Page 43 of Wildest Dreams

I blink up at him in surprise, mostly shocked by how certain he seems, but then I recompose my expression and give him a little nod of my own. “Okay, yes. I think I will.”

I breathe out a shaky exhale and share awhat the fuck am I doing?look with Fallon. Her pursed little smile makes me think that maybe everything will be alright.

“See you Monday,” I say to her, before walking nervously toward Tanner’s cabin.

Because, like, what the actual fuck do I think that I’m doing? Tanner and I arenotfriends, no matter how… easy things felt yesterday morning. After what I learned about him four years ago there’s no way that I could ever feel settled with a guy like that.

Our ‘relationship’ is never going to get past the wholewe want completely different thingsthing, so why the hell is he acting so darn perfect right now?

And why am I using that as an excuse to get closer to him?

I knock softly on his front door and then press my forehead against the wood, my belly pounding with nerves over how much of a bad idea this is.

Stop trying to fix things. Just move on already.

After twenty seconds pass in silence I tap my knuckles against the door again, frowning at the wood as my anxiety turns to irritation.

I mean, regardless of him potentially being the handyman behind building my railing, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of him having a secret girlfriend – who, I quote, heloves. I didn’t actually get around to asking Fallon if Tanner was inside the cabinwithsomeone, even though I’m certain that she would have told me if he was.

Right?

Or should I… see for myself?

I stare down at the door handle, fingers twitching to give it a little shove.

I give it a solid three seconds and then, in the next moment, I’m inside.

My breath catches in my throat as I take in the sight before me, my hands automatically closing the front door, gently so that it doesn’t wake him.

Because there on the immediate left Tanner is sleeping on his bed. Totally alone.

And practically naked.

I stumble back against the door, my cheeks burning as I look at him. Tanner is so tall that he’s half sprawled off the mattress, thick quads kicked apart, with one large foot hanging over the edge. He has a deep golden tan, biceps swollen from yesterday’s manual labour, and he’s wearing absolutely nothing except for a pair of stretched grey boxer briefs.

That his big right fist is shoved right into.

I stifle a squeak of fear as his long hard ridge flexes beneath his underwear, and his chest muscles swell, as if he heard the sound through his haze of sleep.

Nervous and panting, I stay completely still, until Tanner finally relaxes again, grunting quietly as he begins stroking his fist.

In his underwear.

Over his erection.

“Oh my God!” I squeal quietly, immediately squeezing my eyes shut.

I slam one palm over my eyes and whip around so that I can’t watch what he’s doing. But I can stillhearwhat he’s doing and his rough sound effects are making me lightheaded. Like, he is pumping that thinghard. Grunting with every up-thrust, meaty fist slapping against his groin.

Heat whirls low down in my belly as I thinkwhy did we ever stop seeing each other again?

I crash into a small cabinet, yelping as I stub my toe against the wood, and with shaking hands, I fumble my fingers around the door handle. I squeak a quick“thank you for the railing”just in case he can hear me over the sound of his building orgasm, and then I haul ass out of the front door, shutting it as quietly as I can behind me.

I really couldn’t have made more noise if I’d tried.

I run the whole way back from Tanner’s cabin to Connell’s truck.

Chapter 12

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