Chapter 21
Hannah
“I can’t possibly go to New York for the weekend,” I told Tanner the next day. “Glam Anywhere is getting ready to launch. I’m too busy.”
It was Thursday, and we’d just had dinner at Tanner’s house.
He’d just casually dropped the fact that we were going to New York for the weekend like it was already a done deal.
I was settled on the couch when Tanner handed me a glass of wine and seated himself next to me with a bottle of beer from a local microbrewery.
“You can and you will. The business is ready to launch. You don’t need to be fretting over things over the weekend,” he said firmly. “I got the best tickets in the house to see Wicked on Broadway. We never got a chance to see it, and you mentioned that you never saw it in Seattle. I know it was at the top of your wish list. I knew you’d refuse to take enough time off to go to Australia, but this is something we can do. When we signed our contract, you promised not to work on weekends unless it’s an emergency. And you have Reese now to manage the office.”
“We’re so close to launch. It is an emergency,” I informed him.
All of the things he’d said were true.
At his insistence, I’d hired a manager because it made sense. My duties were extensive as the new owner, and even though I’d argued that I could manage the office myself to lower overhead, Tanner would have none of it. Since his reasoning had made sense, I’d hired Reese to take care of the day-to-day duties and issues so I could focus on branding and marketing the business.
And yes, I had promised not to work weekends because I didn’t want to get burned out and unfocused because I was exhausted.
However, the closer we got to launch, the more things I had to get completed.
“Did you really get tickets to Wicked?” I asked, touched because he’d done that just for me.
Tanner didn’t mind the theater, but he didn’t love Broadway shows nearly as much as I did.
He nodded. “I also booked us restaurant reservations.”
When he named one of the most expensive and exclusive restaurants in New York, I almost swallowed my tongue.
It was a place we never could have dreamed about going to when we were together as a couple in New York because it was obscenely expensive.
It took me a moment to remember that Tanner had unlimited resources, and he could do or buy anything he wanted without a second thought.
“Come with me, Hannah,” he said in a low, seductive baritone. “We’ll have a great time.”
That was indisputable.
I had a great time whenever I was with Tanner, and he was offering me something I really wanted because he was a thoughtful guy.
“It’s a crazy idea,” I said weakly. “We’ll have to fly.”
He grinned. “And I just happen to have a private jet. It’s not complicated. We get on the jet. It takes us to New York. We see an incredible show and have a nice dinner.”
He mentioned the accommodations, and I had to remind myself one more time that Tanner was a billionaire.
He was planning on staying in the Presidential Suite at one of the most expensive hotels in the city.
Honestly, I still wasn’t used to this new Tanner.
I’d seen him reach success, and we were in the process of building an expensive home, but I’d never really had a chance to experience this powerful business tycoon who wore that success like the billionaire he was today.
God, I really wanted to go with him.
Not just for the experience, but to be with Tanner for an entire weekend without any other distractions.
Really, there was no reason I couldn’t go, but it would really feel more like…a romantic date.
It wouldn’t be easy for me to be with Tanner that way and not want a lot more than his friendship.
Like he could read my mind, he said offhandedly, “Consider this our first date.”
I turned my head and found him watching me intently, like he was nervous about my answer.
“But we aren’t really dating,” I said breathlessly.
“And that’s a problem for me, Hannah,” he rumbled. “I don’t want to be just your friend. I want more, and I’m hoping you do too, and that you’ll give me another shot at treating you the way you should have been treated a long time ago. Being with you without touching you or treating you like you’re my woman is making me lose my mind.”
My heart stopped for just a moment as I looked into his eyes.
His expression was so fierce and mesmerizing that my core clenched viciously with a need that almost consumed me.
God, I wanted that.
I wanted him so badly, and I wasn’t going to even try to deny that anymore.
I probably had never stopped wanting Tanner Remington, even when we weren’t together.
Now, he was laying his emotions on the line with no reservations, not knowing how I’d respond.
“We don’t have to rush things,” he assured me. “I just can’t handle not being able to touch you anymore. It’s killing me.”
I took a deep breath and inhaled Tanner’s tantalizing, masculine scent.
Everything about him overwhelmed me sometimes, and the urge to touch him, get closer to him, was nearly unbearable.
Tears filled my eyes, and a single tear dropped onto my cheek.
“Christ!” Tanner swore. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. Forget I said anything.”
I shook my head and reached out to grab a fistful of his pristine, custom shirt.
I pulled him closer to me, and he certainly didn’t resist.
I closed my eyes and savored the feel of his warm breath on my lips before I said, “It’s been killing me, too. I want to be with you, Tanner. I trust you, but I was afraid of ruining what we’ve gained in the last several weeks.”
