"It's okay, Laney, I know," he finally swung his gaze over to me. "Thank you. You saved me there."
The look in his eyes calmed me instantly, telling me all I needed to know. I could see he believed me, and that he appreciated the effort, and most of all that he didn't think I was trying to trap him. I smiled at him until he was forced to smile back. Then I stood.
"Okay, well, then I guess I should get going. You probably should try and get her to sleep."
He stood as well. "I think that ship has sailed."
"What?"
"Hey Izzy, you still awake?"
Only silence answered back.
"I could hear it in her voice when she said goodbye, she was already just about out then," he explained, walking over to slide the table away to reveal Isabella sound asleep, head resting on her tiny hands. "Just give me a minute to put her down before you take off."
I watched Tanner lift her up gently and cradle her in his arms as he carried her up to her bed. He'd come a long way since that first time he held her like a football. He’d changed so much. Or maybe he hadn’t changed that much at all and it really was just me, refusing to believe what he was capable of. The truth was, I’d judged him long before our first meeting and wanted nothing to do with him after it. Yet here I was, standing in his apartment weeks later, having just stood up against Miss Myers on his behalf. Who could have predicted we would end up here, like this?
But even that wasn’t as surprising as what had happened between us the other night, on this very couch. The very idea of kissing Tanner Garrick would have made me sick, way back then. Yet ever since it happened I could hardly think of anything else. His lips pressed firmly against mine, his fingers brushing against my nipples. The soft kisses along my neck. I felt my heart start to speed up just as he suddenly reappeared, bounding down the steps two at a time.
I leapt to my feet as if to put some distance between myself and the thoughts he’d just interrupted. Then I worried that the sudden movement just made me look guilty.
Luckily, Tanner didn’t seem to notice. "Didn't even wake when I put her PJs on."
"It's tiring, being two," I agreed, as my heart returned to its normal pace.
"She thinks she's tired today, wait until tomorrow. I promised to take her to the zoo. Told her we'd visit her relative—the monkeys."
"She'll love that," I laughed.
Tanner walked closer to me. His smile was lopsided but his eyes almost seemed to glow with intensity. I did my best to avoid looking into them as my heart started to speed up again. There was only trouble for me there.
"Listen, Laney, I really do appreciate what you did tonight. Thanks for coming back, even though I, uh..."
"Told me to fuck off?"
"I think I actually told you to get the fuck out."
"Is there a difference?"
He smiled and winked. "One is slightly ruder than the other. I mean, you might even argue that by the time you have to tell someone to get the fuck out, they're the one being rude by not having left a place where they’ve clearly overstayed their welcome."
I chuckled softly and shrugged. "Well then, maybe I should get out now before I cross that line again."
Tanner moved closer, putting himself between me and the door. He was close enough now that the heat from his body slipped away from his skin and reached across the narrow gap to brush against mine, like a gentle caress. His voice was lower when he spoke. "You're in no danger of that tonight, Laney. Like I said, I'm glad you came back. And not just because of how you helped. It's nice to see you."
I bit my lip and willed away a blush. "Well, maybe it's nice to see you, too," I conceded. "Even if you were rude last time. Or sorry, even though I was rude last time. Hopefully you can forgive my complete incivility."
"Hey, I'm the dirty jock, remember? Who am I to judge?"
It wasn't the first time I regretted calling him that, but this time I decided to embrace it. "Yeah, well, like I said last time, you aren’t the only one around here that likes to get dirty sometimes. "
His blue eyes lit up, like the first stars twinkling against a midnight sky.
I felt a small smile touch the edges of my lips. Tanner always seemed to be so in control, it was fun to surprise and shock him. Especially if it meant shattering the image he had of me being some sort of little Miss Innocent. Besides, something about the way he looked at me any time I did something he didn't expect sent a shiver of pleasure rippling across my skin.
He reached forward, brushing back a lock of my hair that was threatening to fall across my face. His touch was like fire.
I couldn't keep myself from his gaze any longer, despite knowing how dangerous it could be. The stars in his eyes had grown into oceans of blue, with a depth of emotion I had never imagined existed. I had the sudden feeling that if I wasn't careful, if I got too close, I was liable to drown in them, losing myself completely.
Now was the time to pull away. To leave. Before it was too late.
Who was I kidding? It was already too late.
My fingers reached up to lace against the ones that still touched my face and instead of pulling them away, like I should have, I pressed his palm harder against my cheek.
A moment later our lips came crashing together.
25
Delaney
Since kissing Tanner the other night, my lips have burned with the memory of his taste, of the pressure, of the feeling of his slick and confident tongue probing my mouth. But eventually I began to wonder if I had simply built the kiss up in my mind—some kind of subconscious overcompensation designed to soften the memories of the disastrous way the night ended.
I wondered no longer.
The kiss was as real and passionate that night as it was today. In fact, it was almost as if we were picking up exactly where we left, ignoring all the bad stuff that followed that first encounter.
I was more than okay with that.
