I love you.

For three little words, they were really terrifying. It was the power the words symbolized, the ability to change everything.

I couldn’t say them, because no matter how wonderful he was being to me, he couldn’t feel the same way as me. There was no way. My heart wanted to go there, but my brain was like hell to the no, but I could show him.

That was the best that I had.

I could show him just how much I cared for him without truly putting that out there between us, and most likely ruining everything.

My hand shook under the weight of what I was feeling as I cupped his cheek. I took a deep breath. “Can we go upstairs? To bed?”

Tanner stilled above me as understanding crept into his handsome face. When he spoke, his voice held an edge that sent a shiver across my skin. “Babe, if we go upstairs and we end up in a bed, I’m gonna…well, I’m going to have one hell of a time stopping myself from getting between those pretty legs.”

My cheeks flushed. “I wouldn’t want you to stop.”

His eyes flared and a long moment stretched out between us. “You sure?”

I love you. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes.”

Chapter 14

Tanner

I was literally at a loss for words as Andrea took my hand in her smaller one and led me up the steps. It was like I was fifteen again and minutes away from losing my virginity. No shit. That was how it felt. Nervousness. Anxiety. Anticipation. All of those feelings were rolled together.

Never in my life did I think I’d feel that way again.

Wasn’t sure if that was even a good thing.

As we rounded the top of the stairs and Andrea looked over her shoulder at me, smiling shyly, I realized that yep, that was a damn good thing.

She started to turn into her room, but I stopped her. I wanted her in my room, in my bed. I pushed open my door and then closed it behind me. She stopped a few feet from the bed as I walked over to my duffel bag and rooted around until I found what I was looking for.

“You brought condoms with you?” she asked as I tossed a few on the nightstand.

I grinned, somewhat sheepishly. “I try to keep them on me. You never know when they’ll come in handy.”

She arched a brow. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

“It’s a good thing.” I turned to her. “At least, it’s turning out to be a good thing, but seriously, I didn’t think I’d be using them this week.”

“Really?” Doubt crossed her face as she walked toward me, wrapping her hands around the edge of my shirt. “I remember that bet you made with me.”

“Actually, there was no bet. You wouldn’t play along.” I lifted my arms, letting her tug the shirt off.

Her gaze flicked up to my face and then down to my chest, and I saw the appreciation in her gaze. “I do remember telling you that was never going to happen.” She slid her hands down my chest, to the button on my jeans. “And yet here I am.”

“Here we are.”

She leaned forward and kissed the center of my chest as she reached down, cupping my erection through my jeans. My body jerked at the bold, hot-as-fucking-hell touch. “Does that make me easy?”

“Fuck no. Do you really think that?” If so, this shit was going to stop right now. I caught her wrist, pulling her hand away. “Do you?”

She lifted her chin, inclining her head. “Not with you. No,” she answered after a moment. She pulled her hand away and then pushed me down so that I sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s strange.”

“What is?”

Her gaze traveled over me, hungry. “I never thought that I’d be this comfortable around you.”

I wanted to gather her in my arms and lose myself in her warmth. “I’m glad you do.”

Andrea stepped back. She had fixed her dress downstairs, which had been a real visual disappointment, but now I was thrilled. As I sat on my ass and she stood in front of me, lifting her fingers to the tiny-ass straps of her dress, I was going to get to see her undress, and shit if that wasn’t a beautiful thing.

She slipped the straps down her arms, letting them dangle as she reached behind her. The tinny sound of a zipper going down had me aching.

I spread my legs out, but it didn’t help. “You’re killing me.”

Her lips curved up. “You killed me earlier.”

“I did?”

The loose curls around her face bounced as she nodded. “What you did down there, on the couch?” The dress loosened around her and she caught the material before it slipped down her breasts. “I thought I’d died for a moment.”

I leaned forward, my eyes never leaving her. Hell, a flesh-eating zombie could stroll into the room and I wouldn’t look away. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was,” she said softly, and then let the dress slip down her body, pooling at her feet with a soft whoosh.

Holy damn, my heart rate doubled. It was like seeing a goddess in the flesh, and I suddenly didn’t feel worthy of laying my eyes on her. The delicate skin of her throat flushed pink and that blush spread down to her full breasts. My mouth watered at the sight of those hardened tips and my fingers tingled just imagining sliding down her ribs, over the sweet curve of her waist and to those damn silky panties that covered her rounded hips.

“Is there a bow on your panties?” I asked.

“Yes. Because I’m sweet and demure.”

I chuckled hoarsely, but then straightened as she stepped toward me. My gaze was fastened on that purple bow right up until the moment her fingers slipped under the sides of her panties.

Never in my life had I been so fucking turned on.

Andrea bent slightly, and I sucked in a sharp breath as her breasts swayed and that scrap of purple lace slipped down her thighs, joining the dress, and then she was completely nude.

“Holy fuck,” I groaned, shaking my head slightly as I looked my fill.

She curled one arm across her waist, over her navel. “Is… is that a bad thing?”

“No. Hell, no.” I stood on oddly weak legs. “Andrea, you’re beautiful.”

The pink in her cheeks brightened as her lashes lowered. “I feel beautiful when you…you look at me this way.”

“I’m always going to look at you this way, so you better get used to it.” My gaze drifted over her body, lingering on some areas more than others, but I found myself staring at her feet. One foot was turned toward the other and her toes were curled. It was such a shy and sweet position that it tugged at my chest.

I wanted to do right by her.

Slowing this down was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do, because I was so hard, so ready to be inside her that it was almost painful, but I didn’t want this to be fast. I wanted her to remember this always and I wanted this to erase every fucker that’d come before me.

As I approached her, she lifted her gaze and her lips parted. Gently, I touched the sides of her face with the tips of my fingers and tilted her head back. Lowering my mouth to hers, I kissed her softly, taking my time to explore the depths of her warm mouth and her sweet taste.

I moved closer, welcoming the feel of her body brushing mine as the kiss went deeper and became more erotic. Our tongues tangled, and when her hands dropped to my pants, finishing with the zipper, I moaned as she barely touched me.

Stepping back, I finished with the jeans and the boxer briefs, shedding them quickly. I straightened, grinning when I saw what she was staring at. “You like?”

Her tongue darted over her plump lower lip. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Another husky laugh radiated out from me and then I took her hand, drawing her to the bed. As she lay down, I grabbed the condom off the nightstand and tossed it beside her.

Andrea arched a brow, and I grinned as I reached down, wrapping my hand around the base of my cock. “Keep an eye on that condom. Make sure it doesn’t run off.”

Her gaze dropped. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”