Page 40 of Fifty First Times (Sharing You 0.40)
The man stopped and looked over his shoulder. He was no longer smiling. “Same as you. There’s a little girl missing and I’m hoping to find her.”
Tanner’s finger tapped against his gun. “How come you’re not wearing an orange vest? And why aren’t you with anyone else?”
The man shrugged. “I’m not with the official search party. I’m friends of the family and came out here on my own. Thought it was my civic duty.”
“Tanner!” I called out. Shawnee continued to guide me deeper into the woods and I was afraid if Tanner lagged much longer we’d lose each other.
He nodded at me before turning back to the man. “I would strongly suggest you go register with the chief and buddy up with someone. We’d hate to lose another person to these woods.”
“Yeah,” the man agreed with a grin. “That would be just terrible. Thanks for your concern, Officer.” He gave a little wave before pushing past a bush and disappearing into the trees beyond.
Tanner’s gaze followed him for several heartbeats.
Shawnee snorted and sped into a trot, forcing me to jog to keep up with him. “Tanner! We’re going to lose you!”
He finally appeared to snap out of whatever trance he was in. After staring after the stranger a second longer, he sprinted after us. He slowed to a jog when he caught up. “Oh no, Cricket. There’s no way you’re going to lose me. I’m not leaving your side ever again.”
I could feel my mouth drop and I barely missed having a hanging vine smack me in the face. “That’s really presumptuous, you know.”
“Not presumptuous. Optimistic.” He winked.
I pretended to swat a mosquito to hide the aftermath of shivers that raked across my shoulders. I wasn’t a teenager anymore, so why did it feel like I had the hormones of one? I narrowed my eyes. I couldn’t decide if I was more annoyed with him for his cockiness, or my own body for betraying me. “How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend? That I’m not already engaged to some sexy billionaire?”
He laughed. “Because I asked around. And word on the street is that nobody put a ring on it, single lady.”
“Cute.” I rolled my eyes. Inwardly I cringed at the thought of other people discussing my lack of a social life. “Single or not, after what you did to me, how could you even think I’d consider giving you a second chance?”
“Because I can be very persuasive.” He arched an eyebrow and grinned.
Something tightened deep within my hips and I cursed. “Damn it, Tanner! Be serious for a minute.” I stopped running, only to have Shawnee jerk me back into a jog. “Even if I did agree to give you another chance, how do you know if it would even work?”
“I don’t.” The humor left his eyes, replaced instead by a look so raw, my fingers ached to grab on to him. “You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Avery. And I know I ruined it and I broke your trust.”
“You’re damn right you did!” I curled my fingers into fists. “We made a promise to each other on prom night—a promise you broke!”
He looked away. “I know I
did.”
“But not just that.” My cheeks burned. I knew if I didn’t get myself under control, the tears I was trying so hard to blink away would fall. “You also broke my heart.”
“I’m so sorry.” A tendon flexed along his jaw as he clenched his teeth. “God, you have no idea. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen, but I couldn’t keep you, Cricket. They wouldn’t let me. Because of the sensitivity of my missions, they said anyone I cared about could become a target. I couldn’t risk you, Cricket. I will never risk you. And maybe it was selfish of me to even think it, but I’d hoped what we had was strong enough to survive.”
Was it? A wedge formed inside my throat, making it hard for me to swallow. When I was in high school, I couldn’t have imagined a future without Tanner in it. But even in the midst of my broken heart, I managed to build a life all on my own. I’d survived the very thing I thought would tear me apart for good, though my heart would forever bear the scars. What would happen to me if I let him in and he hurt me a second time? I wasn’t sure my heart would survive.
“How about it, Cricket?” He looked at me, his eyes promising a thousand tomorrows. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you—every second of it, I swear. Just give me a chance.”
I bit my lip. Tanner Wade had broken my heart—if I was smart, I wouldn’t even consider his request. Still, I couldn’t deny that the attraction was still there, that I yearned to run my fingers under the folds of his shirt fabric as well as taste the soft skin along his neck. I was a big girl. I could admit just being near him heated my skin and tightened things below my waist. But was that enough? What about love? How could I possibly love someone who’d devastated me so completely? Or had I been kidding myself in thinking I ever stopped? “Tanner, I—” Before I could finish, Shawnee lurched ahead, pulling me forward with enough force I nearly toppled over.
I clamored for footing before I was forced into a sprint in order to keep up with the black dog racing ahead. Even then, I was no match for his speed. Running after him, I reeled him in and grabbed his collar so I could unhook him from the long line. When I released him, he took off like a stone cast by a slingshot.
“What’s going on?” Tanner ran by my side, shortening his longer stride to match my much shorter one.
“His behavior can only mean one thing.” My pulse beat wildly as electricity buzzed beneath my skin. “He knows where she is.”
Tanner turned his attention back to the black blur swiftly disappearing from view. “He’s running too fast,” he said between huffs. “We won’t catch him.”
I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. If he finds her he’ll—” Before I could get the words out, Shawnee’s frenzied barks pierced the silence of the woods. Excitement jolted down my spine like an electric current. “Hurry!”
