48. Tanner
Chapter Forty-Eight
Tanner
Growly doesn’t care
“You’re the guy for me,” Ava said, leaning in and pressing her lips to mine.
We kissed languidly, the kind of kiss that could stretch for hours. I took slow sips from her mouth and savored the soft tangle of her legs with mine. Her hands started wandering again.
“Ava,” I warned softly.
“No?” she teased.
“We need privacy.”
“When we go back, Growly will be there,” she pointed out.
“Growly doesn’t care.”
She burst into giggles and had to press her face into my chest to muffle them. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you so much, Tanner,” she whispered.
“I’ve missed you too.”
“I can’t believe I started to get insecure about us.”
“Well, I was out at a fire.” I studied her face. “How do you feel about that, by the way?”
“About what?”
“I have a job that means I’m going to be gone for chunks of time during fire season.”
“It’s your job, and it’s totally sexy.” She waggled her brows.
A chuckle rustled in my throat.
“There might come a time when I tell you I wish you were on the town crew,” she added.
“Oh, you know about all that?” I teased.
“I do. But if you prefer the hotshot thing, I support it. There is no perfect job. Every time you go away, I’ll miss you, but we’ll have reunion sex when you come back.”
“Oh, I like that. Is that what we’re calling it?”
“That’s what I call it.”
“But if Laney’s still in town…”
Ava rolled her eyes. “I’m clear now. I know the deal.”
“You do?”
“I do. I have insecurity because of what happened with Brad. But you’re not that guy.”
“Oh, I’m not that guy.” I held her gaze. “I’m a one-woman kind of man, and you’re it for me.”
She stared at me long enough that I started to worry. A tear slid down her cheek, and I wiped it away with my thumb. “Hey. What’s going on?”
“I just love that about you,” she whispered. “I love you. You are a one-woman kind of man, and I can’t believe I got lucky enough to find you.”
“I feel pretty lucky to have you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. You know this, but I never planned on another relationship. I don’t think it would have worked with anybody other than you. You get me.”
“I do get you, Tanner. Plus, you rescued me off a mountain,” she added with a lopsided smile.
“I gave you a piggyback ride,” I corrected dryly.
“Yeah, but I got to feel how strong you were and how you took care of me. I love your voice. It’s all rumbly.” She shimmied against me, and I tightened my hold on her.
“Speaking of your rescue, how is your ankle?”
“Well, I’m sure you noticed I’m cleared to walk without the boot. I have to be careful, and I’m still doing physical therapy exercises, but it’s good.”
“Good.”
“Are we flying back together?” she asked.
“Hell fucking yes,” I said a little too loudly.
Her eyes went wide, and she slapped her hand over my mouth. I rolled my eyes and kissed her palm. “Seriously, Ava?”
She giggled. We settled back into the bed, tangled up together. I slept better than I had since the last time I slept beside her. She was a hard-core snuggler, and I loved it.