Scorched (Frigid #2)(20)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

He lifted his gaze to mine then. Some of the heat evaporated from his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insulting, but I was. That’s why I came up here. To tell you I’m sorry.”

For a second, I forgot I was in a towel and he had barged in on me. This was the second time he’d apologized. Never before had he ever apologized. Neither had I. I blinked slowly¸ having no idea what to say.

Tanner’s gaze dipped again, and his lips parted. A rough sound emanated from him, causing my toes to curl against the hardwood floors and my tummy to twist. That was about the moment when I realized there was one hell of a gap in the towel.

Holy crap.

Since I wasn’t a size 2 or even a size 10, a normal towel didn’t cover me completely. The towel parted just below my left breast, exposing the side of my stomach, my hip and my entire upper thigh. I knew he could see the underswell of my breast, and if he looked hard enough, God only knew what else he could see. I couldn’t even fool myself into thinking something different. If I moved too quickly, he’d definitely get an eyeful of my goods.

I almost laughed, because I’d been so against him seeing me in a bikini a few hours before, and now he saw pretty much just the same. But the back of my throat and my eyes burned, and if I laughed, it might’ve sounded a little crazed.

Tanner exhaled harshly, jarring me. “You’re beautiful, Andrea.”

Anger and pleasure warred inside me. He’d said that earlier, but I’d dismissed it. Buried it so deep in my thoughts that it was like hearing it for the first time. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. Not stuff like that.”

He frowned as his eyes met mine. “I do mean it.”

I swallowed hard as I shook my head. My fingers tightened on the knot. I didn’t know what to say to that. “You shouldn’t be in here.”

“I know.” But he made no effort to leave. “You hurt your knee.”

Huh? I glanced down, and saw he was right. Tiny drops of blood beaded over my left knee. “I…I must have skinned it when I fell.” As impossible as it sounded, my face burned even brighter.

“Let me take a look at it,” he said.

“It’s fine. Just a scratch.”

Tanner’s long legs ate up the remaining distance between us, and he was suddenly standing right in front of me. “I’m sure it’s fine, but I’d feel better if I looked at it. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but why don’t you put some clothes on and let me check it out.”

I wanted him to get the hell out of my room, but he was giving me the option to escape. Shuffling to the bed, I grabbed the clothes I’d laid out before Tanner burst into my room. I stopped at the bathroom door and glanced over my shoulder. He still stood there, his hands clenched at his sides. Something about his stance unsettled me.

Actually, everything about Tanner right then unnerved me.

I slipped into the bathroom, legs shaking. My reflection in the mirror confirmed that my face was only a shade lighter than my hair. God, tonight had gone just amazing. Slipped and fell into the pool like a dork and then caught standing in a towel. I was ready to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head.

Or down half a bottle of tequila, because if there ever were some moments to get shitfaced, this was one of them.

Picking up my clothes, I realized I’d forgotten to grab a bra. Fuck me. Seriously. Maybe I’d get lucky and Tanner would fall into a black hole or something. I quickly changed into the cotton shorts and shirt, cringing when I could plainly see my nipples pressing against the material. God was not a fan of me right then. I was pretty sure he was smiting me.

My knee ached a little, and I grabbed some tissue. I’d just sat down on the rim of the bathtub when there was a knock on the door.

“Are you clothed?” asked Tanner.

“Yes.” Immediately, I knew I should’ve said no, because the next second, the door was opening, and he was stepping into the bathroom. Still shirtless. Still wet. God, wet abs were hot. I shook my head in disgust as I scowled up at him. “I could’ve been peeing.”

He lifted a brow as he stopped in front of me. “I’d hope you would’ve said that.”

“Why would I tell you I was peeing?” I fired back. “I shouldn’t have to tell you anything. You shouldn’t walk willy-nilly into rooms.”

“Willy-nilly?” His lips twitched, and I swore in that moment, if he laughed, I was going to kick him in the balls, total kung-fu style. He grabbed the tissues from my hand and knelt. “Are you okay?”

I didn’t know what he was referencing at first. “I said I was okay.”

He tilted his head as he wrapped his hand around my left calf, causing me to jump a little. Pausing, he peered up through thick, sooty lashes. “Did I hurt you?” His voice was low, thick like velvet.

There was a distinct impression he meant more than touching my leg. Before I could respond, he went back to staring at my knee. I tried to picture him doing this on calls when he worked. Unlike now, he’d be covered head to toe, but I bet with that uniform, he’d induced a lot of swoons.

Tanner gently swabbed at the skin, dabbing at the blood. Several moments passed and then he said, “I really didn’t mean to say what I did out there. I don’t think you sit around all day and do nothing.”

I stared at the top of his head. Wet, his hair was a dark brown, and I could see the tiny droplets clinging to the short strands. “Are you sure about that? Because I honestly think you do believe that.”

His hand froze a few inches from my knee and then he lifted his chin. Cobalt eyes pierced mine. “You know, you’re right to ask that.” Settling back on his haunches, he didn’t look away. “And you do deserve my honesty. Up until a couple of days ago, I really didn’t think you did anything with your spare time. I had no idea you volunteered at the hospital or the suicide hotline.”

I sucked in a breath. “Syd opened her mouth?”

He nodded.

There was a tiny, black-haired girl who was going to get throttled. I could not fathom why she’d tell Tanner about that. Then again, she could’ve overheard our argument by the pool, which proved she could multitask while she sucked face with Kyler. I wasn’t embarrassed by my volunteer activities. It just wasn’t something I ever believed Tanner would care to know.

“I think that’s pretty amazing,” he said, flashing a quick smile. “Not a lot of people could do that.”