Page 37 of Keeper
“You’re so sweet,” I said. “Can we just lay here for a few more minutes?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
I turned on my side. Tanner turned on his side, too, and spooned me tight. His bulge, still hard as a diamond, had nowhere to go—it stayed pressed against my tailbone.
Poor guy,I thought, squeezing his muscular arm against my chest.
I closed my eyes.
12
Ainsley
The rays of the sun were hot on my face.My eyelids opened, revealing a blurry and unfamiliar environment.
Huh?Where am I?
Blinking the sleepy haze away, I looked around at my surroundings. In the bright, shining light of the morning sun, everything looked so spacious, so new, so clean—the wood floors, the expensive looking furniture, the giant TV, the marble counter tops and stainless steel appliances in the open kitchen.
Oh. Right. I’m at Tanner’s.
We’d fallen asleep on the couch. His arm was still tightly wrapped around my torso. Careful not to wake him, I slipped out beneath his heavy arm.
I sat up and peeked at him. He looked so cute in his sleep, like a sleepy puppy, the slightest smile on his face.
Gosh, he’s so adorable. It’s really too bad … but we’ll never see each other again.
The crotch of his pants was tented by his morning wood. At least, Ihopedthat was morning wood—because if he was still rock hard after the cruel tease I’d put him through more than four hours ago, the poor boy probably needed to see a doctor.
I escaped the couch and tip-toed over to the massive windows. Downtown Dallas was awake. The cars on the streets below traveled in lines like marching ants. The tiny people bustled to and fro, out for a Saturday morning walk.
I looked out at Dallas, and then I looked back at Tanner, and I thought—
Maybe.
Maybe if I lived in Dallas, we could see each other again.
Maybe we could go on a couple of dates. Maybe we could become something more serious. Maybe we’d even fall in love!
But I didn’t live in Dallas. I lived in Kansas. And I was only visiting for a couple of days. Which meant there simply wasn’t enough time for us to doanyof that. Which was exactly why I was right not to sleep with him last night.
Besides, Tanner was a player. The kind of guy who meets girls at the club, seduces them with his charm and devilish good looks, then wows them with his fancy sports car en route to his incrediblepenthouse apartment.
How many girls had he brought home?
How many girls had faced the same dilemma I faced last night—only, instead of remaining strong, caved for a night of pleasure?
How many of those girls never saw him again? How many hearts had he broken?
I tip-toed back over to Tanner.
“Thank you for taking care of me last night,” I whispered in a feather soft voice, planting the softest kiss on his forehead. “You were a prince.”
Part of me was relieved he didn’t wake. Another part of me was disappointed.
I didn’t stick around to untangle my feelings. I scooped up my heels, grabbed my clutch, bid Cujo goodbye with one last chin scratch, and quietly sneaked out the door.
***
