Page 74 of Tops
“Really?” I said, whirling my head around to face him. Tanner’s hands moved to my hips to keep me from wiggling too much on his lap. Right now, it wasn’t intentional. “I thought everything was based on my safety first.”
“Well, yes,” Colten amended. “Your safety is our number one priority, but after that, everything else we do is to make sure that you are also happy, Nessa.”
“I’ve never stolen a Christmas tree for someone’s safety before,” Nik said, causing me to rotate opposite to face him.
“You did not steal my beautiful tree. Please, Nik, tell me you did not actuallysteala Christmas tree.”
His face fell to a look of panic while his eyes darted to the other guys. “I,” he started before I could almost see the light bulb clicking in his mind. “It was mine. I just took it from one location to another,” he said triumphantly.
“I’m glad I’m the lawyer,” Colten sighed from behind me, making me laugh.
Tanner’s hands on my hips tightened in warning that I was moving too much. I could feel him starting to harden. A few months ago, I would have hopped off his lap, hiding a blush, but I wasn’t the same person anymore. I purposely wiggled this time, turning to look him in the eyes when I did it.
His scarred eyebrow rose while the other stayed perfectly immobile. We looked into each other’s eyes as he silently begged me to say yes.
“Fine. But ground rules. Since I have to pretend to be Colten’s girlfriend for the evening, I get to pick my own outfit,” I said. Looking at Tanner, twisting the words that he used against me during our Thanksgiving negotiations. Our great turkey debate.
“Deal,” Colten said from behind me, making me smile. He didn’t hesitate or counter with parameters that he wanted me to stay within.
“I’m not done,” I said, gaze still fixed on Tanner. We all knew my aversion to parties with them wasn’t as much a result of the assault, but it had everything to do with Tanner. “We are not exclusive,” I said, ensuring they knew that fact remained. “But I do not want to see, hear, or know about them.”
“I’m not,” Tanner started, his gaze turned hard like I had upset him.
I pressed my lips to him tenderly, stopping whatever he thought he needed to say. I pulled back to look into his eyes, they had softened slightly, but there was still a thick bar of tension between us.
“You can do what you want, but I can’t handle seeing it again. If you would rather keep me in my room for the night, so you don’t have to worry about it, I would rather stay here,” I explained. Hoping that he would understand how important this little piece was to me.
“I want you to come,” Tanner said softly. Every remaining hard part of him seemed to melt away at my words. Except for his dick. That increased on the hardness scale and was currently positioned, so every little movement between us rocked my clit against him. Maybe he was saying that he wanted me tocome. But that didn’t make as much sense in context.
“I’ll make you come while we are there. Push you into a broom closet or something,” Nik said, breaking the moment between Tanner and me, allowing the rest of the world to come crashing back into my awareness.
“Don’t make promises you cannot keep, sir,” I said, turning toward Nik and loving the way Tanner’s grip on me became almost punishing.
“I’ll always keep my promises with you, Nessa.”
Tanner didn’t complain about the dress I chose for the evening. His fingers were subconsciously drawn to the exposed skin of my back, underneath the crisscrossing ribbon. This time, I picked a red dress from the closet of clothing Tanner bought when I first came to Bottoms.
The dress fit my slight curves, but didn’t hug my skin either. I had applied my own makeup and pinned my hair into a sleek bun in my bathroom before slipping on a pair of sensible heels. My nipple shade for my lips was lost along with my clutch at the mansion. Instead, I opted for red lipstick to match my dress. Only this lipstick would smear, unlike the amazing one now lost forever.
Having a no kissing rule for the night was mandatory, so Tanner settled instead on touching the exposed skin of my back while I sat on his lap for the drive. Colten sat in the seat next to us, my legs resting in his lap. Attached to a holster between my thighs was the gun Nik gave me.
Nik was riding up front next to Mike, playing with the radio while we crawled through traffic. He hadn’t settled on a single station and complained that Tanner needed to get satellite radio in the cars so he could listen to some good rock. The car rolled to a stop, and people with cameras were lined up on either side to get a picture of us.
I went to scurry off Tanner’s lap, worried they could see inside the windows and get a shot of me.
“It’s fine. You’re going to shift into Colten’s lap. Nik will get out first and come around to open my door. Colten will handle it from there,” Tanner said, giving me a kiss on the forehead.
I made my shift, sliding in Colten’s welcoming arms seconds before Nik opened the door, and flashes from the cameras started to go off wildly. I watched Nik through the window; he was in full security garb. He walked around to Tanner’s door, pausing for a moment before opening it. Tanner got out of the car quickly, shutting us back into the small space of secrecy while the flashes went wild again.
Colten picked me up and slid me into Tanner’s vacated seat.
“I’m going to get out first and then help you, okay? Don’t pose for pictures or answer anyone’s questions. We will walk inside, and you won’t have to see them again.”
I nodded my head. It seemed simple enough.
Colten was watching out the windows as well. Tanner and Nik walked side by side, but instead of heading straight into the building, they headed for the group of reporters. Flashes went off, and mics were pushed in Tanner’s face. Colten opened the car door, immediately turning his body into a makeshift wall to block me from view while extending his hand to help me out.
I got out quickly, looping my arm in Colten’s and allowing him to escort me into the building. When I stepped forward, the flashes did not go off in a maddening blur. Everyone was busy with their eyes on Tanner while he talked about the charity event that all the proceeds from tonight’s event would be donated to.
