Still The One - Carrie Elks Page 0,47

eyes, and his total belief in her.

“The way you look at me,” he whispered. “God, Van.”

All her words were gone. Caught in her chest that was squeezed so tight it was a surprise she could even breathe.

It was always him. Yes it was. And no matter how much she fought that, she would always lose.

His hands tightened around her, his fingers digging into her back. “You make my heart race like nothing and no one else,” he told her, closing his eyes and breathing her in.

Softly, slowly, he brushed his lips against hers, making her body sing in delight. Sliding his hand to cup the back of her head, he deepened the kiss, his lips needy and demanding, his tongue sliding against hers until they were both aching and breathless.

She looped her hands around his neck, rolling onto the balls of her feet to get closer. He walked forward, maneuvering her until the backs of her knees hit the soft surface of her mattress. Without conscious thought, they bent, until she was laying on the bed, Tanner’s strong, long body hovering over hers.

Not once did they break the kiss.

She wasn’t sure it was possible. Having his lips on hers felt as essential as breathing. He filled her up, emotions shooting through her chest, her stomach, her thighs.

When he finally pulled back, he looked as dazed as she felt. His eyes were bright, almost manic, his lips reddened by the friction they’d created. His hair was a glorious mess thanks to her demanding fingers, pointing this way and that. The same way it had when they were kids and he hadn’t learned to tame it.

She reached up to press the craziest of his locks down. His eyes scanned her face, as though he was looking for the answer to a question he hadn’t asked. She felt a jolt of electricity, along with the strangest emotion he’d brought out in her today.

Humor. God, this felt funny. Kissing Tanner Hartson after all these years. She tried to bite down the laughter, but it kept rising up, curling her lips and making her eyes crinkle.

“Are you laughing at me?” He pretended to frown.

She bit her lips together. “No.”

He grinned and slid his nose against hers again. She didn’t know what it was about that move, but it did something to her. Made every muscle in her body contract with the need for him.

“I think you are,” he whispered, tracing a line with his finger across the bottom of her throat. “I think you find me funny.”

“Not you, the situation.” Another cough of laughter excaped. “One minute I’m arguing with Chrissie Fairfax, the next I’m making out with you on my childhood bed. It’s like I fell asleep and woke up in 2010.”

“Coming home will do that to you. Make you feel like a kid.”

“Or a teenager.”

His grin widened. “Touché.” He kissed the corner of her lip. “Wanna make out like teenagers all night?”

She slid her hands up his back, pulling him closer. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“I’m asking.” He slid his hands over the swell of her behind, then pulled her against him, leaving her with no doubt of how excited he was.

“And I’m saying yes.” She circled her legs around his waist, anchoring herself against him.

“Okay,” he murmured, pressing his lips to hers. “Shut up and let me kiss you again.”

Chapter Seventeen

Tanner drank Van in with his eyes as she lay on her bed. Her golden hair was fanned out around her like a halo, framing her heated eyes and swollen lips. Lifting himself on the mattress, he caged her in with his arms, kissing his way up her neck, her jaw, until his lips were on hers again.

She tasted so good. Even better than he’d remembered. Her tongue was soft against his, delicately teasing him, making him harder than he’d ever felt before. Sliding her hands beneath his t-shirt, Van feathered her fingers up his skin, making him gasp against her lips.

Much more of this and he’d be in so deep he wasn’t sure he’d make it to the surface again.

He needed to see her. All of her. Curling his fingers around her t-shirt, he tugged until her stomach was exposed, soft and smooth as he caressed it with his palms. He dipped his head down to press his lips against her skin, smiling when he heard her sigh.

Pushing her t-shirt up further, he kissed his way up her torso, until he reached the edge of her lacy bra. He glanced up,