Page 55 of Wildest Dreams

His expression softens as he helps me loop my arms around his shoulders, his hands dipping beneath my lower back so that he can hold us together as he lays down on top of me.

“Aisling,” he murmurs, “I don’t want us to rush this. I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning and decide that hooking up wasn’t a good idea.”

His brow creases in a concerned frown.

“I meant what I said. You’re my dream girl. Tomorrow morning I want this to be the start of us dating and shit. I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I don’t want you to regret me.”

Taken aback by his honesty I can’t help but gaze into his eyes, awe-struck.

“Wow,” I whisper after a small stretch of heated silence, filled with nothing but the sounds of our heavy breathing. “You’d think thatyouwere the one who has his heart on their sleeve,” I tease.

He drops his eyes, laughing quietly. Then he lifts himself up onto one elbow and strokes his large palm over my cheek.

“I’ll always wear my heart on my sleeve with you,” he murmurs. His sparkling eyes search mine before he lowers his mouth and kisses me gently.

My hands roam down the large muscles of his back, stopping when I reach the waistband of his boxer briefs. I pull back from the kiss so that he can see the question in my eyes.

He watches me carefully for a moment before he nods his head – and then we’re both shoving his underwear down his legs, releasing his heavy erection.

He tosses his boxers across the room as he kisses me deeper, groaning loudly as the lace of my panties rubs his length up and down.

“We’re really gonna do this?” he asks quietly, his voice husky and deep.

I nod, feeling lightheaded, and I giggle as we kiss again. I feel his gorgeous grin against my lips and it makes me laugh harder, which in turn makeshimlaugh, until we’re kissing and laughing and panting all at the same time.

“One rule,” he murmurs, his heavy chest pushing down on mine.

I nod fiercely, running my fingers through his military fade.

“Tell me,” I whisper, my voice hushed beneath the downpour outside.

“We’re gonna do it, but I’m… I’m not gonna see you fully naked,” he whispers back to me, looking pissed with his own decision but resolute nonetheless. “Yet,” he adds, after a moment of raking me up and down. “I’m not allowed to see you nakedyet.”

His palms coast up the sides of my body until he’s gently cupping my cheeks again.

“What do you mean?” I ask breathlessly, not exactly sure how that will work.

His eyes search mine, hungry and wanting.

“I’m going to keep my underwear on?” I ask, my eyebrows arched. “I don’t want anything between us.”

“I don’t either, baby,” he rumbles, “but I don’t deserve to see you fully… bared to me, yet. So I want you to hold that back from me for now, until I’ve proven myself to you.”

“Tanner,” I laugh, pressing my palms over my face as I giggle at his nonsense.

He reaches for my wrists and tugs them gently down, making me giggle harder.

He grins back at me, his expression unbearably handsome.

A sweet small town guy, I think to myself.

Because when I think about it, Tanner is everything that I’ve ever wanted. A big, handsome small town guy, without a bad boy reputation that will inevitably break my heart.

He’s the opposite of every guy that I’ve ever known.

Better than that? He’s the opposite ofme.

I mean, he literally respects me so hard that he doesn’t think he’s worthy of seeing me naked? Whodoesthat? How can a guy be so perfect?

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