Chapter 20 #2
She nods approvingly, and I catch the way her gaze lingers on me, drifting over my arms, my chest. It’s quick—subtle—but it’s there, and it’s enough to make my pulse spike.
“Yeah, just like that,” she says softly, her eyes flicking back up to meet mine. There’s a challenge there, a dare, like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me and wants to see how long I’ll last.
It’s like a slow, delicious torture.
“Perfect,” she murmurs, stepping closer. I can feel her heat against my side, the subtle scent of vanilla and something uniquely her filling my senses. “Now just smooth it out, like this.”
She reaches out, covering my hand with hers, guiding the spatula in slow, deliberate strokes. My breath catches as her chest presses lightly against my arm, the feel of her body so close making it impossible to think about anything else.
“Emily…” I growl softly, a warning.
She glances up, her eyes wide and innocent, but the smile playing on her lips is anything but. “Yes?”
“You’re testing me.”
Her lips twitch. “Am I?”
“Yes,” I grit out, leaning down slightly, my gaze locking on hers. “And if you keep it up, I’m not going to be held responsible for what happens.”
“Is that a promise?” she whispers, her voice low and breathy.
Before I can respond, she pulls back again, flashing me that maddening smile before turning her attention back to the cake. I watch her smooth the frosting, my hands clenched so tight around the spatula that my knuckles ache.
“Relax, Tanner,” she says softly, not looking at me. “We’re almost done.”
But it feels like a damn eternity. She’s taking her time, adding little flourishes, smoothing out the edges.
“Okay,” she finally says, stepping back and wiping her hands on her apron. “I think that’s it.”
I stare at the cake, my pulse thundering in my ears. It looks perfect—smooth, even, the decorations simple but elegant. I should feel proud. I should feel satisfied that we got it done.
But all I can think about is how desperately I want to grab her, pin her against the counter, and show her exactly what happens when you tease a man to his breaking point.
“It’s done?” I ask, my voice strained.
She nods, smiling up at me. “It’s done.”
“Good.”
Before she can react, I drop the spatula, grab her by the waist, and haul her against me. She gasps, her eyes widening, but she doesn’t pull away. She just looks up at me, breathless, her lips parting in surprise.
“Tanner—”
“Enough games,” I growl, my voice low and rough. “I’ve been patient, I’ve been good, but I’m done waiting, Emily.”
Her breath catches, and then, to my shock, her eyes darken. “Then what are you going to do about it?”
I don’t bother answering. I just lean down and crush my mouth to hers, kissing her hard and deep, pouring every ounce of frustration and need into the kiss. She moans, her arms flying around my neck as she kisses me back just as fiercely, her fingers tangling in my hair.
“Upstairs,” I rasp against her lips, my voice rough with need. “Now.”
She nods, her breathing ragged, and I grab her hand, pulling her toward the door.
We reach her room, and I practically kick the door open, pulling her inside. The second the door closes behind us, I have her pinned against it, my mouth on hers, my hands roaming over her body, squeezing, groping, needing to feel every inch of her.
“Tanner,” she gasps, arching against me as my hands slide up to cup her breasts. “Oh God…”
“Tell me you want this,” I growl, my mouth trailing down her neck, biting and kissing. “Tell me you want me.”
“Yes,” she breathes, her fingers clutching at my shirt, pulling me closer. “Yes, I want you. Please—”
That’s all I need to hear. I spin her around, my hands yanking at her clothes, pushing her up against the wall. She moans, her head falling back as I kiss her hard, my hands sliding down to untie her sweatpants, shoving them down her thighs.
“Fuck, Emily,” I mutter, my hands trembling as I pull her pants down just enough, exposing her to me. “You have no idea how badly I want you.”
“I think—” She gasps as I push my cock into her belly, her hips rocking back against me, desperate and needy. “I have some idea.”
I chuckle under my breath, my fingers dipping into her underwear and finding her wet heat.
She looks down at my cock, and I can hear her catching her breath. “Tanner—you’re so big.”
“I know,” I murmur as I rub my cock against her right thigh. “But don’t worry, I’m going to be gentle. Turn around, I want you from behind.”
She bites her lips and nods, and the absolute trust she has in me makes me even harder.
The second I’m lined up, I push into her, burying myself in her cunt. She’s so fucking tight around me. She cries out, her whole body shuddering, and I groan, my head falling to her shoulder.
“You okay?”
“Yah, just go slow,” she responds gently.
I give her a few seconds to adjust, not moving, and when she relaxes, I thrust into her shallowly. I feel like I’m about to nut right there, but I want her to be as comfortable as possible.
“Ahh,” she says, her ass wiggling a little.
“Emily, you’re making it hard for me.”
“It’s okay,” she says, turning back to look at me. “You don’t have to hold back. I can take your big cock.”
She leans back, and we kiss hard. I grab her tits as I stroke inside, sitting fully inside of her before I lift her up a little so her ass is in the air.
“God, you feel amazing,” I rasp, gripping her hips hard enough to leave marks. “Emily—”
“Please,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “Don’t stop.”
I won’t.
I start to move, hard and fast, thrusting into her over and over, the pleasure almost blinding in its intensity. She’s panting, her hands braced against the wall, her body rocking with every thrust, and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Tanner, oh God—”
“Yeah,” I growl, driving into her faster and deeper. “That’s it, baby. Come for me.”
