only she knew the half of it.
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘Pity he’s working off-site today. He brightens up the scenery.’ Makayla pursed her lips and tapped them. ‘He’s nothing like Remy, is he?’
She got that right. Remy and Tanner might be biological brothers but that was where the similarities ended. I couldn’t think of two siblings who were so different.
‘Yeah, they’re nothing alike,’ I said, grateful Makayla had moved off the topic of last night and onto safer ground.
‘I’m not just talking about looks.’ Makayla struck a strong-man pose. ‘Tanner’s like this big tough guy who swaggers around, and Remy’s soft and gentle.’
Tanner could be soft and gentle when it counted, and I’d counted last night. Many times.
‘Do you know much about their background?’ Makayla leaned against the bench. ‘I don’t know Remy that well but you’ve worked here for a year. What’s the story?’
I shrugged. ‘We don’t talk much about our pasts.’
That was the truth. I’d divulged the basics to Remy about my crappy marriage and my dreams to become a pastry chef. He’d told me he’d opened this place many years ago, had never met the right woman and his only living family was Tanner.
When we chatted during a rare lull in our busy days, we talked pastries, the latest cooking reality show on TV and gave our critiques of the newest cookbooks.
I valued our friendship, especially since he’d offered me a place to live and a job when I’d needed it most, but we weren’t the kind of people to reveal too much. I preferred it that way. Until now. Because I’d give anything to discover what made Tanner tick.
‘If Remy hasn’t revealed much to you, maybe Tanner will?’ Makayla’s exaggerated wink made me laugh. ‘Don’t you love that whole bad-boy thing he has going on?’
‘Yeah, he’s hot.’ I settled for a smidgeon of honesty so Makayla wouldn’t think anything was wrong.
Like exactly how much Tanner had revealed to me, and how much I’d liked it.
Makayla blew a raspberry. ‘Queen of the understatement.’
‘What do you want me to say? That he’s so damn sexy I get hot flushes just thinking about him?’ I pretended to fan my face and Makayla grinned.
‘That’s more like it...’ She trailed off, as if unsure how to continue. ‘I’ve got a confession to make.’
For an awful moment I wondered if Makayla had slept with Tanner too. The thought made bile rise in my throat and I swallowed, feeling increasingly foolish.
Of course a guy like him would go for a girl like Makayla. She was a bombshell. Not to mention beautiful inside and out.
‘What’s up?’ I tried to fake nonchalance. It didn’t work when my voice came out a tad high.
Makayla screwed up her nose, but she couldn’t hide the twinkle in her eyes. ‘I saw you. Last night. Heading into the VIP room with Hot Stuff.’
I exhaled in relief, unaware I’d been holding my breath.
‘So you’ve been fishing for information this whole time?’
‘Gotcha.’ Makayla made a mock gun with her thumb and forefinger and fired it. ‘Come on, sweetie, ’fess up. Did anything happen between you two?’
I’d never had a best friend. The girls at my private school had been bitches, students at uni in the few years I attended were aloof and Bardley’s friends were as bland and boring as him.
In the few months I’d known Makayla I liked talking to her. Liked the way she breezed through life. Liked her exuberance and warmth and genuine enthusiasm for everything.
I could lie to her. Fob her off with some lame-ass vague response.
Instead, I found myself nodding, liking having a female confidante for once. ‘We hooked up.’
Makayla squealed and jumped up and down. ‘Hooked up as in kissed? Or hooked up as in—’ She made lewd bumping gestures with her hands.
‘Yeah, that.’ I felt heat flush my cheeks. ‘But you can’t say a thing, okay?’
‘Good for you, girlfriend.’ She made a zipping motion over her lips, but her silence lasted all of two seconds as she eyed me with obvious admiration. ‘The quiet ones are always the worst.’
Considering how I’d screamed the place down last night, I wasn’t so quiet.
Makayla slugged me on the arm. ‘I want details.’
I shook my head, not willing to divulge anything more. I didn’t want Makayla casting sideways knowing glances at Tanner and I sure as hell didn’t want him thinking I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
I’d never been the type to blab my personal business and I wasn’t about to start now. ‘Sorry. I don’t kiss and tell.’
‘Fair enough.’ Makayla sighed, her grin goofy. ‘I’m happy for you, sweetie. You deserve to have a little fun. But if he has a brother other than Remy, let me know.’
She made a downward sign with her thumb. ‘I’m in a major slump. Both professionally and romantically. I’ve attended eight auditions in the last fortnight, nada. And my dating average is less than that.’
‘Those stage shows must be nuts not to hire you,’ I said, defending my friend when in fact I had no idea how good a dancer she was. Sure, she could burn up the dance floor with her disco moves but professionally I didn’t know how she performed. ‘As for guys, most of them have rocks in their heads, but you’re gorgeous and sweet. You’ll find a good one soon.’
A surprisingly vulnerable smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. ‘Hope you’re right, because I don’t do so well when I’m in a drought.’ She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. ‘I need a good man between my legs offstage so I can use my legs to create great dance moves onstage.’
‘Maybe that’s the problem? You’re after a good man when what you need is a bad man?’
We laughed and I impulsively leaned over to hug her. ‘Thanks for taking me out last night. I needed it.’
‘The dancing or the bad guy between your legs?’
‘Both,’ I said, my naughty grin matching Makayla’s. ‘Now, if you’re done interrogating me, can we lock up so I can catch up on some sleep?’
‘Sure,’ she said, pushing off the bench. ‘So he kept you up all night, huh?’
‘And then some.’
The way Tanner had touched me, stroked me, caressed me—everywhere—had blown my mind. I’d never imagined sex could be so good. He’d driven me to the brink so many times, teasing and tasting, before pushing me over with a skill that
