Taming Tanner (2 page)

Finding her tongue, she spoke again, “I’ll let you in on a little secret, amigo, they are bigger than you can handle.”

She winked at him and grinned as the table broke into more laughter. Pushing her plate away, she stood from the table and begged her excuses.

“I promised Mr. Martin I wouldn’t let T’Zara overwork herself in the kitchen, what with La Niña so close to coming, and everything. I am gonna go check on the final preparations for your cake.” She bent low to first hug Letty, and then leaned across the table to receive another hug and a kiss on the cheek from Jeramy.

In the process, she somehow managed to get some whipped cream from her uneaten dessert on her hand. Before she could pull back across the table, Tanner half-rose from his seat, grasping her hand and pulling it near him. Slowly he licked the fluffy cream from the length of her pinkie finger before she regained her breath and brought her hand to hide behind her back.

“Sugar, you wound me. You are exactly the kind of woman I'd like to handle.” Tanner spoke in a whisper close to her ear so that only she could hear. “And if I can’t, I'll die a happy man for the trying.”

The roguish cowboy had the nerve to grin, baring that damn dimple that used to make her soak her panties back in the day.

Stepping back and blinking, Sophia laughed. “As I said, Tanner, you haven’t changed at all, you Lothario. You don't fool me one bit. Always were the one to flirt fast and loose with the ladies, but I’m no sucker and you can kiss my whole ass.”

“Mark the spot, baby, and name the day. I’ll gladly clear my calendar,” Tanner responded with a wink.

Sophia laughed again before rolling her eyes and giving a double-handed wave to her boss’s oldest daughter who had run up to the table and was busy demanding that Tanner compliment her on her dress.

The little flirt had her mother’s heart-shaped face and a caramel complexion that made Sophia want to eat her up with a spoon.

“Mijoy, you mind that devil you’re standing next to, eh,
mi Amiga
. He thinks he is so smart.”

“Smart?” the little imp questioned before rounding the table to peek in car seats that held the Westbrook twins. Mijoy had been utterly enamored with the little boys all weekend long. “My mommy says he is a stone-cold fox. She didn’t say he was smart.”

The entire party snickered at the table, trying hard not to succumb to raucous laughter a third time over.

“So maybe your mommy is right, little one, but if I were you, I wouldn’t repeat that in front of your papa, okay?”

“Oh no, Mommy gave me three cookies and told that if Daddy asks, I’m supposed to pretend we are in church and the hushers are standing behind me.”

The little girl spoke with the earnestness that only a child could have before skipping around the table, grabbing Sophia’s hand and tugging her back toward the compound’s large kitchen.

Though Sophia pretended to be totally engrossed in the child's conversation, she couldn’t help the distinct feeling that Tanner was staring at her ass as she walked away.

Risking a glance over her shoulder she nearly tripped when Tanner winked at her and licked his lips, catching his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Damn chubby-chaser,” she muttered under her breath while flipping him the bird over little Mijoy’s head.

“What’s a chubby-chaser, Miss Soapy?” the little girl asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Never you mind all that, let’s go run your mamma out of the kitchen before your daddy gets her and we all get in trouble.”

Tanner watched and waited as the last of the reception guests left the barn. Letty and Jeramy’s ceremony had been amazing. It was like a fairytale. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked around the dimly lit barn that was covered in hay, sawdust and heart-shaped confetti in hundreds of shades of pink and red. The cleanup crew had their hands full, trying to gather all the empty cups and plates that littered the tables. He didn’t envy them the task. To do so would mean he’d have to expel energy in their direction. Honestly, he was reserving all of that to hold himself still in the shadows as he watched his prey.

Sophia had looked amazing today, though she hadn’t participated in the ceremony like he had. She had been present throughout the vows, sitting front and center, representing Jeramy’s family, along with his mother, sister and Tanner’s own parents. She’d been stunning in her wine-colored dress. Somehow the jeweled tone of the fabric made her dark skin shine like polished stone.

Again, he was jealous of every man, woman, and child that got close to her. From his position as best man, he could have easily taken two or three steps to her and pulled her from her seat before dashing away to some dark little corner and having his way with her. But he was a patient man. Even if that patience was running thin.

Watching her now was driving him nuts. She was gently packaging the top tier of the wedding cake, as well as several smaller packages of cakes and fruit that he assumed would probably be delivered to the hotel where all the bridesmaids were gathering the next day for a spa day. He and the other groomsmen were supposed to be treated to a round of golf, but Tanner had a feeling he’d be missing out on a great tee time.

