Still The One - Carrie Elks Page 0,65

so stupid she couldn’t steal money if she tried.”

God, he was odious. “I trust Van implicitly,” Tanner said, shrugging him off.

“Wait! Did you check out that house Regan emailed you? I’ve had a couple of other interested parties.”

“I’m thinking about it,” Tanner told him. Without saying goodbye, Tanner stalked across the pathway, past the bandstand and the benches, to where his car was parked on the far side of the square. Wrenching the door open, he sat down heavily in the driver’s seat and let out a sigh.

Is this what Van dealt with every day? Sneaky words and pointed judgement? People comparing her to her mom? No wonder she wanted to fly under the radar.

He hated that they didn’t see her the way he did.

Switching the ignition on, he pulled from the parking space onto the road, steering his car in the direction of the drive-in. And as the town disappeared behind him, he felt his muscles relax and a slow, steady breath escape from his lips.

Every roll of the wheels took him closer to her, and though it had only been a few hours since he escaped from her room, he couldn’t wait to see her again.

She was worth a hundred of all of them – the judgers and the haters.

She was everything.

And now that he had her, he wasn’t planning on letting her go.

“Hey,” a soft voice broke through her dream, making Van blink her eyes as she sat up in bed. “You fell asleep.”

Tanner was walking across her bedroom, her curtain still swaying from his climb through the window. She stretched her arms up and smiled at him. “What time is it?”

“Only eleven. Am I wearing you out already?” He pulled his shoes off, then his t-shirt, followed by his jeans. She lifted the bedcovers and he climbed in, wearing only his shorts.

“I was up early this morning,” she reminded him. “Thanks to your alarm.”

“Yeah, well Aunt Gina’s getting suspicious. And I can’t stand the way Becca smirks every time she looks at me. I need to get home before any of them are up.”

He pulled her against him, then rolled her over on the mattress, adopting their usual position with him spooning her. His arms were warm, his biceps hard against her sides. She tipped her head back and breathed him in.

“And it doesn’t look at all suspicious when you saunter in at six a.m.? I’m sure you’re fooling every single one of them.”

“You’re the one who insists I leave before the town wakes up,” he pointed out. She could feel him grin against her hair. “And anyway, we won’t have to do this for much longer. I’ve found a place to rent.”

“You have?” She tipped her head back to look at him.

“Yup.” He lifted an eyebrow. “No more sneaking out, no more banging my head every time I climb through your damn window.”

“You should have stopped growing at fourteen. You wouldn’t have that problem then.”

He chuckled. “I might make you climb through my window. Just for fun and giggles.”

“Who says I’m coming to your place?” she asked, biting down a grin. “Maybe I prefer staying here.”

“I say you are,” he told her, pressing his lips to her shoulder. “I can’t sleep without you.”

“Just what every girl dreams of hearing. That she puts the guy she likes to sleep.”

He kissed her neck. “I like the things we do when we’re awake, too.” Sliding his fingers beneath the hem of her tank, he feathered them up her side. He was hard against her, his desire a reflection of her own. He only had to touch her and she felt like she was on fire.

So far they’d done everything, with one exception. The big one. The one that set her heart racing and her mind reeling. At twenty-eight years old, it made her feel like a teenager afraid to take that final step. Teetering on the edge, then stepping back, so afraid that when she let go she’d tumble.

Until she met rocky ground.

“Where’d you go?” Tanner murmured, brushing her soft hair from her face. “I lost you for a minute.”

“I was thinking.”

“What about?”

“Sex.”

He coughed out a laugh, and she turned quickly, slapping her palm over his mouth. “Shh,” she reminded him. “Zoe’s across the hall.”

“You surprised me,” he told her, his lips caressing her hand. “I wasn’t expecting such a blunt reply.” She released her hold on his mouth, and his lips immediately curled into a grin. “Tell me exactly what kind of sex you were thinking about.”

God,