Page 75 of Trusting Tanner
“Do you love him?” Xander asked again.
“What kind of a question is that?” Juliana refused to tell Xander she was in love with Tanner before she ever told him. That was wrong and unfair.
“C’mon, you can tell us. We won’t tell him.” Ryder and Xander bumped fists in front of her.
Suddenly it became very clear to her what they were doing. They were testing her, seeing how far they could push her. Most likely they were probably trying to see if she was worthy of dating their brother.
Tanner returned, his arms full of beer bottles. He handed one to her, and then to each of his brothers. “Now, move away from my—” A small frown tugged at his lips.
“Your what?” Xander grinned. “Come on, Tanner. Tell us. What is she?” Xander put his arm around Juliana’s shoulders.
She saw the flash of anger in Tanner’s eyes. It was the same look he got when Devon would touch her. Now it all made sense—Tanner’s mood swings whenever Devon was around, his questions about whether she’d had sex with him. Tanner was jealous about her relationship with Devon. How had she missed that before now?
“Don’t be a dick, Xander.” Tanner’s voice was tight.
Ryder leaned forward and glanced toward his brother. “Ease up, Xan.”
“Whatever. I think it’s my turn anyway.” Xander stood and tapped his beer bottle against Tanner’s. “Thanks for the drink, bro.”
Tanner sat next to Juliana and put his arm around her. She relaxed into him, resting her head on his shoulder. His brothers were definitely a handful. If she wasn’t so worried about them hating her, she wouldn’t have been so nice or quiet.
Ryder stood and joined Finn and Lora, who were in a heated disagreement about the score.
“I’m sorry.” Tanner kissed her forehead. “We all have a history of bad girlfriends. We tend to be unnecessarily hard anytime one of us brings a girl around. You should’ve seen them with my last girlfriend. They were awful.”
“Well”—Juliana straightened—“they kinda have a point. I mean, what are we, Tanner? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? Or are we just two friends who’re hanging out and hooking up?”
Her heart raced, and her face burned. She shouldn’t have asked him. Not here. Not like this. It was a conversation they needed to have privately, and not because she’d put him on the spot. She’d been the one to insist they take things slowly, and now here she was, demanding he make a commitment.
“Jules.” He sighed. “Look at me.” He gently turned her face so she was looking directly into his deep brown eyes. “I’ve considered you my girlfriend since our first date.” He caressed her cheek, letting his fingers brush across her lips. “And I really,reallyhope you consider me your boyfriend.”
“I do,” she blurted, which earned her a sexy smile.
“Good, now that we’ve got that all figured out…” He winked then lowered his mouth to hers, parting her lips with his tongue and stealing her breath with a kiss nowhere near appropriate for a public place. Groaning, Tanner pulled away. “I need to use the bathroom.” He kissed her cheek. “Be right back.”
Wiping her hands on her jeans, she stood and joined everyone near the lane. “Whose turn is it?”
“Mine, then yours,” Xander said. “Where’s Tanner?”
“Answering Mother Nature’s call.”
Ryder took a long drink of his beer. “Is it true you don’t give a shit?”
“There’s a lot I don’t give a shit about. You’re going to have to be more specific.” She took a drink. The tension in her shoulders eased, leaving her relaxed.
“His trust fund.” All traces of humor left Ryder’s voice.
“Oh, that?” She shrugged. “So he has a trust fund. Big deal. He’s not the first person I’ve met who’s had one, and I’m sure he won’t be the last.” She hoped her flippant attitude would appease them. This was a topic she wanted to avoid. She’d tried to avoid it with Tanner, too, but he’d insisted.
Xander studied her. “Did he give you a number?”
“Yup.” She drank what was left of her beer and wished she had another one. She set the empty bottle on the table.
“And you really don’t care?” Skepticism laced Ryder’s words.
“Nope.” She tucked her hands into her back pockets and rocked on her heels. What was taking Tanner so long?
“Why?” Xander asked.
