Chapter 10
Cole
I took a swig of my beer at The Mug And Jug later, thoroughly disgusted with myself.
What in the fucking hell had I been thinking?
I’d blown my entire plan to stay away from Lauren when I’d made that offer to her at dinner tonight.
I was going to end up seeing her almost every damn morning.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t seem to make myself regret the fact that I’d see her almost every day.
Yeah, I was attracted to her, but that wasn’t the only reason I wanted to see her gorgeous face every day.
Truth was, there was something about being with Lauren that made me…happy?
Hell, I wasn’t sure what happiness was, but I was fairly certain that it was exactly how I felt every time Lauren and I were together.
I’d have to learn how to keep my cock in check, but I just couldn’t bring myself to give up being in Lauren’s company.
I was fucked.
I knew it.
But for once in my life, I didn’t care.
Lauren seemed to trust me.
She didn’t seem to be impressed by the fact that I was a billionaire.
In fact, she treated me like I was a normal person.
She even seemed to like me, for some inexplicable reason.
The woman had absolutely no fear when she was with me, which thoroughly intrigued me.
And that shit was completely addictive.
Maybe it wasn’t the wisest decision, but I was going to feed that addiction for a little while.
“You don’t look like you’re having a good time,” I said to Tanner, who was next to me at the large table.
We were the only two people sitting at the table right now.
Everyone else was getting drinks, dancing, or making the rounds talking to people.
Even Lauren had gone to talk to a friend, so Tanner and I had been left alone at the table.
The place was loud and crowded, but the Remington gang had managed to push tables together in a corner to seat everyone.
It was a Saturday night during the winter.
There wasn’t anything else to do in Crystal Fork on a winter’s evening except hang out at The Mug And Jug.
Tanner glanced at his watch before he answered morosely, “I don’t want to be here, but I promised Hannah that I’d stay for an hour. She doesn’t want me to skip family gatherings just because she doesn’t want to go out at night with a baby.”
“Did you tell her that you really didn’t want to go out, either?” I asked.
“I tried,” he grunted. “She thinks I’m just saying that to make her feel better. I have no idea what makes her think that I’d rather be here than at home with my two favorites girls.”
I couldn’t say that I knew any of my cousins well yet, but I liked Tanner. He was a no-nonsense guy who apparently adored his wife and his infant daughter, Winter.
“So, you’re basically humoring her?” I questioned.
Personally, I didn’t really understand why a guy would do something he didn’t want to do.
He shrugged. “Pretty much. Hannah is going to want to know what’s new with the family, even though it’s only been a matter of days since we’ve seen them.
Nothing has really had time to change. Except for the fact that you actually showed up at one of our family gatherings with Lauren.
What’s up with that? I wasn’t aware that you two really knew each other. ”
I looked at my cousin, and the protective look on his face probably would have scared most men.
Luckily, I wasn’t most men.
I didn’t really owe him any kind of explanation, but I could see no reason to bullshit him or not tell him the truth.
Tanner was, in fact, my blood, and I knew that he’d been watching out for Lauren for years.
For some reason, the fact that he’d always looked out for Lauren made me want to be straightforward with him.
“We didn’t really know each other until she helped me out when I was sick with the flu,” I explained gruffly. “She was nice to me. I decided I wanted to get to know her better.”
Tanner frowned. “How much better? I have a feeling you’re only here tonight because Lauren’s here. You’ve never bothered to show up at any of our Mug And Jug gatherings before.”
I knew what was happening.
The two of us were sizing each other up.
Tanner was looking for my motives, and I was trying to decide just how much I really wanted to share with my cousin.
“It’s not exactly comfortable for me to get out and about in town,” I said reluctantly.
“I get that,” Tanner replied earnestly. “There’s a shitload of gossip in this town, and I hate it for you and Asher. I’d probably avoid it if I were in your position, too. I figure you must have found some kind of motivation to be here tonight.”
