Page 41 of You are the Reason

She drums her ruby red nails on the side of her coffee cup. “I will take you home on my lunch break. I need to know that you’re safe and no other surprises are waiting for you when you get there.”

I roll my eyes. What’s that saying,my wife wanted a cat, so we compromised and she got a cat?Yeah, well that’s about how I feel at this moment.

People begin to filter into the library and I take a cart of returned books, setting off to put them back on the shelves. I pick up one of the remaining books left on the cart and instantly recognise the cover —Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden —the first series I ever read as a pre-teen. Glancing between the beanbags at the end of the aisle and back to my returns cart, I decide that I’m not being paid for this anyway and if I want to sit and read, I can, right?

What feels like only minutes later, Sophie clears her throat. Only moving my eyes, I look up at her. “Do you need something?” I huff, “I’m mid page here.”

She laughs. “You’ve beenmissingfor an hour and a half, I’m ready to take lunch. Do you want to check that one out, or?”

I stand, letting the pages fall together, closing the door on Ellie and her friends, leaving them to fight the war alone. “Oh, this? No, I have it at home, I just haven’t read it in so long — it missed me; we were getting reacquainted.”

A smile graces Sophie’s lips and we walk in silence, out of the library and to her car.

* * *

“See? Perfectly safe. No surprises here. I bet if you wave at that security camera.” I point to the one directly above the front door “Tanner will magically appear,” I say, throwing my hands in the air and spinning around in a circle.

“Why don’t I doubt that for a second,” she says and we both burst into laughter.

I place the two containers of Pad Thai, along with the plastic cutlery, down on the coffee table. We eat the takeout, which we picked up on the way here, and Soph harasses me about staying vigilant.

It’s not that I don’t feel threatened by what’s going on, I just feel as though we have enough precautions in place to keep me safe. Maybe my relaxed state of mind has something to do with the fact that I am looking for these guys, and if they want to place themselves in front of me, make my job easier, then so be it. I want to find them; to understand what happened to my dad and Kyle, and to seek my own justice for them both. Jesse disagrees. He wants to get the police involved as soon as we have enough evidence, but me? I would be happy to go all dark and twisted, and deal with them however I see fit.

Giving Sophie a brief hug, something I have had to come to terms with in our friendship, I promise to not stay in my apartment alone any longer than I need to be; then we say our goodbyes.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Tanner

Having Em home has been awesome, yet I still can’t help but wonder why she came back. I have made subtle attempts over the past few days to pry it out of her, but anytime I mention anything that could lead to a conversation about her being here, she avoids the topic and brushes me off; I’ll find out sooner or later, I always do. I can’t blame her for not wanting Mum and Dad to know the ins and outs of her life; having them sailing around the world on their private yacht has been pure bliss for me. I can’t say Kinsley and I would be where we are today if they were here hovering; trying to control me , and dictating what I do with my life …

Her voice pulls me from my thoughts. “How are Harley and the boys?” We are on the way to have a few drinks at the bar with Kins. Her shift finishes at 9pm tonight and the girls wanted to do something fun before Emma leaves tomorrow.

“I haven’t really seen them. I’ve been busy with the business.” My response comes out a little short and I see her straighten in her seat.

“You’re twenty-seven years old, Tanner. When are you going to stop letting Mum and Dad walk all over you?” Emma shakes her head and her loose curls fall into her face. She tucks them behind her ear and continues to speak, “Those boys are your family, don’t push them away.”

“Enough, Em. Just drop it.”

I glance sideways at her and see she has her arms crossed over her chest. “Finish the tantrum before we arrive, Princess, or you can wait in the car.”

‘We’ll always be here for you, Chonk. Do what you need to do.’Harley’s words the last time we spoke whisper in my mind as I indicate and turn into the car park of Twisted Sister. He understands; one day it won’t need to be this way. A sting of guilt hits me and I rub my chest, feeling the physical pain of juggling two worlds; the one I was born into and the one I should be grateful for.

I scan the inside of Twisted Sister as we enter. There are a couple of girls sipping cocktails on couches over in the far corner, as well as a few others standing, scattered along the length of the bar. Making our way through the small crowd, people part as I direct Emma to a tall table with three stools and wave Becky over when she looks our way.

“Could you watch this one for a second? Grab us some menus and a round of drinks for the three of us? I’m just going to grab Kinsley from out the back.”

“Sure thing, I’ll only be one second,” she says, whisking away to get the menus.

“I don’t need babysitting, Tanner,” Emma snarls.

I don’t respond, or wait around for Becky to come back. It’s been three days too long since I’ve seen my girl. My patience has worn thin.

Kinsley is bent over her desk typing away on her computer, the thought of her fingers on the keys when they could be on me goes straight to my cock.Three days too long.My eyes roam down to her round ass and the way her back curves in the position she is in. I lean backwards on the door and it clicks shut. She jumps at the sound; her tits give a little jiggle at the motion as she spins around to face me. I have to restrain myself, because all I want to do right now is throw her up onto the desk; I want to feel her racing pulse and her heavy breathing against my skin.

Without a second to prepare myself, Kinsley leaps into my arms. I catch her on pure instinct. “Hey, Pip,” I whisper into the crook of her neck. “Missed me?”

A shiver runs down her spine. “Maybe a little,” she teases. Walking over to her desk, I sit down in the chair, keeping her straddled on my lap. “Seems likeyoumay have missed me,” she says, with a slight wiggle of her hips. The bulge in my jeans clearly gave me away. I raise my hips slightly and a whimper escapes her lips.

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