Shifters Forever The Boxed Set Books 1 - 6 (26 page)

T
anner followed
her directions to her home. She made no other talk and found ways to avoid talking to him otherwise. When he asked a question, she responded with a monosyllabic answer.

He pulled up where she told him to. There was a car in the driveway. A modest home, probably two bedroom. Not the best part of town. Not the worst, though her grass could use a good mowing.

“Thank you for the ride.” She jumped out, her bag already in her hand, and closed the door before he could ask her if she’d need a ride to her car, wherever the lot was that her car was parked at.

Then she ran up the cracked concrete sidewalk, digging keys out of her purse. When she reached the front door, she opened it.

“Thank you, Heather,” Marti was saying as she opened the door.

A woman came out as Marti walked in. Tanner’s bear hearing picked up her words.

“He’s pissed that you’re late,” the woman said to Marti as she closed the door behind her.

He? Who was he? And why was he pissed? And what was Marti late for?

A man. Marti had a man. That explained everything.

Yeah, everything except why she wanted Tanner. Everything except why he could smell her desire for him.

Clearly, Marti had a man at home.

And that man wasn’t Tanner, and it never would be. He shoved his pickup into gear and took off down the road without a backward glance.

It was better off that they weren’t plus-ones now.

Fuck.

His bear roared in frustration.

I agree completely.

Fuck this.

M
arti closed
the door behind her, then realized that she had forgotten to give Heather her money.

Yeah, well. She didn’t have a chance to think about it for the next few minutes because a three-foot package launched itself at her and a chubby set of fingers wrapped around her legs.

She grabbed onto the table for balance. “Dominic,” she squealed at him.

“You late, Momma.” Dominic glared at her. His dark brown eyes glowed an amber light of fury.

“I know, baby.” She picked him up.
God, he’s getting so heavy.
“You’re growing up so fast. I didn’t mean to be late. I ran into some trouble.”

“Momma smell like she worked.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I’m a sight as well as a stinker. I did work. I moved furniture.” And to think, Tanner had kissed her looking and smelling like this. “I need a bath.”

“No bath. We’re playing.”

“Oh, we are?” She laughed at her son’s take-charge dominating behavior and ruffled the top of his head, sending dark curls askew.

He wiggled out of her arms and took her hand. “Let’s go.” He led her to his room.

She shook her head at her son. Her everything. She shoved Tanner from her mind.

She had no time for men.

She had no time for shifters.

The only one she had time for was Dominic.

She also didn’t want him around shifters. The last thing she needed was a shifter to find out about Dominic.

M
arti’s phone rang
, and she ran to answer it before it woke Dominic up. It was hell getting him to nap. She had to let him sleep in her bed. This was getting old; she had to get him to start sleeping in his own bed. He was far too restless a sleeper and didn’t allow her the slightest bit of rest.

She grabbed the cell and pressed the button to answer it as she headed into the living room, noting that it was Mae.

Marti glanced at the clock. It was nine o’clock at night.

“Hi, Mae.”

“Marti, I heard.” Mae sounded concerned. “I heard what happened with the truck, the delivery guys, that you and Tanner had to do the work yourselves. Oh, I wish you hadn’t. And he had to give you a ride home…”

Bet he hated that.
“I didn’t want to inconvenience him. And I didn’t know what else to do. The furniture, I had to get it set up for you.”

“You are amazing. You’re more than a service provider, you know. You’re family.”

“That’s so sweet of you to say, Mae.”

“No, it’s not. The rehearsal dinner’s tomorrow night.”

Marti stopped breathing.
No.

“Marti?”

“I’m here.”

“You’re coming, right?”

Her car… She could use that as an excuse, couldn’t she? “Well…” And she had to get the truck. Another excuse. “You see, there’s this…” She drummed her fingers on her thighs. She didn’t want to see Tanner at the rehearsal dinner. It was bad enough she’d have to see him at the wedding, even if he wasn’t her plus-one. “I’ll be at the wedding.”

“Oh, no.” Mae’s voice sounded so distressed that Marti felt guilty. No. No. No. That worked too well on her.

Not the guilt thing. You’d think I was Catholic.

“Tanner has the keys to the truck. He’s bringing it back tomorrow, and he’ll need a ride back. You could bring him to the dinner. That would work out so perfectly, Marti, don’t you see?”

