Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tanner lifted himself on one hand, looking down at her. His eyes devoured her. Blond hair in a messy halo, luscious curves, legs wide open. All that sweetness just for him.
He bent his knees and gripped her thigh with his free hand, pushing even deeper. Her body was all tightness and heat. The pleasure made his head swim.
He moved in and out of her, still gentle, until she bucked upward to meet each thrust.
“Harder,” she said. “Make me feel you.”
Tanner’s eyes fluttered closed. She didn’t know how hot it made him when she talked that way. How he was barely holding onto his control.
He’d been trying to pace himself to make sure she was right there with him. It had been a long time for her, and he was afraid of rushing or pushing her too far. But Faith made him feel savage.
A feral part of him—totally uncivilized—wanted to mark her irrevocably as his own.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I want everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back.”
His legs were trembling with keeping himself motionless. Tanner pulled back his hips, then pistoned them forward.
Faith cried out. “Not enough. More.”
The lust in her expression unlocked that primal need in his chest. Tanner yanked her even closer and drove his cock into her.
He started giving in to the heat and the rhythm.
Now that he’d stretched her, their bodies fit like they were meant for each other.
She was still tight, her pussy so perfectly snug around his cock.
Faith held onto his shoulders, her breasts jiggling in time with his thrusts.
He glanced down to see his shaft pushing into her, the pleasure almost more than he could bear.
She was stripping away all his barriers. He felt raw, like a broken thing with sharp edges.
But he wanted to trust what she’d said. That he shouldn’t hold back. That she could take it.
Everything he had.
His eyes met hers, asking the same silent question, and she nodded.
Tanner slammed their bodies together. She lifted her hips eagerly to meet him. He fucked her with abandon, letting go of every other thought in his head. His grunts were rough. This wasn’t graceful or polite. Fuck, it wasn’t even romantic. But right now, romance wasn’t what either of them needed.
This was a connection Tanner had never experienced.
It went beyond words or anything he could begin to explain.
They were both exposed and vulnerable. Holding nothing back.
But he watched Faith, locked into her gaze, knowing she was sharing this moment with him.
Nothing mattered but her moans of pleasure, his own ferocious need, the wide-open sky above them. He felt uninhibited. Free.
Faith’s body squeezed around him as she started to shake.
She threw her head back, breasts bared as she arched her spine.
Tanner’s glutes flexed. He drilled hard into her, chasing his own climax.
Then he was over the edge. The release took him over, wiping his mind clean, stealing his breath.
More than just pleasure. This was like free-falling into a sky dive.
His balls emptied until he had nothing left.
When they’d both finished, he stared down at her, forcing himself not to look away. Faith reached up to touch his cheek.
Her smile was dreamy. “That was perfect.”
“If there’s any perfect around here, it’s all you.”
He lay down next to her, and they held one another.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this mellow, or when his brain was this quiet.
Probably not even before the concussion, when he’d thought he felt like normal.
But “normal” had still been a heightened state.
He’d sensed something was slightly off, and the something had been him.
With Faith in his world, Tanner felt like he fit.
He was drifting in and out of sleep. The moon had changed places in the sky. He had no clue what time it was, nor did he care. It was somewhere between light and dark, but the shadows tonight held nothing that he feared.
“You still with me?” he whispered.
Somehow, she’d known he wasn’t just asking if she was awake. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Tanner. Tanner. Wake up.”
“Mmmm?” He squinted as sunlight flooded his vision. Tanner rubbed his eyes, sitting upright.
“It’s morning, and we’re still naked. We have to get back.”
“Oh, shit. What time is it?”
Faith checked her phone. “Almost seven.”
“That’s fine. You scared me for a minute. Thought we’d be late for church.”
He couldn’t believe he’d slept so long and so peacefully. Hadn’t stirred except a couple of times, when he’d checked that Faith was still curled up beside him. She had a tiny snore, ridiculously adorable.
She yanked her dress on over her head. “Church?”
Tanner reached for his underwear and jeans. “My mom will be pissed if I’m in town and don’t show.”
Faith groaned, trying to work the tangles out of her hair, though Tanner liked it messy. “We’ve been out sinning all night, and now we have to face your family at church? Do you think your mom’s awake yet?”
He laughed. “Oh, she’s awake by now. They all are. They’re farmers. Nobody’s going to miss our walk of shame.”
“What’s your mom going to think of me?”
He pulled Faith into his lap. The fly of his jeans was undone, and he hadn’t found his shirt. But he was starting to think about getting undressed again. “Probably that you’re my girlfriend. I was vague on that before. Unless you’d rather I say something different?”
Faith circled her arms around his neck and shrugged. “Girlfriend seems…slightly less scandalous.”
He pressed his lips to hers. “Certainly wouldn’t want to scandalize the locals.” Their kisses started to get heated, and Faith pulled away.
“We have to head back before it gets any later. I cannot go to church looking like this.”
Tanner dressed, wrapped up the blankets and pillows, and stuffed them into the backseat. He’d drop them off at a dry cleaner later.
He and Faith got into the truck, and he started back toward the farm.
“You can wear whatever you want to this church. It’s really informal. You can go looking like you do now.”
“I’m not attending Sunday services with sex hair,” she muttered. “What denomination is it?”
