“I’m with you, Tanner. There’s nothing you could do that will make me walk away now. Especially when it comes to protecting the people you love.”
Tanner lets out a breath, his fingers gently moving across my skin. “If only it were that easy.”
Chapter 29
BRIELLE
Slight movement beneath me pulls me out of my sleep and my gaze locks on the clock across the room. 2:30 a.m.
A soft groan rumbles through my chest and I close my eyes again, determined to get back to sleep. I don’t do well with sleepless nights, especially on nights where the little sleep I had was broken and restless. The only thing that even made it possible to close my eyes was knowing that Tanner is out of that jail cell.
We spent most of our afternoon with Addison and Hudson, just trying to give her some semblance of a normal life. They watched movies and fucked around while I tried to concentrate on my homework, but that all went to shit when Riley and the twins pulled up and it somehow turned into a Wednesday afternoon rager. Hell, I suppose it doesn’t really matter what it turned into as long as it managed to put a smile on Addison’s face and got her mind off her rapist walking free. The same could be said for Tanner.
It took nearly two movies and having to listen to Riley explaining in explicit detail about his latest sexual conquest before I could convince Tanner to let me clean up his knuckles. He had a shower when he got home and did the boy version of first aid on them following that, but let’s be honest, he did a shitty job.
Tanner talked shit with the boys, and it didn’t go unnoticed that the topic of his lock-up went unmentioned, though something tells me that was intentional. Tanner isn’t a massive talker when it comes to discussing his feelings or the shitty things that happen to him. He’d prefer to lock it all down and move on, but I can’t help but notice how distant he’s felt all afternoon. Those few days in the police cell have scared him and, right now, I have no idea how deeply that runs. I don’t know if it was all that time being alone with his thoughts, or if something happened while he was there, but seeing him this rattled and not knowing why is killing me. He’ll talk to me when he’s ready, though. Until then, I won’t push him.
I feel that same movement beneath me and my head shifts on Tanner’s chest before I nuzzle into him again. His arm tightens around my waist, holding me closer, and a soft moan slips from between my lips. There’s simply nothing better than this. I could lay with Tanner Morgan every moment until forever and be the happiest girl who ever lived.
“You awake?” His soft rumbled tone flows through my dim room, nothing but the moonlight shining in through the open window I’ve always refused to close. You know, unless Tanner specifically did something that would have me yanking the blinds closed faster than Riley jumping at the chance to get his dick wet.
“Mmhmm,” I murmur, hitching my thigh up over his hip.
There’s a slight pause before his amused tone fills my room once again. “Interesting.”
Huh? Interesting? What the hell is interesting about being awake in the middle of the night?
Pulling my head up off his chest, I look up at him and my heart leaps right out of my chest, embarrassment crippling me. A smirk pulls across his lips, and I know exactly what’s on his mind as he holds not one, but two of my super-secret friends who live in the bottom drawer of my bedside table.
“Who would have known you were such a deviant little animal when fucking yourself?”
My face smooshes back into his chest, my cheeks flaming to the point of pain. Gripping the blanket, I pull it right up over my head, the embarrassment knowing no bounds, even more so when he presses the tiny little button on the vibrator and the soft buzzing sound fills the air. “Oh my God. Kill me now.”
Tanner laughs and tears the blanket straight back off me, sleep completely forgotten. “Don’t you dare hide from this,” he says, adjusting me on the bed so that my back is flat on the mattress, and he kneels between my legs, looking down at me. “I want to see how you use them.”
“What?” I question, my eyes widening while trying to remain quiet. After all, this isn’t exactly a conversation I want the whole house to overhear. “No way.”
“Come on, Killer. Don’t try and tell me you’re shy all of a sudden.”
Biting down on my lip, I groan as his thigh grinds against my clit. “I … I don’t even really use those ones anymore,” I mutter, watching as he presses his finger to the tip of the vibrator, feeling the way it gently sucks.