Blind Date Disasters & Eat Your Heart Out

10

UNLIKE HIS USUAL SELF, Tanner woke in small degrees, coming to consciousness slowly.

His hearing came first. Or lack of, since there was only silence.

Then came sensation. Warm and toasty. Good.

He liked warm and toasty.

Sight came last, and as he blinked the lacy curtains and white down surrounding him into focus, he remembered.

Cami.

After their incredible wet-wall experience, they’d made their way to the dock out back, where they’d sat and talked beneath the twinkling stars. One thing had led to another, and they’d ended up without clothes again, making love to the sound of water slapping against the wood.

Then they’d hit the shower and had removed all the paint from Tanner’s bare butt. All soaped up and slippery, they’d made good use of the shower. When they’d finally staggered to her bed, they’d turned to each other yet again.

He felt like some sort of superhero. And given the state of his body at the moment, which happened to be ready to rock and roll yet again, he grinned and rolled over, reaching for Cami, thinking of a million wicked ways he could wake her up.

“Mew.”

He’d rolled over on a warm, sleepy female, all right. A warm, sleepy female cat.

No Cami.

Sitting up, he ignored the hopeful purr from Annabel and searched the room. There were still candles everywhere, so he hadn’t imagined that. And yep, there on the wall, right there, was a spot suspiciously devoid of paint thanks to his backside.

And on the floor were Cami’s clothes from the night before. Blouse, pants.

No panties.

A certain part of his anatomy twitched at that. He wanted Cami in bed, warm and willing and maybe even screaming his name, as she had just a few hours ago.

But even more than that, he wanted to tell her what he’d discovered. That despite his own personal belief that he wasn’t made for a long-term relationship, despite never wanting one in his past, things had somehow changed.

“Sorry, Annabel,” he said, shoving covers and cat aside to get out of the bed. Hmm. No sight of his clothes. In fact, the only thing he could find was his tool belt, which he’d jokingly brought in the night before, teasing Cami about her fantasy.

Fantasy.

Grinning, he slipped the belt on. Didn’t cover much. Wearing nothing else except for a silly, hopeful grin, he strode out the door and down the hall, following the sounds coming from the kitchen.

Cami was at the kitchen sink, her back to him.

Fully dressed in a rose-colored business suit he’d never seen before, sipping from a steaming mug and staring pensively out the window. Staring at his truck, which was still parked in front of the small yard.

She looked as if she wasn’t quite certain whether seeing it sitting there was a good or a bad thing.

Slipping up behind her, he put his hands on her hips, but when she would have turned, he held her still. He needed a moment to get his heart out of his throat. “Morning,” he said softly. “I have to tell you something, and I have to say it quick.”

“Look-”

“No, wait. Please,” he added with a gentle squeeze. “I just want to get it out. I wanted to tell you last night, but that got quickly out of hand.”

She stiffened.

“I wasn’t looking for you, Cami, that’s for damn sure, but you’ve come into my life like a breath of fresh air, when I didn’t know I needed one.”

She let out a slow breath. “Tanner-”

“I love you, Cami. I know that wasn’t part of the bargain, but-”

Jerking out of his grip, she whirled around. “Bargain? There was a bargain?”

Then she caught sight of his attire. Or lack thereof. Her eyes went huge. Her mouth opened, then closed, then went wide with a grin.

A grin wasn’t quite the reaction he’d been hoping for.

“Cami!” she yelled, staring at the tool belt. “Better get out of the shower quick. I’ve got quite a sight for you.”

Footsteps came racing down the hallway, skidded into the kitchen.

It was Cami.

Again.

Seeing double, Tanner staggered back and encountered cold tile at his butt. Yelping, he leaped forward, and stepped on Annabel, who yelped louder than he had.

Cami number two, wearing only a towel, put her hands to her mouth.

Cami number one continued to grin. Widely. “He says he loves you, honey. So take pity.” Reaching for the kitchen towel on the counter, she tossed it to Tanner.

Tanner grabbed the towel-which was far too small-and blinked. Hard.

