Back Check Part 10

"That's good. Right?"

"More business is always a good thing. This being self-employed is a little scary."

"You're doing okay, though...right?" He eyed her.

"It takes a while to build a business. But I'm doing okay."

He was being nice to her. Apparently making an effort to be friends, as she'd requested. But Tanner using all his charm and those gorgeous blue eyes catching hers and holding her gaze was making her lower belly flutter and heat race over her skin.

Dammit.

"You look really pretty tonight," he murmured.

She glanced down at her gray sweater dress and big plaid scarf. "Really?"

"You always look pretty."

"No, Tanner. No, no, no."

"What?" His forehead creased.

"When I said we could be friends, I didn't mean for you to flirt with me."

"I'm not flirting."

"Oh." She shoved a hand into her hair at the back of her neck. "Okay, then."

"It's true."

"What?"

"You're pretty. No, that's not right. You're gorgeous."

Her heart went all soft and melty and she looked away. Okay, maybe she hadn't thought this through. Being friends with Tanner was just too dangerous. There was still a tug of attraction between them, something about him that made her skin tingle and her girl parts heat up. Maybe it was better to keep him at a distance, to maintain that animosity between them. "Okay, what I meant was for us to be, like, frenemies. We look like friends but we're really not."

"What the h.e.l.l is a frenemy?"

"I just explained it."

"Oh, for f.u.c.k's sake. Make up your mind, Katie."

Her heart stuttered at the nickname.

A bunch of goodbyes were called from the foyer as people took their leave. Katelyn moved past Tanner into the empty kitchen to finish clearing up. Most of the food had now been consumed by the men, so there wasn't much to put away in Lovey's fridge. She'd already loaded up the dishwasher and she grabbed a sponge to wipe the counters.

"You just walked away from me."

She looked up at Tanner, who'd followed her.

"And what are you doing cleaning? Are you Cinderella?"

"I'm just helping out," she muttered. "Maybe you should go back to hating me."

"Maybe I should just do this." And he crowded her up against the counter, cupped her face with one big hand, and kissed her.

Oh my G.o.d.

Her heart stopped, then raced frantically. His mouth on hers was hot and demanding. Helpless to resist him, her hands found his waist and held on as she moaned. He went in with his tongue and she opened to him, kissing him back in a seductive sliding of lips and tongues. Her stomach did a flip of l.u.s.t and her knees went weak.

Tanner. She knew him, she knew his kisses, she knew his mouth. He'd been the best kisser, sometimes soft and coaxing, sometimes fierce and urgent, always with the power to turn her on and make her wet.

His big, hot body pressing against hers had fire streaking through her veins. The taste of him inflamed her senses even more, and she dug her fingers into his muscles through the soft fabric of his shirt. His pelvis tipped and she felt his arousal too. Oh G.o.d. Memories flashed through her mind's eye, memories of s.e.x with him, him inside her, his hands all over her, his mouth tasting her everywhere. A needy sound rose in her throat as he kissed her again and again.

A throat cleared behind him and they both froze.

"f.u.c.k." Tanner leaned his forehead against hers briefly, then pushed away and turned.

Trembling, Katelyn saw Lovey standing there, staring at them.

"Sweet cheese-its," Lovey breathed.

Katelyn opened her mouth to drag air into her lungs, looking briefly at the ceiling. Great. Just f.u.c.king great.

"Sorry," Tanner muttered, swiping a hand over his face.

Lovey took two steps into the kitchen, eyes alight with curiosity. "When you two said you knew each other...you really meant you knew each other."

Katelyn caught the look Tanner flashed her, full of frustration and irritation.

"We, uh, dated in college," she managed to say, tugging her sweater dress down. "Dating" wasn't even remotely close to describing their relationship. It had started with an explosion of undeniable s.e.xual heat but had deepened into an intense connection, their lives entwined so tightly she'd thought it would be forever. "It ended when Tanner signed with the Islanders."

Lovey's gaze moved between them and she nodded. She appeared to want to say more, but they were joined by Marc, who wrapped his arms around Lovey's waist from behind her and hugged her. "Nice party, ma belle."

She smiled up over her shoulder at him. "It was nice. Thank you for all you did, Katelyn."

"You'll get my bill," Katelyn said with a smile. "I think my work here is done. I'm glad you all had fun." She stepped past Lovey and Mark to retrieve her purse and coat from the bedroom where Lovey had taken them.

Her hands were still shaking as she pulled on her gray suede boots and did up the b.u.t.tons of her coat. Tanner had stayed in the kitchen and Lovey followed her to the door.

"You okay?" Lovey whispered. "You look gobsmacked."

Katelyn swallowed. "I'm fine. I apologize. That was very unprofessional. I a.s.sure you, it won't happen again."

"No need to apologize...Did Tanner, uh, force himself on you?"

Katelyn's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "No! Dear G.o.d, no. It wasn't like that."

"Okay." Lovey's concern shifted to relief.

"But it shouldn't have happened."

"That looked like quite a kiss. Sorry, sorry, none of my business. But if you want to talk...you know where I am."

"Thank you." This time Katelyn initiated the hug. Lovey may be a client, but affection and a friendship were quickly developing between them.

She hurried to her car, nearly jogging in the cold night to where she'd parked. Once locked inside with the motor running to warm up, she leaned her forehead on the steering wheel.

What the h.e.l.l had just happened?

Tanner had kissed her. Oh man, had he kissed her.

The chemistry that had always been there between them had flashed up hot and bright. It wasn't gone. Not by a long shot.

This was a problem.

