Page 73 of Concede

Chapter 40

Tanner

I’m leaned up against the vanity in our bathroom, watching Maverick step under the spray. My eyes roam from the sculpted muscles in his shoulders, down the ridges of his back, over his perfect ass, and then down to his strong thighs. How can he be this perfect? And he somehow wants me? The virgin girl from a boarding school. I shake the negative thought away and slip out of my T-shirt and shorts.

Opening the shower door, I step in behind him and wrap my arms around his waist.

“You really scared me,” I say against his back. His hands reached for mine and he intertwined our fingers.

“I know baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about you seeing me like that.” He admits.

“I know you tell me not to ask questions, and I won’t. I just…. you can’t come in like that and expect me not to react.” I place a kiss on his shoulder blade.

He spins around, moving his hands to my hair. I lay my hand over the tattoo across his chest. “I understand you have things that go on outside this room that I know nothing about. Honestly, I don’t want to know. But I need you to promise me that here, when it’s just us, you leave all that at the door.”

His eyes sweep over my face. “I promise,” he says before gently tugging my hair back and kissing me.

His kiss leads to my jaw and then my temple as he holds me close. We hug each other in silence as the water washes over us. It almost feels like he’s trying to wash away whatever sins he committed today.

It’s been a month since we came clean to my brother. Everyone is ecstatic that Maverick finally has an old lady. I still hate the term, but I don’t make the rules. I just purposely break them. He told me we were going on a special date this evening and I had to dress “cute.” Hearing him say cute had me desperately holding in a laugh.

I put on a light pink sundress with my white converse and braided my hair in a loose side braid. I’ve done this a time or two and he always comments on it. He likes to pull on it too when he’s driving into me from behind. Never thought I’d be turned on by someone pulling my hair, but I’ve been surprising myself a lot here lately. A small smile forms on my lips at the naughty thought.

I slap on a little mascara and jog downstairs in search of him. He’s in the kitchen with his mom. He’s dressed in distressed jeans with a tight black t-shirt. I suck in my bottom lip as I check him out. When my eyes meet his, he’s smirking. He knows he’s hot, it’s sickening.

“You ready?” I ask as I adjust the bracelet on my wrist.

“Yeah, let’s go.” He grabs a picnic basket from the counter and takes my hand. “We will be back in just a little bit.”

“Have fun!” Gerry squeals like she knows exactly what we are going to do.

I still have no idea.

It’s not dark yet but the sun is setting. Maverick leads me down to our spot by the creek. The pavilion is now strung with lights that are barely glowing and a large blanket with pillows are scattered out beneath it.

“We’ll look at you Mr. Romantic,” I tease.

He shrugs and I swear he blushed.

We take a seat on the blanket, and he opens the basket. He takes out a Tupperware, and when he opens the lid, the smell makes my mouth water.

“You didn’t.” I nudge his shoulder as I try to hold back my smile.

I know it’s my favorite shrimp alfredo from Uncle Ray’s in town.

“I did.” He smiles.

We ate dinner and drank a bottle of fancy red wine as the sun set, and the lights began to twinkle like the stars.

“This was wonderful. Thank you for doing this for me,” I say as I press a kiss to his full lips.

“Well it’s a special occasion after all,” he says as he kisses me back.

“Oh really? And what occasion is that?” I ask with a little attitude.

He chuckles. “Here, stand up.”

He pulls me up from the blanket and leads me to the edge of the creek. He stands behind me, his arms secured around my center.

---