Twice as Sexy (The Sexy 2)

Her stomach churned and she glanced over her shoulder, but no one was in sight. She wished she could go find one of his partners inside, but she refused to leave him alone with Victor.

“No? Not going to take a swing? You’ve learned to control that nasty temper of yours? We’ll see how long that lasts.” He turned his gaze from Tanner to Scarlett. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Davis.”

Tanner pulled her roughly against him.

“How do you know who I am?” she asked.

Even his smile frightened her. “I make it my business to know everything about the men who put me away. Even their side pieces.”

A low growl sounded from Tanner’s throat. “She has nothing to do with history, Vic. Leave her out of it.”

“Out of what?” he asked with fake innocence.

“Cut the bullshit. Everything you’ve done around here. What’s your endgame?”

Victor shrugged. “Afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. But if you’ve got problems, maybe you just have more enemies than you know what to do with.” He chuckled, the sound low and menacing.

“Lying sack of–”

Tanner rolled back on his heels and Scarlett feared he’d let loose any second.

“What’s going on?” Landon’s voice reverberated through the dark night.

A glance told Scarlett that Jason and the big, bald bodyguard was with him, and relief filled her at the sight of them.

His gaze landed on Vic. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Taking a walk and talking to an old friend. Now excuse me. I have somewhere to be.” And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving Tanner seething beside her.

She’d never seen him like this, eyes glittering with anger, unable to really see anything but the opponent he viewed in front of him. She wasn’t worried for herself. She wasn’t scared of Tanner. She was scared for him.

* * *

Tanner barely remembered how they’d gotten from the street to the office, where Jason shoved a glass of Scotch into his hand. “Drink. You need it to calm down.”

Aware of everyone’s eyes on him, including Scarlett, he accepted the amber liquid and pulled a long sip, letting the burn make its way down his chest as he focused on breathing slowly and steadily.

“How did you know to come outside?” Scarlett, who was sitting on the sofa on the other side of the room from Tanner, asked.

“Video cameras. Every time something happens, we install another one so we don’t miss a damn thing.”

“You did good,” Jason told Tanner. “Kept your temper in check, talked but didn’t go after him.”

“Don’t fucking patronize me,” he said, hating feeling weak in front of anyone but particularly Scarlett, whose opinion of him mattered most.

He’d been going out of his way to show her the man he was today and fucking Victor arrived and all Tanner could see was a haze of anger in front of him.

“Just telling it like I see it.”

Scarlett rose and walked over to him, hesitantly, as if unsure of him. “Tanner, he’s right. You didn’t let him goad you into a fight. That’s what he wanted. You didn’t give him that.” Taking him by surprise, she wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head on his shoulder. “Can we go home?” she asked softly.

Relaxing for the first time since he’d seen Vic, he shifted so he was holding her in his arms. “Just a few more minutes.” He glanced at the guys. “So?”

“So nothing. Yet. But we’ve got a guy watching Sutherland’s home and his club. If Vic shows up there, at least we’ll have our connection. Because we know Daniel was involved at least with the initial vandalism. What we don’t know is at what point Vic stepped in.”

Tanner nodded. “Keep me posted. We’re leaving.”

Jason stood up and walked over. “You okay?”

He nodded. “Come on.” He took Scarlett’s hand and they headed home.

In the car, he remained silent and she respected his withdrawal. Once at the house, he set the alarm. He wasn’t taking any chances.

A little while later, he’d washed up and climbed into bed. He knew better than to think he could sleep. Scarlett joined him, sliding between the sheets, smelling fruity and sweet.

“You smell good.” And in her pale pink satiny camisole that hit her mid-thigh, she looked even better.

She grinned. “When I picked up flowers for your sister, I also stopped at the pharmacy and grabbed some toiletries for me. I hope you don’t mind, but you’re now officially sharing your bathroom with a woman … with all the little bottles and things that entails.”

As long as the items belonged to her, he was good. But how was she feeling after what she’d witnessed tonight? He might have kept his cool to an outside observer, but inside he’d been a mess, and he knew Scarlett was observant enough to have noticed.

“Hey.” She pushed herself over to his side of the bed, picked up his arm, and put it around her, then rested her head on his chest. “You’re miles away and I don’t like it.”