Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Faith woke up to bright morning sunshine and a cold bed.
Tanner wasn’t here. She could hear him walking around downstairs. She sat up, smoothing down her bedhead.
Giddiness filled her chest. She’d woken up in Tanner’s bed before, but this was nothing like the first time she’d slept over. Her chin was the slightest bit chafed from his beard. She was wearing his shirt. And she still felt the heat of his hands.
Her bare legs rubbed together, but that minimal friction just teased her. If anything, she was even more turned on than she’d been last night.
The stairs creaked under his feet, and Tanner appeared. “Hey. Good morning.”
Ugh. He wore the same low-slung sweatpants from the night before, no shirt. He braced one arm against the wall, making his muscles flex. Her breath quickened.
“Could you put some more clothes on?” she asked. “Because that’s just cruel.”
He looked down at himself, then smirked. Tanner crossed the room to grab a shirt from his closet.
She’d been frustrated at first that Tanner wanted to wait, but it was for the best. They could start fresh and just enjoy being together.
No more pointless jealousy or misunderstandings.
And when they did finally take things to the next level—which she hoped was soon—they wouldn’t be focused on anything else but each other.
Please let it be soon. Otherwise she’d be thinking of sex every minute they were together. It was going to get distracting.
She’d never felt this kind of physical need for a man before. She hadn’t even thought it was possible to get this insanely, overwhelmingly horny. Like if she didn’t have him, her body would stop functioning.
It was really annoying.
Faith tore her eyes away from him and stood up. “What time is it?”
“Seven.”
“How long have you been up?”
He shrugged. “A while. I needed to make some calls. I had an idea for this weekend if you’re game.”
“Yeah?”
Tanner had his hands on his hips, gaze on the wood floor. Like he was nervous. He was so cute when he was uncertain. “You mentioned you like to go dancing, and there’s this bar. I think you’d like it. But it’s in my hometown. Couple hours away.”
“Yeah? Sounds like an adventure.”
“But I haven’t been home for a while, and my mom’s been asking me to visit… I’d need to see my family, too. I’d be a dick not to. And I do miss them.”
She stepped in to put her hands on his chest. Tanner’s arms latched around her waist. “You want to take me with you to see your family?”
“Yeah. My mom wants us to stay there, not a hotel. Is that too much, too soon?”
“I’d love to.” It might’ve seemed soon with some other hypothetical guy. But everything with Tanner felt natural. Right.
“Good,” he murmured. That softness in his eyes, the heat radiating from his skin beneath the shirt—this was quickly becoming a moment. But if he started kissing her again right now, she might explode from all the need building inside her.
“Of course, my mom’s already rounding up my siblings and planning enough food for a SEAL platoon. So, I hope you like pot roast. And noisy nephews. And dogs. My family’s a lot.”
“Mine is, too. I’m one of five, remember?”
Faith missed her rowdy siblings, that energy of a big family she remembered from childhood.
She’d grown apart from them since she’d gotten married, probably because they’d seemed to love Jon so much.
To them, he was still the football star, the popular golden boy.
Her siblings never would’ve believed the truth if she’d tried to tell them. Her mom certainly hadn’t.
“You sure it’s okay?” Tanner touched her chin to lift it.
Her smile had slipped. She pushed her thoughts of her family away.
“A trip to the California countryside sounds lovely.” She wanted to see where Tanner had grown up.
She wanted to see every part of him he was willing to share.
And she’d feel less tempted to jump him with his family around.
“I just need to pack. I don’t have anything with me. ”
“Then let’s swing by your place before we hit the road.”
This felt like more than just an impulsive trip. She was trying not to read too much into it.
But whether he realized it or not, he was very close to making her fall for him. And, like everything else when it came to Tanner, it felt so good she didn’t want to stop.
Faith stuck her key in the lock, but the townhouse door flew open of its own accord.
Sylvie stood there, one hand perched on her hip. “So you’re both here. That’s good. I don’t have to track you down.”
“I texted you. I told you where I was.”
“Yeah, and what you were doing.”
“Hey,” Tanner said, “there was no ‘doing.’”
Faith smothered a laugh.
Sylvie glared at him. “All I know is, she starts out on a date with Noah, and she ends up at your place, texting me that you two hooked up. Care to explain?”
“I’ll do my best.” He held out a bag of croissants and a tray of lattes, which he’d picked up on the way. “But doesn’t this buy me a few brownie points?” He’d insisted on bringing it as a peace offering. Which had clearly been a wise move.
