other around in her stomach, like her second-grade students in the ice cream line. Tanner's sexual interest in her had seemed to switch off the morning of January 1, the instant he'd learned her real name. Though she thought she'd caught flickers of it coming to life once or twice, she'd dismissed the idea each time - until now. Might he truly feel the same hormonal pull she did?
She rubbed her palms on her thighs and tried to cover up her uncertainty with good manners. "You look nice. I like your sweater."
He frowned down at it. "Yeah? It was a Christmas present, so it was on top of all the other stuff in my drawer."
The grappling nerves in her stomach fell apart and metaphorical cold water was dashed across the nape of her neck. So much for him selecting that sweater to create a tactical advantage. So much for this maybe being a real date. The sweater he'd chosen was the one on top of all the other stuff in his drawer.
And Hannah - or getting any closer to Hannah - wasn't at the top of his thoughts after all.
Releasing an inward sigh, she gathered up Desiree's trench coat and a tiny purse she'd also borrowed. Then, reminding herself that the last thing she needed was to want another man who didn't want her, Hannah left the suite and walked with Tanner to his car. It was a meal and nothing more.
His Mercedes waited under the portico roof, safe from the raindrops still coming down. He opened the passenger door for her and she dropped onto the seat, then half turned to toss the coat into the backseat.
Tanner's big hand touched her thigh.
She yelped and whipped her head toward him. He was staring down at the length of sheer stocking revealed by her ruched-up dress. His hand was trying to smooth the hem from its place a few inches north of her knees to a more modest position.
Yelping again, she lifted her behind off the seat and readjusted the layers of silk. "Thanks," she said, not looking at him, but instead continuing to fuss with the hemline.
"Thank you."
The sexy note in his voice sent her gaze flying to his, but his face didn't give anything away. "And I should also say you look, uh..." He cleared his throat. "Very patriotic."
Patriotic? Of course, the dress was red, but patriotic? Was that some sort of hip Southern California term she didn't know?
Figuring she'd only look dumb if she asked, she kept her questions to herself as he ducked into the driver's side and accelerated the car away from the hotel. Silence descended and she forced herself not to squirm on her seat, even though the quiet felt more tense than a clenched fist. As a matter of fact, Tanner's ten-and-two grip looked brutal on the leather cover of the steering wheel.
Maybe he had a headache or something. "Are you feeling well?" she asked.
There was another moment of that heavy silence, then she heard him let out a long breath. "I'm feeling okay," he said. His white-knuckled grip on the wheel seemed to relax. "Never better. Terrific."
Patriotic? she almost suggested, but stopped herself just in time.
After another moment he slowed the car to point out a Coronado landmark. It was a store owned by a longtime friend of his. It had been called The Perfect Christmas, though a recent fire had destroyed the old Victorian home that had housed it. Bailey had vowed to rebuild.
Bailey was a woman, Hannah surmised, and she was about to pry along those lines - out of friendly curiosity, nothing more - when he pulled up to the restaurant's valet parking. In minutes they were seated at a table covered with a white cloth beside a window. Droplets of rain streaked down the glass, but beyond it was that fascinating, relentless surf.
Hannah couldn't have chosen a better seat herself, and it became clear as time wore on that Tanner was doing his best to be an exemplary dinner companion as well. During their meal, his conversation was smooth but impersonal, his manner cool yet friendly.
She relaxed, feeling safe with the fact that they had nothing more in common than his former boss and one night of hazily recollected passion. Her heartbeat was steady and her hormones stayed quiet - until he said the one thing guaranteed to shake everything inside of her awake.
Tanner Hart told her he liked to read.
She could only stare as he explained that his