Stealing Taffy (Bigler, North Carolina #3) - Susan Donovan Page 0,92
even her most insanely private sexual desires.
Thank God they talked of nothing but home-repair projects, weather, gardening, crime rates, and the tourism economy while they drained the last of the coffee.
“He’s hot.” Fern whispered this as she cleaned the glass counter. “You should go for it.”
“Fern Bisbee!” Tanyalee felt herself blush from hairline to heels.
Luckily, Bitsy soon decided to take Fern home. Everyone congratulated Candy and headed out the door, and soon Candy thanked Tanyalee for all her hard work and told her she could go home for the evening. “Turner and I will make the dessert delivery to Cherokee Pines.”
So Tanyalee fished her car keys from her bag and headed out the kitchen door. Of course, she was disappointed that Dante had not made plans to see her later. He hadn’t even left her a voice mail or texted her. She feared his “man of mystery” routine would get old real soon.
She made her way toward the edge of the rear parking lot, where she had left the Cadillac. Right there under the security lights was a handsome man in a suit, leaning up against the driver’s side with his big arms crossed over his chest.
He smiled at her.
Mystery solved.
Chapter 18
Tanyalee put some roll in her stroll and came to a stop just in front of Dante. “Hello, Dan Carnes.”
“Hello, Pink Taffy. I’ve missed you, and I mean bad.”
“Well, what a nice thing to say. I—”
Dante was on her like hot fudge on a sundae, apparently not all that interested in small talk. After he had kissed her so thoroughly that she was seeing stars, he gently removed the keys and bag from her limp hand. “I have a confession to make.”
Tanyalee felt her eyes widen—was he hiding something else? She was too damn tired for any more confessions! “What now?”
Dante chuckled. “I’ve been dying to drive this car since the first night I saw you behind the wheel. It’s kind of a fantasy of mine.”
Tanyalee pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her smile. She walked around the rear fender and slipped into the passenger side. “So…” She waited for him to get situated behind the wheel.
“I’m sorry for cutting you off on the phone earlier. I was in a meeting.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I suppose I have no room to complain, seeing as I ignored your calls for two weeks straight.”
“Ah.” Dante drummed his fingers on the wheel. “Tanyalee, I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
She blinked. “All right.”
“Have you ever dated a cop before?”
“Heavens, no! Not before you, at any rate.”
He smiled. “Well, there’s something you’ve got to know about cops in general and me in particular.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve seen just about every horrifying, brutal, senseless thing one human being can do to another. I know exactly who’s out there, and I know what they’re thinking. So when I care about somebody and I can’t get in touch with them, I go a little crazy. No…” Dante lowered his gaze for a moment. “I go a lot crazy, because I’m thinking something bad has happened. So all I ask is that you pick up and tell me you’re okay. You can tell me to go to hell or that you never want to see my ugly face again or that you want to date other people—it doesn’t matter. All that matters to me is that you’re all right. Anything else I can handle.”
Tanyalee felt herself press into the passenger side door, overwhelmed with the two most significant parts of that lecture. First, he worried about her! Second …
“Do you want to date other people?”
“Hell, no. Do you?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Fine.” He leaned over and gave her a quick but reassuring kiss. “So you won’t ignore my calls?”
“I promise. I certainly don’t want you to be worried like that, but goodness gracious! I think you might be just a tiny bit overdramatic. This is Bigler, North Carolina, after all.”
Dante gave her a funny look. “It certainly is.”
Maybe he had a point. With all the murder, drugs, corruption, blackmail, guns, and kidnapping lately, Bigler had become a one-stop shop for crime.
“But this town is no different than anywhere else,” Dante said. “Atlanta, Asheville, Bigler, Boston … it’s all the same. Criminals can telecommute like the rest of us.”
“Well, fine.” She sighed. “I promise I’ll answer your calls.”
“Thank you, Tanyalee. So very much.” Dante turned over the engine, nodding his approval of the powerfully smooth rumble under their feet.