“Really? You’d think she’d stay far away from drugs after what happened to your sister.”
“The night of the accident, when you saw me at the convenience store, I was following up on a lead about her, shaking down a drug dealer for information.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
Tank shrugged. “I don’t want to talk about that, Lee. I want to know about you. Do you miss having friends?”
“Sometimes. But not like I miss River. Let’s see what else is on his laptop.”
“Careful. At his age, he might have a site or two on there that you don’t want to see.”
“You mean like porn? I don’t care about that.” She went through his history, finding his school portal, a few porn sites, music sites, and then she saw TikTok, and she opened to his page, which had short, goofy videos of him and the girls. They watched a few of them, laughing. It was strange to see River having so much fun and knowing he was gone. But she couldn’t have been happier to have these memories. She went back to the history and found River’s YouTube page with videos of him playing his guitar.
Leah clicked on the first video and got chills as River began playing the guitar and singing “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. “I’ve never heard him play this song. It’s so pretty.”
Tank’s jaw was clenched, brows knitted. “That’s the song we sing for Ashley every year at the suicide-awareness rally.”
“I think I saw flyers for that at work.”
“That’s the one. Even though we don’t believe she was trying to commit suicide, we honor her with the event. This year we also honored Maverick’s mother, because she killed herself when he was young.”
“Oh, I had no idea. I thought Reba was his mom.”
“She and Preacher adopted him when he was a teenager. He’s a sculptor, and he made a beautiful piece that we auctioned off at the rally. This song gets me every time I hear it.”
Leah took his hand and leaned against him. “Maybe it’s a sign that Ashley and River have found each other.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’d like to think she’s got a friend wherever she is.”
They listened to the song again, then made their way through more videos. River had made one for each of the girls’ favorite songs. When they found one of him playing “Put Your Records On,” Leah teared up, feeling like she might burst with bittersweet happiness. “He used to sing that to me when I had a hard day, and sometimes he’d just tell me to put my records on. It was his way of telling me to chill out. Is there a way to save all the videos and pictures so nothing happens to them?”
“Sure. His passwords are all saved. I can get that done for you tomorrow. I’ll digitize your father’s pictures from the shoebox, too.”
“We’ll have all this forever? Thank you!” She threw her arms around him. “I wouldn’t have even thought to look for these on his computer.”
“I’m glad we found them, darlin’.”
She became acutely aware of how good it felt to be in his arms. He smelled deliciously male, of leather and strength, kicking up desires she hadn’t felt in years. He pressed his hand flat on her back. Heat radiated outward from his palm, making her body sizzle and her pulse quicken. He wasn’t being aggressive, and the longer he embraced her, the more she wanted him to. It felt intimate and natural as he whispered, “Lee,” stirring those fluttery feelings again. Stronger this time. Inescapable. She closed her eyes, wanting to memorize the feel of his beard on her cheek, his heart beating against hers. She drew back so she could see his face, and he kept her close. So close, she could smell his minty breath. His dark eyes were penetrating, riveting. God, she wanted to kiss him.
“Tank,” she whispered. “Are you like this with every girl you rescue?”
His brows slanted. “Fuck no. It’s never been like this.”
For me, either.
“I’ve never wanted to do this with any woman I’ve rescued.”
He brushed his lips lightly over hers, flooding her entire being with want and need as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. His prickly beard sent sparks searing beneath her skin as he whispered, “You’re beautiful, Leah, and you have the most exquisite lips.”
She had a fleeting thought about how much she’d always hated her lips and how much she loved hearing that he liked them. But it was the longing in his voice that had her clinging to him, barely breathing, anticipation stacking up inside her. He kissed the edge of her mouth, soft as a feather. Sexual tension vibrated around them like live wires. When his lips brushed hers again, she leaned forward, needing more, and felt him smile. Kiss me. He was in no hurry, circling her lips with tauntingly tender kisses. Just when she thought she’d combust, his mouth came down over hers, unexpectedly soft and excruciatingly slow, intensifying her need, as if he was giving her room to stop him.
That was the last thing she wanted.
She returned his efforts, every stroke of his tongue drawing her deeper into him. Her body was on fire, her heart hammering against her ribs. He pushed one hand into her hair, kissing her more possessively, as if he couldn’t get enough. She hadn’t been kissed in years, but she’d never experienced anything like this slow seduction, which had her wanting to climb onto his lap and disappear into him. Their kisses went on and on, deep and penetrating, then tender and sweet, until she was dizzy with desire, lost in their connection. When their lips finally parted, she came away breathless, her body trembling, and a whimper fell from her lips. Come back…
Tank gazed deeply into her eyes, and as if he’d heard her silent plea, he kissed her again, a light press of his lips, leaving her aching for more. He brushed his thumb over her lower lip, whispering, “Nothing about us is familiar, darlin’.”
She blinked several times, trying to clear her lustful haze. “What…Wait. Sorry. I can’t think.”
He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair and laughing softly. “You’re so cute.”
“I’m not trying to be.” But now she was laughing quietly, too. “I’ve never been kissed like that before. You short-circuited my brain. What did you mean by nothing about us is familiar?”
It took him a second to get his amusement under control, and wow, she liked that look on him.
“You asked about women I’ve rescued, and I want you to know that whatever this is between us, what I feel for you and the girls, is new for me. I haven’t ever felt this way before. I was drawn to you when I first saw you at the bar, and my feelings for you grew over the last few months, when I showed up at the restaurant almost every time you were working in an effort to try to understand our connection. But from the moment I saw you and the girls in the water, understanding no longer mattered, because I knew in my heart that I never wanted to leave you. I don’t have all the answers, or know what it all means, but I don’t want to ignore something that feels so big and right.”
He brushed her hair over her shoulder and caressed her cheek. She wanted to lean into his touch, but other than family, she’d never known anyone so forthcoming with his feelings, and she was still making sense of it.
“I know your lives have been turned upside down. Don’t worry. I’m not going to pressure you. If you feel the same way, we can take it slow and figure it out together.”