No. What I see is that you’re a client. Sure, you’re a friend, but you’re a client. And a lot of my future business will hinge on your recommendations.
So like it or not, she needed to suck it up, didn’t she?

Furthermore, why why why why did I leave those damned keys in the truck?

Could be because you were so caught up in kissing and making out with Tanner that you forgot?

God, I’m a total idiot. I take a deep breath and dive in to
my refusal.
“Mae, I don’t know…”

“Oh, Marti. You just gotta. First off, we can’t imagine you not being a part of this. Truly. And second, well, Tanner, he’s doing us a favor by bringing the truck. He’s helping us out. He needs a ride back.”

Marti knew that when Mae said, “He’s helping us out,” she really meant, “He’s helping
you
out.” And what about Tanner? What did he think about her being his ride? He didn’t seem to like her too much by the time he’d dropped her off.

Oh, and whose fault is that?
Marti wished she could shut her internal dialogue off.

“Does Tanner know you’re asking me to give him a ride?”

Mae paused. Marti wondered if that meant no, or if it meant that he did and wasn’t willing. She could second-guess herself to death with this. It was one ride, one meal, one evening. She’d get her car back. She’d go to the wedding the day after. Then by Sunday, the wedding would be over, Tanner would be a memory, and he’d have gone back to wherever he came from.

Then her life could begin again. And hopefully she’d be on Mae’s good side and get some more business.

“I’ll do it.”

Mae squealed so loud at the other end of the line that Marti had to pull the phone away from her ear. “He’ll be there at two tomorrow afternoon to pick you up to go get your car. You’re wonderful. Oh, Grant said he wanted to get you started on some projects at his house as soon as they get back from the honeymoon.”

Sure, dangle that carrot in front of me, just to be sure I don’t forget.

Okay, that was bitchy.
Marti brought her attitude back a notch or two. “Thank you, Mae. I appreciate everything you’re doing.” And she did.

Mostly.

M
arti was ready early
. She was waiting on the front porch by 1:55 p.m. while Heather was inside with Dominic. Marti couldn’t risk Tanner coming to the front door to knock. Tanner was a shifter; his sense of smell would pick Dominic up. That wasn’t a complication she needed.

Four minutes later, the big truck she’d driven to Bear Canyon Valley pulled up in front of her house. She steeled herself, stiffened her back, set her shoulders straight, and headed in.
May as well get it over with.
Call this the price she’d have to pay to keep her business in the black.

It’s probably cheaper than advertising on the radio. Moneywise. Certainly not heart wise.

The truck’s door opened, then closed. Why was he getting out? Did he want her to drive?

Tanner stepped around the front and she almost gasped at the sight of him. Pain pierced through her like a lance. He cleaned up way too well. His dark eyes looked at her and into her.

She licked her lips. Her mind went to the way he’d looked in that soaked white T-shirt that clung to every muscle yesterday, hugging his pecs and abs, emphasizing his body and tempting her desire. She didn’t believe in love at first sight, or first day or any of that shit. There was no way. That wasn’t possible. But she couldn’t explain the instant connection with him. She shook her head. Couldn’t explain it, couldn’t understand it.

She took the sight of him in, absorbing every bit of him. The trimmed beard, the tight, clean shirt with rolled-up sleeves, the scrubbed-clean look on his face, the tight pants that emphasized a package she knew would fit right in with the rest of his sexy, super-sized self.

She chewed on her lip. What could she even say?

He rounded the truck to her side, opened the door and put a hand out to help her into the cab. She took his hand, trying to keep the electricity that passed from the heat of his fingers from affecting her whole body.

Fail.

Epic fail.

Starting from where his fingertips touched her hand, heat bubbled throughout her body, leaving a trail of molten desire in its place.

She got into the seat, trying to climb in as gracefully as the dress she’d worn that she’d also wear that evening would allow.

He walked around the front of the truck, got in, then put it in gear.

The only giveaway to anything he might be feeling was the vein throbbing in his neck that matched the one in his temple and the way his jaw was working under his beard.

T
anner cursed
Mae for pulling this shit on him. Marti had someone at home. Why she’d come without bringing him was beyond Tanner. Totally beyond him.

What man in his right mind would allow his woman to go anywhere unescorted? Tanner wouldn’t want to be anywhere without Marti if she were his woman. Especially not a wedding or a rehearsal dinner. Mae had said she was single, but all that meant was that she wasn’t married. Clearly she had someone at home who made demands on her time and her life.

