Page 10 of Imminent Danger

“Why?” His voice was low, and if they hadn’t been in the small, mostly silent room, she might not have heard him at all.

She hesitated, feeling a pull toward him that she couldn’t explain. But it wouldn’t be wise to cross that boundary. He needed to be Mr. Olson, and she needed to stay Ms. Richards. Otherwise, she might find herself imagining they could be something more. And that wasn’t an option.

“Thanks for coming so quickly,” she said, ignoring his question.

“I’ll always come when you need me.” Every word was matter of fact and sincere.

And there was that roller coaster sensation again. Her knees weakened slightly, and she grabbed the doorframe for support. The words were impossibly sweet, but his tone was gruff. It was a juxtaposition she found entirely too intriguing.

“Time to go home, Lia!” she called, heading out of the laundry room before turning back. Anthony was still knelt down next to the washing machine, damp spots on his knees and his dress shirt sleeves rolled up around tanned, chiseled forearms. The collar was unbuttoned, and the hair that had been so carefully styled had been the victim of stressed fingers. He looked deliciously disheveled and incredibly capable as he carefully placed his tools back in the toolbox. He stood up, suddenly invading her space in the small room and overwhelming it with his size.

“I’ll throw these clothes in to dry, but I’ll have to finish the laundry on Friday,” she explained. “The towels…” she started, not sure the best way to handle the huge load of towels that had been soaked.

“I’ll handle it,” he said.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he held a finger to her lips, like he was shushing her. A shock of awareness ran through her from toes to fingertips at the contact.

“I said, I’ll handle it.” His tone left no room for argument, and his eyes drilled into her, almost daring her to argue.

Wordlessly, she nodded. She pulled away, her mind blank except scattered half-formed thoughts.

Anthony looked like he wanted to say something else, but Kaylie turned before he could convince her to stay. She needed to get out of here, and she needed to get Lia home before dark. And judging by the way her heart was racing, it wouldn’t take much for Anthony to convince her.

CHAPTER

SIX

Anthony tossed a load of wet towels into the newly-repaired washing machine before heading back out to the kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to find Kaylie cajoling Cecelia to clean up so they could leave.

“Mr. Anthony, you said you would play!” The little girl’s memory and pleading skills were well-honed.

He looked at Kaylie, the exasperation evident on her face. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, princess. I think your mommy needs you to go home.”

Lia stuck out her lower lip. “But I wanna stay with you,” she said pitifully, turning her dark-brown eyes up at him.

Tank’s heart clenched at the sight. He’d never been close enough with anyone with kids to understand the “wrapped around their finger” concept. But with Lia? Yeah, he was beginning to understand how a three-and-a-half-foot tall pixie could have a grown man happy to bend to her every whim.

But another glance at Kaylie had him convinced that taking Lia’s side and ganging up on her mom wouldn’t be the best move. He crouched down, meeting the little girl’s hopeful face, trying to find a way for them both to have what they wanted.

“How about I give you a piggyback ride to the bus stop?”

Cecelia’s face lit up. She squealed and scrambled to shove her toys into the backpack. Tank felt a small smile creep across his face.

He looked back at Kaylie. “I hope this was okay… I didn’t want to disappoint her, but I figured you wouldn’t want to stay and let me drive you back.”

Kaylie took the bag from Lia. “No, it’s fine. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to play with her. She’s not your responsibility…”

Tank didn’t say anything, but he kept his gaze laser focused on the woman across from him. She was in stretchy gray pants and a loose sweatshirt. The bottoms of her pants were darkened with the water from the laundry room. Tendrils of hair had escaped from her ponytail and framed her face. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks red, as though she’d been outside in cold weather.

“But,” Kaylie continued, “she seems rather attached to you, and fighting a temper tantrum is really not on my list of desired activities after a day like today.” Her voice was weary, with a hint of humor hiding something else.

“A day like today?” he asked. He couldn’t help but be curious. Tank found himself wanting to know everything about this woman.

She waved her hand. “Let’s just say a broken washing machine wasn’t the worst part of my day.”

Tank frowned. He definitely didn’t like hearing that she’d had a hard day. Had something else happened? Could he fix it?

Lia tugged on his hand. “Pick me up!” she demanded.

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