Chapter Seven
Kissing Tanya was a bad idea. Not just a bad idea, a terrible idea.
Bryce knew it deep inside, but he didn’t even try to move away from Tanya. Instead, he slipped his fingers further under her shirt, loving the feel of her soft skin right at the small of her back. He wanted to feel this for so long, and now the moment was finally there.
Fuck, his cock was already pressing hard against his jeans, begging to be deep inside her. He only barely stifled a groan as years of repressed lust threatened to rush out of control.
Tanya moaned against his lips and tilted her head to swirl her tongue against his own. They twined and twisted together, both people making their desire clear.
She moved against him. He could feel her climbing farther on top of him. With ease, he reached down and helped lift her leg.
Bryce grunted loudly when he felt the heat of her center directly over his hard length. Part of him told him he should stop. Another part of him, a louder part, told him to push forward and give in to his passion.
Would it really be so wrong? She wanted him. He wanted her.
He pulled away for a moment to stare up at her. Her lips were pink from their kiss.
“Fuck,” he groaned as she shifted her weight.
“Took the words out of my mouth,” Tanya whispered.
Bryce pulled her back to him and kissed her harder now. She moved her hips over him.
If she didn’t stop soon, he wasn’t sure what the hell he’d do, but there was a good chance he might just fuck her right there in the open. His cock certainly wanted it.
Bryce was tired of fighting his urges, tired of pushing away a woman who wanted him. Would sleeping with her really put her in that much danger? It wasn’t like he was going to announce to the world they were together.
Damn it. He just didn’t give a shit anymore. He plundered her mouth, desperate for more pleasure.
The trill of the phone made them both jump. Tanya pulled back, and Bryce frowned as he reached into his pocket, the moment gone. He didn’t put much stock in signs from above, but the shock of the phone did let his brain start thinking instead of his other head.
Bryce thought about ignoring the phone, but given his line of work, it wasn’t a good idea to ignore the phone, and he was expecting a call. That line didn’t exactly get a lot of telemarketers.
Tanya pulled herself up off him carefully, as if unsure if they should stop. He was of the same opinion, still not quite wanting things to end, but also remembering why he’d been trying to not let anything happen with her.
Bryce glanced down at the phone as the number flashed across the screen. Dalton.
Of course. The sight of it only caused more irritation, but he'd still need to take it. His asshole ex-partner was definitely not calling for a casual chat.
Bryce slid his finger across the phone and held it just slightly away from his damp ear. "Yeah?"
"Oh, good, I'm glad I got you," Dalton said on the other end. "When can we meet tonight?"
Bryce had been waiting for the call all day, but of course Dalton would choose that moment to call. "Getting my haircut on Main Street right now."
He could hear Dalton chuckle on the other end of the line. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“What? You care about how I look now?”
“Nah, I’m just saying, playing with fire, aren’t you?”
Bryce frowned. Who was Dalton to question him? He was just some asshole who had no problem bailing on him when he needed him.
He glanced over and found Tanya was holding a bottle of conditioner in her hand. She was waiting patiently for him to finish, her lips still rosy pink from their kiss, but her eyes not meeting his.
Bryce only barely stopped himself from wincing. He’d really messed up this time. He couldn’t even keep his hands to himself during a haircut. How the hell had he messed up after controlling himself for so long?
"I'll meet you there in half an hour," Dalton said on the phone.
Bryce opened his mouth to tell him he’d meet him elsewhere, but Dalton had already hung up. The man always had been a presumptuous ass.
Irritated, Bryce pulled the phone away from his ear and clicked it into the off mode before slamming it back into his pocket. He had his meeting set up. Thinking about it, he decided it wouldn’t be the end of the world after all if he kept his phone off for a little bit.
"Trouble?" Tanya said.
Bryce shook his head and leaned back against the sink once again. Her soft hands moved smoothly through his hair as she worked the conditioner in. Despite his irritation, once again he was being soothed by her gentle care.
“I might have a case,” he said. “Just a meeting about that.”
Bryce couldn't say why he started talking. Maybe it was the soft movements against his scalp. Or the way she was now working the warm water through his hair. Or maybe it was just her. Tanya relaxed him in a way that no other person did.
"Are you going to take it?"
