"What?"
"We're not done yet."
"I'm out of condoms," she lied.
"That's not what I meant." The corner of his eye twitched.
"I know." She smoothed away the tic, pressed a kiss to his twice-broken nose and backed out of his lap. "But later. Please?"
When she wasn't totally brain-dead, lacking in common sense, and incredibly vulnerable to the draw of those sapphire eyes. Blue eyes that looked at her as if expecting something she wasn't ready to give.
He opened his mouth to speak, then paused. His face tipped as he listened.
Birds flapped through the rafters in the silence. Tanner hefted Kathleen into the copilot's seat and tossed her pants into her lap.
"Someone's out there. Get dressed while I check on it," he said, making fast work of buttoning his pants and shirt. "Probably just the security police wondering why our car's in front. I'll show them my line badge and send them on their way. And, Kathleen?"
"Yeah?" She clutched her clothes to her stomach.
"We aren't done yet," he repeated. Tucking in his shirt-tails, he disappeared down the stairwell.
We aren't done yet.
Shivering with the lingering promise of his words, Kathleen slipped on her leggings. He wasn't going to let her get away as easily as she'd hoped.
She'd been selfishly worrying about herself and hadn't given a thought to his feelings. But she'd never considered she might have any effect on him.
Harboring some silly crush on Tanner had been safe for just that reason. She'd never expected it to play out, so the fantasy was risk free.
What they'd done tonight was very real.
At least their unscheduled visitor had granted her a reprieve until she could decide what to do next.
After she found her other shoe stuck beside the rudders, Kathleen descended the narrow stairwell into the cavernous cargo hold. Raised masculine voices echoed, startling her still for a second before she charged down the metal track.
Halogen bulbs spotlighted Tanner's broad back as he slammed Crusty against the hangar wall.
Chapter 15
Fury blasted through Tanner in an afterburner burst. Forearm pinning Crusty to the hangar wall, Tanner stared down his old "pal" Daniel Baker who'd somehow managed to find him and Kathleen. "You set us up."
"Rein it in, Bronco." Coal-black, hard eyes stared back in spite of the easygoing voice. "Let's talk about this."
"Talk?" Anger fired, fresh and full force. A primal need charged through him, a need to pay back whoever had threatened Kathleen—could have killed her in the car explosion.
Crusty seemed the most likely candidate.
Tanner knew his anger was raging out of control, and he couldn't make himself care. No doubt, frustration over Kathleen's brush-off wasn't helping. He wanted to pound that ex of hers into the ground for making her so wary. Wanted to pound a wall because he hadn't been much better himself in Germany two short weeks ago. "I've given you more than one chance to talk, and all you offered was a detour that almost got us killed."
"Hey, the Wing and a Prayer was packed when I told you about that side road. Quinn and that Fitzgerald fellow were even sitting at our table. Do you honestly think I let air out of your tires in some high-school prank?"
Tanner's rage narrowed to the man he'd called friend. "How do you know about the tires?" He notched his arm tighter against Crusty's chest. "Or better yet, you can tell the security police all about it."
"Good. Let's go."
That stopped Tanner faster than any argument. "What?"
"Let's go. At least maybe there you'll listen."