Then he climbed up on top her, lying between the perfect heat of her thighs, and he kissed her again, enjoying the slow tangling of their tongues as they reacquainted themselves with each other.
He moved his head down her neck, sucking her skin and rejoicing in her taste. After skimming his lips across the tender mounds of her br**sts, he proceeded to her stomach, enjoying the quiver in her belly while rested his chest against her core.
Lightly, he kissed her stomach while he caressed her sides and arms, her skin a perfect silk beneath his rough hands. Bringing his arms beneath her, he lifted her up and moved lower, cherishing this moment.
She pushed up against him, her body knowing exactly what it needed, and slowly, inch by mesmerizing inch, he approached her very center, letting his tongue trace the sexy bone of her hip and then going to where her heat was calling him.
The quiet moan escaping her throat floated around him and made his body throb with even greater need. He pressed his lips downward, then fluttered kisses on the soft folds of her womanhood.
Lifting one of her legs, he placed it on his shoulder, opening her fully up to him so he could gaze at her perfection before leaning down and tasting her again, exciting her, building her pleasure to nearly unbearable levels.
Unable to take it slow any longer, he kissed her heat intimately, worshipping her beautiful folds with his hot tongue and making her cry out when he sucked her swollen bud into his mouth and swiped his tongue across it.
"Tanner, please take me," she gasped out, and though he wanted to sink within her, he also wanted to keep drinking her in, feeling her, making her burn.
His arousal pulsed with incredible need, and he reached down and gripped it, trying to ease the ache. It didn't help. It had been too long since he'd been inside her, and his body remembered all too well how good she felt.
But Tanner continued to tease her, at first slowly, and then with growing speed, kissing, licking and sucking her tender flesh until he felt her tense, felt her body find the release he'd been taking his sweet time building for her.
When he slipped his finger inside her, the walls of her womanhood pulsed around him, and her wet heat showed him she wanted more, needed to have him inside of her.
When the last of her tremors died down, he let his tongue caress her core one last time, enjoying that her taste had become even more exquisite than before, and her h*ps pushed upward, seeking him.
"Please, Tanner," she begged.
He thought he wasn't going to deny the two of them any longer. But as he kissed his way back up her flawless body, he had to stop at her hardened peaks and suck each into his mouth while holding the other one, his fingers pinching and teasing, making her gasp and pant and moan.
Finally, their bodies were lined up, his arousal pressed against her, and he looked down into her eyes, feeling that he could get lost there forever, feeling that he was finally home.
"I love you, Kyla, love you more than I ever imagined anyone could love. I know I said I wouldn't bring up marriage, I know I said this was too soon, but when you know something is right, you just know. I want you to be my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you - making love, laughing, crying, learning and growing. I never want to spend another night without you. Please let me have you forever."
Kyla's eyes widened. "It's too soon," she said, though there was no conviction in her voice.
"Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Just tell me what you want," he said, pushing forward the slightest bit, connecting their bodies together, but just barely.
"I want you," she said, her head turning as she tried to push up closer, to have more of him - all of him - inside her.
"Forever," he demanded, driving in another inch, the torture nearly undoing him.
"Forever," she conceded.
With that one word, he thrust deeply inside of her, and their cries mingled together as they became one. There was no more talking now. He lifted them both higher and higher, built their pleasure and then spilled his seed within her.
By the time their passion was spent and he was holding her in his arms, caressing her skin and thanking heaven that he'd seen the light, Tanner could barely hold his eyes open. But he did have one final thought.
If he ever ran into Judge Kragle again, he'd probably have to tell him that he was a pretty good guy. The man had altered Tanner's life for the better.
On second thought, why encourage such a meddling old guy? Tanner decided that he probably wouldn't admit a thing.
He'd just think it when he finally came up for air.
Epilogue
We just haven't had a miss yet, have we, brother?"
Joseph looked at his brother George with a smile. "Of course we haven't. We are Andersons after all," he said with a boisterous laugh.