Page 23 of Winter Glam in Amsterdam

“Summer—” My shoulders tighten at the sound of my name in his deep bass voice. "Why do you do that?" he suddenly asks and glances down at me while I keep my eyes firmly ahead, cheeks warm with embarrassment.

"Do what?" I act clueless and avert my gaze.

"You tense up when I talk," he explains and when I try to pull my hand out of his grasp, he holds on tighter instead. "Why do you do that? Am I doing something wrong?"

“No, you’re not.” I feel my cheeks turn even warmer and clear my throat. How can I say this without sounding like I want to throw myself at him whenever he speaks? "I'm… not used to a voice like yours."

I blink at him, with the most sincere and innocent expression I can muster, then quickly look away. There’s no way I’ll tell him that his voice is making me all hot and bothered.

"So why does it make you look like a deer in headlights?" He pulls me closer until we're walking arm to arm, not a bit of space between us, my burning face averted from him.

I don't want to say it. But judging by the grin playing at his lips, he's seeing right through me.

"Does it get you hot?" I can hear the grin in his voice, but I don’t dare look at him.

How did we get from that emotional conversation about his parents to flirty and tension-heavy banter?

Finally, I glance at him. You’re fine, Summer. He’s not the first guy to try and get a certain reaction out of me. But the heat in his gaze when our eyes meet, makes me stop in my tracks.

"Does it?"

"Why do you care?" I try to pull my hand from his pocket again, but he keeps holding on tightly, not letting me escape this conversation.

"Don't evade the question, Summer."

I bite my lip. He’s so intoxicating, it's downright infuriating, how my resolve just melts as soon as my name falls from his lips.

"Maybe," I whisper, surprising both him and myself.

I take my chance, pull my hand from his grasp, loosened in surprise, and bring some space between us.

"Why are you running away?" We look at each other, heavy breaths turning white, and tension like sparks in the air between us, our eye contact now breaking once.

"Because I can't do this," I admit, frustration lacing my voice and point between him and me.

"Why not?"

"I’m a mess, Tanner." A cruel chuckle falls from my lips. “Job search is making me an insufferable person, my life feels chaotic and aimless and the last thing I need right now is to add anyone to the mix.”

He starts to laugh and shakes his head, quickly bridging the gap between us, until we’re only centimetres apart.

"I'm not asking for your hand in marriage here, Summer." He reaches for my hand again, putting my palm against his warm cheek as he continues. "I'm attracted to you. You're clearly attracted to me." I can’t fight the amused grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. "Or my voice." The corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk. "We could have some fun together."

“Tanner…” I don’t even know what to answer, my thoughts racing through my head like a bullet train.

"There's clearly chemistry here. You want to do something about it? Or are we just going to pretend like we're not drawn to each other?"

My gaze jumps all over his face as I try to piece together my thoughts, biting my lip. Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm thinking way too deeply into this.

Maybe this is just what I need. A night of fun and recklessness that makes me forget about all of my worries. So I take a deep breath.

"You're right," I admit with a small nod. "I'm attracted to you." I reach up and gently pull on the ends of his scarf, until we’re face to face, our breaths mingling in the dark winter night.

"One night," I whisper, scanning his face for his reaction.

Instead of an answer, he leans forward, his breath feathering over my cheek as my eyes flutter closed. And then his lips are on mine, and my arms snake around his neck as he pulls me closer by the small of my back, our tongues dancing in a heated waltz.

Deep in my gut, I know this will become messier than I want it to. The way my heart races, the way my fingers tremble as I bury them in his soft hair, I just know.

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