Somehow Tanner maneuvered us back to the couch, leaning into me until I fell backward across it. He wasted no time following me down. Most of his weight was supported by his forearms resting against the cushions on either side of head, but I still felt the heaviness of his body pressing down into me as he continued to smother my face and neck with kisses. My hands reached up to skim along his back as my breathing quickened. I turned my head to give him better access to my neck, and when I did I could see the edges of the tattoos that wrapped his biceps peeking out from the short sleeves of his shirt. My insides fluttered at the memory of his bare chest, anxiously anticipating its reappearance.
"I've been thinking about this ever since you left on Friday." His voice was muffled. Partly by my hair, but more by the fact that he was nibbling his way down my collarbone as he spoke. I shivered at both his words and actions.
"Me too," I admitted. A satisfied smile spread across my lips at the idea that I wasn't the only one that couldn't forget that kiss.
"Hell, I've been thinking about this since the day we met." His lips brushed down to the top of my chest now, just above the neckline of my shirt.
I believed that. I could still remember that day. How his eyes flitted across my body as I stood there in his doorway, taking in every curve. Those looks had disgusted me that day. Now I couldn’t get enough of his lusty gaze.
His lips continued down my body, bringing me back to the present. I was dressed modestly, knowing I was going to be meeting with Miss Myers, so there wasn't a lot of exposed skin for Tanner to work with. He compensated by giving my shirt a little tug, stretching it downward. His hot lips seared along the tops of my breasts right before I felt his fingers slide up and under. I let out a gasp as soon as he touched me. His hands closed, squeezing my flesh and then pinching lightly at my taunt nipples through the fabric of my bra.
As if the sound from my lips reminded him of their existence, Tanner came back up for another kiss. I met it eagerly, our tongues dancing inside my mouth as his fingertips made matching movements under my shirt. As the urgen
cy of our kiss grew, so did the hardness in his pants. The way he was positioned, I couldn't help but feel his cock pressing against me until it was all I could think about.
My hands were still resting lightly on his back, but now I dropped them lower until they were on his ass. I gave it a squeeze, mentally noting the firmness for when Roxie inevitably gave me the third degree about all of this.
For the record, it was very firm.
Tanner's fingers slipped under my bra, pushing the whole thing up and off without bothering to unclip it at the back. Then he pushed up my shirt and instantly moved his head down to take one of my nipples into his mouth.
"Oh, god," I moaned. It felt incredible. I pulled against his ass so that I could feel his hardness grind against me. "But wait, hold on..."
His head snapped up. "Shit, what are you going to admit to doing this time?"
I laughed softly and shook my head. "Nothing that's going to stop you from what you're planning on doing to me, I hope. I just don't think we should do it... here. On the couch."
He opened his mouth to object, but then paused before nodding. "Right. Izzy."
She wasn't in a crib anymore, and I wasn't anxious to explain what we were doing if she happened to come wandering out of her room in the middle of things.
Tanner leapt to his feet and grabbed my hand, literally pulling me along as he led the way to his bedroom.
I'd never been in there before, but I had no chance to look around. As soon as we entered, Tanner closed and locked the door, then scooped me into his arms and carried me over to his bed. His lips were on mine before we got there, and they didn't break away even as he dropped me gently down and climbed back on top of me.
This time I at least had the presence of mind to slip my hand down between us so that when he settled his weight onto me I could still reach his cock.
"I'm going to need to see this really soon," I said, breathlessly.
Tanner pushed himself up on his hands a bit to raise an eyebrow at me. I could tell I surprised him again, but this time he wasn't going to let my forwardness go unchallenged.
"Then take it out."
I watched his blue eyes stare at me intently, as if sure that he was calling my bluff. Maybe a year or two ago I would have been too shy to even grab a handful of him like I had now, but if there was one thing I'd learned from Gia, it was confidence. Pursuing what I wanted even when my old instincts told me to wait. Especially then. If I wanted something badly enough, I needed to just stiffen my resolve, push through my fears and take it.
And right now, I wanted Tanner's cock.
I flashed him what I hoped was a knowing smirk and then gently pushed him until he rolled off me and onto his back. Then I slid my way down his body, not stopping until I was staring straight at the bulge in his pants. Tanner propped himself up on his elbows to watch.
Slowly I reached forward and unzipped his fly, pulled the button above and completely revealed the black boxers he wore. The mountain between his legs loomed higher now, less restrained but still trapped beneath too much fabric. I looked up and met his gaze as I slipped my hand under the waistband of his boxers and wrapped my fingers around his length. He licked his lips, and his chest began to rise and fall noticeably faster.
Never taking my eyes away from his, I pulled him out of his underwear and pumped his shaft a few times. I really wanted to look at it directly—I could tell it was enormous—but I wasn't ready to break eye contact. I wanted to watch Tanner's reaction.
After a few more strokes, I pulled him forward and opened my mouth, enveloping the tip of his cock between my lips and swirling my tongue along his sensitive skin. His eyes widened as he watched me, then he tipped his head back and exhaled sharply.
"Fuck that feels good. Jesus, Laney!"
