Page 31 of This for That (The Edge of Retaliation 1)
The motorcycle is smooth, and fast, and it vibrates right between my legs, right where I don’t need it vibrating in this current situation.
Tanner is in front of me; that is enough to make any girl weak at the knees. My arms wrapped around him? That’ll get everything warm. The way he smells? Well, that’s just plain cruel. My body is in overdrive, a mix of anticipation and fear wrapping itself up in one big bow. I’m scared, and yet I’m thrilled. I’m anxious, and yet I’m filled to the brim with adrenaline.
After a few moments, I relax a little, and finally start to look around. The city is slowly starting to light up as the sun begins to lower itself on the horizon. It really does look beautiful from the back of a bike. Tanner rounds a few corners, and then slows down at a bar slash restaurant. I’ve not seen it before, but it looks really nice. Friendly and fun.
He parks the bike and I climb off, hating that I have to let him go, but excited that I get to spend a little time with him. He climbs off, too, and then turns to me. “They make great pizza here. I hope you eat it.”
I nod. “Are you kidding? I eat everything.”
He grins, and takes my hand, walking me inside. The thrill that runs through my body makes me feel like a million dollars. It makes me feel like my life hasn’t been a big fucking mess right up until this point. It makes me feel alive, which is something I’ve been missing for a very long time.
Tanner and I find a booth, and he orders two beers and a pizza. He takes the lead. He takes control. He’s a man who knows what he wants, and he’s a man who most likely gets it whenever he seeks it. I like that about him. He answers to no one, he doesn’t doubt himself, and he trusts his choices. That’s really something.
“How did your first day go?” he asks me when our beers arrive.
I curl my hands around the cold glass, and say, “It was great. It’s a busy café, but I enjoyed it a lot. Andrea is really good, too. She invited me to the beach and then for a night out on Saturday, so that was really nice.”
Tanner narrows his eyes. “She did, did she?”
“Yeah. That’s okay, right?”
He nods. “Yeah, of course. She can do what she likes.”
“It will be nice to meet some new people,” I tell him. “I don’t really know all that many.”
“What about family?” he asks me, sipping his beer. I try not to stare at how his jaw moves when he does, or how his throat flexes when he swallows.
I hate that he’s doing these kinds of things to me. I feel like a teenager who’s just discovered boys. I need to snap out of it.
“My family and I aren’t all that close. My brother, Max? I still speak to him but my parents and I don’t really . . . get along.”
“Why is that?”
I shrug, sipping my beer. “My mother is selfish. She’s cold and she’s heartless. Everything in this world was made for her, or about her—at least that’s what she thinks. My father, he left her and met another woman with two good kids who do no wrong. Over the years I stopped speaking to him. I guess that’s just how it goes. What about you?”
“You know the basics of my story.”
I nod. “You are ex-military; how long did you serve?”
“Nearly ten years. Left when I was eighteen, came back when I was twenty-seven.”
“How old are you now?” I ask.
He grins. “How old are you, Callie?”
I laugh softly. “Nearly twenty-three.”
“So fuckin’ young,” he murmurs, “Fuckin’ sweet, though.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I point out.
“I’m thirty-one.”
Thirty-one.
That makes him a quite a bit older than me. Well, it’s less than ten years, which in this day and age isn’t a big deal, but it does mean he’s had so much more experience than me. He’s been around. He’s seen things. Done things. I’m not even sexually experienced; he’s probably had hundreds and hundreds of women with that damned face.
Okay, hundreds is probably far-fetched, but still.
The age makes me feel a little . . . strange.
“You’re worried about the difference,” he says, not a question but a statement.
“No, it’s not that. I’m worried about how inexperienced I am . . .”
His eyes grow hooded. “That’s only a problem for you.”
Oh, boy.
“You’re mature for your age, Callie. Like you’ve seen the world a million times over. I’ve spoken to other girls that are similar in age, and they’ve nothing on you. Own that; you’re a rare find.”
He needs to stop, before I throw myself at him over this table. “Thank you,” I say, giving him a genuine smile.
