Page 32 of All Night with the Cowboy
“You know, maybe my parents were right about you,” she said, taking a swipe at the cream on her plate and licking it from her finger before giving him a stern look. “They told me I’d never be happy being your girl, following you around and having no career or passion of my own. It’s funny how you can see that so clearly as a grown-up, but it’s so hard to wrap your head around as an eighteen-year-old.”
Tanner finished his coffee, eyes leveled on her as he pushed the cup away. “Your parents never did approve of me, did they? I was never good enough for their little girl.”
She shook her head. “Wouldyouhave approved of you? You might have been rich, but you were a bad boy to the core.”
“If I had a daughter, I’d be letting her set her own ground rules. You weren’t a precious little princess then, you had enough sass to tell me what you wanted or didn’t want.” He laughed. “I recall you being very vocal about what I was allowed to do, and I never made you do anything you didn’t want to do.”
Lauren slammed her palm on the table and stood up. She hovered, staring at him, opening her mouth like she was about to say something, then shutting it.
“Am I wrong?” he asked, not backing down and not breaking their stare.
He watched as she gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white like she was grappling with something. Tanner’s pulse started to race when he saw a familiar challenge in her gaze.
“Screw what my daddy thought,” she murmured, marching around the table to him and placing a hand to his chest to push him back in his seat.
Tanner leaned back as she straddled him, both palms to his chest now, her dark eyes fixed on his. She shifted one hand to his face, staring at his mouth, her own lips parted.
“What are we doing?” he whispered.
She leaned in so close, her lips hovering over his. “Going back to where it all began,” she said softly, her breath warm and sweet. “That’swhat we’re doing.”
Chapter 10
LAUREN refused to listen to the little voice in her head telling her to stop. Why would she stop something that felt so, so good? To hell with being the good girl and doing what was right all the time, because Tanner’s mouth against hers felt so damn good, and why couldn’t that be the right thing to do? This was just fun. This wasn’t serious, this wasn’t changing her future or compromising what she wanted. This was something that felt goodfor now.
She shut her eyes and lost herself in the sensation of her lips brushing back and forth against his, her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling his head back so it was at just the perfect angle. She touched his cheek, felt the rough stubble beneath her fingertips—so at odds with the softness of his mouth, with the gentle way he was kissing her.
Lauren pushed harder into him, her thighs pressing to his, tightening around him as she opened her mouth wider, kissed him more fiercely, losing herself to the taste and feel of him. Ohhh, how she’d missed this man!
“Lauren,” he murmured, groaning a little and pushing her back.
Her eyes popped open and she saw the strain on his face. Was he not into it? What was—
“This goes against everything I want, but I need you to stop.”
She froze.
“You’ve got a damn tight grip, girl, it’s killing me.”
Oh shit!“Ohmygod, Tan.” She leapt up, realizing that she’d been putting all her weight into him and she’d been squeezing her thighs against him, right into his sore hip, and probably putting way too much pressure on his chest, too. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He laughed and held out a hand to her. She took it, palm to his, looking down at him and wondering how she could be so conflicted when it came to this gorgeous, frustrating man.
“Trust me, I’d normally love that little body of yours all over mine. You’re a damn featherweight.” He chuckled. “But I’m not exactly in peak condition right now.”
She swallowed, seeing the way he was looking at her, knowing what that look meant. He wanted this as badly as she did. Lauren tucked her fingers around his hand, still palm to palm, not wanting him to pull his hand away. The connection made her feel alive, the buzz of anticipation coursing through her body made every nerve ending tingle, every tiny hair on her body stand on end.
“You want to do this?” she asked, sounding braver than she felt about initiating physical contact between them.
“That depends on whatthisis,” he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up into the most irresistible of smiles.
“Me and you,” she said. “But just while we’re here.”
He laughed, deep and throaty and sexy as hell. “You want me for sex and nothing else? Or am I not understanding you correctly?”
She let out a shuddery breath that she hadn’t even realized she was holding. “I just want us to”—she paused—“to justbewhile we’re here. We can get your body in top shape again and we can enjoy whatever happens between us here, too. A fling.”
Tanner looked smug, like the cat that had just swiped all the cream. “I’m not saying no.”
