Page 36 of Trusting Tanner
Juliana:I think my eyes just rolled out of my head.
He laughed.I’m on my way.Tucking his phone back in his pocket, he hurried to class. Jealousy still tugged at him, and he wasn’t fully convinced Devon’s feelings for Jules didn’t go beyond friendship. He wasn’t going to let it get to him, though, because he would fight for her if he had to. She was worth it.
Chapter Twelve
Juliana reread Tanner’s text for what seemed like the millionth time. Wear something comfortable. You’ll need socks and sneakers.She’d borderline harassed him all week to find out where he was taking her, but he wouldn’t give her so much as a hint. Checking her reflection in the mirror one last time, she gave herself an encouraging nod. She couldn’t quell the storm of nervous butterflies in her stomach, though, which was silly because it wasn’t like they hadn’t hung out before.
Of course, tonight was different. They were taking a huge jump out of the friend zone, and as much as she hated to admit it, she hadn’t been out on a date since she first started seeing Zach. And that was years ago. She’d worked tirelessly to protect herself from getting hurt again, but now her heart was out there, vulnerable to whatever Tanner chose to do with it. Tonight, they’d have their first kiss, too—a fact Tanner hadn’t let her forget. What if she didn’t remember how to kiss? Or what if Tanner thought she was a horrible kisser?
She forced the thoughts from her mind. Grabbing a hair tie, she wrapped it around her wrist then tossed her fold-up travel brush into her purse. The closer she got to being ready and walking out the door, the more her stomach revolted, twisting and turning over on itself, threatening to erupt its contents out of her mouth.
Calm down. You can do this.But her internal pep talk didn’t do much good. Juliana left the room and closed the door. She exited her res hall to find Tanner waiting outside. He was dressed in dark-colored cargo shorts and a polo shirt. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said dress comfortably. At least she didn’t feel so bad now about wearing jean shorts and a fitted T-shirt. His face lit up with a gorgeous smile, his dimple carving into his perfect features. Her breath caught at the sight of him.
“You look amazing,” he said, walking toward her. Confidence and sexuality radiated off him in waves. He stopped in front of her and took both of her hands into his, lacing their fingers.
The touch sent a tingling spark up her arms, and goose bumps erupted on her skin.
“For the record, I would have come up to your room and gotten you. I feel like an ass for standing out here and making you come to me.”
“I know, but I never know when my roommate will be there, or if she’ll even have clothes on.”
He grinned. “Okay then. Ready to go? Our reservations are for six thirty.” He released one of her hands, keeping the other firmly in his grasp, and led her toward his car.
Her steps faltered. “Reservations?” Any place requiring a reservation also usually required a certain level of attire, and neither of them were dressed for anything like that.
“Don’t worry. It’s not what you think. Trust me.” He opened the passenger’s door and waited for her to get in. She hadn’t met any college guys who had the manners and chivalry Tanner possessed, which was one more reason she liked him.
When he was in the car and pulling onto the main road, she asked, “So are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?”
“No. It’s not far, though. You won’t have to wait too much longer.”
Excitement bubbled up inside of her. “If I guess, will you tell me?”
“If you guess, I’ll give you any damn thing you want.” He gave her a sideways glance, a smirk lighting up his face. “But you’ll never figure it out.”
She lifted a brow. “Is that so?”
His only answer was a nod.
“You seriously underestimate me, Collins.” Even if he was right and she couldn’t guess correctly, she was going to have fun with him. She and Devon played this game all the time, and the more ridiculous the guess, the better. But the trick was to start slow and then hit him with a crazy answer when he least expected it. “Okay, we’re going on a hike.”
“Kind of.”
“We’re taking a walk on the beach.”
“If we were walking on the beach, I would’ve told you to wear shoes that come off easily.”
“Are we going to be inside or outside?”
“Oh no.” He shook his head. “This is a guessing game, not twenty questions.”
“Laser tag.”
“No, but that does sound fun. Maybe next time.”
“Paintball.”
“Nope.”
