Tanner was gripping the steering wheel like it would fly away if he didn't. Liana wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't used to driving a small car, or if he was actually worried about driving after dark. It had to be the first thing, because the Tanner she knew wasn't fearful of much.
It was dark but cloudy, so the countryside was inky black. Their headlights bounced off the snowbanks and road signs. Rivulets of water glittered across the asphalt, which was a dusty grey-white from the salt strewn to prevent dangerous ice.
Liana was silently conscious of the fact that she'd lost her shit again. She had to stop doing that. In her defence, it had been a particularly long and trying day. Not helped by the fact that the up and down emotions of the man currently driving her car were playing with her own.
What Peony said was stewing, the fact that Caitlin was pregnant and hadn't told her... an all around mindfuck. She was tired, restless, frustrated, and overwhelmed all at once.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Liana opened her work schedule for tomorrow. Full day. Jenny was due in for nine, and she was booked back to back until three pm. Saturdays were always stupid busy, this one no exception.
"Shit," she muttered, closing her eyes and leaning back against the headrest.
"You good?" Tanner asked, sliding his glance over to her, then back to the road.
"Yeah, just realising tomorrow I will be on my feet all day," she said.
"Me too. Gonna have to figure out how to deal with Brady bein' gone."
"You have a good group of people working for you. I'm sure they'll be able to do it," she offered.
"I do," he said firmly.
They were nearing town, and red tail lenses of a vehicle reflected in the car's headlights. Tanner signalled to move over, and as he did, Liana noticed the truck was sitting funny on the gravel shoulder, like it had a flat.
"That truck, it looks like it broke down. Should we check to see if someone needs a lift?" she said, swivelling in her seat as they passed. "There's shitty cell signal, and it's a stretch of road I wouldn't want to thumb a ride on. That'll get you hit by a transport."
"Yeah," Tanner agreed and slowed down, did a u-turn and headed back. As they found the truck again, Liana eyeballed it. They parked in front, the headlights lighting up the entire grill. It was an older Chevy, and had seen some hard use. The front bumper was half off, the grill levered out on one side. More than a flat, this looked like it saw the business end of a deer.
"Stay here, I'll go check it out, looks like they might've hit an animal," Tanner said, unbuckling, then pausing, looking right at her. "I mean it, Liana."
Liana slumped back into her seat and rebuckled, huffing out a breath. He was overprotective of her and it was maddening, but as she crossed her arms, she took a quick breath of relief. Normally, it was her walking up with her tire iron hidden behind her leg, just in case. Someone else doing it for a change was nice.
Tanner looked in the truck using his phone's flashlight, then walked around to peer down the passenger side, hand on the hood, his body a shadow in the headlights. He crossed over and went around to the rear, the light from his phone casting into the ditch and up the road. Jogging back to the car, his phone was connecting to someone as he eased back in.
"Put me through to Lieutenant King... Tanner West," he clipped.
Liana looked out at the truck, and then back at Tanner, his jaw clenched, flexing in and out, seething.
"What is it?" she asked gently, hand on his arm. He flicked a glance at her as he waited on hold and his jaw relaxed.
"That's the truck that hit Brady. Almost sure of it. Whole side is scraped, with black paint on the front quarter panel."
Oh shit. Liana sat back, and decided to keep her eyes peeled around them, just in case. Tanner hit the lock button on the doors at the same time. They were both now aware that this was not as simple as it looked. The truck had been parked, not driven into the ditch, or broken down.
"Licence plates were yanked off the truck's back bumper," he added, then straightened.
"Hey Shaun. Yeah... He's doin' okay. Concussion, some cracked ribs. Got lucky... No, I'm out on the twenty-two just south of town. There's a truck here, I think it might be the one... Yeah I can sit tight... We're in a Honda Accord... Red... Okay. See you soon."
Tanner's phone dinged when he pulled it away from his ear, and he texted back whoever it was furiously. "You okay to wait a bit longer?"
"Sure," Liana replied. "This is important."
He turned to her, their eyes met and she froze. He was hard and fierce, dark and dangerous with a 'don't mess with me' vibe. It was hot, and she took in a shaky breath. That look right there was pure sexy, virile man. She had to think about something else, or she might jump him. Which would be poorly timed, given the current circumstance.
"So, if this is the truck, what do you think happened?"
