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That one small gesture, a touch of affection, was more than anyone had shown me. My heart swelled. I turned my hand over and laced our fingers together. “You’re pretty much the only person who thinks so.”
“The waitress also thinks you’re great.”
I laughed. “Well, if you like me, then I must be doing something right.”
“I do.” It was almost a whisper, as if she was afraid to admit it.
What is she so afraid of? “I like you, too, Charlotte.”
She looked down at our hands. “You didn’t really want to be just friends, did you?”
I smirked, leaning toward her. “Just about as much as you wanted to be mine.”
Her cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t deny it. She was smiling, too.
Charlotte
The contented smile sprawled across Tanner’s face as he drove me home made his shadowy eyes twinkle. From his long black lashes to his full lips, he was so handsome it made my heart ache—and the boy was charming. He exuded charisma with every word he spoke. Our waitress seemed to be entranced while taking our order, and I had to suppress a giggle. I understood. I didn’t know it was possible to sound that sexy ordering food.
More than just looks, though, he had the heart of a lion. He was an incredibly selfless and caring human being. Only, he had no idea. He sacrificed so much for his family, yet he never felt good enough. I wanted to make him feel good enough. I wanted him to see what I saw.
Opening doors and bringing me flowers were romantic gestures that had taken me by surprise. This Tanner was a far cry from the violent version I’d caught a glimpse of. Yet, I knew it was still inside him. Tonight, I realized that he was not one or the other—he was both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
We arrived at my apartment, and Tanner insisted on walking me to the front door of my building.
I turned to face him. “You’re sweet. You didn’t have to get out. We could’ve just said goodbye in the car.”
“A gentleman always walks his lady to her door. Besides”—he smiled and touched his hand to my cheek—“if I didn’t walk you here then I couldn’t give you a proper good-night kiss.”
All I could hear was the blood pulsing in my ears. I’d known this moment was coming, and I was foolish to let it get to this point. I wasn’t supposed to get too close to anyone. Kissing him would make everything that much harder. I knew I shouldn’t. But I want to. My entire body ached with want for Tanner. No matter how hard I fought it, something kept pulling me toward him.
Tanner leaned in and I was frozen where I stood, stuck inside my head. He kissed me with the softest lips. It was gentle and sweet, exactly how he’d been with me the entire night. He pulled back, and he took my breath with him.
“This is the part where you say good night and walk inside,” Tanner whispered, our faces inches apart.
I should listen to him. But my lips were tingling, and I wanted more. I looked into his eyes and swallowed hard. “Kiss me again.”
Tanner pulled me against his body and his lips crashed into mine. I dropped my purse and the flowers onto the concrete, stretching onto my toes as I gripped the back of his neck. His tongue rushed inside my mouth, and I felt it throughout my entire body. His hands were lost in my hair as our tongues swirled together in perfect unison.
His passion, this incredible sense of urgency, radiated off him and it poured over me. He kissed me as if my kiss was all he needed to survive. I’d never been kissed like that before. All the cliché descriptions of a spectacular first kiss became my reality: dizzy, heart racing, weak in the knees, and definitely fireworks—the entire grand finale of the Macy’s Fourth of July display.
We lost track of time, lost in each other. I jumped when I heard my neighbor’s yappy dog on her nightly walk a few feet from us.
“Damn dog,” Tanner muttered, grinning and breathless.
I giggled. “You should hear her in the morning.” I took a step backwards and kicked my purse onto its side. I knelt down, but froze. Oh my God. No!
“Is that …?” Tanner bent over to get a closer look. “Is that what I think it is?”
My gun was on the ground amidst the spilled contents of my bag. I quickly shoved it back inside along with everything else and stood up. “It’s nothing.”
“That’s not nothing. That’s a gun.”
“Everyone has a gun down south.” I laughed nervously. I knew he could tell I was lying, but I didn’t know what else to say.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you in trouble?”
“No. Really. It’s just for protection.”
