Page 20 of Trusting Tanner
She gave him an exasperated look. “I have a feeling there would be very little studying going on.”
His eyebrows shot up at her implication.
“But all kidding aside.” She averted her gaze. “I got out of a pretty serious relationship not too long ago, and it didn’t end well. He cheated on me.” She lifted her head and met his gaze, which he was sure was full of disbelief. “Repeatedly.”
Tanner cringed. He had zero respect for cheaters, and the idea anyone could—or would—cheat on someone like Juliana? Whoever the guy was needed a serious wake-up call.
“So, even though I do like you, I’m not ready to jump into anything,” she said softly.
Things certainly made a lot more sense now, but this newfound knowledge wasn’t going to stop him from trying. “Not every guy is like your ex.” He sure as fuck wasn’t, and he was going to prove that to her, no matter how long it took.
“I know that.” There was a hint of defensiveness to her tone. “But I also know I’m not willing to risk another broken heart. It’s better if we’re just friends.”
I would never break your heart.The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them. He may be parked in the friend zone right now, but he wouldn’t stay there for long. He refused to end up like Devon: the guy secretly in love with his best friend. Hell no! Tanner would be more than that to her. For her. He wanted to be her world.
She gathered the pizza box and her cup and tossed them in the nearby trash can.
He stood then draped his arm around her shoulders, angling her in the direction of his car. “Okay, no more talk of ex-boyfriends.” He pulled her closer, and she didn’t object, nor did she make any effort to move his arm from her shoulders. “Where to now?”
She looked up at him, and his steps faltered. Half an inch. That was all the distance between her lips and his. He momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. Jules stepped away, and his arm fell to his side. She licked her lips and avoided his gaze, but her thoughts were clear as day—she wanted to kiss him as badly as he wanted to kiss her. There was no doubt in his mind about that.
“It’s probably safe to go home now,” she whispered.
He gave a quick nod. “Home it is then.” And hopefully, after spending tomorrow night with her, he’d be closer to breaking out of the dreaded friend zone.
Chapter Seven
Juliana’s stomach flipped from excited butterflies to nervous nausea. She flattened her palm on her belly and took a deep breath.Tonight isn’t a date.She repeated the reminder silently in a pathetic effort to calm herself. There was no reason for her to be so worried. She’d hung out with Tanner last night, and it had been fun. Even easy. She’d told him a bit about Zach and how she only wanted to be friends. Granted, Tanner didn’t seem to want to be just friends, but he wasn’t pushing her.
“Damn, girl.” Rebecca whistled. “You’re hot. You sure you don’t want to come to the Delta party with me?”
She laughed. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“You can bring your mystery guy. I know you two will have a lot more fun at the party than you will at the stupid Student Union thing.”
“Maybe we’ll stop by later,” she said, mostly to shut her up, because Jules had no plans to attend a frat party tonight. And if she did, it would be at Devon’s frat, not the Deltas.
Rebecca stood behind Jules, both of them reflected in the full-length mirror. Rebecca’s bottom lip was stuck out in a childish pout. After a second, she straightened and smiled broadly, hiding her disappointment. “Fine, but you are going to go to a party with me before the semester is over. It’s my new mission to make you have some fun and get laid.”
She didn’t need help with either of those things, and if she wanted to get laid, she knew where to go. Her heart rate kicked up, and her breath caught at the idea of having sex with Tanner. She swallowed hard. Thoughts like those were not helping her nerves.
She spun around in front of the mirror and grinned. He was going to be so surprised when he saw her, and she couldn’t wait to show him what she’d done with her costume.
“You’re totally do-able.” Rebecca nudged her way to the front of the mirror.
“Thanks. I think. Okay, I’m out of here.”
“Wait, he’s not picking you up?” Rebecca snorted. “What kind of date is this?”
“It’s not a date.” She grabbed her purse. “And I told him I’d meet him at the Student Union.” Because she was terrified of him showing up here and catching Rebecca naked. “Have fun at the party.” She left the room.
The best part about living in McKenzie Hall was the location. It was one of the few residence halls centrally located and within close walking distance of the quad, which was where the Student Union was. The entire trip took less than five minutes, and she was happy to see she wasn’t the only one walking around campus in seventies clothes and go-go boots.
There was a crowd near the Student Union entrance and a line waiting to get in. She blew out a breath and glanced around for Tanner. He said he’d meet her near the bench at the south end of the building, but there was a crowd forming there, too, and she couldn’t see a thing. A ball of panic formed in her chest and rose up her throat. Had Tanner changed his mind? No. She had no reason to think he’d bail on her. Hell, he’d texted her four times throughout the day to make sure she was still going.
She headed toward the building, and there, leaning against the brick all the way down at the end of the building, was Tanner. Her eyes widened, and her heart jackhammered in her chest. She’d seen him in the costume last night, but that hadn’t prepared her for seeing him now. He oozed confidence and sex appeal. The top two buttons on his shirt were undone, giving her a teasing look at his perfect, tanned skin. And those pants? Holy mother of Jesus were they nice. And tight. She could see the definition of the muscles in his thighs and legs and the outline of his package. Her body erupted with heated lust. His hair was slicked back, which only enhanced his already handsome face.
In the next moment, Tanner’s gaze landed on her. His dimple seemed to shine as he pushed off the wall and swaggered toward her. Christ, how did he make something as normal as walking look so damn sexy? He closed the distance between them in a few long strides, and then his eyes darkened.
