Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Holiday
The drive to his rental cabin had been surprisingly comfortable.
No awkward silences or tension thickening the air.
The more time I spent with Tanner, the more I realized what Ivy said was true.
He might be a celebrity in a lot of circles, and he might have more money than I’d know what to do with in a lifetime—or so I heard; I refused to google him before the date, worried it would only stress me out more—but he was a normal guy.
A sexy mountain of a man rippling with strength and muscle, but still a normal guy.
Who just so happened to be renting the most beautiful house I had ever seen.
I sucked in a gasp of awe when we first pulled up and I got a look at where he was staying.
The word cabin was misleading. The place was more like a rustic mountain mansion made of wood, stone, and glass than it was a cabin.
The inside was even more spectacular, with its incredible views of the foothills and forest. It was beautiful, and it was giving me some serious house envy.
Tanner had given me a short tour of the main living spaces, but before we could get more in-depth, my stomach let out another horrifying growl, so he insisted on starting dinner.
Now I was sitting at the oversized island with a glass of red wine he poured for me, watching him work.
He hadn’t been lying about knowing his way around a kitchen. As I sipped my delicious wine in the dream of a kitchen, it was clear to see that, if anything, he’d downplayed his skills.
He hadn’t technically started cooking yet, but I could tell he was good simply by the way he moved around, pulling out ingredients and utensils with a level of comfort as only someone who knew what they were doing could.
“Are you sure I can’t help with anything?” I asked again.
Tanner leaned back so he could see me around the opened refrigerator door. “Absolutely not.” He pointed a finger at me. “You sit right there and relax. That’s your only job this evening. I’ve got this covered.”
I couldn’t remember the last time a man had cooked for me, so who was I to argue?
Lifting my glass, I took another sip. The wine was smooth and rich, probably the best I’d ever had, and from the vibrant flavors alone, I was pretty sure there was no way in hell I’d be able to afford a bottle myself, so I was happy to indulge while I had the chance.
There was also the added benefit that it helped me feel warm and loose and not too nervous anymore.
I’d sent a pin to my girls with my location as soon as we got to Tanner’s cabin, but the better I got to know him, the more certain I felt I was totally safe with him.
“Okay,” Tanner started again from behind the fridge door.
“I wasn’t sure if you had any food allergies, so I got a couple options at the store earlier today.
” That melty sensation in my belly grew more intense at the realization that Tanner had actually gone grocery shopping himself in preparation for our date.
“Lady’s choice. I have everything for shrimp scampi over homemade pasta, but in case you can’t eat shellfish or gluten I also picked up ingredients for chicken stir fry. ”
My god, this man was potent.
“Homemade pasta?” It would have been an impossible choice for me to make if not for those two words. I was a sucker for carbs in any and all forms, but pasta was my absolute favorite. And knowing he could make it by hand might as well have been my kryptonite.
Tanner’s straight white teeth flashed in a smile he aimed in my direction before he lifted his bottle of beer and sipped. The man had the best smile. “Yep. And I take it by that look on your face that’s the choice you’re making?”
“Pasta is life,” I declared with the proper seriousness a statement like that deserved.
Tanner’s rough chuckle filled the space, warming the air around me. “Noted. Shrimp and pasta it is.”
At some point, Tanner had folded the sleeves of his shirt, giving off some serious arm porn, and I was mesmerized by the way the veins in his forearms bulged and his tendons flexed as he got to work.
Every single inch of him looked like it could be carved from stone and deserved to be displayed in a museum.
And right at that very moment, he was cooking dinner for me.
“Okay, I’ll ask one more time. Are you sure I can’t help? I mean, making your own pasta is an impressive trick, but I can only imagine a dinner like this is a pretty involved process.”
He shook his head, sending a lock of dark brown hair into his eyes before he lifted his arm to brush it aside with the back of his wrist. “You know, it’s not really as hard as people might think.
It’s only flour and eggs. I’ll start on the shrimp first, and while that’s cooking, I’ll get the pasta ready. ”
Well, if he was sure. Who was I to argue with the man when, instead, I could sit back and enjoy the show. A show entitled Every Woman’s Ultimate Fantasy.
The pan he’d been heating on a low flame on the stovetop hissed as he dropped a few pats of butter into it.
Then he got to work mincing garlic, his knife skills were like something I’d only seen on those reality television cooking shows.
Watching him was as entertaining as all those professional chefs vying for the trophy .
. . or cash prize, or whatever it was they won.
I was so enraptured that his voice caused me to jolt when he broke the silence to ask, “So you own One More Chapter?”
I felt my face light up at the mention of my pride and joy. “I do, yeah. I opened it about four years ago.”
Using the flat of his knife, he dumped the perfectly minced garlic in with the butter before turning his amber gaze on me with a tender smile. “And is owning a bookstore what you always wanted to do?”
I took a sip of my wine and lifted a shoulder in a shrug.
“It took me a while to figure it out. I’ve been obsessed with books since I was a little girl.
I always knew I wanted to do something involving them, I just wasn’t sure how to make it a career.
Having to learn proper comma placement insured that becoming an editor was out of the question, and even though I love stories, I never felt the pull to create any of my own.
I’m perfectly content to leave that job to the professionals. ”
“So a bookstore it was.”
“Exactly,” I said with a soft smile of my own. “As soon as the idea hit, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. One More Chapter is my dream. It took a lot of time, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears—literally—but it’s finally exactly how I’ve always wanted it to be.”
The kitchen started to fill with the most delicious fragrances as Tanner seasoned the shrimp and added them to the pan with everything else.
