HotTango by Sidney Bristol Read Free Book Online Page A

want?
    Cole’s gut reaction to the last three scenarios told him
that if she was interested in something more than a little bedroom play, there
were problems ahead. He devoted his life to keeping people safe, and those last
three scenarios stood on the other side of the line for him, no matter that it
would happen between two consenting adults.
    “Innocent until proven guilty,” he muttered as he cleared
his browser history and shut down the laptop.
    He spent the next half hour gathering a few odds and ends,
trying not to dwell on what was going to happen when Tanya got home. He told
himself often enough he loved her too much to let her go.
    Every now and then he wished for their old condo, the one
he’d bought after scrimping and saving pennies once Tanya’s school bills were
paid. They’d spent their happiest years together in that two-bedroom home. When
she’d quit One World and started her company, they’d begun talking about buying
a new home. They had the money, but nothing was what they wanted and the more
they looked, the more Tanya researched green housing options. So they’d built
this place.
    She loved their new house, but it wasn’t a home to him. It
was too big. Too fancy. He didn’t fit here. It didn’t help that he hadn’t paid
a single dime toward the cost of the home. No, that had all come from Tanya’s
new paycheck while he improved their old place to sell. It evened out in the
end, but he wanted to be able to provide for her in all ways. It was a constant
war with himself, being proud of Tanya for achieving everything she set out to
do and wanting to be the man she leaned on.
    Once upon a time, Tanya had needed him. She’d needed his
support, his money, the house he gave them. These days, she didn’t need anyone,
least of all him. He consoled himself with the small fact that she wanted him,
which would have to be enough.
    The alarm system beeped as the front door opened and Cole
braced himself for the unknown.
    “Cole?”
    “In the bedroom.”
    He could hear the click click click of her shoes on
the floor as she approached.
    Tanya stepped through the door. Her business casual attire
eliminated roller derby from the list of possible morning’s activities.
    “How’d it go today?” he asked.
    She crossed to him and kissed his cheek. “Good. I never
heard you come in last night.”
    “You sleep like the dead.” He patted the bed and sank down
on the edge. “Have a seat.”
    Tanya perched next to him, crossing her ankles daintily.
“What’s up?” Her gaze flicked to the box beside him and her face drained of
color. “I said I was going to return that.”
    He pushed the box farther away. “I want to talk about it.”
Hadn’t she said she wanted to talk more?
    “Look, I’m sorry.”
    “What for?”
    “Buying that. I’m going to return it.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I shouldn’t have bought it.”
    Cole studied his wife, the flush of her cheeks, the way she
wouldn’t meet his gaze. He reached over and smoothed her hair behind her ear,
grounding himself in the feel of her.
    “You bought it because you wanted it. I just want to talk
about it. I went online and looked at their website.”
    Tanya gasped and stared at him with wide eyes.
    “I’m just confused because I’m not sure where this is coming
from. Can you explain this to me?” He had to give himself props for not
freaking the fuck out. The discovery had knocked him on his ass.
    “Ohmygod.” She buried her scarlet face in her hands. “I got
the idea from these romance books I read.”
    “Romance books?” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d
seen Tanya read.
    “Yes. Romance, okay? I get them on my tablet because, well,
they’re the hot kind and usually have a half-naked man on them.”
    Cole stared at her. If she grew another head or laid a
golden egg he didn’t think she could surprise him more. Talk about shock of the
decade.
    He cleared his throat. “I didn’t even know you read