Billionaire Bachelors 10 ; Holiday Treasure(47)

 

 

He stepped toward her and cupped her cheek, and Kyla found herself on the verge of tears.

"So we quit fighting this, right?" she said, nuzzling against his hand.

"We quit fighting what has been inevitable from the moment I laid eyes on you, from the first moment our lips connected, from the magical instant our bodies became one. We don't worry about tomorrow; we only appreciate what we have right now."

"Do you practice these lines, Tanner?" She was desperately trying to break the intensity of the moment.

"I've never said anything like this to another woman. Ever. I don't lie, and I won't make promises that I can't or won't keep, but when I look at you, I can't look away. When I'm away from you, I want to rush to your arms. You have been messing with my head from the very first moment you stole into my apartment."

"Well, then, Tanner, I'm glad to be guilty of my one and only instance of breaking and entering."

"I'm glad, too." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss that had her head spinning. Who needed wine?

But just when she was ready to grab hold of him, he let her go, kissing her quickly one more time before moving away. "I need to feed you," he said. She leaned back while she watched him fill her plate.

The atmosphere, the food, the wine. And the perfection of it all. More than anything else in the past two years, it made her miss her parents. Each and every holiday, her mother would be in charge of a beautiful production, laying the table with their finest china, crafting desserts for days and putting together the best dinner a person could manage.

Not much that Tanner was serving looked like her mother's dishes - Kyla didn't recognize some of the food at all - but the setting, the holiday decorations on the table, all of it … it made her miss "home." Maybe it was time to go back there, to walk through the halls and see what she'd cut herself off from two years ago. Instead of confronting this constant emptiness, maybe she would feel as if her family were with her.

"After you." Tanner pulled her from her thoughts once again when he set her plate down and held her chair out for her.

"Thank you."

Dinner proceeded quietly as Kyla tried to push out thoughts of her lost family from her mind. She was with a striking man who had gone all out to give her a beautiful holiday. She was determined to enjoy this moment to its fullest.

Needing the ache to go away, she set down her fork, two glasses of wine giving her the extra boost of courage she desperately needed. Rising with purpose, she moved slowly around the table to where Tanner was sitting. With a smile, he pushed back his chair and waited for her to make the next move. Straddling his legs, she sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

"Make love to me," she whispered, and she connected their mouths.

Tanner hesitated no longer. He returned her embrace, deepened the kiss, and, as he let his hands travel beneath her sweater, scorched her skin with his touch.

"Yes, Tanner," she moaned as he cupped her br**sts, sending flames shooting straight to her core. This was the magic only he seemed able to bring, and she was a fool to even think one time in his arms had been enough. Why fight the inevitable? Why fight what her body needed? There was no reason, and she was a fool for even considering it.

Tanner broke away from her, making her whimper until she realized he was holding the bottom of her sweater. With a quick motion, he tugged it over her head and threw it somewhere behind them, then pulled her back against him and let his hands roam across the skin of her back.

She felt him unclasp her bra as he continued to worship her mouth, driving her loneliness away and replacing it with excitement and pleasure. Yes, this is exactly what she needed. This was the best Christmas gift he could possibly give her. When he removed her bra and then his shirt, she delighted to feel her straining ni**les rub against the smooth skin of his broad chest.

"Please, Tanner, I want more." He trailed his mouth down her throat, licking her skin, soothing one ache only to cause another.

"I'll give you everything," he promised, and moved her from his lap so they both could stand up.

Lifting her into his arms, he carried her to the kitchen, much to her surprise, and set her down in front of the counter. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, but he just smiled as he undid her jeans and peeled them from her legs, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her panties.

A full-on blush suffused her cheeks when she remembered her impulsive buy. She squirmed in front of him. Obviously, she hadn't been expecting to make love this beautiful Christmas Eve.

"I love them," he said, chortling as he began removing her Rudolph panties.