupped her neck and brought his mouth closer to hers. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here with you.” He sealed his words with a kiss, molding his mouth against hers in a connection so hot it would’ve set the drapes on fire had there been any.
He felt her cave. Knew he had her when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as hungrily as he kissed her.
“This is just for now,” she breathed. “No ties, nothing serious.”
Tanner grunted his answer as he took her mouth in another soul shattering kiss. She could call it anything she wanted, but he’d already learned she was the kind of woman he wanted for the long haul and the last three months had only solidified that fact. He didn’t expect the feeling to go away any time soon, but damn if he planned on telling her and scaring her off even more.
When her cool palms reached under his shirt and slid under the waistband of his jeans, all thoughts of saying anything fled completely. The only thing on his mind was making her come.
Tanner hefted her against the thick archway that opened into the room. All the other walls were made of glass and he didn’t trust their strength. He would’ve checked for wainscoting on the wall, but he’d helped build the thing and knew it was smooth.
“Ohgodohgod,” she breathed, rubbing against him with a long slide.
Tanner growled a response before taking her mouth in a deep, wet kiss.
“Upstairs,” she huffed the next time they
came up for air.
Probably a smart thing to do. One of the St. Johns could walk in at any time. Jess had her legs wrapped around his hips as he carried her through the house, their tongues still tangling as he bumped his way through the den across the living room. He hit the stairs, blindly taking them as fast as he could. Big mistake. He got half way up, distracted by Jess’s hand on his erection and her tongue in his mouth, when he misjudged. Jess yelped as they went down. Tanner managed to land sideways and keep her safe in his arms, but they still hit like a wheelbarrow full of bricks.
“Shit!” he breathed, looking down at her. “You okay?” Her answer didn’t come immediately. But a smile spread across her face before she laughed. Then just as quickly she wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down for a searing, hungry kiss. “I’ll take that as a yes.” God, he’d missed her mouth, her kiss and the way her tongue dueled with his. He missed the minty taste of her. That wasn’t the only taste he wanted.
Tanner moved his kisses to her ear then down her neck as he lifted her shirt. He wanted to lick every part of her. Quickly he unhooked her bra and shoved the cups aside, holding her breast as he took her nipple in his mouth. Her hot little whimper made him harder. He wanted her here. Right now. He worked his way down her stomach, unbuttoning and unzipping her skinny jeans. Goddammit…they didn’t want to come off. He had to sit up and peel them off her. She inched up the stairs, still on her back, her elbows supporting her as she climbed, helping him strip her of her clothes. She pulled her legs in, as he got her jeans and underwear off, but he grabbed an ankle and began tugging her back down. He saw shock on her face, the sudden understanding that he planned on finishing this right here.