Tank (Blue-Collar Billionaires 1)

“Don’t jump down her throat, Finn. She’s not the one in the wrong. We are. I should have told Mom last time I was here. She would have found out eventually.”

“I know. But not right now. Not when she’s already got so much to worry about.”

Tank lifts his plate and his mother’s from the table and disappears into the kitchen. After he’s gone, Finn reaches out and touches my arm. “I’m sorry, Emma. It’s really not your fault and I have no right to take my frustration out on you.”

He gets up and leaves the table, too. I’m left alone with a plate of spaghetti and a half-empty bottle of wine. I pour myself a little more and take a swig before getting up to search for Tank. The back door is slightly open so I stick my head out into the cold night air. Tank is on the back step, leaning back on his arms and looking up at the night sky. At the sound of the door opening he looks over his shoulder.

“Sorry about the drama, Emma. I told you my family was like a reality show.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I pull my sweater closer and then sit down on the top step next to him. I’d assumed he was looking at the stars but his eyes are closed.

“Can I ask you a question? And if it’s too painful, you can tell me to mind my own business.”

His eyes open and he angles his body so he’s facing me. “You can ask me whatever you want. I’ve already told you, you’re the exception to all my rules.”

A thrill rushes through me at his words. It’s impossible not to be affected when he’s looking at me like this, like I’m the only thing he wants. The only thing he needs.

I look away and try to focus. “Why is this all such a big secret? I know your parents are divorced but was the breakup really that bad? He just seems so nice. I can’t imagine Mr. Marshall doing anything to intentionally hurt anyone.”

Tank leans back on his arms, his face turned up to the sky. “I’m sure he can seem nice when it’s in his best interest. All the best con men are good actors. He fooled my mom into thinking he was a great guy until he ditched us when I was eight years old. Finn was five.”

“He abandoned you?”

“Yeah. Never looked back either. I hadn’t heard from him since until late last year when a letter showed up from a law firm in California. I actually thought it was a scam at first.”

“No contact in all that time? That’s just …”

“Pretty cold, right? But that’s how he operates. Mom told us a few years ago that he actually came back once. It was a few years after he left. She didn’t want us to know. Figured it was better for us not to be disappointed again if it didn’t work out. That was a good call because it turns out he just needed money. He stayed in town long enough to seduce her and then he took her savings and cleared out again. That’s what he does. He uses people.”

All this time, I’ve been trying to put the pieces together. Why Mr. Marshall would be willing to pay so much just to establish contact with his son. Why Tank seemed so hostile toward him.

And why it all felt so wrong.

Now it makes sense. When I’d told Mr. Marshall that Tank flirted with me, I’d given him information that he’d seen as a possible weapon. He wasn’t just asking me to carry a message to his son. He was using Tank’s feelings for me to manipulate him.

And I’d played dir

ectly into his hands.

I turn to Tank and cup his face between my hands. He’s startled but leans closer, turning into the warmth of my palm.

“If you don’t want to see him, then you shouldn’t have to. Do what your heart tells you to do and nothing less.”

His eyes bore into mine like he’s trying to read the truth of my words in my gaze. Then he leans closer. He glances up at me, giving me plenty of time to back away. To turn away.

But I don’t.

His lips cover mine and soon my fingers get lost in his thick hair. His other arm lifts to hold me closer and the kiss deepens. When he kissed me before, it was all tangled up in heat and urgency. But this is completely different.

His fingers spread through my hair, holding me still as his tongue plumbs the depths of my mouth. All the while his thumb traces a soft path on my cheek. A soft noise escapes the back of my throat and the sound seems to spur him on. The way he touches me is so surprising. He treats me like I’m delicate, something he wants to protect but also like I’m the hottest thing he’s ever seen.

Voices drift from the slightly open door behind us and then there’s the clatter of dishes in the sink. The loud sounds remind me where we are. Claire or Finn could come out at any time and catch us. I pull back and take several deep gasping breaths. Tank is just as affected. His chest heaves and he closes his eyes, fighting for control.

I’d be a liar if I said it didn’t give me immense satisfaction to watch this big, magnificent male creature fighting to control himself around me. But the longer I’m around Tank, the more I realize just how little possibility there is for us.

Even though he doesn’t know it, I’m just one more person that Tank can’t trust. One more person who wants something from him.

“I like you, Tank.”