He understood that pain. “When my ACL tore, my world ended. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I didn’t have a back-up plan.”
Tana nodded. “Sometimes things happen and force our hand. At least you had Buchanan Enterprises to fall back on. As Plan B’s go, it’s not bad. Nos wasn’t exactly my ideal Plan B.”
For the first time he really saw Tana — strong, loyal, determined, selfless — and he wished he could make everything right that’d gone wrong in her life but he didn’t have that kind of power.
Hell, he couldn’t even get Dillon to lay off the plan to bulldoze Tana’s grandfather’s building.
“I wish things had gone differently,” he said with solemn honesty.
So many things he wished had been different.
“Thank you,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m raining on your good time. I didn’t mean to put a black cloud on our day.”
He wanted to kiss away her pain, blot out the bad times and replace them with joy.
What an irrational desire, given he was the one behind the scenes stabbing her in the back.
“You’re not ruining anything,” he said gruffly, pulling her into his arms.
I’m the one ruining everything.
Time to switch tracks before he and Tana completely derail. “C’mon, let’s get something to eat. All this emotional stuff is making me hungry.”
Tana offered a watery laugh as he led her toward the cafeteria, where he promised the world’s best macaroni and cheese.
“The best? That’s a tall boast. I grew up in New York. I’m a foodie by birthright.”
“And I challenge you to find another macaroni and cheese that stands up to the Duke university cafeteria.”
He couldn’t wait to take a bite into that cheesy carb-fest but more importantly, he couldn’t wait to see Tana’s face when she admitted that it was pretty damn good.
At least that’s how it would play out in his head.
Except…that’s not how it happened.
“This…? Is your favorite comfort food from college?” Tana asked, her grimace mimicking his taste buds. “It’s…I don’t know…not what I expected.”
“It’s not how I remember,” he admitted, pushing away the gooey cheese dish. “I remember it a lot differently.”
“Let me guess, starving athlete carb-loading, right?”
“Pretty much.”
Tana laughed and pushed away her plate. “Something tells me you weren’t exactly a foodie back then. You were probably more interested in the fuel it gave you than flavor.”
Reece couldn’t help his grin even though he wanted to wash his mouth out to rinse the after-taste away.
“I can’t believe I used to eat this stuff by the platefuls. I was pretty addicted.”
“Maybe the chefs are different,” Tana agreed, trying to make him feel better. “But do you think we could eat off campus for a real meal? I’m starved.”
“I second that, let’s get out of here. I’ve had my fill of Memory Lane.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to show me your dorm room? Or maybe where you used to cram for finals in the library?” she teased and he wanted to kiss that smirk right off her face.
Instead, he grabbed her hand and helped her up.
Tana’s expression turned devilish. “Or maybe you wanted to show me the locker room…I’m sure there was plenty of memories in there. Naked, dripping wet, college hard bodies…one can only imagine the things that went on after games.”
The little pervert.
Reece growled playfully as he squeezed her ass. “Wouldn’t you like to know…but not right now. Food first; story time later.”
He slapped her behind and she yelped, flashing him a heated smile and he nearly popped the zipper on his pants.
Goddamn, she was hot.
Lord help him — he’d never get Tana out of his system.
bookmark: 19
Chapter 19
z
Exhausted but exhilarated, Tana walked into the brownstone, kissed her papa on his prickly cheek and practically danced into the kitchen, still high on endorphins from her day spent with Reece.
Frannie, the nurse, smiled quizzically as she put away the clean dishes, something Tana had repeatedly told her wasn’t necessary but Frannie insisted upon doing anyway, and said, “You look like a woman in love.”
Tana jolted to a stop, blushing as she shook her head. “Love? No, just had a great day. How was Papa?”
Frannie waved away Tana’s denial with a knowing look.
“You can’t fool me. I’ve seen that look too many times. You’ve been hit by Cupid’s arrow.”
“Not likely,” Tana said, laughing. Imagine, falling in love with Reece?
What a ridiculous notion that would be. Not to mention foolhardy.
But let’s face it, he was a dream lover, generous, kind, compassionate, funny…handsome…sweet…
Except he was a Buchanan.
She looked to Frannie. “Do you think it’s wrong to judge someone by the actions of their family?”
“Only God can judge, that’s my belief,” Frannie returned staunchly. “No sense in throwing stones, if you know what I mean. Why do you ask? Surely, you can’t be making reference to the man who must be putting those roses in your cheeks? Because honey, you’ve got something special, I can just tell.”
“How can you tell that?”
“Because the heart never lies, sugar. The heart never lies.”
But Buchanans lie all the time.
“It’s hard not to paint someone with a wide brush when you know their family’s true colors,” she admitted.
“Doesn’t seem fair though, does it?”
“Well, it’s not as if he were a saint,” Tana retorted, feeling a pinch of defensiveness. “Reece Buchanan isn’t an angel.”