Yep. Still two Camis.

And neither of them seemed to be able to take her eyes off his tool belt, even as he fumbled to hold the towel in the correct place.

“Twins,” he said brilliantly. Once again he backed into the counter. He could handle a cold butt, as long as it was covered. “You’re twins.”

“Bingo,” said Cami number one, lifting a finger to her nose. “You’re quick. He’s quick, Sis.”

“That’s Dimi,” the Cami by the door whispered. “My sister.”

Tanner divided a startled look between them, trying to come to terms with this. “So all those mornings, when I thought you-” he pointed to Cami “-were in bed asleep, and yet you-” he pointed to Dimi “-would come dancing through the kitchen muttering about makeup and chips, that was…?” His pointer finger floundered.

Dimi smiled and waved. “Me.”

He couldn’t stop looking back and forth between the two women who were so alike and yet so dissimilar. “I thought you were half crazy,” he said to Cami.

“Well, she is,” Dimi confided. “But we don’t talk about it much.”

“Dimi,” Cami warned.

Tanner had about a bazillion questions, leading off with why the hell she’d never told him that very important fact about herself, but he had a more pressing problem.

Even more pressing than his nudity.

More pressing than the fact he’d made an ass of himself by opening up to the wrong twin.

The right twin hadn’t responded to either his tool belt gesture or the fact he’d told her he loved her.

“Okay, look,” he said, holding the towel to his essentials and feeling more than a little ridiculous. “I’m definitely at a disadvantage here.”

“Maybe you should go get dressed,” suggested Dimi, not moving from her spot, which meant in order to get past her and down the hall, he’d have to parade his back half in front of her. His naked back half.

He waited for her to move.

She didn’t. Not until Cami came forward and gave her twin a sharp glance that obviously was some sort of silent communication. Dimi sighed loudly in response.

“Fine,” she said, miffed. “Although since I’ve already seen everything, this seems a little unnecessary.” But she covered her eyes.

Cami didn’t, and yet when he moved toward her, she backed away, giving him room to pass.

“Cami-”

“You’re probably wondering,” she said, biting her lip.

“Gee, you think?”

She let out a little sound of regret.

“Cami, I told your sister because I thought she was you, but you should know what I said-”

“Are you going to tell her you love her again?” Dimi interrupted, her hands still over her eyes. “Because if you are, I’d kinda like to see it. Mostly because this is an utterly new and foreign thing for her, having a guy fall so hard as to humiliate himself this way. But also because I love her, too, and feel a little responsible for this morning’s events.”

“Don’t you dare look,” Tanner told her.

Dimi tipped her head to the ceiling. “Oh, and looking was so much fun, too. Hey, Tool Belt Man, if you’re going to do this right, let me give you a little hint. My sister here runs hard and fast from love, so I wouldn’t open with that.”

Tanner searched Cami’s gaze and got not one iota of a clue as to her thoughts.

“She’s afraid love doesn’t exist,” Dimi told him. “Is that right?” Tanner asked Cami.

“And as for why I was such a big secret,”

Dimi confided. “She’ll probably never admit this, but she’s under the misguided impression that men like me better, and if they discover me, they’ll ditch her.”

“Dimi, shut up,” Cami said, her cheeks red.

“I don’t-”

“Yes, you do,” Dimi said. “And you’re wrong. You’ve got Mr. Right standing here to prove it. Now I want you to listen to him, Cami.

And listen hard. At least keep your mind open.”

“Dimi-”

“I’m shutting up now,” she said, mimicking the motion of zipping her lips, her eyes still tightly closed. “Mute and blind, that’s me.”

“How about gone?” Tanner asked as kindly as he could.

Dimi’s lips quirked, but she didn’t speak.

Didn’t move, either, and Tanner sighed. But he couldn’t get mad because Dimi had just given him some pretty incredible insight into Cami’s thoughts, and any insight at this point was invaluable. “I’m going to get dressed,” he said to Cami.

