Page 21 of Tops
I would not forget my ambitions just because a lot of testosterone had been thrown at me today. This was why I wasn’t ready for a relationship.
“How about we try to see if we can resolve this matter quickly so I can get back to my life, please,” I suggested. I mentally decided that hooking up with any of them, let alone all of them, would need to wait until I wasn’t stuck living with them. No. We needed to get past all this crazy and maybe have a goodbye thing right before I left.
I could, however, set the groundwork now.
Or at least try.
They seemed to be making it easy enough, which hadn’t happened to me before.
“I think it’s time for bed,” Tanner said as a coldness seemed to wash over him. “Colten, I know you plan on crashing here tonight.”
Colten nodded in agreement before Tanner’s gaze landed on Nik.
“Nik, were you planning on staying?”
Nik looked over to me, seemingly admiring my best impersonation of a cat on a couch rather than a human, before looking back at Tanner with a somber expression. “No, I have to get home. You know what happened out there.”
Tanner nodded sharply.
Nik took that as his cue to leave and got up from the couch. “I’ll be here by seven tomorrow. Make sure you are ready to go.”
I nodded and gave him a thankful smile. Not just because he would be protecting me while also teaching a graduate class, but he had made sure my comfort was a priority. I didn’t want to think about how worried I would have been waiting for Mike to bring me some of my clothes. Knowing the asshole, he would have brought only summer clothes.
“I think I’m going to head to bed. I have a lot of phone calls to make tomorrow,” Colten said, slapping his thighs. I wondered if he even bothered to change into casual clothes for sleeping. I imagined he simply took off his suit and slept naked.
No.
No, I did not just imagine that.
Colten disappeared down a hallway, and I figured since everyone else was heading to bed, I might as well retire too. I needed to mentally scream at myself or use the shower to take the edge off my newfound libido. The sound of Tanner’s voice stopped me as I moved to stand.
“Wait just a minute, Nessa. There is a little more I wanted to discuss with you,” Tanner purred, and I pulled my legs back up to make myself smaller. We were still on that repel side, and part of me was itching for just a dose of his linguistic battles, but I also needed to somewhat hide behind something to be that bold. It would have been so much better if we were texting right now. Then I wouldn’t have been sitting here looking at a man so attractive I wasn’t capable of forming words around him. Yet sometimes, he looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive in the most brutal, raw way, and I craved to have that. Just once would have to be enough, but I think I could live with that.
“Yes?” I asked, overly sweet, as I batted my eyelashes at him.
“I got you some clothes. I thought getting some of your things might take a while, so I bought you some new things.” His voice wavered at the time like he wasn’t sure that was what he wanted to say. He cleared his throat before turning on his stern CEO voice, “If I had known you wanted your stuff right now, you could have simply asked me, and I would have taken you.” He said it as if I had offended him. Like when I accused him of being unable to protect his staff.
I had insulted this man every day I’d ever spoken to him. It’s equally possible the eat me up look he gave could just be that he wanted to destroy me.
“Nik offered. And honestly, it sounded way better than letting a stranger go through my panty drawer in my house. I do not need the image of Mike’s hands on my underwear.” I shuddered slightly at just the thought.
“I wouldn’t have sent Mike, considering your blatant dislike for him. Now I will say he is a great head of security, despite his recent lack of judgment. You caught him off guard, and instinct took over.” Tanner was still stuck in stick-up-his-ass-mode.
“Oh yeah?” I scoffed. “Then why did it take him so long to let me go?” A snap reaction is one thing, but the asshole hadn’t released me immediately.
“Because he’s loyal,” Tanner said. The smile that followed was dark and menacing. Like a storm beneath the surface, ready to be unleashed.
“Loyalty isn’t pressing a little girl into the wall when you are three times her size. Not when your main job for security should be loyalty to your staff’s safety, not yours. He even asked if I was a new employee, for fuck’s sake, Tanner.” I huffed, letting my frustrations justify my anger toward Mike.
“He doesn’t work for Tops. He is the head of my security detail Nessa,” Tanner’s voice was firm like he was scolding the little girl I just claimed to be. “I thought you would have figured it out by now. Really, you struck me as someone smarter than this.”
Trickles of doubt seemed to stab me like tiny dark knives as his words cut into me. I always took the utmost pride in my grades and higher learning. I didn’t have a life outside my house because my mind was always exploring and learning. The verbal wound stung, and I reminded myself I asked for this. I had said I was ready for a mental spar. I hadn’t realized the gloves were off so soon.
“Instead, you’re cool with your personal entourage shoving women around. Guess if they are loyal dogs, they must have learned from their master.” I tilted my head as I pulled a knee up to hold on to. I had to at least hold my ground and not let my body slink off from fear.
Tanner’s gaze grew white hot as he decided my last jab was more than he could handle. He stood from the couch. He was still in his slacks and button-up shirt. Guess only Nik understood the meaning of casual.
He started toward me, and my entire body froze. Some people talk about the fight-or-flight response to danger. Well, there was a third. I called it my opossum impersonation because that was what my body chose in some situations. He moved toward me slowly, like the predator he was. His eyes fixed firmly on me. His hand pressed into the couch on the side of my head as he leaned in closer. I could smell the bourbon on his breath as he lowered his voice, “The only time I put my hands on a woman is when she is begging for my touch.” Quickly pulling away, his cool, collected mask slid back over his features. “Time for bed now, Nessa. I trust you can find the way,” he said as an afterthought before disappearing down the hallway.
