Flawless Surrender (The Surrender Trilogy, #2)(8)

She couldn’t watch Tanner playing with baby Juliet and not crave him. It wasn’t possible. So it was just better if she kept her distance. She could be civil for a couple of hours and then avoid him forever. Maybe she should rethink this living and working in Stone River plan.

Zoey managed to put together the ingredients for omelets pretty easily and before long she had two plates of fluffy eggs, ham and cheese ready to serve. Warming a bottle, she headed into the living room to find her charge.

Tanner was lying on his side on the floor dangling a pretty pink and purple butterfly toy over Juliet, whose chubby legs and bare toes kicked for all she was worth. Her eyes weren’t even really focused on the toy, but he seemed to be enjoying their playtime. She almost hated to interrupt. Her eyes skimmed down the length of his long body, from the top of his buzzed hair to the bottom of his now bootless feet. He had a wide back that narrowed into a tight ass, and his legs looked a mile long in those faded blue jeans. If she wasn’t a lady, she would do terrible, nasty things to him like her pu-ssy wanted her too.

As if sensing her, Tanner glanced over his broad shoulder and winked. “Hey, sweet cheeks, stop staring at my ass.”

She gasped and felt heat creep up over her cheeks. “What? I wasn’t!”

“Really?”

Juliet started to fuss and Zoey remembered the bottle in her hand. “I’ve got a bottle for her, and I have food ready for us if you’re hungry.”

Tanner climbed to his feet in a swift, gracefully sexy motion that reminded Zoey of a tiger slinking through a forest. “Are you hungry Julie-girl? Auntie Zoey wants to feed us, so best get our butts in there. I haven’t eaten a home-cooked meal for weeks.”

Zoey laughed as she turned to lead the way into the kitchen, “Well it’s not fine dining, just omelets.”

She stopped next to the dining table, but Tanner continued to move toward her with the baby in his arms. He slowed just inches away, staring into her eyes. “If you cooked them for me, I can’t believe they are just anything.”

Her voice box wouldn’t work, so they just stood there, staring at each other. However, Juliet wasn’t patient as she started fussing about her hungry belly. Zoey reached for her and tried not to think about the warmth of the man who brushed her fingers. Shushing the baby, she lifted the bottle for her, pleased when Juliet took it easily. Cradling her against her breasts, she sighed as the scent of sweet baby filled her nose.

Tanner still stood there watching them, and when Zoey looked back up at his face, she could have sworn there was a deeper emotion etched into his smile. It was gone in a flash, and he gestured for her to take a seat.

“So how are you going to eat and feed her at the same time?” he asked as he carried their two plates over to the kitchen table, and then searched out two glasses for tea.

“If I told you I would have to kill you,” Zoey joked, and Tanner’s immediate frown had her laughing. “Women have some sort of innate ability to multitask. We’ll be just fine. Can you pass me the salt though?"

Tanner handed her the tiny glass jar and Zoey flinched when electricity seemed to skitter from her fingertips up her arm and into her brain. He settled into his seat as though nothing had happened so she decided to just ignore it. His loud groan was her reward for the time spent cooking as he took a large bite of the steaming egg mixture.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said with a smirk on her face as she tucked Juliet’s bottle under her chin and proceeded to take a bite of her own meal.

“Damn, woman, if I had known you could cook like this I might have kidnapped you and kept you chained in my kitchen,” he said between bites. Heat spiked in her veins and she had to remind herself that he didn’t know she liked bondage, so it wasn’t a come-on.

“I’m glad you like it. I don’t get the chance to cook for other people very often, but I enjoy it.” She took another bite and then sighed heavily. “I suppose I’ll get to cook a lot more until my mom goes back to wherever she’s been.”

Tanner looked up in surprise, “Your mom? What’s she doing in Stone River? I thought she left after the Sherriff arrested her for causing a nuisance.”

Zoey grimaced remembering the incident in question. Tanner and the Sherriff were the only two people besides Zoey and Eve who knew about that terrible evening. Eve had been on a bender and managed to drive Zoey’s car into a ditch between the Triple T ranch and town. Tanner had been the first one on the scene and he had been the one to pull her unconscious mom from the car. She still remembered the pity on his face at the scene when she explained how her mom was passed out drunk and not actually hurt.

“Yeah, she left for a bit, but she appeared on my doorstep this afternoon. I’m stuck with her until she decides to move on, or until I get evicted.” She took another bite of food, but it didn’t taste nearly as appetizing anymore. Dropping her fork, she shifted the baby to the middle of her chest and dropped a quick kiss to her tiny forehead.

When she looked up, Tanner was watching her with an odd look on his face. “Can’t you just tell her she’s not welcome?”

“Would you be able to tell Dalton or Clint that, if they showed up tomorrow at your door? She’s family. Anyways, it won’t take long before she’s bored with Stone River again and moves on.”

Tanner went back to eating and the only sound for a few minutes was the clink of a fork against a plate. When he had nearly licked his plate clean he settled back into his chair and ran his hand over his flat stomach.