I smiled around his warm flesh and moved my body up so that I could take more of him in my mouth. I did the best I could, but he was so big, so I used my hand to trail my lips up and down. I was enjoying the sounds of his heavy breathing and the slight motion of his hips that urged me to take him deeper. I would have kept going, but his hand grasped me by the upper arm and pulled me firmly off.
"You have to stop. I need to fuck you. So fucking hard and so fucking badly." He kicked off the clothes still bunched around his legs and then flipped up onto his knees. Then he yanked my shirt of, pulling my bra up and over my head at the same time, without even undoing it. "But first I have to taste you."
I inhaled sharply as he swung me around onto my back and worked off my pants. I was only left in my panties now, and thanking god that I hadn't worn the ones with the holes in them. The last thing I'd expected to happen when I got dressed today was for Tanner to see my underwear.
He pressed his lips to the insides of my thigh and kissed his way up until he reached the edge of my panties. But he didn't stop there. His mouth continued across the thin cotton, and I could feel his hot breath against my core. I squirmed, but he just grabbed me by the hips and pulled me tighter. His teasing was driving me crazy. I was sure he could feel my wetness through the fabric. He had to know how ready I was. But then he moved across to my other thigh, and although his kisses sent tingles up and down my skin at each point of contact, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to take this for very much longer.
He must have sensed my frustration, because he finally reached up and grabbed the edges of the thin fabric and slipped them off. He gazed at what he'd exposed for a moment, but then sank forward. As soon as his lips and tongue touched my pussy, I was ready to scream. Only the worry of waking the two-year-old across the hall kept me quiet but even so it was maddeningly difficult. Although Tanner started off slowly, once he found my clit he focused on it immediately, bringing me to the edge of ecstasy within minutes but then backing off to leave me teetering there. He was an expert with his tongue, and he knew just how and when to start and stop so that it felt as if I was going to go explode.
Finally, I grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up so that he could look at me.
"I think you promised to fuck me, Tanner," I practically growled.
He grinned, knowing full well what he'd done to me but at the same time knowing how serious I was in that moment.
Wasting no more time, he slipped from between my thighs and ripped off his shirt, the only remaining piece of clothing between us. His body was beautifully defined. Muscles rippled and pulled as he leaned forward, the ink along his chest and arms coming alive with the motion. He reached into a drawer next to his bed and pulled something from it. I only caught a brief glimpse of a familiar foil wrapper before he'd ripped it open and tossed it, sheathing himself and then returning to between my legs without another word.
I reached down between us and grabbed his cock, pulling him forward until his tip teased along my open seam. I couldn't wait any longer, and luckily neither could he.
A low noise came from deep in his throat as he thrust forward. I met it with a cry of my own, overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of being filled so completely. It was both painful and wonderful all at the same time. It had been a while since I'd been with anyone—and never someone as big as Tanner—but after a few thrusts his size felt natural, and the only sensation that held my attention was the pleasure of being stimulated in spots no one had ever reached before.
Both of us were lost in the moment as Tanner's large body hovered over me, rising and falling with each thrust. I tried to concentrate on his face, on his chiseled jaw, on the fiery blue of his eyes, but he'd brought me too far along and I couldn't last. I couldn't focus on anything but the sheer pleasure I was feeling having him inside of me. It all came together in one crash of ecstasy that had me biting my lip to keep from screaming.
Tanner continued, his pace quickening as he felt me tighten around him and then he came to his own shuddering and explosive climax.
He collapsed next to me, the heat from his body radiating out and washing against my skin.
"That was fucking incredible," he said between pantin
g breaths. "Why the hell did we wait so long to do this."
I smiled at him as he leaned over and kissed my nose. I couldn't disagree.
It was incredible.
And yet his question rolled around in my brain, putting a slight damper on the otherwise blissful post orgasm high I was riding.
There were a number of reasons why this hadn't happened sooner, and although most of them now seemed silly or unfounded, there were still at least a couple that remained unresolved. We may have been temporarily motivated to ignore them, but that didn't make them any less valid. Especially when the most important one of all was sleeping obliviously in a room right down the hall from us.
26
Tanner
I woke up disappointed.
Not because of what happened with Laney the previous night—there was nothing to be disappointed with in terms of that—but in the fact that my bed was empty. I'd been waking up with an empty bed a lot lately, but this morning I had naturally figured things would be different.
At first I thought she'd simply woken up before me, but a quick search of my apartment found it as empty as my sheets. Izzy was still sleeping soundly, it was that early, and Laney's clothes and shoes were gone. She'd either left in the middle of the night, or even earlier in the morning than it was now.
Like I said, I was disappointed.
But not entirely surprised.
I knew I wasn't the only one wondering how we would explain her impromptu sleepover to Izzy, although I hadn't really been that concerned about it. She was only two, after all. How hard would she be to fool? Laney was likely just being overly cautious, wanting to escape without making things awkward.
I decided that had to be the problem. After all, what else could it be?
Certainly not the sex. That had been fantastic. For me, definitely, and I was sure it had been for her as well. A few fake gasps and some heavy breathing may fool some guys, but I'd still been inside her when she came. I'd felt her pussy tighten around my cock, squeezing me as her body arched. She wasn't faking that.
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