Birds chirped as we veered right, heading toward room 18. When a young couple emerged from one of the units, I kept my head down, not wanting them to get a good look at me as I passed. After the dart incident, I wasn’t taking any chances.

At our room, I unlocked the door and hurried inside. Tanner followed right behind me. The lights were dim, the air a little stale, but at least the place was clean. A queen-size bed pushed against the far white wall consumed most of the space. Dark purple blankets draped the mattress and blended prettily with the light purple carpet. Two floral pictures dotted the walls, hanging directly over two nightstands.

A pang of homesickness took me by surprise. I suddenly craved my own bed, my own apartment. My dad.

“Let’s get this party started,” Tanner said.

I glanced over at him, and my jaw dropped. While I’d been studying the room, he’d been removing his T-shirt, revealing a tanned, lean chest. In a few years, he’d probably bulk up like a warrior and the girls would find him irresistible. Skinny as he was now, with blue hair and eyebrow rings, the kid still managed to radiate a certain kind of sex appeal.

Now he was in the process of unsnapping his jeans.

“Uh, Tanner,” I said.

“Yeah?” He didn’t pause, but gave me a come-hither grin. His jeans fell to his ankles.

I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his wrists before he could discard his underwear. “When I said you’d get sex tonight, I, uh, didn’t mean with me.”

He stiffened, and his lips descended into a frown. “I don’t understand.”

“I, well… ” I reached into my pocket and withdrew several precious bills, already mourning their loss. “Here’s fifty dollars. It’s my pleasure to treat you to a hooker.”

Twin circles of color bloomed on his cheeks. He hastily pulled up his jeans and began resnapping them. “I knew you were lying when you said you wanted to have sex with me. I knew it.”

I didn’t try to deny it. “I’m sorry.” With my eyes, I pleaded with him to understand. “I was desperate.”

He bent down and retrieved his T-shirt. He jerked the material over his head. “I knew you were lying, but I thought just this once I’d take a chance. Stupid me, huh?”

He sounded sad and angry at the same time, and the combination was like a punch in the gut. “How old are you?” I asked.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Nineteen. Why?”

“I just wondered.” He wasn’t much younger than me, yet in this moment he seemed infinitely so. “If you get the hooker, make sure to wear a condom. Maybe two of them.”

“I’m not getting a hooker. Just keep your goddamn money. You’ll probably need it.” His shoulders slumped ever so slightly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and simply stared over at me. “So you want me to go or what?”

“You want to stay?” I asked, surprised.

“It’s not like I have anywhere else to go,” he said, his tone bitter. His jaw clenched.

I flopped on the edge of the bed with a sigh. The kid had been so nice to me, and his expression was so forlorn. My guilt intensified, threading a thick web inside me. “Tanner,” I began.

“Stop. Just stop. You’re about to go all girlie on me and explain that I can’t stay because I’d see it as an opportunity to try and sleep with you.”

“Yes. We’re strangers and I-” How did you politely tell someone you weren’t attracted to him? Sure, men had told me that all the time. Albeit silently. The way they looked right through me said plenty. But it hurt nonetheless, and I didn’t want to hurt this boy. “What do you mean, you have no place to go?”

“Forget I said anything, okay?” He turned away from me, but didn’t move toward the door. He remained in place, his shoulders hunched. A long while passed in silence, before he softly said, “When you got into my car, you were the first girl to pay attention to me in a long, long time, and I liked it. I don’t want it to end.”

“What?” I jolted upright, my back straighter than a board. “I thought you were Crazy Bones, the sexual boy wonder.”

“I made it up.” He faced me again, his jaw tight, his expression defiant. “I wanted to impress you.”

Rather than hearing this, I think I would have preferred being kicked in the stomach and having all my money stolen. With a sigh, I patted the space beside me on the bed. “Have you ever had a girlfriend, Tanner?”

His jaw tightened further. He shook his head.

“Maybe… maybe I could give you some pointers or something.”

Another blanket of silence fell between us. “Really?” he finally said, his voice dripping with innocent need.

I nodded. Sherridan-a gal who apparently had an affinity for leather pants and riding crops-had once projected this kind of neediness, and still did at times, desperate for someone to love her, to show her attention. I vividly remember the way her parents had ignored her, indifferent to her wild, notice-me antics. She’d calmed down considerably over the years, but the void had never left her.

I wouldn’t doubt if Tanner had experienced that kind of childhood, and my heart ached for him.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Okay.” His expression brightened slightly, and he walked toward me. The bed squeaked as he eased onto the mattress.

“What do you think is the problem? You’re a cute kid-uh, guy. Man. You’re a cute man.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I see a girl I like, I approach her and lay my smack down, and she gets all pissy and leaves.”

This was worse than I’d thought. “What do you mean by laying your smack down?”

“I mean, I show a woman my best moves and give her my best lines.”

“Give me an example of your best line.”

He spoke without hesitation. “Hey, baby. You want to take a ride on the Tanner Express?” He did a chin tilt, gave a wicked grin and held out his arms.

Dear God. I tented my hands over my mouth and blinked at him. “You honestly say that?”

“Well, yeah.” He lost his smile, and his arms fell to his sides. “It lets the ladies know I’ll provide a nonstop pleasure train.”

“Uh, no, it doesn’t. It lets the ladies know you’re a moron and you don’t respect them, will only be using them, and you couldn’t care less if they have a brain as long as they have breasts and thighs.”

“Fine,” he snapped. “What should I say?”

“For one, I’d mention nothing about taking a ride on any kind of express.” I should not have offered to help him. Even an artist needed something to work with. “You need to compliment women. Tell them how pretty they are. And don’t mention that you really love how their nipples poke through their shirt or anything like that.”

“I’ve tried compliments, and that doesn’t work.” He tumbled onto the bed with a sigh. “It’s hopeless. I’m hopeless.”

I nearly nodded in agreement, but stopped myself in time. “We just need to work on your game a little, that’s all. I’m kind of on the run, as you probably guessed, or I’d take you out and show you the ropes.”

He turned toward me, his face flickering with genuine concern. “Why are you running?”

“I can’t say.” I wished I could tell him, though. How nice it would be to confide in someone. “The less you know, the safer you are.”

“Are you safe?”

“Of course,” I lied, with a wave of my hand.

Doubt darkened his expression, but he didn’t press me. “Do you want to help me, like, after you’re done running?”

“Absolutely.” And I did, I realized. He was endearing.

“Promise? You owe me, remember?”

“I promise.”

He bounded up and strode to the nightstand, finding a pen and tiny notebook in the drawer. “Here’s my number. Call me when you’re safe.” He paused, looked over at me and frowned. “Actually, call me if you need another ride. I don’t like leaving you alone.”

“I will,” I said, but I knew I wouldn’t no matter how desperately I needed him. I’d put him in enough danger already.

“Do me another favor. Promise me you’ll be careful and won’t talk to strangers or hang out in dark alleys.”