He grunted something and unbuckled, turning in his seat. "Don't know. Hoping it's a drunk driver."
Liana unbuckled as well, and slid closer to him, hoping to calm him down with a hand back on his arm. "Me too. Brady doesn't have enemies, he's too damned nice. This is so odd."
Tanner's eyebrows went up at that statement, and he slouched, his jaw flexing again as he peered out the front window, his eyes darting over the truck in front of them. "Yeah. Odd."
"So now we wait for the police? Did he say how long?" she asked. He turned to her, and leaned closer to her over the middle console. The engine was idling, the radio still quietly playing in the background, but all Liana could hear was his breath hitch, and her heart as it thumped along in her chest when his eyes met hers, locking on and holding. Okay, maybe not so poorly timed.
"A few minutes."
"Thank you for dinner," she blurted nervously, "It was nice to go back there. I'm sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting."
"I enjoyed it," he murmured, not looking away from her. "I want to get to know you again, Liana. That's part of it."
That sent a prickle across her skin in a nice way, and heat crept up into her abdomen. The way he'd said that, looking at her? Oh damn.
"I'm glad," she replied. "It's nice to get to know you again too. Been a wild few days, hasn't it?"
"Days? More like years," he muttered, and a deep-seated, frustrated, rumbling sigh slid out as he said it. He reached forward and Liana stared stupidly down as his calloused, weathered fingers wrapped around hers, pulling her closer. The roughness sent goosebumps up her arm, and she fit her fingers to his, his thumb automatically stroking up and down where it rested. She shifted closer to him, aroused even more because she caught his scent, a mix of leather and man, her ultimate weakness
"What is this?" she whispered as his other hand cupped her jaw, pulling her to him.
"I'm going to kiss you, Li Li," he said. "I'm warning you, just like you asked."
"Oh," she managed before his lips met hers, and need flooded her body. She arched into him, parting her lips with his, relief in the connection. His fingers buried into the nape of her neck the moment she did. She left out a soft moan as his tongue met hers, and with his sharp intake of breath, they went from a simple kiss to a flurry of hands pushing at their bulky winter clothing. She was shoving his jacket off his shoulders, leaning over the console while he gripped her waist and hauled her to him, hands under her coat against her shirt.
He wasn't just kissing her, he was devouring her, and it was mind-numbingly good.
He groaned as her fingers dug under the hem of his thermal shirt, rucking it up to meet his skin, her hand sliding over the muscle corded on his back. She'd caught a peek at that today, and now she wanted to feel it for herself. He was all hard muscle, like a rock. She moved around front, his stomach flexing under her touch, and she ran her fingers up his ab muscles. She could play him like a washboard. Lowering, her fingers teased the soft hair on his stomach meeting the waist of his jeans.
"Slow, slow," he murmured as he worked his way down her jaw with his lips, one hand stilling hers before she could go any further. "Not here."
Liana's entire body was on fire, the way his hands held her, his lips finding the exact spots she loved to be kissed. It was as if she had a roadmap to her go spots printed on her skin. She let out a frustrated sigh. He was right. This was not the right time, or place.
It might not even be a good idea at all.
"Dammit, Tanner," she swore, and detached herself from him. "Don't kiss me like that and then say slow."
He ran his thumb along her lower lip, his eyes as possessive and riled up as she felt. She stared right back, her pulse thumping along. The car was suddenly very warm, and she struggled the rest of the way out of her coat. He didn't respond, but reached over and pushed some of her hair back behind her ear. It was gentle, and sweet, and his eyes followed his hand, then shifted back to her.
"I'll add it to the list," he murmured.
"What is this list?" she murmured. "You keep talking about a list."
"Just a saying. I've nev—" he stopped talking, and looked away, his eyes darting around. She tugged on his collar to get his attention back. He turned, his eyes serious.
"Slow is good right now," he added.
Slow was going to make her combust. She brushed her fingers along the stubble on his jaw and his eyes fell to her mouth, his intent obvious as they leaned in at the same time. Headlights lit them up from behind just as their lips met, and they both turned as the police cruiser pulled in behind them.
"We're not done," he muttered, and opened the door, grabbing his coat as he stepped out to meet the officer.
Liana sat back, flushed and uncertain of what was happening, but thrumming with unspent energy she wanted to unleash on him.
They were most definitely not done.