perceptive he was.
He rubbed his chin as if deep in thought then refocused those deep green eyes on her. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah,” he said softly, his voice deep and husky, a voice that instantly made her panties wet and brought forth thoughts of steamy nights and naked bodies.
Oh my . Her hands flew to her mouth as she inwardly cringed at her wayward thoughts.
He patted her back, wrongly assuming it had to do with her broken dreams. He had no idea he was a large part of them. The DJ called him to sing, and she sat back, relieved to have a reprieve and happy to have an excuse to watch him without coming across as a stalker or a desperate woman with an even more desperate crush.
He had to be the hottest man in the room. Judging by the other women hungrily watching him, she wasn’t the only one who thought so. Tanner picked up the mic, nodded to the DJ, and grinned straight at Emma, making her feel as if she were the only woman in the large bar. She expected harsh music or even rap, only he pulled another surprise out of his bag of tricks.
Tanner’s gaze held hers captive as he started to croon a classic country ballad made famous by George Strait. It happened to be one of Emma’s personal favorites, and Tanner sang “The Chair” as well as George Strait had himself.
Emma couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t form a coherent thought as Tanner expertly wound a cocoon around the two of them with a song he sang as if he sung it just for her. His voice rolled over her like a warm ocean breeze, gentle and mesmerizing.
The man could sing, and Emma went from a crush to being hopelessly, undeniably in love with the man before he got to the chorus.
“Don’t look so shocked,” Tanner said after he sauntered back to his seat and sat down next to her. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he sipped his beer, the same one he’d been nursing all night.
“Country? You?” Emma wasn’t shocked, not at all. She was smitten, completely under his spell, and already dusting off that wedding dress in her mind. And how ridiculously stupid was that?
He glanced around as if checking to see if anyone noticed. “Yeah, I like country. We all have our secrets.” His lopsided smile would’ve won her heart if he hadn’t already owned it.
“I’m not the only witness,” she said, surprised she could actually tease him when most men left her tongue-tied.
He leaned forward, as if he only wanted her to hear him. “One of the advantages of playing for the NFL’s worst team in a remote corner of the country is I can come to a place like this and rarely be recognized, so let’s keep my identity a little secret between us.”
“I promise,” she whispered as she leaned into him, intoxicated by the woodsy scent so uniquely his. Tanner was full of contradictions; his scent was one of them. She’d have expected him to smell like an expensive, trendy men’s cologne. Instead he smelled like an old-growth forest after a light spring rain.
He gazed down at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief, as if he were contemplating some kind of new mayhem. “Let’s do a duet. You and me, we’ll rock this place.”
“Okay,” Emma squeaked, scared and thrilled at the same time.
“You pick. You’ve heard me sing. You know what I’m capable of.”
“Full of yourself, aren’t you?”
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh, yeah, definitely, and I go after what I want.”
“And you want to sing with me?”
“Ah, babe, that’s just foreplay.” His teasing grin tempered his suggestive words.
Emma licked her lips and stared into those incredible eyes. Maybe they should sing “You Had Me at Hello.” Except he’d had her longer than that, much longer. One of his big hands gripped her thigh right at her knee in a decidedly possessive touch, as he grinned at her, smiling with his mouth and his eyes.
“Why did you come here tonight?” she heard herself asking.
“To see you.” The intensity in
He rubbed his chin as if deep in thought then refocused those deep green eyes on her. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah,” he said softly, his voice deep and husky, a voice that instantly made her panties wet and brought forth thoughts of steamy nights and naked bodies.
Oh my . Her hands flew to her mouth as she inwardly cringed at her wayward thoughts.
He patted her back, wrongly assuming it had to do with her broken dreams. He had no idea he was a large part of them. The DJ called him to sing, and she sat back, relieved to have a reprieve and happy to have an excuse to watch him without coming across as a stalker or a desperate woman with an even more desperate crush.
He had to be the hottest man in the room. Judging by the other women hungrily watching him, she wasn’t the only one who thought so. Tanner picked up the mic, nodded to the DJ, and grinned straight at Emma, making her feel as if she were the only woman in the large bar. She expected harsh music or even rap, only he pulled another surprise out of his bag of tricks.
Tanner’s gaze held hers captive as he started to croon a classic country ballad made famous by George Strait. It happened to be one of Emma’s personal favorites, and Tanner sang “The Chair” as well as George Strait had himself.
Emma couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t form a coherent thought as Tanner expertly wound a cocoon around the two of them with a song he sang as if he sung it just for her. His voice rolled over her like a warm ocean breeze, gentle and mesmerizing.
The man could sing, and Emma went from a crush to being hopelessly, undeniably in love with the man before he got to the chorus.
“Don’t look so shocked,” Tanner said after he sauntered back to his seat and sat down next to her. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he sipped his beer, the same one he’d been nursing all night.
“Country? You?” Emma wasn’t shocked, not at all. She was smitten, completely under his spell, and already dusting off that wedding dress in her mind. And how ridiculously stupid was that?
He glanced around as if checking to see if anyone noticed. “Yeah, I like country. We all have our secrets.” His lopsided smile would’ve won her heart if he hadn’t already owned it.
“I’m not the only witness,” she said, surprised she could actually tease him when most men left her tongue-tied.
He leaned forward, as if he only wanted her to hear him. “One of the advantages of playing for the NFL’s worst team in a remote corner of the country is I can come to a place like this and rarely be recognized, so let’s keep my identity a little secret between us.”
“I promise,” she whispered as she leaned into him, intoxicated by the woodsy scent so uniquely his. Tanner was full of contradictions; his scent was one of them. She’d have expected him to smell like an expensive, trendy men’s cologne. Instead he smelled like an old-growth forest after a light spring rain.
He gazed down at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief, as if he were contemplating some kind of new mayhem. “Let’s do a duet. You and me, we’ll rock this place.”
“Okay,” Emma squeaked, scared and thrilled at the same time.
“You pick. You’ve heard me sing. You know what I’m capable of.”
“Full of yourself, aren’t you?”
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh, yeah, definitely, and I go after what I want.”
“And you want to sing with me?”
“Ah, babe, that’s just foreplay.” His teasing grin tempered his suggestive words.
Emma licked her lips and stared into those incredible eyes. Maybe they should sing “You Had Me at Hello.” Except he’d had her longer than that, much longer. One of his big hands gripped her thigh right at her knee in a decidedly possessive touch, as he grinned at her, smiling with his mouth and his eyes.
“Why did you come here tonight?” she heard herself asking.
“To see you.” The intensity in
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