Tanner moved close. "I heard what you said but what I want to know is why?"

"Why what?"

His voice lowered. "Why did you come here tonight, Ally?" Thank goodness he was going to let her mumbling words pass. He didn't look away from her which was okay because it gave her the opportunity to revisit his outer appearance.

So easy to look at, so hard to tolerate. She tried to convince herself that she spotted a gray hair in his head. Maybe he'll age quickly. Maybe he'll get a beer gut. Maybe, he'll lean over here and kiss me until tomorrow. It was always the same thing with her. She would scour over his tall frame with a meticulous eye and try to find a blemish in his perfection before wishing him to a fate that would ruin him for another woman.

It generally ended up, at least at some point, with her wishing him away to a life of impotent possibilities. She'd even gone as far to check out the Viagra site to see what his chances were. Slim. With his sex drive and vibrant health, very slim.

"Ally? Why do you want to stroll into town and straight into Jake's? It's not a place for nice girls."

"Maybe I'm not a nice girl anymore." Damnation, how she wished that were true.

He moved closer so she could breathe him in and a hand went to her knee before he began to crawl with steady fingers toward her thigh. "I might just want to find out." The twinkle in his eye disappeared. Instead, he peered up with a certain element of darkness about him. Hooded eyes watched the rise and fall of a heavy chest.

Her breathing became interrupted just by his touch. She knew her eyes gave away everything but more than anything else, fear lingered. A broken heart wasn't something she could stand one more time.

His lips moved to her collarbone but they didn't meet skin. Heated words were mumbled with a raspy call to uninhibited pleasures. His mouth strategically plotted to deliver but refused to give while words stung just a little more. "Baby, you still aren't ready for me. That I can promise you but what I want to know is why you want to play where the big boys entertain the naughtiest of girls?" He moved away from her slowly taking a smooth hand from her leg.

"I don't know why. Okay? It was a mistake. I know Jake's isn't a place for me, at least according to you. I got that. Okay? Now, please just get out." Hot, raw emotion ate at her gut. She was on fire from his touch, heated by the moisture forming in her eyes, never mind the puddle of slick heat forming between her legs.

      She continued as if she had to justify her reasons. "If I thought you were too drunk to drive, I'd do the right thing and give you a ride home but you haven't had anything to drink in the last hour or so because we've danced for that long. Besides that, I know you and you never drink more than you can handle."

He moved close to her. Playing her for all she was worth and then some. "I'll make a deal with you. If you'll take me home, see me to the door and kiss me good-night, I'll never tell Darren and David I saw you here."

Her daring eyes locked with his and she wanted to scream as soon as he tossed out the names of her brothers. She also wanted to kick his ass and she wanted to do it slow too. Slow and easy.