A powerful arm wrapped around my waist to pull me against his massive body before he lowered his mouth to mine.
Tanner kissed me like a man possessed, and I relished every second of it.
My hands speared into his hair, absorbing the intimacy like I needed it to keep on living.
Tanner and I had always had an explosive chemistry, but this time it was different. That chemistry was still there, but it was much more…intense.
The embrace was desperate.
Possessive.
Demanding.
It felt like he wanted to possess me, and God, I really wanted to let him take everything he wanted and more.
Probably because I felt the same way, and I couldn’t get close enough to this man to satisfy that longing.
When he finally let me come up for air, I was panting, and my heart was racing like it was going to pound out of my chest.
“I can’t seem to go slow when it comes to you,” he said huskily. “But I’ll try. Tell me you’ll go with me to New York. I want you all to myself for a few days, Hannah. I’m not asking you to sleep with me, and I’m not asking for more than you want to give. I just want to be with you.”
My heart squeezed so painfully that it physically hurt.
I let out a long sigh as he rearranged our bodies until I was leaning back against the front of his body with my head resting on his shoulder.
I’d get Tanner naked without a second thought, but maybe he was right.
Maybe it was too soon for that.
My body didn’t think so, but my head said we’d barely gotten to know each other again.
“I want to go,” I answered honestly. “I want to spend that time with you, too.”
I felt his body physically relax. “Then it will be our first date.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that we’d had our first date a long time ago, but I closed it again.
Really, it was a first date for us.
I was different.
He was different.
This relationship felt different.
I was probably more giddy than I’d felt when we’d first met.
So, it was a first date for us.
“It’s a little fancier than our real first date.”
We’d met having coffee, but our previous first date was going to a movie and dinner at a casual diner.
“I don’t really have anything to wear, and we’re leaving tomorrow,” I added. “That’s not a casual restaurant, and I haven’t been out on the town for a long time.”
“We’ll go early so we can stop on Fifth Avenue,” he replied. “I’ll get you whatever you want. Let me take care of you for a change, Hannah.”
I wanted to protest, but I suddenly remembered what Lauren had said at the spa.
If buying things for the people he cared about made Tanner happy, then I’d let him get me a dress.
This time.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “I’ll try not to break your credit card.”
He chuckled as he toyed with my hair. “Sweetheart, that would be impossible to do, but I’d enjoy watching you try.”
“What if I decided to go on a massive shopping spree with your credit card? I’m sure you have an endless amount of credit,” I teased.
“Then I’d be the happiest asshole on the planet,” he said seriously. “I want to give you all of the things you should have had a long time ago. I promised you the world, Hannah, and I never got a chance to deliver.”
My heart melted because there was so much regret in his tone.
I squirmed until we were facing each other.
Because we were so close, I couldn’t help but fall into his beautiful blue eyes.
I could see and feel his remorse, and that wasn’t what I wanted.
Before the meteoric rise of KTD, Tanner had always been good to me. He’d been the boyfriend that most women wanted but could never find.
My heart in my throat, I put a palm against his cheek. “No more regrets,” I whispered, wanting to soothe him. “We talked about this. We both made some mistakes.” I put my fingers against his lips when he began to protest. “I’m a different woman. I’m all grown up, and I can handle my emotions. I don’t want material things, Tanner. I just want to be with you. A new relationship, and a fresh start without regrets anymore.”
It was just that simple, and just that complicated.
I was falling in love with Tanner all over again.
The way that I felt about him had probably never changed, but this relationship felt…different.
Maybe I was old enough and wise enough to notice all of the things I never had before.
Tanner had changed over the years, too.
Whatever it was, this relationship was intense, but I was strong enough to stand up to him and be the partner I couldn’t be a long time ago.
“The past is the past,” I added. “I’m looking forward to an incredible future, but if you hurt me, I’ll be in your face about it.”
He grinned, and my heart did a somersault.
God, more than anything, I wanted things to work out for us this time.
“Are you saying that you can handle me now, sweetheart?” he asked in a low, sensual voice that sent a jolt of electricity down my spine. “I’m pretty used to getting my way.”
That sensation landed directly between my thighs.
Oh, hell yes, I could handle Tanner Remington.
“You’re not always going to get your way,” I told him.
“I’m going to try,” he warned me.
I smiled.
Tanner was a powerful man now who was obviously used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.
Once he’d completely worked his way through his remorse about the past, he was going to be a bossy, demanding partner.
Surprisingly, since that was actually Tanner’s nature, I didn’t want it any other way.