Bryce closed his eyes and sighed loudly. "I think I have to.” He opened his eyes to look at her for a moment. She stared down at him as if he were the most fascinating man on Earth. "If I don't take it, a lot of people could get hurt down the road."
Tanya frowned. "Is it going to put you at risk?"
Bryce chuckled a little. "Given what I do, no more than normal."
Tanya finished rinsing his hair and turned the water off. She wrapped a warm fluffy towel around his head as she helped him sit up. When she pulled the towel off his head, he found her staring at him.
"I'm sure whatever decision you make will be the right one," she said.
Bryce laughed but stopped when she leaned into him.
"I'm serious," she said. "You don't do anything without thinking it through. I’m sure this is no different."
Tanya nodded over to the other chair. So often he'd just seen her as a younger woman who was still finding her way in the world. It was strange to see her as the woman that had already found her way.
When Bryce sat back down in the chair, he found it hard to take his eyes off the beautiful woman beside him. With her concentration fully on his hair, as she combed and snipped, he got to take full advantage of the moment, enjoying the way her small lithe form moved around him.
He debated saying something about their passionate kiss. He wasn’t exactly sure just what to say. Obviously it couldn’t happen again, but Lord help him, he wanted it more than anything, no matter what an epically bad idea it was.
The conflict raged on inside him as she snipped and turned his head. And the longer he waited, the harder it was to say anything at all.
Maybe that was cowardice, or maybe it was for the best. He couldn’t be sure.
It didn't take long before she was dusting off the last bits of hair and helping him to examine her handiwork.
"What do you think?" Tanya said.
Bryce had never cared about the way he looked, but he never had to worry when he was in her hands. The only real concern he had was where they went from there. He set down the mirror on the counter and reached out for her hand.
He needed to make this right. He couldn’t leave the shop without talking about what had happened and why they couldn’t be together.
"Tanya, you are—" Bryce began.
The front door jingled, and he quickly dropped his hand away from hers, not ready to talk about them in front of anyone else.
He looked towards the door and was unsurprised to see his ex-partner standing there, smirking like he just caught the two of them making out. It’s like the guy knew just when to interrupt Bryce.
"I hope I’m not interrupting anything," Dalton said.
Bryce glanced up at a clock. “You’re early.”
Dalton smiled. “Rarely hurts to be early, often hurts to be late.”
Bryce glanced over to Tanya and was surprised to find her sweeping up the last bits of his hair. "Just give me a minute, and we can go talk somewhere.”
He stood and glanced over to where Tanya still stood sweeping the now nonexistent hair. There were about a million things he wanted to say to her, but now wasn't the time. Hell, he wasn’t sure there ever would be a time, but ignoring the chemistry between the two of them hadn’t gotten him very far.
Damn it. If only Dalton had arrived a few minutes later.
The door jingled once again, and in walked the only other woman that ever meant anything to Bryce besides Tanya, her mother Amelia.
"Ah, Bryce!" Amelia exclaimed. "I'm so glad you’re coming for dinner."
Bryce looked at her quizzically. “Dinner?”
He knew that Reece and Tanya often had family dinners together, and had even gone a few times with Reece, but that was about the last thing he wanted to intrude on now, especially given everything that had just happened with Tanya.
Amelia glanced between him and Dalton, her smile only growing at the charming man. "Oh, and you brought a friend with you. There is always room at my table."
Bryce could hear Tanya sigh from behind him.
"Mama, I don't think they want to come to dinner," she said.
Amelia frowned. She was not the sort of woman you disappointed. "Who doesn't want to have my lasagna?"
The older woman stared down the two men as if they'd just uttered the worst thought known to man. Of course, Dalton was the first to speak.
"Ma’am, speaking for myself, I would love to have some of your lasagna. Coming from a woman like you, I'm sure it's the best I've ever tasted."
Bryce had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. “What about our meeting?”
Dalton shrugged. “I was waiting on some further information anyway. Probably better to wait for it and get some delicious food.”
Bryce grunted. "I guess we’ll be going to dinner."
He glanced over at Tanya. A small smile played on her lips. He thought a silent prayer for his sanity and his cock. Not the most saintly thing to pray over, but Bryce figured God would understand.
“Good,” Amelia said with a clap. “Let’s go to the house.”