Page 42 of Trusting Tanner
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes.” She nodded a little too eagerly. “I mean, no.” She sighed. “Can I be honest with you?”
He took her hand, lacing their fingers. “Always.” But before she could say what was on her mind, he led her toward the back of his car. Grabbing her around the waist, he lifted and set her atop the trunk of his car. Her eyes widened with surprise, and he answered with a smile. “There. Much better.”
They were now at equal eye level, face-to-face. The perfect position for a kiss. She swallowed hard.
“Okay.” He put his hands on her legs, and she held her breath. “What did you want to say?” His eyes darkened while at the same time sparking with need. She’d never seen a look quite like that before.
I want to marry you and have your babies and spend my life staring at your sexy face.Where the hell had that come from? She released the breath she’d been holding. “I’m scared.” There, she’d said it. But her confession did nothing to calm her racing heart.
“Scared of what?” His gaze was trained on his hands, which were inching their way up her legs.
“Getting involved with you,” she whispered.
He jerked his head up.
Dear God, kill me now.“I mean, I like you. A lot. And I’ll probably say yes if you ask me out again, but—”
“Probably?” He lifted a brow.
“Okay, fine. I’ll say yes.” She sighed at how easily she gave into him.
His face split into a smile that had her most sensitive areas clenching and throbbing. And then she felt the unmistakable dampness between her legs. Seriously, how the hell did he do that with nothing but a smile?
“Good, now that we’ve established there will be a second date…” His eyes dropped to her mouth, lingering there before rising.
Her stomach dipped at the same time her heart fluttered, and the combination of sensations made her dizzy. She put her palms flat on the trunk to steady herself. Her breaths were shallow and borderline painful. There was a funny taste in the back of her mouth. Fear? Anticipation? She had no idea.
“I’m not him, you know. Your ex.” His tone was soft, sensitive. “I don’t know the details, but I do know enough to know he hurt you. Bad. But I’m nothing like him, Jules. You can trust me.”
She put her hands in her lap and stared down at them, fidgeting. Why had Tanner brought this up now? Was he trying to stall for some reason?
He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head.
“I know you’re not like him,” she blurted out before he could say anything else. “I do. It’s just—”
He silenced her by slanting his lips over hers. She froze for half a second, and then she leaned into him. His lips brushed hers like they had earlier, and the world faded away. Juliana’s eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his tongue easing between her parted lips, tentative at first, then more self-assured, confident. She didn’t expect anything less from Tanner. He was the epitome of confidence, and that was glaringly evident in the way he kissed, like he knew how good he was at it. But this kiss was so much more than just confidence. It was a connection that went beyond the physical meeting of their lips. It was a slow, sweet, purposeful destruction of every wall and safeguard she’d built to protect herself.
Juliana shifted forward and put her hands around his neck, her fingers tangling in his soft hair. Her nails scraped gently along his scalp, and he moaned. The low hum tickled her senses, and she deepened the kiss, pressing their mouths together harder. It was so much better than she ever imagined, and she never wanted it to end.
Without breaking the kiss, he eased her legs apart and stood between them, then he moved his hands around to her lower back and dragged her closer until her butt was on the very edge of the trunk. She was pressed firmly against his hard, sculpted body, and for the life of her, she couldn’t think of a better place to be.
Tanner nipped at her bottom lip and changed the angle of the kiss, barely giving her enough time to inhale a lungful of air before his tongue was flicking over hers, grazing the roof of her mouth. She half sighed, half moaned. Her heart was seconds away from bursting out of her chest, and her mind was complete mush. She couldn’t form a coherent thought much less any actual words.
He wasn’t just kissing her. He was devouring her. Drinking from her like she was the nectar of life and he would die without her. And damn. It was good. So good she was going to need to go straight up to her room and change into a dry pair of panties. Or take a cold shower. Probably both.
He pulled back, held her face in his hands, and gave her several quick, puckered kisses. “Mmm.” He licked his lips, his gaze hazy.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“Nowthatwas a good-night kiss.” He winked. “And it was well worth the wait.”
Juliana smiled so big she was afraid her face might split in two. He liked kissing her? She wanted to jump for joy.
He smoothed his hands down her neck and over her shoulders. “So, when are we going out again?”
She laughed. “Whenever you want. I’m all yours.”
