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He sat, staring up at me.
I straddled his lap, wrapping myself around him. I had learned rather quickly that it was the only way to keep him calm and grounded. He needed that physical touch. He had told me that Trigger had done the same for him. He kept the voices at bay but with me, my touch, did more than that. They put the demons at ease and silenced them. Not completely but enough that he could go through his day-to-day activities without lashing out at random. I never understood that when we hadn’t known each other for long but if what he said was true, I would make sure to touch him as much as I could.
“I love you.” I ran my fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. “Sure, we may have met unconventionally but I believe everything happens for a reason. And I don’t care what anyone says. The men in my life, the men I’ve looked up to since I was a little girl, are not perfect. So they can get off their high and mighty thrones. Besides, they’re not the ones sleeping with you.”
Tanner smirked, running his hands up and down my thighs. “I don’t deserve you.” He kissed my chin. “I don’t deserve any part of you. Not your heart. Not your love. Not your body.” His mouth moved down the length of my jaw to my ear. His hands roamed beneath my shirt. “But I promise to make you the happiest I possibly can.”
My heart stuttered. “I like the sound of that.”
Bee
IT HAD BEEN Afew days since Tanner and I spent the day in my bed.
Tommy hadn’t called again. He never even tried showing up. A part of me wondered if he only made the threat just to put Uncle Greyson and the rest of the guys on edge.
One night after everyone had retired for the evening, I slipped into the basement. Seeing Tanner now after having sex, was almost like I was hiding a delicious secret. In this case, I was. It was scary and exciting.
When I reached the den, I saw him sitting on the chaise, watching a movie. He looked my way, a wide grin spreading on his handsome face.
“Hi.” I sat beside him.
He pulled me into his arms, snuggling his face into my neck and letting out a soft purr. “Hi.”
I giggled, cupped his face, and kissed him hard on the mouth.
“Hmm…” Tanner ran his thumb along my collarbone, pushing it beneath the strap of my tank top. “I missed you.”
“You saw me this morning.” My body still burned from the way he had woken me up.
“Doesn’t matter.” He pulled the strap off my shoulder and down my arm. “I was thinking.” He looked down at my chest. “I’ve told you things that no one else knows.” He lowered the tank top, revealing my breast. Licking his lips, he stared as his thumb brushed over my dark nipple.
“What about your friend? Rowan?” I asked, breathless.
“He knows I’m fucked up but no details. I’m not even sure I’d consider him a friend. He’s just…there.”
“Sounds like a friend to me.” My chest tightened, my heart hurting over the fact that there was no one who Tanner could trust. “We’re friends.”
Tanner’s gaze snapped to mine. “I’m in love with you.”
“Yeah. But we’re still friends.”
He cupped my breast, lifting it in his large hand. “I think we’ve moved past the friends part, baby.” He lowered his mouth to my nipple before I had a chance to respond.
I sighed, arching against him. “Have you been waiting for me to come downstairs for this?”
He hummed, lapping at the sharp peak. “I’ve been hard all afternoon, waiting for you.”
Getting a moment of clarity, I cupped the sides of his head. “Cameras, Tanner. Someone could be watching.”
“Nah. I actually searched this room and haven’t found any. Your Uncle Catch was bluffing. You never answered my question though.”
“What question?” My mind was reeling over the possibility that maybe Tanner was right and that there were no cameras at all.
“Don’t you agree that we’ve moved past just being friends?” Tanner asked, pulling the tank top lower until both of my breasts were uncovered.
“Maybe,” I whispered, watching him.
He cupped the heavy mounds, pushing them together and sinking his teeth into the flesh. “Do you not agree, Busy? I’m in love with you. You’re in love with me. That means we’re more than friends.”
