Page 117 of Wildest Dreams

“Do you, uh…” He breathes out a shaky laugh, pulling me closer against his side and weaving his strong fingers tighter through mine. “Do you still wanna see–?”

“Yes,” I say immediately, breathlessly, and he nods his head, eyes burning as they flash against mine.

He twists the handle and pushes the door open.

My free hand flies up to my chest, trying to subdue the warm clench around my heart as I take in the sight of the room before me.

The small furniture fixtures, like the wooden bedside cabinets and the large lounge pouf, that I hadn’t yet moved into place because I needed to construct the bed first have found their homes in the bedroom, framing the space and softening the angles of the A-frame with their natural placement. Their muted rustic colours make them seem as if they were here all along.

But most importantly? There resting against the centre of the side wall, at the perfect vantage point to watch the lake every morning and every night, is the fully-constructed master bed.

I don’t know whether it’s the fact that he built the bed on his own, the fact that he did it without me asking, or the fact that once he’d finished it, he’d taken it upon himself to dress the sheets in the deep emerald green bedding that I’d purchased, and carefully drape a long golden string of fairy lights that Ihadn’tpurchased along the headboard, that makes my heart squeeze the tightest.

I press my knuckles against the love-struck smile on my lips and decide that it’s all of those things combined.

“Tanner,” I breathe, stepping into the room. He keeps his thick fingers locked around mine, still standing against the doorjamb with his large shoulder resting against the wall. “This is so….”

I turn around to look up at him and his expression is cautious, almost shy. His eyes bounce between my face and the bed, his cheeks heating up warmer and warmer as he steals quick glances at me every three seconds.

“Perfect,” I finish at last, my voice light and soft. “This is so kind. You’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”

He grins and meets my eyes, his gaze dazzling and direct, and then he uses our still-joined hands to tug me towards him, his large chest immediately pressing warm and hard against mine.

“You like it?” he asks, his other hand wrapping around my hip so that he can haul me against him even tighter.

“I love it,” I admit, a little nervously, and his chest swells heavily as he squeezes my waist. I shudder against him and his eyelids drop, gaze flicking down to just below the high neckline of my sundress.

“Wasn’t sure if I was overstepping,” he murmurs, that large hand around my waist flattening against the curve of my lower back. I brush the knuckles of my free hand over his soft shirt, up his abdomen until I reach his chest. I caress his large pecs with my palm, before moving to his biceps, brushing my finger over his vein.

He’s huge, and I love it.

“You didn’t overstep,” I reassure him, grinning teasingly as I add, “until now,” pointing at the breached bedroom threshold and making him drop his head, laughing quietly. “No-one is this kind, Tanner, and I feel really grateful. This…”

I wave my hand in the direction of the bed and Tanner frowns and immediately grabs it, pressing it back against his muscles.

“This is the sweetest thing ever. You make me really happy.”

Tanner grunts, turning his head as his chest pumps faster, as if he can’t handle the words that I’m saying to him.

It makes me laugh quietly, adoration in my eyes as I gently capture his hard jaw in my hand to draw his attention back to me.

His eyes drop to mine, hooded and smouldering, before he swipes his tongue over his lower lip, in preparation for whatever he’s psyching himself up to say.

I swipe my thumb over his nipple and a deep laugh bellows out of him.

“Just say it,” I whisper to him, as he gently nudges the tip of his nose against mine. “Whatever it is that’s on your mind, you can say it.”

He pulls back up and then wraps his arm around my shoulders, bringing our joined hands to his mouth so that he can press a warm kiss against the top of it.

“I’m glad that I make you happy,” he rumbles finally, pressing our joined hands against his heart, looking at our locked fingers as he speaks. “Because making you happy is what makes me happy,” he finishes quietly.

My heart squeezes so tight that for the briefest moment I think it’s going to burst.

His striking eyes flick back to mine as he lifts up my hand to give it another kiss.

But that isn’t where I want his mouth anymore.

So I push my body more firmly against his, making his chest swell as his pupils completely dial out, and I ask him huskily, “Can we, like, kiss properly now?”

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