Page 23 of Necessary Roughness

“Then tell him not to,” she said.

Her voice sounded a bit desperate to her own ears. She wasn’t sure why she felt so helpless at the moment. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he was staring into her eyes and she couldn’t seem to look away from him. For a guy she allegedly disliked, he’d started to grow on her. Plus, she felt . . . tingling. She’d like to believe that she was interested in Tanner’s mind, but she wouldn’t be human if she didn’t admit she was a little attracted to him. It was alarming. She’d heard of hate fucking before, but she’d never engaged in it. She could only imagine how that would go too. It would play out in her worst nightmares. He’d give her the smirk she’d already seen several times today and say something like, “That was—nice. Be sure to shut the door when you leave.” The imagined humiliation sent a chill down her spine.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Things were fine a little while ago. What happened?”

She wanted to tell him she’d had an encounter with his nurse, but that would sound whiny.

“We don’t like each other,” she said. “I’ve lived with someone I didn’t like before.”

“You don’t like me?” His eyes widened. “I never would have guessed.” His voice dropped. “What are you afraid of? This house is big enough that we could go for days without seeing each other. I promise I won’t visit your cottage in the woods without permission.”

“Cottage in the woods? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t all Disney princesses live in a cottage or some place in the forest or whatever? Something you have to climb to get into?”

“That was Rapunzel. She escaped with the hunky guy.”

“So, what’s your point?”

“Your nurse hates me,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

“She hates everybody. What did she say to you?” The teasing smile faded from his mouth.

“She seems concerned we’re romantically involved.”

“Like it’s her business. Did you tell her that it’s never going to happen?”

“She doesn’t seem to think that’s a problem.”

“She’s wrong.” He reached into his sweats pocket and pulled out an iPhone. “I’m not into hate fucking.” He hit a button on the screen and put the phone down on the table.

He let that sink in for a minute or so while Jordan concentrated on keeping her mouth from dropping open. She wasn’t about to explore his comments, so it was time to change the subject.

“I have some questions for you,” she said.

“I’ll bet,” he muttered. His head came up and he stared into her eyes. “Shoot.”

“Does Harrison live here, or does it just seem like it?”

Tanner let out a burst of laughter. “He spends more time here than he does at his place. I told him he’s welcome to the couch.” His voice dropped. “I’ll tell you a little secret.”

“Okay,” Jordan said.

“Barb hates him too.”

“I’m guessing that means I’m not so special.”

“Nope, DP. Next question.” He leaned forward and rested both elbows on the tabletop. She’d worked with a lot of athletes before, but she’d never seen one with forearms like Tanner’s. The muscles bunched and flexed as he used one finger to push his phone away.

“Who’s doing the housework and cooking around here?”

“I have a housekeeper. She comes in here once a week, cleans, and does the laundry. The cooking is a bit more of a challenge. I had a chef, but he quit about a week after I got hurt. He’s getting ready to open his own restaurant.” He raised one eyebrow at Jordan. His smirk was back.

“I don’t think you want me doing the cooking.”

“I got some of those meal kits that are shipped to my house,” he coaxed. “It’s hard for me to stand up long enough right now to cook.”

“I’m not an expert—”

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