Tanner sat back, twisting in his seat to better face me. There was something incredibly intoxicating about being the center of his focus. My skin prickled as heat built low in my core. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice you at that wedding,” he said in that deep timbre that caused a shiver to course through me. It almost sounded as if he wanted to kick himself for missing me that night.
My brows rose to my hairline. “Given the fact you were there as my friend’s date, I think it’s a good thing you didn’t,” I teased.
His smile stretched a bit wider. “Of course. But I think it’s clear Ivy and I were only meant the be friends from the very beginning. I ran into her, her husband, and their cute little girl the same morning I met you. They couldn’t have possibly looked happier”
“Yeah, they are,” I agreed, my heart giving a happy little squeeze for Ivy and her beautiful family. There was no chance Ivy would have been half as happy with anyone else as she was with Connor. “If I’m being honest, I kind of kept my distance from you that night. You were just so”—I waved my hand up anddown, indicating all of him—“you. And in a suit too. I was way too shy to approach you.”
The cocky smile he wore made him even sexier. “So what you’re saying is you think I’m hot.”
That flirty, teasing vibe he was giving off was infectious, and I couldn’t help but flirt back. “I think you know you’re hot.”
He leaned in close and crooked his finger for me to do the same. “I know something else too,” he said softly, like he was sharing a secret.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
The playfulness faded from his eyes, his expression growing earnest. When he spoke next, his voice was low and gritty, like his throat had been rubbed with sandpaper, and it dripped with the promise of something I didn’t want to ignore. “I know that if I don’t kiss you soon, I’m going to lose my mind, because I’ve spent all night desperate to know what you taste like.”
I swallowed, my entire body erupting with tingles at his confession. “Tanner,” I breathed, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest.
He lifted a hand, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before trailing the pad of his finger down across my jawline. “Yeah, Sunshine?”
“Kiss me.”
He did not need to be told twice.
Chapter Nine
Tanner
Icouldn’t have stopped myself if I wanted to. Not that I did. The woman had been tempting me all damn night simply by existing. She was funny and smart and had the biggest heart. It showed in how she talked about her family and friends. When she cared, she cared big, and that made her even sexier. How I’d managed to wait this long without kissing her proved I was even stronger than I thought. Until the very moment she gave me the green light.
With her requested kiss, I snapped. The instant my mouth crashed down on hers, I knew I was done for. A deep, needy groan ripped from my throat. My tongue came out, running across her bottom lip, and as soon as her mouth opened, I dove in.
She tasted like sunshine and sin. Like strawberries covered in rich dark chocolate. My hands came up to tangle in her silky hair, and damn if it didn’t feel even softer than I’d imagined. I tangled my fingers deep, using my grip to tip her head back farther so I could take the kiss deeper. The little whimperscoming from her made me hard enough to pound nails, and when she fisted my shirt in her delicate hands to pull me closer, it took everything in me not to lay her out on the table so I could have my way with her.
As badly as I wanted to drown in this woman, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep from ripping her clothes off. “Mmm, sweetheart.” I forced myself to end the kiss, both of us breathing heavily as I pressed my forehead against hers. “We have to slow down or I’m going to lose my mind.”
She chased after my lips, her eyes glassy with lust. “Me too.”
I cupped her cheeks to keep her in place. “I don’t want to take this too fast.”
Holly nodded and tried pulling me in again. “Fast. Good. Let’s go fast.”
“No, baby, just listen.” I grabbed her wrists and pulled them away so I could straighten up. I attempted a deep, calming breath, hoping it would get my throbbing dick under control, but all that did was fill my lungs with her citrus and spice scent. “I don’t want to scare you off by moving faster than you’re comfortable with.” The only thing I wanted more than to be buried deep inside of her at that very moment was to know I’d get to see her again. I couldn’t risk running her off because I moved too quickly.
“Tanner?”
I blinked, managing to clear a bit of the lustful fog from my brain. “Yeah, Sunshine?”
“Screw slow.”
A sound like a record scratch blasted between my ears. “What?”
Her gaze was more focused than it had been a second ago. “I don’t want to go slow, and you’re absolutely not going to scare me off. I promise.” She grabbed me by the face, squishing mycheeks together as she declared, “Believe me when I tell you I want this.”
All rational thought flew right out the window in that instant, and I lunged. She let out a yelp when my hands spanned her waist and I hauled her out of her chair and into my lap. Our lips clashed together, and the only thought flying through my brain was that I would gladly drown in this woman.
Holiday
