Page 7 of Allegiance
“The only thing I’m worried about is getting out of here before the crack of dawn.”
He took in the bustling kitchen staff. “Looks like your crew has things under control.”
“Where doesTankcome from? Did you like to play with tiny plastic ARMY guys as a kid?”
Chuckling, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, no. I’m built like a tank, so when I’m around, people tend to get out of the way.”
“That can have its advantages. But the reason behind the nickname is a bit of a letdown.” She could barely hide the teasing smile creeping across her lips.
“You’re a spitfire, aren’t you?”
“What? You want it to be easy? That would be boring for a man like you.”
It was obvious he wasn’t a man without female companionship, and Lena wasn’t looking to be one of many, even if a roll between the sheets with him would be unforgettable. And maybe that was what she needed to beat down the constant stress of the restaurant industry: something without strings, something distracting, and nothing permanent—that was the paramount rule.
“You think you know so much about me?”
“Yeah, I’ve got an idea.”
“Let me just say, I’m used to easy. This” —he waved his hand in the space between them with a pleased grin— “is a good change.”
Why do you have to be so damn sexy?
Spreading her arms out, she told him, “I have to make sure everything’s going okay.” Translation: She had to get the hell away from him. Tank was making her body misbehave, and she didn’t like it one bit.
“I can lend a hand.”
Lena walked back into the ballroom with Tank at her heels. She looked around at the breaking down of the event and watched her staff put plates, chaffing dishes, and all sorts of cookware into large containers to take back with them on the truck. A few of the guests were still mingling on the moonlit lawn in the garden area, while some were hanging out around the bar area, downing drinks.
“Muscle would be helpful with loading the trucks.” She didn’t even try for subtle as she ran her gaze up and down the length of his muscular body. From what she could see, there wasn’t an ounce of excess fat on him anywhere. A strong urge to rub up against him took hold of her, but she pushed it away.I have to shut this down—now.“But I’m good for now, thanks. We have a good system going here, and someone new would slow us down.”
Laughing, he threw his hands up in mock surrender. “I get it. I’ll get out of your way and come back when you’re less occupied.”
“You do have an interesting habit of being persistent, don’t you?”
“As if you don’t like it.”
Flushing down to her toes, she tried to keep her facial expression neutral. The more she was around him, the harder it was getting to pretend he had no effect on her.This is just a fun flirtation, nothing more. It can’t be.If she didn’t stop egging him on, Sexy Man would decide he needed her digits in his phone and her panties hanging on his wall of conquests. And since she wasn’t a one-of-many type of woman, it was better to shut it down now.
“If I said I liked it, that would only encourage you, and I don’t think you need the extra ego boost. Every single woman in this room has looked at you at least once tonight. I don’t do competition.”
There—that was clear. Now he knew where she stood. Lena rarely had a problem telling it like it was. Over the years, she’d found that trait could be an asset and a curse, depending on who was on the other end of the conversation. Most people didn’t know how to handle her bluntness, but Tank seemed to manage it just fine. Everything rolled off his back, to the point where it was almost a challenge. The idea that he could handle her made her abruptly think of all the ways he could handle her in bed. She wiped her damp hands along her pants as heat flared through her body.
Tank jerked his head back. “Does it look like there’s competition? Or that I’m looking for anything serious?”
“No, but I just wanted to clear the air. I really have to get back to work, so go. Do whatever it was you were doing with all the fancy people, and I’ll act like I’m not watching your butt as you walk away. Okay?”
For a split second, Tank’s expression looked triumphant, and then he nodded. When he walked away, she could have sworn he put a little extra swagger in his step. He looked back to see if she was watching him, and she was. His smirk sunk low into her belly, spreading waves of warm, throbbing arousal throughout her body.
“It’s been a while since that’s happened,” she muttered under her breath.
There was only one way to get herself under control and back in check, which meant some serious manual labor was in order. And since Becky had called in sick, they were short a set of hands. It was time to get down and dirty.
A little over an hour later, feeling like she was sweating buckets, the truck was loaded up while her staff waited for the go ahead to leave for the night. She closed her eyes, letting the cool night breeze wash over her damp skin. Blooming night jasmine filled her nose as she took a deep, calming breath.
A busy life had taught her to savor the little moments. Caught up in the day-to-day stresses of running her own business, Lena had to remind herself to slow down. But most of the time, she didn’t take her own advice. She had tunnel vision, focusing on every step of her career. Therewasmore to life, but her goals were unwavering, and she was determined to conquer them all. Above all else, Lena wanted to make her parents proud. She was an extension of their amazing legacy, abruptly cut short when they—
“You doing okay?” At Tank’s gruff voice, her eyes snapped open and found him standing in front of her. “You look like you’re somewhere far away.”