“Is anyone?” Frannie returned with an arched brow, making a solid point. “Would you like someone to judge you based on someone from your family? I don’t know much of your family history but something tells me you and your mama aren’t real close. What if you were judged based on your mother’s behaviors and attitudes?”
Tana couldn’t stop the grimace. “I would die of embarrassment.”
Frannie nodded sagely. “Something to think about.”
“Are you sure you’re only a nurse? That’s some solid advice,” Tana teased but she was only half-joking.
She missed having someone older to talk to. Since Grams died and Papa had slowly starting losing his mind, Tana had lost her source of wisdom and she sorely missed having someone to talk to.
“Thank you, Frannie. I will take your advice to heart. Maybe I’m being ridiculous. Reece is a pretty decent guy, in spite of his family.”
Frannie nodded with a wink and then gathered her things. “Let me know if you need me. Otherwise, I will see you tomorrow night.”
Tana saw Frannie to the door and locked it behind her.
Reece had been nothing short of a gentleman, a life-saver, and a generous lover.
So why was she so reluctant to let him into her heart?
Was she being the stupid one to push away someone as amazing as Reece?
Or was her intuition telling her something she didn’t want to know?
Maybe Reece wasn’t as good as he seemed and everything was about to come crashing down, breaking her heart in the process.
***
Smiling, Reece picked up his cell and Googled a local florist.
What kind of flowers should he send? Was Tana a roses kind of girl or did she prefer daisies and wildflowers?
Maybe he ought to order both just to be safe.
Using the online florist app, he punched in his credit card and hit enter.
But just as he expected confirmation, Reece was shocked to see the card had been declined.
Impossible.
All right, no sense in panicking. These things happen from time to time. Technology was a bitch sometimes.
May
be it was a glitch in the app.
He tried again.
Same result.
DENIED.
A queasy feeling started to make mincemeat of his gut.
This couldn’t be possible.
He pulled up his bank account and nearly dropped his phone.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Where was his fucking money?
The front door opened and Dillon strode in as if he owned the place.
Reece didn’t waste time demanding to know how his cousin had found his place because a Buchanan with endless resources could find just about anyone but it pissed him off that Dillon was contaminating his personal space.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Following up. I haven’t heard from you. Thought I’d drop in and see if I couldn’t provide a little incentive to get shit done.”
Understanding dawned and Reece wanted to snarl. “You froze my accounts.” Dillon’s smile was all the confirmation Reece needed. Reece clenched his fist, desperately wanting to bury it in Dillon’s smug mug. “Congratulations. You’ve officially bypassed dickwad territory and went straight to Douche City.”
“I like to think of it as a lesson in cause and effect.” Dillon straightened his cuff with methodical precision before meeting Reece’s stony gaze. “Time is up, cousin. When I set you to a task, I expect it to be finished in a timely manner, not when you feel like finishing.”
“And you thought that freezing my accounts would motivate me?” Reece scoffed.
“I find that a show of force is often very motivating to those dragging their feet.”
“I’m not one of your fucking lackeys, Dillon. Get your hands off my accounts.”
“Do you have something that I can work with?”
Reece buttoned his lips.
He had the power to sink Tana’s case and hand it to Dillon on a silver platter but he’d rather chew off his own toenail than help Dillon do shit right now.
“I see.” Dillon’s gaze narrowed. “Let’s see how poverty treats you. Call me when you’ve come to your senses.”
“Get the fuck out.”
But Dillon was already leaving. Reece fought the urge to throw something.
Dillon, the fucking prick, had actually frozen his motherfucking accounts.
This was bullshit.
Reece quickly called his brother.
Sutton answered before it went to voicemail.
“Thank God. Dillon’s gone too fucking far,” he said hotly. “He fucking froze my accounts. Do you know anything about this? You have to do something. He’s so fucking out of control he acts like he’s a God or something.”
“What are you talking about?” Sutton asked. “Dillon never said anything about freezing your accounts.”
“Well, he said you were on board with this so if that’s not the case, you need to tell him to stop putting words in your mouth. This is total bullshit. I’m a motherfucking Buchanan for crissakes!”
“Did you close the deal? What’s the hold up?”
Irritated, Reece snapped, “Will you focus for a goddamn minute? Did you hear me? I can’t get any fucking money!”
“Look, you know Dillon has controlling shares. Just do what he fucking wants and be done with it. What’s the big deal?”
“Because that building means something to someone that I…” Reece stopped short, refusing to let the words fall. “I don’t care if he owns the controlling shares. He can’t steal my inheritance.”
“Stop being so dramatic. Just give Dillon what he wants. It’s a small thing and then everything goes back to the way it was. That’s what you want, right?”
“Of course,” he spat, but the words tasted hollow.
All the money in the world wouldn’t matter if Tana hated him.
Or worse, if she was heartbroken over the loss to her grandfather.
But why did he care so much what happened after the dust settled?
Wasn’t this just a momentary diversion, something to keep things interesting until he bored of the game?
