Page 31 of In Pursuit of Love & Clout

Tanner takes my hand, stroking his thumb over my knuckles. “I liked you so much. I haven’t felt like that since my ex, and…”

“And she cheated on you. I wouldn’t do that, though.”

“No, I know. I just figured we would crash and burn some other way, and I was so stressed at that conference. When you kept calling, I just sort of snapped. I convinced myself that we weren’t right for each other, that we moved at different speeds. But that’s bullshit.”

I huff out a laugh. “Kind of is, yeah.”

“Then when I saw you online, I figured I had made the right decision,” Tanner continued. “I didn’t recognize the person I saw on your profile. It didn’t seem like you.”

I nod. “Okay, I can see that. It wasn’t me. At least, not entirely. But I did have fun, at least at the beginning. I got too hung up on the whole thing in the end, though. I let it take over my life.”

“It happens,” he says. “It’s addicting, getting all that attention. Stuff like that doesn’t matter, however. I know it’s my job, but I don’t care about the numbers. You shouldn’t either.”

“No, I guess I shouldn’t.”

He moves closer to me on the couch. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, Sophie. I made a mistake.”

My heart stops. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I want to try this again. I want you, Sophie. I want you so bad.”

I stare at him. Am I really hearing this right? “You want me?”

“I’ve wanted you all along. I’m really sorry for how I ended things. It was not what I want; I know that now.”

My head is spinning. I’ve spent months trying to beat Tanner, missing him like crazy in the meantime. And now he’s saying that he wants me back?

“I understand if I’m too late,” he continues. “I don’t expect you to still feel the same way about me.”

I think back on the past few weeks. On the bots, on all the time and money I’ve wasted. It was all fake.

Heis real.

I lean in, closing the gap between us. Kissing him feels like coming home after a long trip. Safe. He’s cupping my face, kissing me back, then opening up when I trace my tongue along the edge of his lips. I press myself against him until I straddle his lap on the couch. Tanner smiles against my lips.

“Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

“We’ll see,” I tease. “It depends.”

“On what?”

I kiss his neck and bite down gently on the sensitive skin there. “It depends on how good this next part is.”

He laughs. “Oh, really? Well, I better make it good then.”

I nod. “You better.”

He pulls me down for another kiss. There’s a new sense of urgency that wasn’t there before, and I feel his arousal underneath my body. My heart is pounding against his chest, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he can feel my every heartbeat.

His hands slide in under my shirt, and I raise my arms as he takes it off of me.Finally. Finally, his hands are on me, touching me with suchwantandneedthat I don’t know what to do with myself.

Tanner grabs hold of me, and I gasp as he flips me onto my back. His pupils are so enlarged that I can almost not see the color around them, and he’s breathing heavily. He’s pressingkisses to my cheek, my jaw, my neck. One piece of clothing after another makes its way to the floor, until I’m naked under his gaze. Tanner’s shirt is on the floor as well, and the rest of his clothes soon follow. I want to tell him to go find a condom, but I lose all ability to form coherent sentences when he takes one breast into his mouth, swirling his tongue around my nipple.

“How’s it looking so far?” he asks with a grin. “Am I forgiven yet?”

I pretend to think it over, biting my bottom lip. “The jury is still out on that.”

He kisses my stomach, and a low chuckle escapes him. “Really? I better keep going then.”

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