“Jesus,” he murmurs.
I close my eyes, circling my hips. He pushes into me again, and my heels dig into the mattress. My impatience to move faster grows with every thrust. Our bodies slide along while our mouths devour one another in a slow melody of kisses. When his hands finger through my hair and he gazes down at me with passion and desire, I soar higher. The buildup from the ecstasy rises, and I’m seconds away from reaching my orgasm, the faster he thrusts into me. Tanner finishes me off by rapidly pumping into me over and over again.
“Tan,” I sigh.
His hands reach down, grabbing my ass to reach the limits of my depth. My nerves flutter feverishly like a million little butterflies struggling to release from a jar, until I’m free.
“God, Piper. I love you,” he says softly as he stills inside me.
We lie on the bed, my body snuggling next to his hard one. I take shallow breaths as his fingers graze up and down my bare spine.
“Thank you, Piper,” he whispers.
I pick up my head, my chin resting on his chest. “It wasn’t our first time.”
“It kind of was.” He stares down at me with lovingly soft eyes. “You finally gave me all of you. All the other times, you were holding something back.”
With a small smile on my face, my heart warms with how well this man knows me. “I was but not anymore. Just please—”
His finger moves up, stopping in front of my lips. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ve waited a long time for you, Piper, and I’m not about to ruin it.”
He confirms that I am different from the other girls. The fact that he’s waited for me as long as I have for him elates me to the umpteenth degree. On cloud nine with his confession, I lay my head back down on his rising and falling chest. Committing his heartbeat to memory, I wrap my arms a little tighter around his waist.
“I love you, Piper, and that’s not going to just disappear,” he continues.
I’m not sure my heart can handle any more of his confessions.
“I love you, too, Tanner,” I whisper.
“You have all of me.” The permission I’m giving him to grab a hold of every thing I possess—my body, my mind, and most importantly, my heart—doesn’t seem as scary when I lie in his arms.
Isn’t that the problem? Tanner has been a safety net for me for most of my life. He’s kept me grounded with my swimming and worked with me when I needed his encouragement. Most of all, with his presence alone, I never worry about anything, except for one thing—the amount of want that gushes from my pores. I can’t lose that if a love relationship goes south.
nine
I RUSH UP THE FLIGHT of stairs and bend over to catch my breath while my trembling finger blindly searches for the doorbell. Not finding it, there’s no choice but to lift my head while still heaving from my sprint. After I press the black button, my feet tap back and forth, impatiently waiting for the sound of his footsteps on the other side of the door.
Why didn’t I just use my key? Because this time is different.
This isn’t Brad’s sister coming to study, cook dinner, or chat about last night’s episode of Breaking Bad. Nope, this is Piper Ashby secretly escaping to Tanner McCain’s apartment for an afternoon quickie before her brother¸ Brad Ashby, returns from swim practice.
My teeth nail my bottom lip down as my head flickers from right to left, praying like hell my brother doesn’t round the corner from the stairwell or elevator. We should have done this impromptu meeting at my apartment, but my roommate, Wendi, is the head of the gossip ring at Michigan University. It’s hard to believe that the better alternative is to have sex with my brother’s best friend ten feet from his bedroom.
I’ve known Tanner my whole life, and I’ve probably loved him the same amount of time. Although, I didn’t admit it to myself until middle school when the bottle stopped spinning on Gretchen Hinkle, and I witnessed those soft lips I’d craved cover her disgusting overly pink glossed ones. My heart was crushed when I saw her snake her tongue into his mouth, but even worse was witnessing him welcome it with his hot and horny pubescent one. When Parker Nichols’s turn came up and his spin landed on me for the second time, I tried to make Tanner jealous. Unfortunately, when I attempted to jolt a full-blown make-out session, Parker wasn’t interested. Always being known to be the prudent and shiest guy in Kendall Middle School, Parker didn’t welcome my slutty advances. When I turned around to go back to my spot in the circle, I hid the smile pulling at the corners of my lips. Tanner’s unwavering emerald eyes were glued on mine, and his chest heaved with every breath. That was when I knew, I wasn’t just his best friend’s twin sister anymore.
Finally, what seems like a lifetime later, I’m pulled from my thoughts when Tanner opens the door. I reflexively lick my lips, admiring his bare chest and faded jeans hanging off his hips. Those appraising eyes peer down at me with an insidious grin splashed across his face.
“What are you waiting for? For someone to see you?” He laughs.
As his hand passes the threshold of the door, my nerves zing from only the anticipation of his touch. Those tingles quickly morph into shocks when his fingers entwine with mine, and he forcefully yanks my body into his.
My palms land on his chiseled chest, and my face gingerly looks up to him as he holds me in his arms. My safety and happiness shouldn’t be wrapped up in Tanner McCain, the sweet next-door neighbor who’s turned bad boy over the years. Ever since we started college, a live-on-the-edge and deal-with-consequences-later persona burst from his seams until it was all he encompassed—a guy who drove fast, drank hard, and bore a confident swagger, making every girl want to throw their panties at him.
“What on earth is up with you?” He backs us up into the small two-bedroom apartment he shares with my brother.
Every nerve becomes aware of his presence once the click of the door signals it has shut behind us. Excitement and anxiety fills every void in me because, for the next hour, all of his attention is directed on me—at least until my brother returns. Then, we’ll be forced to revert back to the roles we’ve fulfilled since grade school—the one where we act similar to brother and sister rather than two horny teenagers ready to pounce on the other at every turn.
“Let’s go to your room.” I inch up on my toes and nip at his bottom lip.
The palms of his hands slide to my ass, and his trained muscles lift me up with ease. I wrap my legs around his stomach and then gasp.
“Shit, Tanner. I forgot. Your back.”
I unlock my ankles, but he holds me firm.
“It’s been two weeks. I’m good. Maybe not for a hundred-meter butterfly but enough to get you to the finish line.”
He chuckles his usual deep throat laugh, and I smile against his lips.
“Will you be back—”
“Piper, the last thing I want to talk about right now is swimming,” he cuts me off just like he has during the last two weeks.
“Then, let’s not waste any more time. Whisk me away to your bedroom, stud,” I joke.
He laughs again before his smile falters. “I’m thinking I don’t want to hide out anymore,” he admits.
My stomach plummets like an elevator dropping ten floors in a second, and I suck in a sharp breath.
“What? No, no, no,” I ramble.
He lowers me before pressing his finger lightly against my lips, effectively silencing me.
“Piper, I’m done. Brad will understand.”
He begins his argument of wanting to out us to my brother, but I shake my head and retreat to the safe confines of his room.
His bare feet stomp on the wooden floors behind me, and when I turn around, he leaves the door open. I shake my head, and hammer across the floor to shut it, flicking the lock over just to have double protection on the off chance that Brad comes home.