Everything with Tana had felt real, unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
“Just get the job done. Time to grow up, little brother. We all have to do things we don’t want to in the real world. That’s just business. Don’t wait too long to get it done. Dillon doesn’t mess around. Hope everything works out.”
Sutton hung up and Reece threw his phone against the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.
Tana was right.
The Buchanans were a fucked up bunch of assholes and right about now, he was ready to walk away from the entire lot of them.
bookmark: 20
Chapter 20
z
Tana finished her shift at Nos and wasn’t surprised to see Reece waiting for her, except this time, he was waiting with a taxi, which she found curious.
“Downgrading already?” she teased. “Maybe I shouldn’t have given it up so easily.”
She expected a quick comeback but Reece just pulled her into his arms for a fierce kiss that took her breath away and stole the strength from her legs.
He held her for a long moment — long enough to prick a hole in her bliss with concern — but he released her and tucked her into the taxi before she could ask what was wrong.
The dark of the cab smelled faintly of bleach and bad choices, as well as a lack of deodorant from the last occupant and Tana found herself grimacing when she’d never been bothered before.
“See what you’ve done? You’ve ruined me for taxi cabs in the future,” she said, trying to coax a smile out of him but her joke fell flat. She sobered, taking his hand in hers. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
The passing streetlights lit up his handsome face and she saw pain in his eyes before he looked away with a crooked grin. “Sometimes I like to remind myself how the other half live,” he answered with a shrug.
“Taking a taxi cab does that for you?” she asked, not buying his answer for a minute but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what could be upsetting him so much. “C’mon, I know something is bothering you, just tell me. Maybe I can help.”
Reece cast a look toward her that pinched as he said, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Towncar wasn’t available and I didn’t want to be a jackass and let you walk when only God-knows-what could happen to you. Frankly, I don’t have time to deal with that kind of guilt in my life right now.”
Stung, she removed her hand. “Thank you for your concern,” Tana returned caustically, wondering what the hell had gotten into Reece. Talk about Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde personality switch. “Well, it wasn’t necessary. Like I said, I’ve been hailing cabs since I was a kid. I did just fine before you came around and I’ll do just fine when you’re gone.”
“So anxious to get rid of me, aren’t you?” Reece said coolly. “Maybe the Buchanans aren’t the only ones who can play games.”
“What are you talking about? Are you deliberately picking a fight with me?”
“And why would I do that?” he mocked.
“Good question.”
Reece laughed as if they were having a cute little spat instead of wavering dangerously close to total destruction and tried to grab her hand, which she pulled out of his reach.
“Just take me home.”
“Let’s just cut to the chase, you’re staying with me and you know it. I’m not interested in playing around tonight. I just want to fuck and go to sleep. Today’s been a terrible day.”
Tana gaped. Did he just…? Cold, indignant anger washed over her. “I’m not your plaything, Reece Buchanan. You don’t get the privilege of chasing me anywhere. Drop me off here. I can walk.”
“Don’t be stupid. We’re only a block from my place.”
“Stop the fucking cab.” She told the cab driver.
He countered with a growl. “Don’t stop.”
The driver hesitated, unsure of whom to listen to.
“I don’t want any trouble,” the cabbie sa
id with a thick New York accent, slowing the cab. “You twos gotta work out your differences on your own. Maybe a walk in the cold is what you need.”
“Fine with me,” Tana said, shooting Reece a sour look before exiting the cab. Reece threw some money at the cabbie and followed with an expletive.
The cab took off, leaving them behind and Reece looked ready to strangle her.
“What are you grumpy about? You only live a block away. I’m the one that’s a good hour away from my house.”
“You’re staying with me,” he said as if that were even on the table. He grabbed her hand and started walking, nearly jerking her off her feet.
“What is wrong with you?” Tana screeched, digging in her feet and wrenching her hand free. “I am not going anywhere with you. I’m not your plaything or your servant. Go screw yourself Reece Buchanan.” And then she spun on her heel and started walking the opposite direction but quickly found herself lifted off her feet and thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “What the hell are you doing? Put me down!”
“I said you’re coming with me,” Reece said, slapping her behind when she began pummeling his back with her gloved hands. “If you’d just stop being so damn difficult for a fucking minute! Everything with you is a fight. I said I had a shitty day. Is it so hard for you to just do what I ask?”
“Yes!” Tana shouted, furious. “I am not yours to sling around or step on, damn you!”
“I said I wanted to fuck you!” Reece returned, equally hot. “And you act like it’s the worst thing I could’ve said. As I recall, you seem to enjoy my touch unless you’re a great fucking actress so just chill the fuck out!”
“Well maybe I am! Maybe I was faking it the entire time!”
“Just shut up, Tana,” Reece said under his breath, approaching his apartment building.
He deposited her on her feet roughly but held onto her hand with a death grip as he punched in his security code.
The door swung open and he pulled her along with him.
She could’ve pulled free but it was warm in the foyer and her toes were already frozen.
Pushed (Billionaire romance): Pursued By The Billionaire (Buchanan Romance Book 2) Page 14
