Page 81 of Billionaire Unforgettable: Tanner

“Like I’ve told you before, I never saw those scars, Hannah. I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Still do, and that is never going to change.”

We were silent for a moment before she finally asked, “Why did your mother never tell you that I didn’t run off with another guy? I’ve been wondering about that. It’s not like my mother didn’t know the truth, and those two are best friends.”

Hannah and I had talked a lot about our past over the last few weeks, but maybe there were still a few things to say before we could leave it behind.

“She didn’t know what I was thinking, Hannah,” I said huskily. “I didn’t talk about our breakup. I couldn’t. I had to compartmentalize it to survive. The only thing that kept me from coming after you was my fucking pride. I avoided your mother for a long time. I didn’t want to hear about your life with someone else. When we did speak, I didn’t ask about you, and she could hardly give me any news about your life without me asking first. It’s not like you and I were old friends.”

“Your mom never said anything about me?”

“Not to me,” I grumbled. “I made it pretty clear that talking about you was off-limits for me, and you knew my dad. He wasn’t going to ask unless I wanted to discuss it. He slapped me on the back in sympathy when it first happened and told me if I ever wanted to talk about it, he’d listen. We never discussed you again. I traveled a lot, and went on with my obsession about KTD for a few more years. In my mind, there was nothing I could do about your choice. I didn’t have my shit together back then. It took me way too long to grow the hell up.”

If I’d had my priorities in order, I would have known that Hannah was sending me a message by leaving.

Instead, I’d taken it as a rejection, making an immediate assumption that was never remotely true.

“I didn’t have my shit together, either,” she said remorsefully. “But we’re here together now. It almost feels surreal to me.”

It actually felt like a fucking miracle to me, and I’d never take this second chance for granted.

Hannah was mine, and she was going to stay mine.

“If that ever happens again, I’ll find you,” I said in guttural voice.

She squirmed so she could turn around and face me.

Her actions were almost torture for me because that shapely ass was wriggling against my already hard cock.

Her beautiful eyes met mine with a vulnerable expression that made my gut ache.

“I’m not the kind of woman who runs away anymore, Tanner,” she promised. “I’m looking forward to the future too much for that. I could beat myself up for forever for not leaving a note, or not trying harder to get you to listen to me, but I can’t. I’m too happy right now to look behind us. Everything that happened brought us to where we are right now, and to the woman I am today. Would I handle things differently now? Of course I would, but I was pretty young and pretty messed up all those years ago. We’re both in a much better place to be together in a better relationship.”

Hell, she was probably right.

I hadn’t appreciated her back then, and I definitely hadn’t deserved her.

“I accept that,” I conceded. “But did it really have to take that many years apart?”

She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m not complaining. I’m pretty happy exactly where I am right now.”

I lifted a brow and tightened my arms around her waist. “That wasn’t exactly a complaint. I’m happy where you are right now, too.”

The only thing that would make it better is if we were both naked and in my bed right now.

Then it would be absolutely perfect.

As much as I wanted to just be close to Hannah, I also wanted her coming hard and screaming my name.

I hadn’t been with another woman since college.

I hadn’t wanted to be with anyone except Hannah since the moment we’d met.

And now that I was with the object of every one of my sexual fantasies, it was damn hard not to try to get her into my bed.

But it was going to have to be Hannah who made that decision, and I wasn’t going to rush her.

“I couldn’t sleep because all I could think about was you,” she said in a seductive voice that made my cock twitch. “I got myself off in the shower thinking about you, but that didn’t cut it for me.”

Holy! Fucking! Hell!

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