“You created something really magical, Sunshine.” That was the third time he’d called me sunshine, and each time made my stomach swoop in the most pleasant way.
He got to work making the pasta. I’d seen it done before in Instagram reels, but witnessing the process in person was something else.
Watching Tanner’s large, strong hands form and roll the dough was downright erotic, and as the seconds ticked by, Naomi’s suggestion to have a quick, fun fling was starting to sound brilliant.
“Thank you,” I said, his compliment making the contents of my chest flip. I would never get tired of hearing people talk about their love for my store. “What about you? Did you always know you wanted to be a hockey player?”
Something moved over his features just then. The light in his eyes dimmed and the humor faded away from his expression.
“I’m sorry,” I quickly stated. “You don’t have to tell me. If I said anything wrong or overstepped—”
“No, it’s fine.” He shook off whatever thought had cast a cloud over him and curled a corner of his mouth upward.
“I’ve always loved hockey. My mom used to joke that I learned to skate before I learned to walk.
” His features softened as he continued to talk about his years in youth hockey.
As he went on to tell me about playing in high school and college, I felt a familiar bond forming between us.
He was as passionate about playing hockey as I was about my shop, and seeing that in him as he spoke only made him that much sexier.
Something I hadn’t thought was even possible.
I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.
He’d already managed to knock this date out of the park, making it the best first date I’d ever had simply by paying attention and being thoughtful in his planning of it.
Add in the cooking and the enthusiasm he wasn’t afraid to show for his career, and I was dangerously close to melting into a puddle on the floor of this insanely gorgeous kitchen.
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, and I consider the guys I play with my brothers. But there are downsides to it, like with anything.”
Curiosity had me leaned in closer. “Oh?”
“Yeah, it can be incredibly hard on your body. I mean, that’s why I’m here right now instead of finishing out the rest of the season. An injury took me out.”
My face fell. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
He waved away my concern. “It’s all good now. Well, at least that part is. But I still wake up feeling like a seventy-year-old with arthritis, and my joints crackle like pop rocks in soda.”
My eyes went wide and I slapped my hand over my mouth to try and catch the rest of my laugh that accidentally burst free. “I’m sorry,” I croaked, fighting the tremble in my lips. “I didn’t mean to laugh.”
He joined me with a chuckle. “No, I get it. Trust me. Most mornings I’m awake at least five minutes before I’m able to climb out of bed.”
And just like that, I was thinking about Tanner Fine in bed.
Images of him dressed in nothing but boxer briefs as he slid out from beneath warm, silky sheets and stretched his long limbs played through my head in slow motion like that scene in Fast Times when Phoebe Cates climbed out of the pool.
I pushed my wine glass away, knowing if I had much more the few inhibitions I still had would be gone in no time.
Along with my bra.
The conversation continued to flow with surprising ease as he finished cooking our meal and we finally sat down to eat.
I laughed more through dinner than I had in a really long time.
In fact, as I thought back, I realized I’d never laughed with Blane during our entire relationship as much as I had in a few short hours with a man I’d only just met.
“Oh my god,” I moaned around my final bite. I placed my fork on my empty plate and pushed it away before I could do something embarrassing, like lick the damn thing clean. “Tanner, that was incredible.”
I lifted my gaze to meet his, and my breath caught in my lungs at the heat in his eyes. He stared at my mouth like he wanted to devour something other than food. “Really glad you liked it, Sunshine.” His voice was rougher, like he’d gargled with gravel.
I licked my lips and pulled in a shaky breath. “Like? Oh, I more than liked it. That was restaurant-level impressive.” I managed to say, forcing the words past my Sahara-like throat.
Tanner sat back, twisting in his seat to better face me.
There was something incredibly intoxicating about being the center of his focus.
My skin prickled as heat built low in my core.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice you at that wedding,” he said in that deep timbre that caused a shiver to course through me.
It almost sounded as if he wanted to kick himself for missing me that night.
My brows rose to my hairline. “Given the fact you were there as my friend’s date, I think it’s a good thing you didn’t,” I teased.
His smile stretched a bit wider. “Of course. But I think it’s clear Ivy and I were only meant the be friends from the very beginning. I ran into her, her husband, and their cute little girl the same morning I met you. They couldn’t have possibly looked happier”
“Yeah, they are,” I agreed, my heart giving a happy little squeeze for Ivy and her beautiful family.
There was no chance Ivy would have been half as happy with anyone else as she was with Connor.
“If I’m being honest, I kind of kept my distance from you that night.
You were just so”—I waved my hand up and down, indicating all of him—“you. And in a suit too. I was way too shy to approach you.”
The cocky smile he wore made him even sexier. “So what you’re saying is you think I’m hot.”
That flirty, teasing vibe he was giving off was infectious, and I couldn’t help but flirt back. “I think you know you’re hot.”
He leaned in close and crooked his finger for me to do the same. “I know something else too,” he said softly, like he was sharing a secret.
“Yeah, what’s that?”
The playfulness faded from his eyes, his expression growing earnest. When he spoke next, his voice was low and gritty, like his throat had been rubbed with sandpaper, and it dripped with the promise of something I didn’t want to ignore.
“I know that if I don’t kiss you soon, I’m going to lose my mind, because I’ve spent all night desperate to know what you taste like. ”
I swallowed, my entire body erupting with tingles at his confession. “Tanner,” I breathed, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest.
He lifted a hand, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before trailing the pad of his finger down across my jawline. “Yeah, Sunshine?”
“Kiss me.”
He did not need to be told twice.