Twice as Sexy (The Sexy 2)

Body washed, she turned to her hair, tipping her head beneath the spray. The bathroom was gorgeous with granite and stone on the floor, walls, and countertops. As someone who had a postage-stamp-sized bathroom in Manhattan, she could get used to the kind of luxury the entire setup provided.

Which was part of the panic that rushed through her veins after the amazing night they’d shared. The axis on which she operated had shifted and it scared her. From the time Hank had been killed, she’d been solely focused on her goal of getting through school so she could graduate college, then law school and get to work putting criminals behind bars. Her satisfaction came from a job well done and done right, not from her personal life. Hell, she’d never had much of one and she’d never felt lacking.

Maybe because she hadn’t come from a functional family unit, she hadn’t ever been a girl who dreamed of marriage, children, and a happily ever after. Not when her own mother sat staring out a window all day and her father worked so hard he barely noticed … until Scarlett had moved out and he’d had to hire a neighbor to look after his wife.

She blinked into the steamy room and conditioned and rinsed her hair, wondering why she was thinking about all these things now. The answer came easily. Because of how Tanner made her feel. Beyond the mind-altering, epic sex they’d had was an emotional connection she’d never shared with anyone before.

On top of that, he made her feel cared for. Settled. Not alone. All things she’d never had in her life, and the tantalizing taste of it now scared her. What if she gave in to the emotions threatening to overwhelm her and this relationship didn’t work out? Or what if she let down her walls only to find herself alone again?

Until Tanner, she hadn’t realized she had those walls. Being with him opened up a scary world of feeling and emotion she didn’t know how to handle. She swallowed hard. Work. She needed to concentrate on work because that was the one thing she knew she could count on. The one thing in her life that made sense and she understood. The rest she’d take as it came and hope for the best.

She stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in fluffy towels, one on her head and the other wrapped around her body, to find Tanner on his cell phone. He’d already dressed and was wearing a pair of jeans that molded to his fine ass and a black long-sleeve shirt, making a drool-worthy package from behind.

He must have sensed her presence, because he turned, his eyes darkening as they took her in. “My sister,” he mouthed, pointing to the phone.

She nodded. Clasping the towel in her hand, she went to pick out her clothes for the day, pulling another variation of her usual pair of slacks and a camisole from the suitcase Tanner had brought upstairs late last night.

She hadn’t taken the time to unpack because she’d been exhausted. They had, however, fit dinner into their evening. He’d ordered in baked ziti and pizza from a restaurant nearby that delivered.

“Dinner tonight?” she heard him say into the phone.

“Go.” This time she mouthed to him.

“I can’t tonight,” he said instead.

Scarlett felt guilty keeping him from his family. Worse when she heard what he said next.

“I know it’s been awhile but things here are”—he glanced at Scarlett and grinned—“complicated.”

She rolled her eyes. “Go,” she mouthed again. “I’ll stay here.” She gestured to where she was standing.

He shook his head, his expression stern. “Fine,” he said into the phone. “I’ll be there but I’m bringing a guest.”

Scarlett waved her hands, trying to let him know that she didn’t need to go with him to his sister’s. That he could leave her here and she’d be perfectly safe. He’d set an alarm last night and she knew she’d be fine alone in the house.

Instead of agreeing, he treated her to a scowl before turning back to his conversation. “Yes. Six is fine. We’ll be there.”

Scarlett sighed in acceptance. Clearly he was calling the shots. Six was early for her to be somewhere even on a Friday night, but since this was his family, she wasn’t going to make him feel bad by complaining she had to work.

He disconnected the call and met her gaze. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen my sister in a while and she pulled the guilt card.”

She smiled at his brotherly reaction. “That’s okay. But I really could stay here. You could set the alarm and I’d be fine.”

He exhaled hard. “That’s probably true … but I want you to meet her.”

She blinked in surprise. “You do? Why?” she blurted out, feeling stupid as soon as the word passed her lips.