Page 22 of Tanner

Next, he grabs the purple paint and mixes white into it with a little bit of blue, creating this amazing lavender color. To my surprise, he skips over my naked breasts and starts on my neck, clavicle, and down my arms. Painting more roses.

Down one arm, he uses a fine script for the word Enchantment, and on the other, he scrolls First Sight. Questions flood my head on the meaning of all this, but I try not to overthink things.

That’s the old me. The new me, the tonight me, will live in the moment and not question anything, especially when it comes to Tanner.

As he cleans his brush, his eyes roam over his work and then meet with mine. Both of us knowing the only place left are my breasts. He pauses, making sure I’m okay with what’s next.

I hold my chin high, slightly pushing my breasts out, giving him my approval.

He rewards me with a kiss before grabbing the green paint and starting in on my breasts. To my dismay, he doesn’t take advantage of the situation. The brush caresses my skin, gliding around each nipple, sending me into a lust-filled frenzy that has me breathing in quivering exhales.

He paints me in the same dignified manner as when he painted my legs, but he can’t hide the way his pupils dilate and how his breathing has grown deeper and hurried. His resolve amazes me because I am slowly losing my own.

He’s so close yet so far away, and I’m dying for him to touch me with more than the paintbrush.

This time, he’s not painting roses but a meadow of greens and yellows with a sky bright in the background. Until he gets to my heart, where he paints one single red rose with the word Love wrapped around it.

I’m officially done for. Lying here, I’m painted from neck to toe in the most beautiful piece of art I’ve ever seen. I should continue to stare down at my own body and what he has created of it, but I can’t.

I can’t take my eyes off of him.

Off of Tanner.

Off of this mysterious man who has turned my world upside down in a matter of a few hours.

He leans back on his knees and looks down at his masterpiece.

“Beautiful,” he says. His eyes rake over my skin, hugging every curve and cherishing every vibrant color. When he lands on my face and gazes into my eyes, he lets out a breath I didn’t know he was holding.

I lean up on my knees. I know the paint is still wet, but I can’t lie here any longer. With my body now just inches from his, I place my palm on his face.

“Beautiful,” I whisper as my hand skims down the side of his golden skin, feeling the rough stubble of his jaw.

I raise the other hand, bring it to his shirt, and give it a little tug. He raises his brows, and I nod.

This is what I want.

He lifts his arms as I pull the shirt over his head and stare at his body—all taut with rippling muscles beneath. I lay my palms on his silken skin and feel every hard edge. His physique is that of the gods, a statuesque monument that should be put on display in a museum. His body shakes as my hands travel to his well-defined abs.

“Beautiful,” I sigh.

My fingers land on his belt buckle, and I look back at him, asking for his approval. His eyes smile a little as he undoes it himself.

I bite my lip as I lower the zipper.

His hands slide onto the sides of my face as he holds me still. He looks like he wants to say something.

My body is flush, my pulse is racing, and my hands can’t seem to control themselves. I don’t give him a chance to speak as I smash my lips against his and kiss him. His words swallowed by my desire.

I’ve been loved. I’ve been forgotten. Until this very moment, I’ve never known what it’s like to be loved upon. To be breathed into and to fall into another.

His hands roam my body and tightly pull me into him. The paint on my body swirls onto his skin, and neither of us seems to mind.

My back hits the pillows, and Tanner is on top of me. I push his jeans down his body as he kicks off his shoes. My legs are wrapped around his waist, and we’re a tangle of tongues and touches.

His mouth moves to the side of my neck and kisses the sensitive skin, making my head drop back. I’m completely lost to his touch.

When he comes back up, I let my own mouth roam over his chest and suck on the skin over hardened muscle. Then, I settle on his nipples. He groans and then pinches my own. It forces me to find his mouth and devour him once again.