Page 59 of Trusting Tanner
“How did you know he was going to walk in?” she asked.
“I heard him fumbling with the lock.” Tanner moved off her and dragged a hand through his hair. “Figured you didn’t want him to catch us dry humping like two teenagers who don’t know how to do the real thing.”
She laughed at how easily he tossed her words back at her. “Yeah. Thanks.”
He took her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. “I’m having a really hard time not asking you to spend the night with me.”
Her heart jumped into her throat. “If you do, I’d have a really hard time saying no.”
He grumbled incoherently, his eyes turning a darker shade of brown. “That’s not helpful.”
She grinned and stood. If she didn’t get off the couch, she was going to throw herself at him again. Tanner stood, cradled her against his chest, and rested his cheek on her head. “All that bullshit Rebecca said tonight… It’s not true. Not a single word of it,” he whispered.
Juliana squeezed her eyes shut and hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go.
“And you never have to prove anything to me, Jules.” He pulled back enough to put his hand under her chin and tilt her head up.
She nodded, knowing she couldn’t speak without breaking down into a sobbing mess.
Chapter Nineteen
Tanner entered his Clinical Lab class to find Juliana already there. He walked up behind her, his fingers trailing across her lower back. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are in this white lab coat?”
“No.” She turned and smiled. “But I’m listening now.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “I missed you.” He set his books on the table and grabbed his lab coat from the hook on the back wall. He slipped it on, making sure his embroidered name was visible. Everything about this class was supposed to mimic real-life rounds.
“Guess who’s the proud owner of a new apartment?” she said once he took the seat beside her.
His eyes widened. “You found one?”
She nodded. “I got the call this morning.”
“That’s great. Where?”
“You know the bakery on Elm?”
He nodded. “That’s where I get the donuts you like.” Scooting closer, he buried his face against her neck. “You know, the ones you eat like you’re making love to them.”
She playfully elbowed him, and he nipped at her earlobe, causing a small gasp.
“You made my dick so hard that day, without even knowing it,” he whispered. “And that’s fucking hot.” He straightened, proud of the way she blushed at his words.
“You’re going to pay for that,” she warned.
“So…this apartment?”
“Right.” She cleared her throat. “There are two apartments above the bakery, and the owner is desperate to get them rented.”
“When are you moving?”
“Today, actually. Devon and Lucas are helping.”
“Oh.” She’d said she wanted to take their relationship slow, which was fine with him. He was willing to wait for her, but why hadn’t she asked for his help? “Is there anything I can do to help?”
She turned on her stool and faced him. “It would help a lot if you could go to Cardiology today. We have our first test coming up, and I don’t want to miss any notes.”
Disappointment landed in his gut like a lead weight. “Wait, you’re skipping class to move?” She was top of their class, and her grades were important to her, so it didn’t make sense she’d ask him to go to class and get notes instead of going herself.