Her professional reputation was at stake here. She could not be known as the event planner who came on to the clients' friends. From her college days, she knew the ugly name for girls who chased after hockey players. She'd been called that herself, by girls jealous of her boyfriend. She'd shrugged it off-the girls who chased the hockey players were free to go after whoever they wanted, and people could call her whatever they wanted. Her boyfriend happened to be a hockey player. But now she was a businesswoman and her reputation mattered, especially as she started her new business. This could not happen.

Much as she wanted love, she had to be realistic. She'd tried to find someone and it had never worked out. She'd been too quick to submit to whatever they wanted, too afraid of losing another chance at love. She wasn't going to be that girl again.

Tanner had been the same, had expected her to drop everything in her life for him. He'd broken her heart once. There was no way she was letting him do it again.

- Tanner usually spent one afternoon a week at the Mini Aces Center, a club funded by the Aces Foundation that gave kids in the South Side neighborhood a place to hang out after school and play sports. The ice rink was a popular part of it, due in large part to the involvement of a number of the Aces. Today Tanner had his little brother, Jaivon, there, skating with him and a few other kids.

Jaivon wasn't actually his brother, he was the twelve-year-old boy Big Brothers had paired him with a year ago when he'd signed up. He'd done it more for himself than to help someone else, because he'd always wanted a brother. h.e.l.l, he'd just wanted a normal family. Instead, he'd had parents who were too caught up in their own drama to pay any attention to him, and now two step-mothers and two step-fathers. But it did feel good to give something to a kid who didn't have a father.

So he had fun hanging out with Jaivon doing boy stuff. Luckily Jaivon loved hockey. He couldn't afford hockey equipment, but that was another part of the Mini Aces program-providing sticks and gear to kids who couldn't afford them. And Tanner made sure he helped out too.

This morning he'd practiced at the Moens Center, had lunch after with the guys, then drove down here to hang out with Jaivon and was now on the ice with him and some other little dudes.

"Go, go, go!" he shouted as Jaivon got the puck and skated to the net. Then the kid took a shot at the net but somehow missed the puck entirely. Tanner grimaced briefly and shook his head. How the h.e.l.l had that happened? But no matter, it wasn't about how good they were, it was about doing something healthy and positive.

He skated up to Jaivon, wheeled around behind the net, and snagged the puck, then shot it to him, right to his tape. He watched Jaivon squint and try another shot at the net, this time succeeding, although Jimmy in the net was able to make the save.

"Good shot!" Tanner yelled. "And good save, Jimmy."

The ten boys on the ice trailed after him like he was a G.o.d, which amused him. They were good kids.

After they played, he treated Jaivon to deep-dish pizza. He watched him look at the menu, then set it aside. "Sausage and pepperoni?" Tanner asked him.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

The kid was growing like crazy, and skinny, and Tanner let him devour a whole pie with sausage and pepperoni. They talked about school and hockey, and the cute girl in J's math cla.s.s named Cecilia, who was super smart and was the only one who'd got a higher mark than him on the last math test. Then Tanner said, "Hey, J, can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure."

"How's your eyesight?"

"Huh?" Jaivon frowned.

"Your eyesight. You ever get it checked?"

"No." He scowled.

Tanner grasped the tent card on the table and held it up. "What does this say?"

"I know what it says."

"Read it to me."

When Jaivon didn't respond, Tanner set it down and leaned forward. "I'm gonna make an appointment with an eye doctor for you."

"We can't afford no eye doctors." Jaivon stared at his gla.s.s of c.o.ke.

"That doesn't matter. I'll take you next week. Or whenever I can get you in."

"I don't wanna wear gla.s.ses!"

Tanner shook his head. "Hey, it's better to wear gla.s.ses and see what's going on. You missed a shot today on the ice. And if you can't see the board at school, you're going to fall behind. That would suck. I wore gla.s.ses when I was a kid."

"You did?"

"Yeah. You might be too young right now, but you can get contact lenses in a few years."

"Is that what you wear?"

"I used to, but I had laser eye surgery a few years ago, so I don't need them anymore."

"That'd cost a lotta cake."

"Yeah. But you'll be a big-shot lawyer or accountant or something one day and you'll be able to afford it." He grinned.

"My mom can't afford gla.s.ses," Jaivon mumbled.

"I'll take care of it. No big deal. You're my brother." He reached out for a fist-b.u.mp.

After they ate their pizza, Tanner dropped Jaivon off at home, having a short private conversation with Jaivon's mom. Then he drove to his own place in Streeterville, parking in the heated underground parking garage, riding the elevator to the thirteenth floor. What a difference from where Jaivon lived.

It made anything he could do to help the kid totally worth it, but also served to remind him that he was a lucky, lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

He dropped his keys on the small table inside the front door and hung his jacket in the closet, then wandered over to the big windows. He had a corner unit, with views of both Lake Michigan and the city. Lights in a myriad of colors twinkled around him. This was a far cry from Minneapolis too, although he'd grown up with a comfortable lifestyle. His dad owned a couple of car dealerships and had done very well, and each time his mom had remarried she'd also chosen someone wealthy, so they'd always been well-off. But money didn't replace family. So he'd keep hanging out with Jaivon and hoping the kid didn't eventually realize what a loser he was and tell him to get lost.

He sighed and picked up the remote for the television. No hockey tonight, but he could watch his new favorite show, Lucky Dog, about rescued dogs who were supposedly "unadoptable." He always felt for those dogs and loved it when they ended up with a great new family who was going to love them.

He needed to research some optometrists. He hadn't seen an eye doctor in years, since he'd had his eyes done. Maybe one of the guys could recommend some. He was pretty sure Rico still wore contacts.

Probably Katelyn too, unless she'd also had the surgery. He remembered how cute she was when she wore her gla.s.ses in college, all smart and studious-looking, but she usually wore contact lenses.

He'd kissed her.