John Michael’s expression suddenly sobered and he studied Tanner as if searching for weakness. Tanner redoubled his resolve to carry through with what he knew he had to do.
“Please hold my calls,” John Michael instructed the receptionist. “Come to my office, Tanner.”
Tanner let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He reminded himself that despite the man’s formidable reputation, he’d seemed easy enough to get along with. Of course, that was before John Michael realized Tanner had his eye on Jordana. Tanner could only hope his future father-in-law would be this even-tempered once he learned exactly how serious his and Jordana’s relationship had become.
Jordana made her way out to the lobby to collect Tanner, but when she got there he was gone. She glanced around the empty reception area.
“Where did he go?” she asked Marta. “Did he leave?”
“No, he’s in your father’s office.”
“What?” Jordana’s heart constricted then lodged in her windpipe. She had to clear her throat before she could muster a calm voice and ask, “How long have they been in there?”
Marta squinted at the clock on the wall, then pushed a strand of brown hair off her forehead. “Not very long. Your father arrived shortly after I buzzed you to let you know Mr. Redmond had arrived. Mr. Fortune asked me to hold all calls, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I buzzed him to say you’re looking for him and Mr. Redmond.”
Jordana stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows along the office’s front wall as the ramifications of what might be happening—that Tanner might be telling her father about the baby before she could—settled around her. The gorgeous view of the Atlanta skyline seemed to tilt a little. She steadied herself on the edge of the reception desk and shifted her gaze to the leather chairs in the waiting area.
“No, that’s okay. I’ll just wait until they’re finished.”
Like heck she’d wait. What in the world was Tanner doing in her father’s office? Well, there was only one way to find out.
As soon as she was out of Marta’s line of sight, Jordana speed-walked down the parquet-covered hallway toward her father’s office, her high heels tap-tapping on the wood. In the process, she nearly ran into the intern, who was looking down at a stack of papers as he stepped out of the copy room.
“Oh, excuse me,” he said. “I’m sorry, Miss Fortune. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
She mustered her best smile and kept walking as she said, “No problem, Ben. I was … I’m sorry, too.”
When she reached her father’s office door, she paused before she knocked, composing in her head what she’d say to them.
Well, it would depend on her father’s demeanor. If he was in a good mood, then Tanner hadn’t betrayed her; if he was in a bad mood … it was a good thing she could run in heels. But then there would be the moral dilemma whether she should check on Tanner, because if he spilled the beans, her father would surely kill him.
And if her dad didn’t, she would.
Before she could knock, the door opened and she was standing in front of her father. Tanner, she noted, was a few paces behind him—still standing. No visible bodily harm.
For a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, Jordana held her breath as she gauged her father’s mood.
“Jordana, there you are.” He smiled.
Jordana exhaled. Good mood. He was in a good mood. Oh, thank God.
“Hi, Dad,” she said, infusing her smile with all the enthusiasm she could muster. “What are you doing?”
“I was just having a nice talk with Tanner.”
As if on cue, Tanner stepped out from behind John Michael, pulled Jordana into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. For a split second, her body responded to him—to the sheer depth and breadth of the way his big body encircled her, just possessive enough to make her knees go a little weak. Her lips parted in response. The taste of him, the feel of his lips on hers reminded her of how good he’d tasted that night. How much she’d wanted him—
She managed to wedge both hands between them, ready to shove him away, but before she could, he pulled back and smiled down at her. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought that the way he looked at her … meant something.
“Hello, darling,” he said. “I’ve missed you.”
Darling?
“What the heck, Tanner?” She dragged the back of her hand across her mouth, trying to erase the feel of his lips on hers.
John Michael frowned at her. “Jordana. That’s not a very nice greeting. Tanner flew in all the way from Red Rock to take you to lunch. What’s wrong with you this morning?”
What was wrong? Oh, if he only knew. Well, at least his asking that question suggested he didn’t know, and that was enough to help Jordana regain her bearings. But then again, her father had a great poker face. He wasn’t about to cause a scene in the office. But one thing was perfectly clear: her father seemed to think that she and Tanner were … together. A couple. She had no idea what nonsense Tanner had been flinging at her dad, but common sense dictated that she play along—at least for now—so that her father didn’t get suspicious. At least until she could break up with him over lunch.
“What are you doing here, darling?” she said to Tanner. “You’re a day early. I was expecting to see you tomorrow.” Jordana gritted her molars as she smiled.
Tanner grinned back, obviously game to play along. “Oh, I know, sweetheart.” His Texas drawl seemed exaggerated—or at least she’d never noticed it before now. “I missed you so much, I couldn’t wait another day. I decided to surprise you.”
“Well, yes, you certainly surprised me. What were you and Daddy talking about behind closed doors?”
She looked back and forth between Tanner and her father, who looked eerily smug … like he knew a secret. So she shifted her gaze to Tanner.
He smiled at her, and against her will, something in his eyes pulled her in. The same way it had when they’d danced at the wedding. Just as it had that day of the storm when she’d initially decided not to fly home with her family—because her gut instinct warned her of imminent danger. Then Tanner had stopped by the house that morning to say goodbye to everyone. After her family had left, she’d changed her mind and decided to join them after she’d learned he was on his way to the airport. Wanting to spend just a little more time with him, she’d gone against her instincts and better judgment. She’d been reeled in by the same … what was it … a look? His presence?
She’d been so shocked to see him this morning—and a bit humiliated to face him—that she’d been immune to his charms. But now, it was all coming back.
“We had a nice talk.” Tanner nodded. “Man-to-man. Spent some time getting to know each other.”
Her father was being eerily quiet. Something she couldn’t remember seeing ever in her entire life. He was letting Tanner take the upper hand, which was just downright weird.
“Yes, we did,” her father said. “I’m so grateful that Tanner was there to take care of you the night of the storm, Jordana.” He turned back to Tanner. “My other daughter Wendy might be a little scattered, but sometimes Jordana is a little too introspective for her own good. If she’d listened to us and just come with us to the airport like we’d planned, she wouldn’t have found herself in a mess and dragged you into it, too. But I guess it all worked out