Page 71 of Trusting Tanner
“How many guys have you been with?” He felt like a total schmuck for asking, but he needed to know. She’d been so tight, and while he knew she wasn’t a virgin, he was worried she didn’t have a lot of experience, which was not a bad thing, but if he was only the second guy she’d ever been with, he wanted to be gentle with her.
She raised a brow and studied him. “Do you really want to have that conversation right now?”
Nope.“Yeah, I want to know.”Smooth, Collins. Real smooth.
“Including you?” She averted her gaze and dragged her fingers up and down his arm. “Three,” she finally said.
“Only three?” Damn. She really was innocent in so many ways.
She narrowed her eyes and frowned. “What did you expect?”
He shrugged. “I had no idea.” Lowering his head, he brushed his lips over hers. “I like knowing you haven’t been with that many guys.”
“What about you? How many girls have you been with?”
Shit. He knew she was going to turn this around on him. “Including you? Five.” Tanner studied her face closely, watching for anything that might give away her true feelings, but she had one hell of a poker face.
“I honestly expected that number to be much higher.” She laughed. “I’m sorry.”
He feigned shock. “Are you implying I’m some sort of manwhore?”
Juliana brought the sheet up over her face, leaving only her eyes visible, and then she laughed a little too hard. She shook her head. “No.” Clearing her throat, she turned serious. “Really, I’m sorry. That was mean.”
“It’s fine. I’m only giving you a hard time. But now I think you owe me something.”
Her face fell. “Owe you what, exactly?”
“Information.” He groaned as she lightly traced the line of muscles in his arms, then traveled across his pecs, his abs. “Mmm, that feels good.”
“What kind of information?”
“I want information about you. And Devon. Is he one of those three?”
Her eyes widened seconds before she burst out in a sharp laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not.” He frowned. “You two are always together, and you have all those inside jokes. He’s your go-to guy. Every time you need something, he’s the one you turn to.”
She moved so she was on her side. The way she gazed into his eyes, it was like she’d stripped him of every single defense he’d ever had and was now staring at his bared soul.
“You’re jealous of Devon?”
I’m not jealous of Devon.“I just don’t like how close he is to you…all the time.” Tanner put his arm across her side. Devon may be close to her most of the time, but right now, she was his. And he had no intention of changing that anytime soon.
“No, Devon isn’t one of the three.” She ran her thumb across his lips, her gaze truthful. “We’ve been friends since freshman year, but we became a lot closer after everything went down with Zach.” She lowered her head. “Devon was there for all of it. He knows me better than anyone, and he’s always been there when I’ve needed him.”
Tanner put his hand under her chin and tilted her head, his gaze searching hers. He was ecstatic she’d never slept with Devon, but he wasn’t overly happy Devon knew things about her he didn’t. Or how Devon played such a huge role in her life, a role no one, not even Tanner, could fill.
“What’re you thinking about?” she asked.
“Nothing important.” Tanner grabbed her and dragged her over on top of him. He palmed the back of her head, and she met him for a kiss. Their mouths aligned perfectly, and she moved until she straddled him. He smoothed his hands along her back and over the firm, rounded globes of her ass, gripping each cheek and holding her against his growing erection. She inhaled sharply, stealing his breath when she did.
“I want you again.” He’d always want her.
She grabbed a condom from the bedside table and held it in front of his face. “Put it on.”
He cocked a brow and smirked. Taking the condom, he tore it open and reached around her to put it on. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen the take-charge side of her come out to play, and he liked it. A lot. Like so much else about her, she probably didn’t even know how sexy it was.
“It’s on.” He tucked his hands behind his head. “Now what are you going to do?”
