nodded, accepting the segue into safer territory. But for the rest of the meal, the conversation felt strained. They laughed too quickly at things that weren’t that funny. Pretended the sporadic silences were comfortable. Stole glances, ate quickly, tiptoed.
After he’d paid the check he realized he couldn’t have said what the food tasted like. At the door he asked, “You parked on the street?”
Annie shook her head. “Behind the diner.”
He touched the back of her elbow. It hadn’t been a planned move, and once the connection had been made they both froze for a second. But he didn’t drop his hand.
More importantly, she didn’t step away.
They walked slowly. Country music rose and fell as people opened what he imagined was the door to the neighborhood bar. He didn’t see one vehicle that wasn’t a truck of some kind, or an SUV. And he only noticed that because he forced himself to think of something other than what it would be like to touch a hell of a lot more than her elbow.
Maybe it was the mystery that made him feel this powerful pull, but he doubted that was all. He remembered sitting in his Dallas bedroom at one point, her file spread in front of him, thinking that he might have liked her if she’d been the person she appeared to be.
Now that he’d met her, she was more that woman than he could have imagined. Hardworking, dedicated, kind, strong. It didn’t hurt that she pressed all his personal preference buttons in terms of her looks, but this thing, it wasn’t just physical.
He really liked Annie. More than he should, that’s for damn sure. It was wrong to feel like this when she’d done so much damage to his brother, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. So what, was he trying to justify his reaction to her, is that why he was finding it increasingly hard to believe she was capable of such a crime? Not an easy pill to swallow. Though both scenarios were troubling.
If what his gut told him about Annie was right, he had to seriously consider that Christian hadn’t told the full truth about the embezzlement. Or flat out lied. Oh, man, that wasn’t a possibility Tucker wanted to entertain at all. His mother would crumble.
But that changed nothing, because with every conversation, his certainty that Annie’s guilt would be mitigated grew. He slid her a look that went unnoticed. With an upward tilt of her lips she was busy gazing at the clear blue sky. She loved Safe Haven, loved this small corner of Montana. Annie was doing good for the animals and the community without expectation of personal gain. It wasn’t just him―the people who worked alongside her believed that.
Dammit, he wasn’t wrong about her. And that wasn’t his lower half talking.
She stopped, and it startled him, but then he saw the beat-up green truck of hers.
He moved around to face her, reluctantly releasing his hold. “Thank you for coming to dinner with me.”
She shrugged. “As Shea would say, I really do want your money.”
“Is that it? The only reason you came tonight?”
“Not completely. I admit, I find you good company. You were helpful yesterday, and I didn’t properly thank you for that. Today, you asked intelligent questions, and I could see you care deeply about what your foundation does. You listened to me. Heard me. I appreciate that.”
“You’re fascinating. I would probably have listened to you read the phone book, although that wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting as hearing about your plans for the shelter.” He put his attraction to her out there, then watched closely, waiting for a small tell. A sign that she knew he was ripe for the picking, a perfect mark. One sultry smile and she could have him reaching for his checkbook….
“Thanks.” She blinked. “I think.”
He paused, knowing he should go. Right now. Just say good-night and walk away. “Annie,” he said, his voice lower, soft enough for her to lean forward. “You’re—”
She moistened her lips. “I’m…?”
He kissed her, half hoping to uncover the ruthless Warner woman who’d turned so many lives upside down. But it was sweet Annie Sheridan who kissed him back.
THE PRESSURE OF HIS LIPS STOLE far more than Annie’s breath. She found herself leaning on him, as if to hold herself up and also to make sure this wasn’t all in her head. He was solid against her, strong enough to carry her, and she’d been alone so long, shouldering everything.
A moment later, she parted her lips, opened her mouth in invitation, urging him to enter. He tasted incredible, nothing she could point to like beer or chocolate…it was more masculine than that. Maybe it was his clean scent—he’d showered and changed and this was him without hay and goats and horseflesh.
Her moan rose as he ran his hand under her hair. He cupped the nape of her neck, holding her steady while he changed his angle, and kissed her so thoroughly she shook with the need for more.
Gripping his upper arms, she made sure he didn’t move while she pressed against him, her right breast, her thigh. His hand slid down her back, stilling in the small curve above her behind. Then he pulled her closer, and it was so overwhelming her head fell back as she gasped.
“No,” he said, kissing her jaw, the curve of her neck, then back up until he found her mouth again. A quick nip on her bottom lip was followed by a thrust of his tongue, then a whisper of breath without touching at all as if they were trying out kisses to see what fit. Every one of them was perfect.
Each kiss and touch brought increased awareness that she was tasting Tucker, that the moments she’d imagined in her fantasies were becoming reality. She’d let him break the shell of her abstinence, and she knew the amazing shocks running through her body, making her squeeze her legs together, would cost her.
Dizzy with greed, she let the thought go, chased it away when she pried one hand free so she could touch his chest. If only she could reach under his shirt, feel his skin and hair and run her tongue over his nipples and hear the sounds he’d make.
Instead, like a cell door closing, approaching laughter slammed between them. She jumped away from him so quickly she almost tripped.
Tucker steadied her with his large hands. Thank God the lighting in the back lot was crap because her face felt as if it was on fire. The laughing people had nearly reached them, and she hoped they didn’t recognize her.
“I should let you get home,” Tucker said, releasing her completely.
She nodded. “The board meeting’s at one o’clock. At Sadie’s Watering Hole. The bar. It’s impossible to miss, seeing as it’s the only one.”
“Ah, holding the meeting where there’s alcohol. Attendance should be good.”
She got the truck keys from her jeans’ pocket. “Oh, you have no idea. The board members are…eclectic.”
“I look forward to it. You don’t need me to come in the morning? To Safe Haven, I mean?”
“You