Sylvie grabbed the bag and looked inside. “A few points. First, you can go upstairs and say hi to Nic. Ethan and Luis are up there, too. I need to talk to my friend.”
She took Faith’s arm, and they went into her bedroom.
Once she’d closed the door, Sylvie’s scowl broke, replaced by a mischievous grin. “What happened? I’m dying here.”
“You’re not actually mad at us, are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Miffed, perhaps. Mildly irritated—that I had no hint of these developments until now. But mostly, I like giving Tanner a hard time. As long as you’re feeling good. You are, right?” Sylvie flopped onto the bed.
“Yes.”
“That’s all you’re giving me? My entire career is built on information, Faith. I hate being out of the loop. I have a need to know.”
Faith sat down, crossing her legs. “We like each other, and we both figured that out last night. Noah’s okay with it. And Tanner is…” She slowly exhaled, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart. “Amazing.”
“He is. Tanner’s been a great friend to me, and he clearly has been to you. I just worry.”
“We didn’t have sex. I wanted to, but he thought we should wait. We’re going to take it slow. ”
Sylvie nodded. “He just earned a few more points from me.”
“He’s taking me to meet his family this weekend.”
“And this is moving slowly?”
Faith threw up her hands. “He asked me, I said yes. It feels right.” They’d been friends first, so they already knew a lot about each other. Meeting his family and seeing his hometown seemed like a natural next step.
“I’ve never heard of him taking a girl home before. He must be serious about you.”
“He misses his family, and he thought I’d enjoy coming along. There’s a bar. We’re going dancing.”
Her friend gave her a wry look. “If you’re going to a different town to meet his mother, it’s a big deal.”
Faith wondered if Sylvie knew Tanner had PTSD. He’d only mentioned that Noah was unaware. She figured she shouldn’t say anything on the subject, since it was his business.
“I’m excited for you, really,” Sylvie said. “But rebounds can lead to heartbreak.”
“Tanner’s not a rebound.” She didn’t think he was. “I’m kind of crazy about him.”
Sylvie pulled her into a hug. “Just be careful. I don’t want two of my favorite people to end up hurting each other.”
“Neither do I.”
An hour later, they were on the highway, speeding away from the coast in Tanner’s Jeep.
“Did Sylvie give you a lecture, too?” she asked.
“A small one. If I break your heart, I’m on her shit list for life.”
“She implied I’m on the rebound.”
He glanced at her sidelong. “Are you?”
“No.” Emotionally, her marriage had ended years ago. And didn’t you have to be in love with someone else first to have a rebound? Faith had never been in love. She didn’t know how it felt.
Tanner reached across the gearshift, palm out, and she took it. Her hand fit into his.
“Neither of us wants to piss off Sylvie,” he said. “Let’s agree right now. Nobody gets their heart broken.”
“That’s a lot to promise.”
“You planning to be rough on me?”
“I didn’t mean…” She shook her head. “We can’t help it if one of us feels something the other doesn’t.”
He studied the view through the windshield.
“Sylvie asked me if I’m serious about you.
I am. I want to be with you, exclusively, if you’ll have me.
” Tanner glanced over again, like he was checking her reaction.
“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not pressuring.
I just need you to know where I stand, and that I’m a patient guy. When I have to be.”
She wanted to be with him, too. She wanted his heart, and hers was nearly gone already.
But those words stayed stuck in her chest.
Faith hadn’t thought before about the risk of hurting him. When it came to love, she had no track record. She had no clue what she was doing.
If this didn’t work out, she’d be losing one of her closest friends in West Oaks.
A minute had passed before she realized she hadn’t answered him. But she still wasn’t sure how to capture in words what she was feeling.
Tanner tuned the radio to a country station. A Luke Bryan song came on, and Faith sang quietly under her breath. Tanner smiled with his eyes on the highway.
It felt so good to be out on the road under the open blue sky.
She hadn’t even realized how much tension she was holding until it fell away.
Her head rested against the seat, and she looked up at the clouds through the window.
But Tanner’s hand around hers kept her grounded right here, in this moment.
They were risking a lot. But she couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.
An hour into the drive, Tanner pulled off the freeway and into a gas station. “Tank’s getting low. Need anything?”
“I’ll stop by the restroom.” While he punched buttons at the pump, Faith went inside.