She shatters around me, crying out, her body tightening and convulsing, and the feel of her, the sound of her—everything—pushes me right over the edge. I follow her, my release crashing through me, leaving me shaking and breathless.
“Worth the wait?” she murmurs, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
I grin, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “More than worth it,” I whisper. “Go to the rehearsal dinner with me.”
My fingers are still tangled in Emily’s hair. She looks up at me, her cheeks flushed, eyes still hazy from what we just did, and I almost lose my train of thought. God, she’s stunning like this—flushed and disheveled, pressed up against the wall.
“Like…together?” she asks slowly, blinking up at me.
“Yeah,” I say, leaning down to nuzzle her nose with mine. “Like together together. You, me. Showing up as…I dunno, a couple or something.” The words sound stupid coming out of my mouth, but they’re out there now. And I mean them. More than I’d like to admit.
Emily’s eyes widen slightly. “Like, an official date?”
“Something like that.” I force myself to hold her gaze, hoping like hell she won’t brush it off. “What do you think?”
“Tanner, I—”
“What?” I say, feeling a little cold and stupid suddenly.
“What are we doing?” she says.
“You tell me,” I say.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know how to explain it but things are complicated right now.”
My heart skips a beat. “Trust me, I get it.”
“You do?” she says.
“Yes,” I say, softly brushing her hair away. “I’m on your team and always will be.”
She smiles. “You’re not bored of me, yet?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Never mind,” she says, shaking her head.
“No please,” I say. “What?”
“Your friends…they mentioned you like the chase.”
“Yeah well, it’s not like that with you at all,” I say. “I know Jace and you have some kind of history.”
“We dated, actually,” Emily says.
That makes so much sense. I totally get why Jace was behaving the way he was before. He’s still not over her. And something had happened between them—maybe even with Axel. But none of that matters to me.
“Emily, I want you. I don’t think I’ve made it clearer than when I asked you out, and trust me, that’s a rare occurrence for me.”
She chuckles.
“No, seriously. I know it’s crazy but you do mean something to me,” I say. “Even though it’s only been two days.”
She smiles. “I get it. But—”
“You don’t have to finish the thought,” I say. I know for a fact she’s going to bring up the others. “Let’s focus on tonight. I want you to go with me.”
She bites her lip, and for a second, I think she’s going to say no. But then, to my absolute shock, she gives me a small, tentative smile. “Okay,” she says softly. “I’d like that.”
My heart skips, a slow grin spreading across my face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She nods, and the shy look on her face makes something warm unfurl in my chest. “Okay.”
“I should go,” I say, my voice soft. “See you in a bit?”
“Yeah,” she murmurs, her gaze following me as I step toward the door and open it. I lean against it, turning to her.
I can’t help it—I lean in and press a quick, soft kiss to her lips, my pulse thrumming. “Great. I’ll come get you before it starts, then.”
She smiles, and for a moment, everything feels perfect.
But then she freezes, and steps back. I follow her gaze to see the woman from earlier—Chloe I think?—walking past us.
She stops dead, her eyes widening in surprise as she takes in the scene: me half in the doorway, Emily standing behind me, her hair mussed, her cheeks still flushed. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going on.
“Oh,” Chloe breathes, her gaze flicking between the two of us, a look of shock—and something else—flitting across her face. “Am I…interrupting something?”
“Uh, no,” Emily says quickly, stepping back and smoothing her hair down, her expression shuttering. “We were just—”
“Really? Because it looks like…”
“Nothing,” Emily cuts in, her voice a little too sharp, her eyes darting away. “It’s nothing.”
I turn, frowning at her. Nothing?
“Right,” Chloe says, drawing the word out, her gaze lingering on me for a moment before flicking back to Emily. “Well. I’ll just…leave you two to your nothing, then.”
A smugness in her tone makes me want to throttle her, but before I can respond, she tosses her hair over her shoulder and saunters down the hall, a self-satisfied smirk on her lips.
I turn back to Emily, watching as she fidgets, her gaze fixed on the floor. Something inside me twists.
“Emily,” I murmur, stepping closer. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she says quickly, her voice tight. But she’s avoiding my gaze, and I can see the way her shoulders are hunched, the way she’s chewing on her bottom lip nervously. “I just…I don’t know. It’s…”
“It’s Chloe, isn’t it?” I sigh, shoving my hands in my pockets. “You’re worried about what she thinks?”
“No, it’s not—” She cuts off, looking frustrated. “I just don’t want to…complicate things.”
“Complicate things?” I echo, my frown deepening. “Em, I don’t care what she thinks. And you shouldn’t either.”
“It’s not about that,” she mutters, crossing her arms defensively. “It’s about…I don’t know. Everything.”
“I’m not going to push you,” I say. “But I’m not going to pretend this is nothing, either.”
She blinks, her lips parting in surprise. “Tanner, I—”
“Just think about it, okay?” I murmur, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll see you at the rehearsal dinner.”
I know she needs time to figure out what she wants—whether it’s me, or someone else, or…
Hell. Who knows.
But one thing’s for sure: I’m not giving up that easily.