“And then we’re going to talk. Alone,” he said over his shoulder for Dimi’s benefit. “You’ll wait,” he said to Cami.

“I’ll wait,” she said.

It was the best Tanner could ask for. He hightailed it in his very limited attire down the hall way, painfully aware of the picture he made from the back.

And even more aware of Cami watching him.

“STRIP,” Cami said to Dimi the moment Tanner left the room.

Dimi lowered her hands. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Cami unwound the towel she’d put around her head to keep her hair dry in the shower. Tossing the towel at Dimi, she straightened her other towel. “Hurry.”

Understanding dawned in Dimi’s eyes. “You want him to choose between us.”

“I want to see if he can tell the difference.”

“No, you want to see if he really knows you.

Cami, honey, that’s not fair.” But she started to strip. “I realize you’ve never played fair before, and maybe I’ve even encouraged that, but the guy wore a tool belt for you. Just a tool belt. So really, it’s time to trust him.”

“I know it’s time, but knowing it and doing it are two entirely different things.”

“So why are we doing this, really? He’s not going to be able to tell us apart. Nobody can.”

Cami waited until Dimi had wrapped the towel around her body and faced her. To her, their differences were obvious. Dimi’s eyes were cooler, her features slightly more refined. Cami’s hair couldn’t be tamed, and she rarely stood as straight and sure as Dimi.

“Cami.”

“Look, if he can tell us apart, then it was meant to be.”

“And you’ll admit that?”

Cami’s heart flip-flopped. “I don’t know. But there’s no reason to worry about it. He won’t be able to tell.”

“All right, but I’ve got to tell you, I actually feel sorry for him.”

“No cheating,” Cami whispered, as Tanner walked into the room.

He took a double take, which might have been comical if her entire heart hadn’t been wadded in her throat.

“I hadn’t forgotten,” he said to them. “But jeez, the reality of this is a bit unnerving.”

Dimi gave him a little smile.

Cami’s heart was in her throat. She knew her sister would help him in an instant if she could, so Cami spoke fast. “Can you tell us apart?”

Tanner looked back and forth between the two of them.

Cami held her breath.

Slowly, he walked around Dimi, looking her up and down.

Then Cami was treated to the same intense gaze.

“Chilly?” he asked softly when goose bumps rose on her flesh.

She shook her head. She could do little else because he was looking at her with heat and need and hunger, and dammit, also such tenderness her throat closed up. How could he still be looking at her like that? It wasn’t in the plan.

“If you can tell us apart,” Dimi said, “you win.”

“What’s the prize?” he asked, never taking his eyes off Cami.

“Me, of course,” Dimi said. “Or her.” She smiled.

So did Tanner.

Cami couldn’t do anything but swallow hard, because, just looking at him made her ache.

He loved her.

Her knees wobbled. Ruthlessly, she locked them.

“Maybe you should drop the towel,” he suggested, laughing when both Dimi’s and Cami’s hands went to the knot between their breasts. “Don’t worry. I already know who is who. I knew the moment I walked in the door.”

His confidence staggered Cami-as not even their own mother could tell them apart. It might have warmed her, soothed away her chill, except for the very real fact that if he knew exactly who she was, through and through, he would be the first man to do it.

And that was terrifying in its own right.

Tanner walked around to face them. “I should warn you both, I’m kissing the woman I think is mine.”

His. Cami’s heart stuttered.

“I’m kissing her senseless. Then I’m going to carry her back to that bedroom so we can have the morning we were supposed to have. And after that, I’m going to remind her how much I love her, and I’m going to hope she feels the same way back.”

Oh, my God.

Dimi looked at Cami. Cami looked at Dimi.

“Ready?” he asked sweetly.

Was she ready? Hell, no. She could hardly stand the tension over this ridiculous stupid game she’d set up, and she stood there on pins and needles, wondering if he could really pick her out.

If he really knew her.

“Ready,” Dimi said softly, looking hopeful for that kiss, and Cami sent her a dirty look.

Tanner took a step closer, and Cami held her breath yet again.