I fell asleep with Andrea in my arms.

Chapter 15

Andrea

For the first time in forever, I woke up with my body tangled with a man’s. As my senses slowly kicked back on, the first thing I thought was that I’d never stayed a night with a guy before. Not even my boyfriend back in high school, for obvious reasons.

This…this was a huge first.

I was still lying on my side and Tanner was still pressed against my back. For several minutes, I dared not to make any sudden moves to disturb him, because I liked the way I was cocooned in his embrace. No. Not just liked. I loved it, and as I stared at the wall across from his large bed, I knew I could easily get used to this. Maybe I should, because he had said there’d be a later for us, lots of laters, if I remembered correctly.

Last night had been one of the most amazing nights of my life, and no matter what happened between Tanner and me, I wasn’t going to let myself regret one single moment of it. No way.

So I lay there, soaking up every second like a sponge, and I don’t know how much time passed, but I felt him harden against my bottom. I sucked in a sharp breath, unsure if he was awake or not. Well, part of him was definitely awake.

The arm resting over my waist moved slightly and my eyes popped open when his large hand closed over my breast. Yep. He was awake.

Lips brushed my shoulder. “Morning,” Tanner spoke in a rough voice.

“Good morning,” I said, my gaze dropping to his hand. He ran his thumb over the tip of my breast and squeezed gently.

“You sleep okay?” Tanner shifted, wiggling his leg between mine.

My heart skipped a beat. “I slept like a baby.”

“Hmm. Wonder why?” His lips skated over the slope of my shoulder. “Guess what?”

I hesitated and then lifted my hand, folding it over his. “You’re horny?”

His deep laugh stirred the hair at the base of my neck. “I’m hungry.”

“Oh. Well then, this is awkward.”

He nipped at the sensitive spot below my ear as he slid his hand down from my breast, to the space between my legs. “I’m hungry for you.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Arching my back, I pressed my bottom against him.

His groan turned me on even more.

“You’re right.” His hand slipped further between my legs. Sensation trilled through my veins. “You’re totally right.”

His hand disappeared from between my thighs, and I felt him move behind me. Then I heard a wrapper being torn, I started to roll to face him, but the hand on my hip stopped me. I stilled, biting down on my lip as that hand trailed up my side and then smoothed down the center of my back. Since I couldn’t see what he was up to, the anticipation had a razor-sharp edge to it, almost desperate.

“Tanner,” I whispered, wanting.

“Damn.” His body was flush against mine again, and I could feel him hot and hard against my lower back. “You’re already ready, aren’t you?”

Before I had a chance to respond, he moved again. Both hands landed on my hips as he rose behind me. I was on my belly, my legs spread and he was between them, one hand remaining on my hip. My pulse sped up as I slid my hands up the sheet, bracing my weight on my forearms. I turned my head, peering back at Tanner over my shoulder.

Goodness, he looked incredible behind me. Sleep still clung to his features, but his eyes were a vibrant blue, full of potent heat and arousal. He started kissing me again, starting at my shoulder and working his way down my back, blazing a trail that ended just above the cleft along my bottom.

He used the hand on my hip to lift me. His warm breath danced along the back of my neck. “This is the kind of morning I’d love to repeat over and over. Actually, this moment, right here,” he said, and I felt him poised behind me a moment before he thrust deep into me.

My back bowed as I cried out. The feeling of him—it was more intense, fuller and tighter, stretching every nerve ending to the edge. But it was more than him just being inside me. There wasn’t so much as an inch between our bodies. His much larger body was curled around me, sealed to mine.

“You okay?” His voice was dark, gruff.

“I am,” I managed to breathe. “God, Tanner…”

He kissed my cheek and then his lips moved to my ear. “I’m going to need you to hold on, because I’m going to give it to you hard.”

I shuddered.

And then he did just what he said he was going to do.

Tanner moved fast and he hit deep, only slowing down to grind against me before picking his pace up. In this position, there was nothing I could do other than meet each of his thrusts and I did so happily, willingly. He was in control at this moment, and as I clenched the sheet, a riot of sensations lit me up.

“Oh God, Tanner,” I gasped, rocking back against him. “Yes, yes, yes.”

He made this sound, like a rumble of approval, and I felt it wash over me, through me. I was panting and he was making harsh noises. He got a hand under me, and then he started to touch me between my thighs as he slammed into me. The pleasure was so quick, it was sharp and near violent.

“Fuck,” he grunted against my neck.

Suddenly I was on my knees and my hands were pressed against the headboard. One of his arms was around my hips, holding me in place as he thrust forward, the other was beside my arm, his hand closed over mine on the headboard. In a daze, I opened my eyes and stared at our joined hands.

My breath caught and I lost a little of myself at the sight, and then I lost a larger part in the way he moved behind me. And I was completely gone as the room filled with sounds of our bodies meeting together, our moans and soft curses. There was no rhythm between us. What became of us was a wild dance. The tension spiraled tight, and I was tossed right over the edge. I threw my head back against his shoulder as my body clamped down. The most exquisite rush of pleasure poured into my body, stunning me with its intensity. It whipped through me, heightened by every powerful thrust. My arms came out, but he caught me, sealing me tight against his body as he came, only his hips jerking.

There wasn’t a single muscle in my body that worked in those precious moments of pure bliss. I was limp as a noodle, trembling as he guided me down and then left the bed to deal with the condom. I was where he’d left me when he came back to the bed and somehow we ended up face-to-face, his arm around me, his hand smoothing over my flushed cheek. I was completely sated. I hadn’t known it could be like this. I wanted to tell him that, but my tongue was too heavy.

Tanner tucked me against him. “I think…I think I now need a nap.”

A tired but light laugh escaped me. “Same here.”

“Then we have a plan.”

“We do?” I murmured.

“Yeah.” He kissed my forehead. “Since we don’t have shit to do and we can do whatever we want, we’re going to nap now.”

I smiled as I snuggled into him. “Sounds like the best kind of plan.”

Late in the afternoon, I stood in front of Tanner, a package of raw chicken in my hands. “I know I’m right.”

He arched a brow as he leaned against the counter. “I have never heard of such a thing.”

“I’m sure there are a lot of things you’ve never heard of.”

“No way,” he drawled lazily.

I rolled my eyes. “If you boil the chicken first, then it doesn’t take as long to grill it and then you always make sure it’s not undercooked.”

“I get what you’re saying, but it just seems repetitive.”

“But it’s not the same thing. You’re not cooking it completely,” I tried to explain for what felt like the hundredth time. “Forget it. Just let me do this.”

He grinned as he waved a hand, as if granting me permission. Choosing to ignore that, I set the package on the counter and then cranked the heat up on the pot of boiling water.