“I love it when you do that,” he said in a deep voice.

“You make me do that,” I gasped.

He kissed me in reply, his tongue sliding into my mouth.

Holding me tightly, his hand wriggled under my hips, and then he flipped us around, pulling me on top of him so he was on his back. I yelped, but his strength kept me in place, his cock buried deep inside me.

From this new angle, he pushed even deeper, making me gasp and shudder around him. His eyes, dark with need, locked onto mine as I leaned my hands on his perfectly muscular chest.

I bucked my hips slowly, testing the feel of him inside me, and then I rode him. His face contorted with pleasure, his muscles tensing as I moved.

“Oh, yes,” he breathed. “Ride me.”

He was a dirty talker, and it turned me on. I moved faster, rocking my hips, bracing myself on his chest. The pressure inside me grew with my clit rubbing against his pubic bone. I moaned and gasped, the waves of pleasure building again.

“Rae,” Tanner gasped. “I’m not going to last much longer.”

I shook my head, gasping. “It’s okay,” I moaned.

“But I want to make you come again.”

“Then don’t stop.”

He gripped my hips, pressing me down, urging me to keep up the pace, his hips jerking against mine. The frantic, needy thrusts of his hard cock drove us both toward the edge.

The wave crashed through me, the pressure exploding.

“Oh, God,” I cried out, collapsing onto his chest.

He moaned, and his body tensed under mine. We clung to each other, arms wrapped tightly, both of us breathing hard.

My heart hammered in my chest; my limbs felt like jelly as his cock pulsed inside me, my body tightening around him in the same rhythm.

We rode the wave of pleasure together, and it took a long time to subside.

Finally, slowly, we came down from our sexual high, and I lay on his chest, trying to catch my breath. His heartbeat hammered against my cheek, and he continued to hold me close. His cock, hard at first, slowly softened inside me, and we lay together for a long, long time.

Finally, he slipped out of me.

I rolled off him as he stood and walked to the small bathroom in the room. When he came back, he climbed back into bed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, pulling me onto his chest.

Our breathing evened out, becoming deeper and more rhythmic.

“You can’t leave again,” I said, the words slipping out.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Tanner tightened his arm around me.

I wanted to ask him to promise, but I was too scared to. No matter how good things were, it was still a fact of life that promises could be broken.

12

TANNER

Weeks passed, the winter started, and life in Silver Ridge returned to its usual quiet rhythm. I saw Rae from time to time when I came down to town for supplies.

When I’d left her cabin after I’d gone after her again, there had been no agreement, no plans to see each other again. We’d just both known that this wasn’t the end.

There was no snow. It was very cold, the ground frozen over, and a lot of the wildlife had disappeared. It meant I had to draw from my bank accounts rather than living off the land, but it also meant going into town more often for food.