“Do you guys have a reason for being here?” he snapped as he looked around to see whether any of his other relatives were nearby. He’d really hoped that the visit at his apartment a little over a week ago would be the only such surprise.
“Nope. Just had to come and see how charming you look in your Santa costume,” Crew said.
“What a peach you are, big brother,” Tanner growled, and he began walking away.
“Now, now, don’t be in such a hurry. We thought we’d take you out for a beer. I’m sure you could use it,” Lucas said, easily keeping up.
“Very funny, Lucas. You both know I’m under flipping house arrest. The only place I get to go now is to my wonderfully quaint apartment — that is, if I don’t get mugged on the way there,” he said as he reached the break room and began yanking the Santa suit off.
“Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to drink a couple of beers in your new digs,” Crew said. “I’m looking forward to checking the place out.”
“What if I’d rather not have the company?” Tanner didn’t want to take a chance that he’d run into Kyla while these guys were around. If she came up and spoke to him, they’d get ideas. He didn’t want them getting ideas. As soon as he was done with this sentence, he was out of here and he wouldn’t look back. He shouldn’t need to worry about it, though, as he hadn’t seen her since last Thursday, when she’d been attacked. That was four days ago, and he wasn’t happy about it.
“You have to be bored out of your mind,” Lucas said. “Of course you want the company.”
“I’m not going to get you two to go away, am I?”
“Not a chance,” Crew said, sitting down and relaxing, even though the bench was absurdly uncomfortable.
“Fine. Give me a few minutes to change and you can give me a ride back. I get sick of taking stinking cabs or the bus. The walk takes too damn long after being at this mall all day. Kyla likes the walk, though — says it relaxes her.”
Tanner wanted to bite his tongue off as soon as the words popped from his mouth. There was no hope the two of them hadn’t noticed his slip.
“Kyla?” they said in unison, eyebrows raised.
“Don’t,” Tanner replied, and added a glare to let them know it was a closed subject.
“Hmm, have you managed to find romance in the projects?” Crew asked.
“The apartments aren’t the projects, and no, I haven’t. Even if I had, I certainly wouldn’t tell you about it.”
“I think you’re protesting a little too much, cuz,” Lucas said with a big grin.
Tanner had met his Anderson cousins a year ago or just a little more. He hadn’t known of their existence until then, thanks to a very desperate doctor who’d kidnapped his father when he was a newborn. But it was as if they’d all been together their entire lives. All of them got along beautifully, and none of them had a problem with flinging crap at each other.
“How could I have met someone? I’m under house arrest,” Tanner reminded them, trying his best to sound convincing.
“You do have a point there, but you are staying in an apartment building, not an all-male prison facility,” Crew told his brother. “I think meeting someone is a definite possibility.”
“Fine. I did meet a woman, but it’s not what you think. She’s an elf.” Again, if he could kick his own ass, he would.
“An elf? Oh, this just keeps getting better and better,” Lucas said with a Santa-like belly laugh.
“I think there’s an adult movie or two with Santa and his elves,” Crew managed to choke out in the midst of an explosion of his own guffaws.
“You’re both dumbasses,” Tanner said as he buttoned his coat, and left the room. There was no way he was continuing that conversation. But he knew the two of them were right on his heels, because their laughter followed him out of the mall.
“Where are you parked?” Tanner practically growled.
“This way,” Lucas said, trying his hardest to suppress his merriment now.
Tanner was really hoping they were driving a truck. Then he could sit in the bed and ignore both of them. Or maybe he could just jump from the vehicle as it was going down the road and land himself in the hospital for the rest of his sentence. Either option sounded all right with him.
When they reached the car — not a trunk, dammit — Tanner climbed in back, and, miracle of miracles, his two tormentors kept silent for the short ride back to the apartment building.
When they made it inside without running into Kyla, Tanner breathed a huge sigh of relief. If the two of them saw how unbelievably gorgeous his elfin neighbor really was, they’d be right back to harassing him, and they’d keep at it for the rest of the night.
Instead, they popped open a few beers that they’d had in a cooler, and they sat down, the joking over with as the three of them talked about the pros and cons of remodeling versus starting fresh. By the end of the conversation, Tanner was torn. He couldn’t alter his plans. That would be foolish.
However...
He wanted new, but he knew he might not get his way — damned judge! — so he needed to have a plan B. No! He wouldn’t change his mind.
If only the what-if thoughts about Kyla didn’t keep running through his head.
“Some of us aren’t locked into this apartment building, so we’re going to get out of here now,” Lucas said with a sly look at Tanner.
“Yeah. Yeah. Enjoy your fun, but one of these days you’re going to find your ass in a similar situation.”
“I don’t think so, cousin,” Lucas said as a knock sounded on the door. “I’ll get it.”
Lucas swung the door open, and before Tanner could stop him, he felt his cheeks instantly heat up. Kyla was standing there in the opening with a shy smile, but her cheeks reddened, too, when she noticed Lucas and then looked past him to where Tanner was standing awkwardly next to his brother.
“My, my, my, a hot girl delivering cookies,” Lucas said as he turned to wink at Tanner. “Maybe I shouldn’t be in such a hurry to leave.”
“Shut up, Lucas.” Tanner was finally able to make his feet work and he moved to the door, pushing Lucas out of the way. “Hi, Kyla. What’s going on?”
The smell of her freshly baked cookies was wafting from her open apartment door and Tanner’s mouth watered. As much as he didn’t want his brother or cousin to meet Kyla, the deed was done, and he found himself wanting to drag her into the room and devour her, take her temptingly pouty mouth with his own and kiss it, kiss it, kiss it …