Page 4 of Trusting Tanner
Tanner.Even his name was sexy. “I thought he looked familiar.”
“All right, I’m outta here. I expect to hear all about your new roommate at lunch. Fair warning.”
She stuck out her tongue, and he laughed, the sound following him down the hall. Shaking her head, she walked into the room and made her way through the rows of lab tables, hoping to find an empty seat.
There was one in front of the room and one next to Devon’s frat brother. She hesitated for the briefest of moments and then opted for the seat in the front. As much fun as it would be to sit next to the gorgeous guy, he was out of her league. And if she couldn’t keep a pathetic excuse for a guy like Zach happy, there was no way in hell she could keep a guy like Tanner happy.
Dr. Shaw came through the door and cleared his throat. “We’re changing things up this year. Everyone on their feet and line up here at the front of the room.”
Juliana groaned as she stood. Dr. Shaw was one of her favorite professors, but she hated when he decided to get creative. Last time, she’d ended up with a lab partner who didn’t know what deodorant was and thought he could breeze through the class with his sense of humor. Problem was, the only person who thought he was funny was him. His jokes were downright offensive.
Dr. Shaw set his briefcase on the desk. “I’ve randomly assigned each of you a lab partner for the semester. When I call your name, find a table and sit.” He took a yellow legal pad from his briefcase and started reading off names.
Jules held her breath as student after student left the line and took a seat. She shifted on her feet, waiting to hear her name. And then…
“Juliana Shea and Tanner Collins.”
Her ears rang, and she was frozen in place, even though Tanner had stepped forward. He glanced at what remained of the line. Slowly, she stepped forward. He smiled, his clean-shaven face showcasing his dimples. Her heart raced.
God, this is not happening.
Chapter Two
Fuck. Yes.
Tanner had been paired with the stunning brunette. Talk about winning the lab partner lottery; he was tempted to pump his fist in the air and whoop with joy.
“Where do you want to sit?” he asked. If he had his way, they’d be all the way in the back, but he hadn’t missed how she’d gone straight for the front row when she’d arrived.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll follow you wherever you go.” Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch as if she realized the implication of her words. “I mean, I’ll sit wherever you want. I’m not picky.”
His lips curved up, and he covered his chuckle by clearing his throat. “All right, then.” He led them to one of the last empty lab tables near the back of the room.
She took the stool near the window, and he sat beside her. “We haven’t ever officially met. I’m Juliana.”
“Yeah, I know.” He’d seen her around, but this was the first opportunity he’d ever had to speak to her. “I’m Tanner. It’s my pleasure to finally meet you.”
She retrieved a notebook and pen from her backpack, and then let her bag drop to the floor beside the table. Her entire body was rigid, tense, and she kept her gaze forward.
“You can call me Jules. Everyone does.”
Tanner shifted closer, a whiff of her sweet, flowery perfume tickling his senses. She smelled as great as she looked. He suppressed a groan. “Do I have to?”
“Do you have to what?” Slowly, she turned on her stool and faced him. Her big brown eyes were unreadable, but they were breathtaking. Damn, he never knew eyes could be so sexy.
“Call you Jules? Maybe I want to call you Juliana.”
“Why?”
“Because I like the way it rolls off my tongue.” Hell, he’d bet his left nut that everything about her would roll nicely off, under, over, and around his tongue, and he’d give his right nut to find out. She’d captured his attention from the very first time he’d seen her, but now, being up close and personal, she was a million times prettier than he realized.
She twisted back around to face the front, her long brown curls flipping over her shoulder. “You can call me whatever you’d like. Except bitch. You refer to me that way and we’re going to have problems.” A faint smile pulled at her lips, the only indication she was teasing.
Tanner blew out a shaky breath. “Okay, fair enough. But I should warn you I don’t like to be called hot or sexy.”
She whipped around to stare at him. “What?” She laughed.
Good God, her laugh. It was like someone had shoved a hot, sharp poker down his throat and stirred his insides. Everything in him clenched and sizzled. Nerve endings he didn’t know existed sparked to life, creating a slow burn starting deep in his gut and quickly spreading to the rest of his body.
