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I wait for him to open the door and disappear inside, closing it behind him, before I sit on the couch and take a sip of my wine. I’m no expert, but I know this tastes light and fruity, and is perfectly chilled, and I put the glass on the table in front of me, glancing around the room.
Like my house, the layout is open plan, with the kitchen area at the front, overlooking Main Street. A set of stairs forms a kind of divider between that and the living space, and I imagine leads to a bedroom on the top floor – probably the bedroom with no door, if I remember rightly – and at the back of this room are those two doors. One obviously leads to the bathroom, and I guess the other must be Nash’s bedroom
I smile, recalling how jealous I felt last night, when I imagined Sabrina decorating this place. It’s so tasteful, and I feel a little embarrassed now that I was surprised to find it was Tanner who was responsible for the decor, and not his ex-wife. Looking around now, I have to admire his choice of colors. I love the muted gray in here, and the pale blue in the kitchen, which complement each other perfectly. I wonder what it’s like in the other rooms, and whether I’ll get to find out… someday soon.
I startle out of my daydream as the bathroom door opens, a waft of steam escaping, followed by Tanner, who’s bare chested, a towel wrapped low around his hips, and his clothes hanging over one arm. He looks breathtaking… droplets of water dripping over his toned abs, and I can’t help staring, my mouth drying at the sight of him.
“Sorry,” he says, his eyes fixed on mine as he walks past, heading for the stairs. “I won’t be a minute.”
I wish I had the courage to ask him to stay, but I don’t. In fact, my voice seems to have stopped working altogether, and I just stare, open-mouthed as he climbs the stairs, admiring his back, his broad shoulders, and his toned legs… or what I can see of them.
My skin tingles as a shiver runs through me, even though I’m melting on the inside. It’s a weird sensation to be both hot and cold at the same time, and I take a gulp of chilled wine, which seems to help a little… at least until I hear Tanner’s footsteps on the stairs. I turn to see him coming down, his feet bare, his legs encased in jeans and his chest hidden by a dark gray t-shirt. He looks spectacular, even with his clothes on, and he gives me a smile before wandering to the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of wine, which he brings back, sitting beside me.
“I’m sorry,” he says again.
“What for?”
“Embarrassing you. I didn’t mean to. I should have taken some clean clothes into the bathroom with me.”
“Please don’t apologize. I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked it.”
I can feel myself blush, but I don’t care. I may not have an obvious way of showing him what he does to me, but he needs to know.
He bites on his bottom lip, trying not to smile.
“What did you like?” he says.
“What I saw.”
“You wanna see some more?” His voice is low and gravelly, and I shudder, that familiar heat pooling at my core and tingling, no matter how hard I clench my thighs. I suck in a breath, but before I can reply, he shakes his head. “Sorry. I’m not playing fair.” He leans in and kisses me, holding the back of my head with one hand, while the other creeps around my waist, his tongue darting into my mouth, and finding mine. If that wasn’t playing fair, what’s this? Kissing me into submission? Even if it is, I certainly don’t want him to stop. I sigh in to him and, as though he can sense my need, he pushes me onto my back, settling between my parted legs, his hand roaming down my side, caressing the swell of my breast. I can feel his arousal pressing into me. It feels long and hard, and I wish he hadn’t bothered to get dressed now. He must be uncomfortable in jeans, but I don’t have the courage to suggest he takes them off.
He breaks the kiss, sucking on my bottom lip, which makes my stomach flip over and over, until he pulls back, raising himself above me, and staring down into my eyes.
“If I’m gonna wait for you, I guess I’d better find something else to do for a while.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“I was thinking about dinner,” he says with a smile. I sigh out my disappointment, and his smile widens to a grin. “Did you have something else in mind?”
“Maybe.”
He chuckles, shaking his head, and bends to kiss me again, keeping it brief, before he kneels up, and then stands and offers his hand. I can’t hide my confusion as he pulls me to my feet and into his arms, and he looks down at me.
“You still wanna take it slow… right?”
“I don’t know. I think so. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“I liked what we were doing.”
He laughs, pulling me closer. “So did I, and we can do some more later.”
“But we have to stop for now?” I ask and he rests his forehead against mine.
“We do if I’m gonna stay sane.”
I thought I might help Tanner cook, but he insisted on doing it all himself while I watched… which I have to say was just as much fun. He made us a stir-fry, and I’m relieved by how quick and easy it was to prepare, and once we’ve eaten it, he clears away the dishes and returns to me on the couch, pulling me into his arms.
