Page 69 of Home Run

Would the dimples be showing?

Would his lips look as soft as they always did?

Would the sharp lines of his jaw have relaxed with each inhale?

In the end I decided no good would come from turning around to find out, and it was much safer to stay where I was and focus my attention on watching the world through the giant windows. If he looked as good as I suspected he did, there would be nothing to stop me doing something stupid, like kissing him.

Instead, I allowed my breathing to sync with his, and relaxed into his chest. I was on the verge of falling back to sleep when a low moan brought me to full consciousness again.

“Wow, this is better than I ever dreamed it would be.”

His gruff, sleep-filled voice ghosted past my ear, turning my thermostat up another degree.

“You dreamed about falling asleep in a strange bed?” I replied.

“Shhh. Stop ruining my morning fantasies, you know what I mean.”

His nose brushed across my shoulder, and I braced myself for the view that would greet me as I turned in his arms. I was expecting the perma-grin, and bright blue eyes twinkling.Nothis bare chest.

His deeply golden, sculpted, verybarechest.

“Where are your clothes?”

“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” was all he provided as an answer.

“Tanner! Are you naked?” Please don’t be naked. I couldn’t handle naked.

“You wish.”

“Tanner.”

He flung back the covers. “Calm down, I’m not naked. I have my pajama pants on. I got too hot in the night and took my T-shirt off. Thanks for noticing by the way.”

“Noticing what?”

“That I’d taken my shirt off,” he replied, replacing the comforter and tucking it between us, before plumping up his pillow to rest his head.

There was barely a foot between us. I’d only have to breathe deeply for our bodies to be touching.

“I was asleep.”

The right corner of his mouth pulled up a fraction, and a twinkle appeared in his eyes. “No, you weren’t.”

“How’d you know?”

“Just do.” Reaching out, his fingers pushed gently through my hair. “Seriously, how d’you wake up looking like this?”

I didn’t know how to reply, I was trying too hard to stop my cheeks from flushing. I was trying even harder to stop the thoughts creeping back into my head as I stared at his naked skin. I was still staring when he dropped his hand and scooched away.

Before I could stop it, a pang of disappointment speared me right in the chest. “Are you leaving?”

“No way.” He shook his head. “But unless you want toexperience exactly how happy I am to see you this morning, then I suggest we keep a little space between us. Or you let me go and get into a very cold shower.”

My eyes flared at the meaning behind his words. I might not have such an obvious outward sign of how I was feeling right now, but Tanner had hit it right on the head. Maybe cold showers were the answer from now on.

Baby would have to deal.

I ignored the tiny bead of sweat trickling down between my shoulder blades. “Okay, sure. Sorry.”

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