He’d see this through. Get her to her car, get a ride back. He’d let her be Joe’s plus-one and while he attended the dinner and the wedding.

Then he’d have to see. He didn’t plan to stick around longer than he needed to. He’d see if Teague needed anything to get himself set up for a life here, then he’d go. Even knowing that she was in a neighboring city would be too hard for him; he’d need to get out of state. Quick.

Seeing her this afternoon, fresh-faced, her eyes a bright blue (though the whites had a bit more red than he liked seeing), her lips with a hint of gloss, catching the sunlight, begging for a kiss… Was it him or were her lips a bit swollen from his kissing her yesterday afternoon?

Unless she’d…

The thought of another man kissing her had him clenching the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The leather-covered wheel squeaked a protest.

“Thank you for the ride.” Her voice broke the anger that reigned supreme in him, covering him with a soothing element.

“You’re welcome.” He breathed out. He’d do this., somehow. He glanced sideways at her profile. Her pretty nose, the way it turned up at the tip. The way her breasts were made perfectly for his hands. Shit. That made him think of the way she’d looked when he’d helped her into the truck’s cab. Of course he’d checked out her ass. That ass could make a grown man beg for mercy. He wanted to take that perfectly lickable ass. He’d spread it wide…

Fuck if his johnson didn’t jerk to attention with that thought.

“Do you need to know the name of the place? The address?”

He cleared his throat to set the lust back a little, to put the bear’s desire in check. “Got it off the paperwork in the glove compartment.” There. He’d managed to sound somewhat normal. At least his voice didn’t crack like some prepubescent boy’s.

“Not just good-looking, but brainy, huh?” Her voice was light, but it was a strained kind of light, as if she was fighting to maintain normalcy, to avoid looking at the elephant in the room.

He let out a breath he’d been keeping trapped in his chest. “Not rocket science,” he muttered under his breath, then instantly realized he sounded like a dick. Hell, he was a dick. It wasn’t her fault she had someone else.

Well, yeah, it was. She had no business kissing him and leading him on if she had someone else. Then again, Tanner chastised himself,
It’s not like I asked her straight up, is it?

“So, who is he?” Oh, shit. He really did that. What the fuck. He’d really just fucking thrown it out there.

She glanced at him, her brows drawn into a vee, her lower lip tucked under her teeth. “He?”

So she was going to play it that way? Fury blazed through him. He wanted to tell her to drop it. He wanted to tell her to go to hell.

No. That wasn’t what he wanted to do at all. He wanted to kiss her and take her and claim her and make her his. He wanted her to forget whoever it was that she cared for and to grab on to that feeling she had when she was with him.

But that wasn’t how things worked, was it? He couldn’t go around grabbing women by the hair and being caveman-like with them.

Both of them were clearly saved by timing.

“We’re here.” He pulled into the lot, parked the vehicle near the sign that said ‘Office,’ and helped her out of the cab.

A man came storming out of the office door, holding a clipboard, his face red, his hair unwashed and in a scrawny ponytail that was no thicker than a rat’s tail. The top of his head was bald, shiny from oil, and streaked with grime.

“Where have you been? I needed that truck—” He drew up short when he saw Tanner behind Marti. After glancing at Tanner, he looked back at Marti, then at his clipboard. “I’ll have to charge you for having it overnight. It’s made us late for other deliveries.”

“No way.” Marti planted her hands on the hips that Tanner had come to adore.

“What do you mean, no way? You owe me…”

Tanner shook his head.

Derek, which his name tag said was his name, looked at Tanner.

Tanner shook his head again, stopping when Marti glanced back to see what Derek was looking at.

“I—well, I…” Derek petered out.

“The keys,” Tanner said, holding them out to Derek. When Derek reached for them, Tanner pulled his hand back. “I believe you owe the lady an apology.”

“What? I…” More sputtering from Derek.

Tanner closed his fist over the keys, keeping his palm down, knuckles up.

“I’m sorry.” Derek’s apology sounded more like a two-year-old’s petulance.

Tanner tossed the keys toward Derek, a good, solid toss that Derek shouldn’t have missed, but did. The keys dropped, and Derek squatted to scoop them up. As he did, Tanner walked Marti off the wooden steps that led up to the trailer office.

“Thank you,” Marti whispered under her breath. “He’s such a…”

“A-hole,” he finished her sentence for her.

She laughed. A hearty, from the belly, genuine laugh that made everything go away for a moment.