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“No, that’s not it. I’m fine with that, but did you call me his girlfriend?” Why did it sound weird coming out of someone else’s mouth?
She huffed out a laugh, and checked out her chipped, blue painted nails, picking off the parts that were flaking. “Oh please, I've known Tanner my whole life–including the 9 months he took up too much space in the womb–and he doesn't do casual. You're either his girlfriend, or he has every intention ofmakingyou his girlfriend. He's just going at your pace. Honestly, the boy has the patience of a Saint.” She lifted her brow, and I could tell she was biting back a response, but I didn't question her, because I didn’t want to hear about girls that came before me.
“Going at my pace?” I repeated, wanting to laugh because I guessed fingering made things more official than I was really prepared for. Dry humping and fingering. If Thea wasn’t staring at me, I’d be hiding my face in embarrassment at the mere thought of it.
“Oh, God. Stop.” Thea crushed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hands.
“What?”
“You're thinking about Tanner, aren't you? You’re blushing and smiling like you’re remembering something he said.” She paused and scrambled off the bed. “Or did. I can’t do this.”
I watched her skitter out of the room like her ass was on fire and laughed.
“It’s not my fault,” I called after her. “You mentioned it to me first.”
With that, she slammed the door with so much attitude that the room shook. I didn’t care. I just laughed and attempted to read my textbook.
As I walked into the library, I smiled, because Tanner was already sitting in our usual seat. Ten minutes early, no less. Walking over to him, the only thing I could see was his spikey blonde bun because the rest of him was hidden by short bookshelves surrounding the table. The seclusion was one of the major draws for that space, and I was surprised no one had ever tried to fight me for him.
Pride emanated from my chest when I saw that he was reading something and not checking his phone. I knew he was taking this whole tutoring thing a lot more seriously than Connor, but I didn't expect him to be so into it, and to be doing so well, for that matter.
“Hey.” I dropped my book bag and sat in the chair beside him. “You're here early?”
It took him a few seconds to look up because he was so engrossed in his book. Had I changed him this much in a few short weeks?
When he saw me, he grinned, and shut the book so his hand was covering the front. “Hey, Teach,” he said with a self-satisfied smirk.
I groaned, knocking his knee with mine under the table. “Are you going to call me Teach forever? Because I thought now that we’re officially not fake dating, you’d at least have come up with a more original nickname.”
“Starburst?” He threw out there almost instantly.
I cringed, shaking my head.
“Red?”
I wanted to throttle him, and he knew it just from my facial expression. Chuckling, he draped his arm over my chair and pulled it so we were side by side. So close, we were almost touching, and all the memories from last night came flooding back like a tsunami.
I wanted to be that close to him again, and as much as I didn’t want to break my rule of no fun in the library, as his hand swept across my thigh, I knew I was in the dangerous territory of throwing my morals out the window.
“Aren't you going to ask me what I was reading before you showed up?” He said, wiggling his eyebrows in mischief. He pushed my hair to the side, kissing me there, and I hated it was so easy for him to make me melt. I immediately dipped my chin, giving him better access, but he didn’t give me anymore.
“What are you reading, Tanner?” It came out low and husky and I didn’t know what had gotten into me. Tanner had made me crave something I never expected before. Something that only he could satisfy.
I put my hand over his, and tried to brush it off the book it was resting on, but he dragged it away, holding it at a distance.
“Well, since you spoke so passionately about those books I bought you, I figured I might as well give your favorite a read.”
It took me a few seconds to realize which one he was referring to, and then I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from crying in embarrassment.
“I thought you said they weren’t that spicy?”
I shifted in my seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Not because of what I read, but Tanner having intricate knowledge over it. “I mean, that’s one of the tamer books. It’s the story that really gripped me.”
“Oh, yeah? Did you like the game with the lemons too? Or the shower scene?”
I gulped, not sure how to answer that.
He whistled out and shucked his chin. “Don’t worry. I’m taking notes. You know what? It’s surprising because reading used to be tough, but this book has me sold.” He pushed his finger into the center of the book. “The writing is riveting.”
