“He’s a prick, remember?”
“Right.” She smiled. “Prick. Asshole. Dickhead.”
“Exactly.” He laid his lips on hers, a mere brush, but resplendent with tenderness. “You were perfect. I’ll be right back.”
He shoved away and stumbled. Her mouth curved. Delight overtook the…whatever that other stuff was. He was walking like a drunk. Well, she felt a little drunk herself. She rubbed her raw throat. He walked back in naked with two water bottles in his hand.
“You read my mind.” She twisted the lid, wanting to settle her emotions. When she reached for the bedspread, he stopped her.
“No, I want to look at you.”
She gazed at the fire and drank her water, her skin tightening at his regard.
“You’re so beautiful.”
Her head turned. He drank heartily from the bottle. The action was so masculine that it made her body tingle.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
He polished off the water and set it aside. “For a Lost Chippendale?”
The banter helped. “I can’t believe Jill put that on her Facebook page.”
When he pulled her onto his body, she nearly purred. Taking back her womanhood wasn’t a one-time thing. Her mind spun with all the ways she was going to enjoy this gorgeous, wonderful man. Whoa! She really was falling for him. She rested her hands on his ribs.
He smoothed his hand down her back, igniting fire like a trail of lit gunpowder. “What’s it going to say tomorrow? ‘Lost Chippendale Takes Local Mermaid to Bed’?”
She snorted. “Aren’t you funny?”
“Well, I feel pretty good right now,” he said, fitting her against his hard angles.
She settled her head on his chest, listening to his heart. “Do you want me to go?” she made herself ask.
Raising her chin, he stared into her eyes. “No. Do you want to go?”
Feathering back a stray lock on his forehead seemed like a good distraction. He was too observant as it was. He didn’t need to know how hard it had been for her to ask him that. She leaned forward until her mouth was inches away. “No.”
“Good, because I plan on making love to you in front of the fire, if you recall.” When he kissed her shoulder, she burrowed closer. “And then I’ll have to take you on a tour of my shower. It’s about the size of Jill’s living room. One of those new rainforest things. A far cry from Afghanistan.”
“I’m so glad you’re here and not there.”
“Me too.”
***
Tanner studied how the firelight brought out the orange and gold in Meredith’s hair. Her warm body lay supine against his. He wanted her again, but wouldn’t wake her now. He’d already made love to her twice.
As he’d told her, there was no turning back now.
He’d struggled with his conscience while he was walking the dog. Should he tell her the truth now? Perhaps it was rationalization, but he’d convinced himself to wait. Their…connection was too fragile. Her tears after they’d made love had shown him just how vulnerable she was. How could he ruin that trust so soon? Besides, he’d reasoned, he needed her help if he was going to solve Ray’s murder. If he told her about his involvement with Sommerville, she wouldn’t want anything to do with him, he suspected, and she’d try to pursue the case alone. He couldn’t protect her that way. Plus, he needed to focus on proving Jemma’s death wasn’t an accident.
But they were all lies.
He simply didn’t want to lose her. She mattered to him too goddamned much.
She thought she’d taken one step closer to writing her article tonight. Sommerville planned to blow her dreams to bits.
He had to find a way to stop him.
The thought stuck in his gut like a dagger. He’d have to tell her the truth and hope she’d forgive him. He wanted to keep her in his life. He gave up the fight, rolling her onto her back and sliding inside her.
She stretched in his arms and came awake slowly, rustling her legs against his. When he was pressed to the hilt, the liquid friction perfect, she opened her eyes.
“What is it?” she murmured in concern as she studied him.
He lowered his mouth until it hovered near her lips. “I need you,” he whispered. “Again,” he added, not sure if the qualifier was to comfort him or her.
When she wrapped her arms and legs around him, he let his body shut down his mind, and sought blissful oblivion in her arms.
Chapter 35
Jill handed a customer her change and grinned when Meredith and Tanner came through the door. Actually, it was cute, seeing Tanner hold the door open for her radiant sister all dressed in black.
Someone had gotten laid last night.