Once Sophia finished her task, she instructed another of the staff from her bakery on what to do with all the packages. Tanner chose that moment to step forward and offer to help her back to the foreman’s house.

“Hey, you,” he spoke as he approached. “There’s no way you can walk in the dark in those shoes carrying that plate of goodies. Let me help you.”

Sophia gazed up at him as if she was about to decline, but something in her eyes told him she was going to accept his offer, if only for the sake of her aching feet.

“Thank you very much, Tanner. I was just wondering how I was going to manage the trek. You’d think a big girl like me would have had more sense than to wear shoes like this on a ranch. As if I didn’t grow up on a ranch and know better,” she joked.

Tanner couldn’t help the flash of anger that washed over him, and before he could stop himself he was admonishing her.

“Don’t talk about yourself that way. Yes, you are a big woman—a big, lovely, woman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Never has been as far as I am concerned. It would’ve been silly to wear those shoes no matter what your size, but I have to admit, watching the way they made your ass jiggle and defined your calves has been wreaking havoc on my bid for sainthood all night.”

Taking the cake-laden paper plate from her hand and moving so that he could stand in front of her, Tanner dropped down on his haunches and said, “Saddle up.”

“Tanner, are you kidding? I cannot possibly ride on your back to the house.”

“Are
you
kidding
me
? I used to give you piggy back rides all the time when we were younger.”

“Yes, and I was a lot smaller then.”

Tanner let an almost-feral growl loose. “So was I.”

“Tanner—” Sophia started to speak before stopping on a sigh.

“Soapy,” he mimicked her tone, as he called her by the childhood nickname he’d given her.

Sophia stamped her foot lightly, and he laughed.

“Listen, it’s piggyback or fireman. You choose. I’m counting to three.”

Tanner didn’t have to see Sophia to know she was rolling her eyes.

“Sophia, if I have to carry you over my shoulder I can promise I’m going to drop this cake and run my hands all over that ass. I might even smack it a couple of times to get it warmed up. I might even be tempted to raise your skirt so I can get a better whiff of what I can’t wait to taste.”

Tanner stood and turned back to face Sophia to make sure his words were hitting home.

“I’m not playing games with you and you know it. So you decide—piggyback, which buys you a little time, or fireman, which tortures us both and speeds up the process.”

He felt the indecision radiating off her. Once she nodded her agreement, Tanner led her to a stack of hay bales so she could more easily climb on his back. The glare she was shooting at the back of his head should’ve caused his hair to catch on fire.

“If you drop my cake, you won’t get anywhere near what you think you want, cowboy,” she sassed as she leaned in close and braced her weight against his back. The hot air of her breath tickled his ear.

Tanner trembled a little as he lifted Sophia off the ground, but it wasn’t because of her weight. He was so excited to have her pressed against him that his eyes nearly crossed. The plate with the cake jostled a bit and he waited for her to settle against him.

“You’re gonna need to hold on to this cake,” he said as he slowly lifted his arm for her to take the confection.

Once she had the plate secure, he tucked his arms around her legs and made for the exit.
Sophie almost lost her grip and smashed the cake in his face.

He growled up at her. “For Pete's sake, woman. Stop all that wiggling.”

“Well, slow down. It’s not like anything is on fucking fire,” she hissed back.

“Baby, you have no idea. I can feel the heat of you burning through my shirt and I can’t wait to try and put it out.”

Sophia was breathless as they made their way from the barn to the foreman’s house. The last time she’d been given a piggyback ride was the day she’d fallen and nearly broken her ankle. It was also the day she’d been running back to the barn after spying on Tanner skinny-dipping in the watering trough. The memory of Tanner finding her sprawled out made her laugh. She’d been ass-up and embarrassed at getting caught ogling him, but it didn’t stop her from being giddy when he’d carried her home.

“What is so funny back there?” Tanner asked as he readjusted his grip on her legs.

“Just thinking about the last time you gave me a piggyback ride,” Sophia stated, followed by a shy giggle.

“Oh, you mean the day I caught you eyeing my ass the summer after we graduated?” he asked her accusingly.

Sophia was glad Tanner didn’t have eyes in the back of his head, because she honestly felt herself blush. She tucked her face into his hair in an effort to hide from herself and the knowing night stars.

“Aww, come on, Soapy,” Tanner chuckled. “Why do you think I was butt-naked in that trough, anyway? It sure as hell wasn’t to cool off since that water was pretty hot. I knew you’d be sent to find me.”