The Right Side of Tanner

Chapter 36

Jenna

Apparently, my rendezvous with Tanner in my apartment didn't go off as covert as I had hoped. Lindsey knows. She freaking heard us! Oh, my God!

She doesn't know who I was with, luckily, but she knows there's someone I've been sharing a bed with. And that means every night I've been out all night or coming home late for whatever excuse; she knows now that I was with someone.

Shit!

I panicked when she confronted me about it. I lied and told her it wasn't serious, and I wanted it to stay private for now. I wasn't ready to bring up the fact that I'm falling for Tanner, that the L-word has come to mind when thinking of him.

How am I supposed to explain my sudden change of heart? As far as the roomies know, Tanner and I are on entirely different pages regarding romance. And they still think that I'm annoyed by his very existence.

Lindsey didn't pry when I gave her my bullshit excuse for what was going on, but I know she's curious. And she's observant. So, Tanner and I have had to be extra cautious when we're out with the gang- me more so. She's used to him staring at me and flirting with me. She's seen it several times firsthand. I, on the other hand, have to check myself. I'd have a ton of explaining to do if Lins or the guys caught me checking Tanner out or smiling at him or exchanging more than friendly banter.

It hasn't been easy. I've seen what he has to offer beneath his cold hard exterior, and it makes playing indifferent very difficult. When we go out with everyone, I do occasionally steal a touch here and there. But only when everyone else is nice and plastered.

The last time we went out, I took the risk of sitting next to him at the table, and when everyone was pretty tipsy, I may have copped a feel. It earned me a low growl from my sex god and a look that screamed, 'You'll be punished for that later.' Fuck, that had me soaked. And true to his word, he punished me good and hard later that night. It was incredible.

The team has been practicing like crazy because they're well on their way to the championship and have an excellent chance of winning. My brother's old girlfriend, Mel, is in town for a visit for a couple of weeks, so I've been keeping busy catching up with her to keep myself distracted from the whole work situation.

Nick thinks he's getting close to finding out how to fix everything but hasn't got all the proof he needs just yet to take his information to the CEO. I still don't have any clue why Max would do that in the first place. I mean, I know he's a prick, but why the hell go so far as to get me fired?

I told Mel about the whole situation. She couldn't believe it. She knows who Max is. I've told her about him before, and she knows all about our history. She thinks he's a total creep and her theory is that he got me fired because he was jealous of my success. Fuck, maybe she's right. It does fit his profile to do something like that out of spite. The fucker!

Mel and I decided to meet up for dinner one night, not too far from my apartment. It's nice to see her and catch up. I didn't realize how much I'd missed her. We reminisce about old times, and she tells me about her life in Florida. I tell her what's new here and how she should move back to NYC. 

She laughs and says she's thought about it but needed time away after Justin died. I understand. Other than Mom, Lance, and me, she took his death the hardest, even more than Liam. Everyone was sure Mel and Justin would get married. Then, he was stolen from us.

Mel says she's thought about moving back, that she misses the city, misses the team, and all the friends she had here. Maybe I can convince her to come back. Hearing her talk about her new life, I get the sense that she feels incomplete, lonely even. Maybe coming back would help heal that part of her. I guess we'll see.