Page 76 of Winter Glam in Amsterdam

"I promise we’ll do the rest in order, but… can I kiss you?"

Her reply comes in the form of her hands on my chest, slowly wandering up to lock behind my neck, pulling me down until we're eye to eye.

"Yes," she whispers. And I lose no time finally capturing her soft lips again.

"Fuck, yes," I growl and pull her against me. "I'm going to date the fuck out of you," I whisper once I break the kiss. "I promise I'll never give you another reason to doubt me."

"Don't make any promises you can't keep," she scolds me playfully, soft hands playing with my hair. "Maybe more like you'll try not to."

"Yeah. I'll try," I whisper. And for good measure, I capture her lips once more.

"So," she asks, her whisper feathering over my lips. "Do you have anything planned today?"

"Well, that depends," I whisper back, not moving an inch.

"On what?"

"On what you have planned."

Her eyes jump from mine to my lips, and I just can't decide what to look at. I could lose myself in her eyes, but her lips are plump and such a luscious pink from our kisses.

"Well, as you might know, I'm still without a job," she explains, the corners of her mouth twitching with a smile that she’s fighting. "So, I've got all the time in the world."

"I do have to work for a bit today," I admit, a hint of sadness washing over her face. "But you could sit in. And this afternoon, we’re going on a date. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," she whispers, letting her grin break free. "It sounds absolutely perfect."

Summer

I watch Tanner through the glass of his recording booth, snuggled into a chair he carried into the adjoining office for me. The blanket he slept in on the couch is wrapped around my shoulders like a cape and I’m not embarrassed to admit, I really like being enveloped in his scent.

He's given me free rein over his house. Hell, he even said I could take his car and drive home to get some stuff if I wanted to stay here a bit longer. But honestly, there's no way I want to leave this little bubble yet.

This bubble full of hope, where I can imagine that this will work out. That I’ll get my ‘happily ever after.’

I still have doubts gnawing at my mind, the question of "what if he hurts me again?" popping up more often than I’d like.

It takes more than one grand gesture to build trust. But if yesterday was any indication, I think this might work.

Knowing that he dropped everything to get me from the airport, even though I've been less than kind to him… it showed me a new side of him. One I wasn’t so sure he had before yesterday.

I need reliable.

I remember the words I told Zoe only hours earlier. They’ve been replaying in my head over and over again.

If this doesn’t prove reliable, then what would? Other than time. And for him to prove himself with time, I need to give him the time. That realization had come next and kept me awake from the early morning on.

I catch Tanner’s eyes as he restarts the same chapter yet again, my lips stretching into a smile when he shoots me a wink.

I like the book he’s reading. I’m probably missing a ton of context since I’ve only been listening in since chapter ten, but it’s got dragons and magic and spice that makes me blush when he narrates it.

It’s so good, I might just have to listen to the whole thing once he’s done.

"Are you good?" he asks once he comes out to pour himself another cup of tea. "Not too bored?"

"Are you kidding me? This is interesting as hell," I admit with a smile that softens his worried expression.

"Good. I'm glad. Did you call your brother?"

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