I shrugged. “I wanted to take Lauren out for dinner at Charlie’s, so I agreed to show up here afterward with her.”
Tanner shot me an empathetic gaze. “Has it really been that bad? I know some people are assholes, but there’s a lot of good people here who don’t believe the old stories.”
I thought about his question before I finally answered. “Not as bad as I thought it would be.”
Surprisingly, I was telling my cousin the truth. I’d gotten some strange looks from some, but others had been nice, and no one had dared to call me a murderer to my face.
“It will take a while,” Tanner said. “But the gossip will eventually fade away once people get used to seeing you around again. Most sensible people know that you and Asher didn’t kill your father.”
I raised a brow. “Including you?”
Tanner nodded. “Including all of your family here. None of us ever believed it. However, that doesn’t mean that I trust you to date a woman who’s like a sister to me. If you hurt her, things are going to get ugly.”
The warning was issued in a calm voice, but the look on Tanner’s face was ominous.
“We’re not dating,” I said unhappily. “We’re getting to know each other. I don’t date and I don’t do relationships. Even if I wanted that, I don’t think she’s interested. I think she wants to be friends.”
Tanner chuckled. “That must suck when you’re attracted to her.”
“What makes you think that?” I said defensively.
Tanner swallowed a slug of his beer before he answered.
“I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the way that your eyes keep looking around the room to find her.
I do the same thing with Hannah when we’re in the same room.
I’m a guy, Cole. I recognize what attraction looks like in another male. ”
“I’m not a player,” I said tersely. “I don’t play with women’s emotions, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had any kind of arrangement with a woman who just wanted physical gratification without emotional entanglements.”
“Lauren is the kind of woman who can get under your skin,” Tanner warned. “She’s smart. She’s too damn sweet, but she’s also sassy when she needs to be. Keith was my best friend from the time we were kids. I’m going to protect her when I need to, Cole.”
“Is that another warning?” I asked irritably.
Tanner stroked his jawline. “I want Lauren to be happy. I have no idea why she hasn’t already found the right man. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to scare the right guy away.”
I shook my head. “I’m not that guy.”
“She seems to like you,” he mused. “You seem to like her, too. I just want to make it clear that if you mess with her emotions, I’ll have to hurt you, and that would be a damn shame since we’re just getting to know each other.”
Part of me really wanted to tell Tanner to screw off, but there was another part of me that respected him for making himself perfectly clear about the way he cared about Lauren.
Tanner and his family were all Lauren really had for family now, and I couldn’t blame the guy for wanting to make sure she was protected.
Hell, for some reason, I wanted to protect her myself, and that definitely wasn’t normal for me.
“Understood,” I said firmly, making it apparent to him that I didn’t want to discuss the subject anymore.
Hell, I was still conflicted myself about how I felt about Lauren.
The woman made me want to do things I’d never even thought about before.
I certainly couldn’t explain myself to someone else right now.
“Good,” Tanner said in a satisfied voice.
“Now, I’m thinking you probably need to ask her to dance.
If you don’t, she’s going to end up dancing with Todd Massey.
He’s been eyeing her all night, and he looks like he’s about to get up and approach her.
He has a temper, and he’s had way too much to drink tonight. I think she’d be safer with you.”
Fuck! I didn’t want to admit to Tanner that I’d noticed exactly the same thing.
I’d been watching that bastard all night because he’d been watching Lauren.
My cousin was right.
The man looked like he was about to get up.
Suddenly, the guy stood.
Damn straight, Lauren will be safer with me!
Massey was a few years older than Asher, and his dad had been one of my father’s drinking buddies. Todd had been well on his way to becoming just like his father when Asher and I had left Crystal Fork.
I’d also watched him put away more drinks than most men could handle tonight.
There was no fucking way I was letting him anywhere near Lauren.
“I’m on it,” I rumbled and got my ass out of my chair.
I was so focused on my mission that I never had a chance to see the slightly amused look on Tanner’s face as I strode away.