“We’ll be down in a minute,” I said.
He nodded and disappeared.
I turned back to Tanner. “You want to go to movie night?”
He looked around the room again, at all his things arranged so carefully, at the space I’d created just for him. Then he looked back at me.
“Yeah,” he said. “But can we come back here after? I want to break in the new space.”
The heat in his eyes told me exactly what he meant, and I felt my body respond immediately.
“We can definitely do that, bud.” I pulled him close for one more kiss. “Now come on. Let’s go eat before Harlan comes up here to yell at us instead of sending someone as a messenger.”
As we headed downstairs, his hand firmly in mine, I felt that same sense of rightness settle over me.
This was what I’d been waiting for. This connection, this trust, this beautiful boy who was letting me take care of him.
And I was going to make sure he never regretted it.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Tanner
Movie night had been exactly what I needed.
We’d all piled into the living room—me and Simon, Griffin and Harlan, Ashley and Cory, Elton and Bobby Allen, Beau and Jackson, even Sean and Atticus had joined for a while before disappearing upstairs. The movie was some action thing that I barely paid attention to, too focused on the way Simon’s arm felt around my shoulders, the way his thumb traced idle patterns on my upper arm.
When it ended, everyone started dispersing to their various rooms and cabins. Simon stood and offered me his hand, pulling me to my feet.
“Ready for bed, bud?” he asked.
I nodded, exhaustion pulling at me. It had been another full day—good, but full.
Upstairs, I went through my nighttime routine in the bathroom, marveling again at seeing my own products on the counter. Simon had brought everything, which made this place feel like home in a way my place rarely ever did.
When I came out, he was already in bed, propped against the headboard with a book in his lap. He’d changed into sleep pants and nothing else, and I had to force myself not to stare at his bare chest.
“Come here,” he said, setting the book aside and patting the space next to him.
I climbed in beside him, and he immediately pulled me close, arranging me against his chest like I belonged there. Which I guess I did now.
“Thank you for today,” I murmured. “For the room, for the ride, for everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me every time I do something for you,” he said gently. “Taking care of you is what I want to do.”
“I know, but I still want to say it.” I tilted my head to look up at him. “No one’s ever done things like this for me before.”
His expression softened. “Then they were all fools.”
I yawned, exhaustion weighing me down now that I was still in the comfort of his arms. While I’d definitely wanted to break in the room like we’d said, I could tell my eyes wouldn’t stay open long enough to do so. And while the idea of sleepy sex was great, I wanted to be fully present when he slid inside me.
“Someone’s sleepy, huh?” he asked.
“A little—” My words were interrupted by yet another big yawn.
There was a short burst of laughter, and then he said, “Seems like you need sleep more than anything. We have plenty of time for other activities.”
