Page 79 of Trusting Tanner
He left the bedroom, his knees weak. After he hung the sign on the outside of the door, he took out his cell phone and sent a text to both of his brothers:If either of you fuckers show up at my room, you’ll need a stretcher to get back downstairs. Leave me alone to fix this. I mean it!
He’d barely kicked off his shoes when his phone buzzed with a reply. It was Ryder.Sorry we pushed. Hope we didn’t ruin things for you.
Tanner didn’t justify that with a response. When he returned to the bedroom, Juliana’s bag was open and on the floor. He heard water running in the bathroom. He turned off his cell phone. The world could burn down around him for all he cared.
He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. Juliana emerged from the bathroom wearing a tank top and another pair of short shorts. He pulled back the covers, and she climbed into bed. She rolled onto her side, her back to him. He moved in behind her, cradling her and draping his arm over her waist. She put her hand over his, wiggling closer. It amazed him how perfectly she fit against his body. It was like she was built to fit with him and him alone.
Cuddling after sex was something he’d always enjoyed. But he could honestly say he’d never gone to bed with a woman when his sole purpose was to hold her.
He buried his face against her neck. “Thank you for staying.”
“Thank you for asking me to. And I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you about all of this.” She dragged her fingers over the back of his hand and up his arm. “I can’t bear to touch the money. It feels like I’m betraying them somehow if I do. The only money I’ve spent is for college because I know it would’ve made them proud. And the apartment. But that was something I had to do.”
“I’m sure they’d be proud of you regardless of the money.” He moved her hair away from her neck and onto the pillow.
“Yeah, probably.” She laced her fingers with his and held their hands to her chest, right over her heart, which beat steadily.
“Jules?”
“Yeah?”
“When you go home for summer and holidays, where do you go?”
“My parents owned a beach house in California. The summer before the accident, we spent it there. My mother and I would lounge on the beach and collect seashells. At night, we’d sit on the back porch while my father made s’mores on the grill. They were absolutely awful.” Her chuckle was strained. “That’s where I go. It’s all I have left of them.”
He closed his eyes. She spent every summer and holiday alone, and no one knew. Not even Devon. Or did he know? She hadn’t said. He kissed her neck. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”
“Hey.” She rolled onto her back. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I could’ve very easily gone home with Devon anytime I wanted to. Lord knows he’s invited me enough times.” She traced his jaw with her finger. “That house may be empty and lonely, but it has a lot of great memories.”
“Come home with me for Thanksgiving.”
“Why?”
“Because I hate the idea of you being alone.” He propped his head in his hand.
“No.”
“What?”
“I said no.”
“Why?”
“It’s a sweet gesture, but I’m not going to go home with you just so you don’t feel guilty I’m alone.”
He scowled. “That’s not the only reason I asked you.” He slid his hand under the hem of her tank top and caressed her belly, which prickled with goose bumps from his touch. “I want to be with you. You’re my girlfriend, remember?” He smirked. “And I want you to meet my parents.”
She fell silent, and he knew there was something more on her mind. He hoped he hadn’t pushed too hard again. There were no doubts about his feelings, but maybe she didn’t feel quite the same way yet. He needed to slow the fuck down before he did irreparable damage. “Jules, honey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She sighed. “Getting this close to you, to your family… What if things don’t work out between us? I can’t handle losing anyone else.”
How many more times was she going to break his heart with her words? “Oh, baby.” He lowered his face until his mouth was poised above her lips. “From the moment you looked at me, it’s been you.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “It’ll always be you.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I do know that.” What else could he say or do to prove it to her? She had him. Heart, mind, body, and soul. He was hers. Forever.
She lifted her head enough to meet his lips, and he kissed her with every ounce of emotion he possessed. Then he ran his thumb over her lips, his gaze following his finger’s path. God, he wanted to tell her right now that he loved her, but they’d finally gotten back onto level ground, and he didn’t want to press his luck. She kissed his finger, and he groaned. The familiar tingling in his veins returned, and he wasn’t sure he could keep his promise to hold her when he wanted so much more.