“Unitarian Universalist. You know it?”
“No.”
“It’s a little bit of everything. They use prayers from Buddhism and the Bible and Torah, quotes from humanist philosophers. They sing Beatles and folk music. Members can believe whatever they want. It’s inclusive.”
“You say ‘they’ like it’s not your church.”
“It’s not, really. My family started going while I was in the Navy. My mom wanted comfort, I guess. Somewhere to go to pray I’d come home. I get it. But it feels more like her thing, not mine.”
He had nothing whatsoever against religion or spirituality. Plenty of his teammates were believers. But it hadn’t been a part of Tanner’s life when he was growing up, and he hadn’t felt compelled to join as an adult.
“I should’ve asked before if you were okay with it,” he said. “We don’t have to go.” He’d gathered that Faith had mixed feelings about her church back home.
“I want to. It sounds different. And you know I like to try new things.”
“I do know that.” His tone dripped with innuendo. He reached over to squeeze her thigh.
“Stop. I need to calm down before I see your parents or I’ll be thinking of what we did last night, and my face will turn bright red.”
“I’ll be thinking about what we did. All the way through church.”
She smiled, shaking her head.
They pulled up in front of the farmhouse and got out. Tanner went in through the back door, and Faith trailed in behind him. Conversation stopped. His mom, dad, and brother looked up at them from the kitchen table.
Isabella popped up from her seat. “Morning. Would you like some coffee? You missed breakfast, but we saved some eggs. Faith, how about you?”
“I’m all right, thanks. Just coffee.”
Isabella poured a couple of mugs. Faith took hers and dashed upstairs.
Tanner’s father was pretending to study the Sunday paper, while his brother sat back in his seat, staring with one eyebrow raised.
“So where’ve you been?” Brayden asked. “We were worried.”
“Who’s this ‘we?’” Isabella asked. She stuck a mug of coffee into Tanner’s hands. “Your mother was worried.”
“I took Faith dancing. I was showing her a good time.”
His brother grunted. “I’ll bet you did.”
“None of that, boys, thank you.” Isabella hit Brayden’s chest with an oven mitt. “It’s good to see you alive and well, Tanner. The caravan leaves for church in forty-five minutes, so everyone be ready, please.”
Tanner started toward the stairs, but his mom pulled him into the office. “Can we have a word?”
“Am I in trouble for staying out all night?” Tanner took a gulp of coffee. “I’m not seventeen.”
She closed the door. “No, you’re a grown-ass man, and you can do what you like. But a text might’ve been nice, instead of leaving us wondering what happened.”
A fair point. “Sorry.”
“I don’t intend to pry, but I would like to know what’s going on with my son. Are you and Faith together?”
“Yes.”
“Are you in love?”
He choked on a mouthful of coffee. “I’m…not sure.” But maybe he was. At least, he thought Faith was the kind of woman he could fall in love with.
“But she makes you happy?”
He felt warm as he recalled holding her as they’d danced. How easily she made him laugh. “Very happy.”
“That’s all I want for you.” She pulled him down into a hug, then let him go with a pat on his shoulder.
“I just hope you’ll bring Faith around again soon.
And if you do… I’ll consider getting a double bed for Kaylee’s old room.
” This last sentence came out in a rush.
She cut her hands through the air. “So you can both stay there, instead of running around town and coming home embarrassed. That’s all I’ll say about it. ”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Now, go get yourself presentable. You smell like something unmentionable.”
Tanner waited outside the bathroom. Faith came into the hall, combing her damp hair. She wore a simple skirt and blouse, no makeup, and if anything she looked even more beautiful than last night.
She glanced up and down the hall. “What did they say?” she whispered.
“It wasn’t a big deal. I told my mom how happy you make me, and now she loves you.”
“It’s still embarrassing. They have to know we…”
“Oh, they know.” He circled an arm around her waist, needing some kind of contact. Now that his mom had brought up the “L” word, he couldn’t get it out of his head.
Maybe it was too soon. But he’d been pining for Faith for weeks. The more he got to know her, the deeper he got. And after the explosive chemistry they’d shared last night? He’d never felt this way about anyone. He hadn’t even known he could.
He rubbed a drop of water from her collarbone. “This weekend has meant a lot to me. I want you to know how crazy I am about you.”
She gave him a quick kiss. “I’m pretty crazy about you, too. I’m glad I make you happy. I’m just returning the favor.”
He gave her a squeeze, and then she went back to Kaylee’s room to finish getting ready. He jumped into the shower.
Tanner was happier than he’d been in as long as he could remember. But discomfort still nagged at him underneath, despite the bright sunlight today. That inner sense that something bad was waiting just out of sight, ready to tear him back down.
He and Faith were happy right now. But what would happen once things got harder? She’d said nothing he did could scare her away. But that would only be true until it wasn’t.
The more he cared about her—the closer he got to the big “L”—the more it would crush him if he lost her.
So, he wouldn’t let it happen. He wouldn’t let his mind go back to those dark places anymore. He’d managed at the bar last night, so he’d keep doing it. Staying focused on her, knowing she wanted him back. That was exactly what he’d needed.
Tanner showered and got out, toweling off. He stopped to stare into his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
“You’re going to do it for Faith. You won’t let her down.”
There was no other option.