But then she gives my hand a squeeze.
Honesty.
I promised her.
“I heard the men break in—two of them. I heard them arguing. I was fourteen years old and I was scared at first, terrified. I hid in my room but then I heard Mom scream and I just went into autopilot. I ran down the stairs and I fought with those motherfuckers. I don’t remember much of it, just snippets, blood-red fucking vignettes. I fought with them and even if one cut me – giving me this scar – I won. And by won I mean I killed them both. My mother was already dead. My dad lay dying from his injuries.”
I shiver as a weight I didn’t even realize I’ve been carrying around this whole time is lifted from my burdened back and sent scattering into the star laden sky.
“Jesus,” I whisper, letting out a strangled laugh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so graphic.”
“Hey,” she teases lightly. “What did we say about the S-word?”
I turn to her, unable to stop the smirk from touching my lips. “Fair enough. But I never thought I’d tell anybody this. It feels … different. I don’t know. I feel freer.”
“You did what you had to do,” Tess says, making circles around my knuckles with her delicate touch, a touch I’d die before I let go. “You know that, right?”
“I don’t care about those men,” I say. “Killing changed me, I guess. It made me colder, more distant. Perhaps part of me cares about that. But the bastards who killed my parents? No, I don’t give a fuck. The only thing I regret is not getting down there before they did what they did.”
“You were scared, Tanner,” she says firmly. “That’s not your fault, either.”
I grunt gruffly. “Say what you want, but the fact is if I went down there sooner—”
“You could’ve died. You don’t know what would’ve happened if you went down there sooner.”
She leans over and brings her face close to mine, washing me with her just-Tess scent. I stare back into her understanding eyes, seeing deep wells of acceptance there, the sort of acceptance I never dreamed this news would prompt.
“What happened, happened,” she says. “We can’t change the past, only the future. Writers, we … we get lost, don’t we? Our curse is to think too deeply and—listen to me.” She laughs, cutting herself off. “I say writers like everybody else doesn’t overthink and have regrets. Maybe it’s just part of being human. But if you let it consume you, Tanner, you won’t be able to even wake up in the morning.”
“How did I get so lucky?” I growl, grabbing her hips and dragging her into my lap where she belongs. “I’m so damn glad that you’re such an amazing writer. That the second I read your story I knew I had to have you in my class.”
“I’ll always be here for you,” she whispers, moving her hand over my jawline, down to my neck. Her touch is electric and awakens my animal lust, a constant cacophony of desire each time we come into contact. “Whatever we face, Tanner, we can do it together.”
I slide my hands up her back and through her luxurious hair, savoring the way she shivers against me, savoring the way her eyes seem to shine with the starlight.
“Tess,” I murmur. “I think it’s time I took you back to the bedroom.”
“Really?” she says, her voice pitched in a faux innocent way. “And what on earth would we do in there, if I may be so bold to ask?”
I slide my hands down, toward her hips, and then grip her sides with a devilish smirk on my face.
“I didn’t get to ask you something very important in the restaurant,” I say, using some fake innocence of my own.
“What did you want to know?” she asks.
“Well … are you ticklish?”
Her eyes widen as she realizes what I’m about to do, and then she leaps to her feet with me chasing after her, both of us laughing like crazy, both of us completely immersed in the other.
Forever, this woman is forever.Chapter NineteenTess“Thanks so much for taking care of him,” I say, leaning against the balcony with the morning sunlight shining down on me.
My chest feels light and airy, filled with optimism for the future.
And my sex is all achy from last night.
I get shivers just thinking about what happened after Tanner tickled me into the bedroom, the way we fell upon each other like wild animals.
I sat on top of him this time, sinking deeply onto his cock, sliding and then bouncing, the robe all tangled around my hips and my breasts, both of us writhing and singing a tune of pure unfiltered lust.
I have to forcibly tug myself back to the present, the memory is so powerful.