She was getting used to his bossy ways and stepped into the crook of his arm, tipping her head up for the kiss he’d all but demanded. He deserved one.
After all, he’d given her exactly what she needed. Not that sex had been a hardship for him, she mused, but it was the fact that he’d known how to soothe her ragged edges that stayed with her long after he’d put her in an Uber to go deal with her family alone.
* * *
It took everything inside Tanner not to head over to the hospital with Scarlett again, but they weren’t at that point where he should be with her twenty-four seven. More importantly, she needed to see that she could live her life and he’d keep showing up, being there, not running off like the last loser she’d dated.
Which was why he’d let the last week go by, allowing a slow get-to-know-you period, when all he wanted was to barrel his way into her life and make her his. If asked, Tanner wouldn’t have said he believed in love at first sight, but from the second he’d stepped off the elevator and met Scarlett’s gaze, he’d known she was different. That he had to have her.
And after spending time with her both in bed and out, he understood he wouldn’t be letting her go. Of course, he might not have a say in the matter. She still didn’t know about his past. After her mother’s suicide attempt had taken precedence over his confession, he’d decided to let her get to know and trust him before he dumped his shit in her lap and discovered whether she’d go running. He knew Scarlett was a strong woman and could handle his old issues. The question was whether or not she’d want to.
In the meantime, he’d learned all the restaurants around the area of her office and had gotten in the habit of bringing her lunch so they could hang out and talk while they ate. True, he was stealing an hour of her time because, prior to him, Scarlett worked through lunch, but after the third day, she’d stopped complaining. After the first week, she’d begun to text him what she wanted to eat instead of making him guess—in the incorrect assumption he’d give up and not come by at all.
This morning, he’d woken up early and worked out at the gym, sparring with a partner before showering there. He expected to receive a lunch text with her daily meal request but his phone screen was empty.
He frowned and texted her. No quick reply. If she’d had to be in court, she’d have let him know not to plan on coming for lunch. Frowning, he pulled up the Uber app and put in her office address. Though he tried to call her on the drive over, she didn’t answer.
He worried something had happened with her mother, but he knew Maxine was in a good facility, and though she wasn’t making progress, she couldn’t hurt herself either.
He took the elevator to Scarlett’s work floor, waved at Michelle at reception, who by now he’d met. She just grinned and watched as he walked past. Considering she didn’t stop him, he knew Scarlett was in her office. Maybe she’d gotten so busy she’d just forgotten to text him.
Her door was closed and he knocked. She didn’t answer. He knocked again and let himself in.
Scarlett sat at her desk, a photograph in her hand, tears in her eyes.
“Hey. What’s wrong?” he asked, coming up to her. He glanced down and saw the picture of her brother, the one she kept on the windowsill.
“It’s an anniversary of a really bad day.” She looked up at him, her gaze glassy with unshed tears.
He settled on the edge of her desk but didn’t take the picture from her hand. He remembered her telling him her brother had died. He knew from experience what that date could mean to the people who loved the deceased person.
“Tell me what happened.”
She put the photo against her chest. “He was working at a bodega near our apartment. A small convenience store. And a group of guys came in and held up the place. Hank, my brother … he…” She swallowed hard. “He didn’t want to give them the money in the register. You see, he knew that Mr. Sawyer, the owner, needed every penny for his wife’s asthma treatments. “They shot him in cold blood.”
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded. “Thank you. Me too.”
He pried the picture from her clutches and set it back on the shelf where she normally kept it. Looking over her.
Then he took her hands. “I understand, you know. Landon, his twin, Levi, Jason, and I met in college. Manhattan University. We were freshmen and immediate best friends. Levi wanted to join a frat. My gut screamed it was a bad idea. Hell, none of us wanted it except Levi. But he was bold and brash and kind of our pack leader. So he convinced us.”