Page 88 of Tanner

I set her down on the bed, and she willingly leans back on her forearms. Standing tall at the foot of the bed, I take off my shoes.

“I never was one for relationships. I enjoy being the wallflower in the bar and watching people fall in and out of love on a nightly basis. I knew the right one would find me when I was ready. And you did. You came walking into the bar and knocked me on my ass. Your beauty was staggering, your kiss intoxicating, and when you followed me onto that subway, your words were life-altering.”

I unbutton my jeans and enjoy the sight of her eyes on me and not the movement of the zipper so I decide to leave them on for a moment. “I’ve been painting walls and abandoned doorways for years, looking to fill a void inside me. I was like the wick of a candle, blown out in a rain storm. A part of me was dead, singed. The fire that burned in your eyes the night you painted here, in this room, lit something inside me I hadn’t known existed.”

Leaning down, I untuck her shirt and run my hands under it, sliding it up her body and over her head.

“Even when you ghosted me, I still knew you were the one for me. I just needed to wait for you to realize it, too. I never had a doubt in my mind, and I never will.”

I place my lips on her forehead, her nose, and then her lips, working my way down her neck to her breast and biting through the fabric. She lets out the sweetest moan.

“You are the woman of my dreams.”

I slide my hands down her shoulders, lowering the cups of her bra so that her breasts are free. I run circles around her nipple with my tongue and knead the other with my hand. Her legs open with her cries.

“Your body drives me crazy.” I tilt my head to the side, so I can see her and lick her nipple at the same time. “One taste of you, and I knew I could never have enough. That’s why I didn’t have sex with you the first night. I was afraid you’d ruin me for any other women. The way your body ignited under my touch was enough to get me off for the rest of my life.”

I move to the other breast while I reach around with my right hand and unhook her bra from the back, pulling it forward and removing it completely.

“The first night we had sex was the best night of my life.” I run my tongue down her stomach, gripping her panties with my teeth. “I would have walked across broken glass just to touch you again. I almost got hit by a car, chasing after you the night you left me at the bar.”

Her head springs up, her eyes wide in surprise at the news until her head rolls back when I move my thumb daringly over the fabric covering her clit.

“Yes, I ran after you, but I was too late. God”—I slide her panties down her legs—“I was so mad at you, but most of all, I was distraught when the thought of never touching you again clicked in my brain. I didn’t care what you had just done or what you’d said. I knew I had to have you back.”

Her eyes soften, and she bites her quivering lower lip. I reach behind my neck and pull my shirt over my head.

“But you know what I have come to love most?”

She shyly sways her head.

I kneel down beside the bed, a man praying to the goddess before him. “You, Harper. I love you.”

Tears fall down her face again, but this time, they’re not in vain. I kiss them away.

On my right hand is a ring I wear every day. I take it off and place it in the palm of her hand. “This is my father’s wedding ring. He removed it the day after my mother’s funeral. When I asked him for it, he didn’t ask why. But, if he had, this is what I would have told him. He’d failed her. This ring symbolizes eternal love, something he did not provide for her. I wear it to symbolize the love someone was supposed to have for my mom forever. I swore to myself that I’d keep it until I found someone worthy, someone I could make the promise I scorned my father for not keeping.”

She inhales with a swallow. “What are you going to do with it when you meet that woman?”

Lifting the ring from her hand, I slide it on the ring finger of my left hand. “I’ve found that woman. One day, I promise, I will make you my wife. Until then, I don’t want anyone to question if my heart is taken. You own me in every aspect of the word.”

She takes my hand, kisses my ring, and then lays it against her cheek. “You surprise me at every turn. You asked before why I was so upset. I was angry with myself. Angry for thinking anything other than what we have is true love. I know it’s cheesy, but what we have is the thing romance novels are written about. I love you. It almost hurts to admit it out loud because, if anything were to ever happen to you, I would never be able to recover. My heart and soul are yours, Tanner Sexton. So, when you say I own you, I get it. You own me, too. All of me. If you want, I’ll tattoo your name on my finger to show everyone that you’re mine and I’m yours. Forever.”

If words could move heaven and earth, hers just did. I take my love into my hands and kiss her deep and long. She’s already gloriously naked, writhing underneath me.

I lean up, loving the feel of her hands as they run over my chest and down my stomach, following the path of the denim as it falls off my legs. I let her tug on the elastic of my boxer briefs and shed those as well.

I slowly slide inside her while my forehead rests against hers, looking her directly in the eyes. “I love this. I love the way your body welcomes me in, like I was made to be here. I love the way your touch makes me want to curl my toes and lose all control. I love the way my mind clears of everything but you when you’re around.”

I could go on, but Harper wraps her arms around my neck, pulling her lips to mine and kissing me while I glide in and out, making love to the woman I know will be my forever.

19

HARPER

There’s a buzzing sound.

I reach for my phone, which is usually under my pillow but it’s not there.