Chapter Twenty-Three
“How did things go with your dad? I feel like with everything else that went down I didn’t get the chance to check in with you on how you felt about that,” Tanner asked.
The plane was in the air, and they were on their way back to Napa. Tanner felt as though the day’s events had gotten ahead of him, and he could only imagine how Everly must feel. He was glad that things had worked out this way, but at the same time he was a little concerned.
They’d barely had a moment alone since this morning. He’d planned to check in with her on the ride to the airport, but Ashton had asked if Zeke could ride with them. It made sense; Zeke would be able to take the truck home and save someone else a trip to the airport to bring it home for him. More than that, it gave the little guy a bit more time with his grandpa.
He was relieved when Everly smiled. “It was good. I don’t need to tell you how good it was for Ashton – it was plain to see how happy he was to finally get to know his grandpa.”
“Yeah, and you’re not worried about it?”
“I’m not. Part of me feels like I should be. I should be more wary – I know all too well how he can build you up and then let you down. I hope to God that I’m not setting Ashton up for a big disappointment, but it honestly feels different this time.”
“It seems to me that Zeke’s determined not to let either of you down. Obviously, I don’t know if it’ll be any different this time, but I’m hoping.”
“Me too.” She leaned out into the aisle, looking toward the cockpit. “It was kind of Bear to let Ashton sit up there with him, but do you think we should bring him back now?”
Tanner turned to face her. “We should, but in a minute.” He leaned in closer until his forehead was resting against hers. “It feels like we’ve hardly had a minute alone.”
He loved the way her whole demeanor softened as she closed her eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry. There’s been so much going on.”
He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. “Hey, no sorries, remember? I don’t want you to feel like I’m just one more thing that you need to fit in – to make time for. That’s not why I’m here. I’ll gladly take any time we can grab to be alone, but I want to share the load the rest of the time, too.”
He curled his arm around her, and jerked his chin, indicating that she should come and sit on his lap. When she did, he questioned the wisdom of the invitation – the feel of her warm, soft body in his arms had him hard as a rock.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and dropped a kiss on his lips. “Have I told you how awesome you are?”
He chuckled. “Not for a while but go on – keep talking.”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to talk.”
He slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her head down. When their lips were almost touching, he said, “You’re a smart lady. I can think of better ways to spend our time alone.”
She laughed. “Me too, but since I don’t think that joining the mile-high club would be a good idea when there’s a chance that Ashton could come back at any moment, we should save that for tonight. For now, kiss me.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He claimed her mouth in a deep, searing kiss. He loved the way she kissed him back. It was the same each time – she started out hesitantly, as if she wasn’t sure of herself or of him. But she allowed him to coax her and within moments, she kissed him back as if she had no doubts about what she wanted – and what she wanted was him.
He stroked his fingers over the nape of her neck, and the way she moaned made him rock his hips. The feel of her ass on his lap had him digging his fingers into her hips. She grasped at his shoulders and moved with him. He slid his hand down the back of her jeans and squeezed her ass, making her gasp and move against him more urgently.
He reluctantly withdrew his hand and lifted his head. “Shit! I don’t want to stop, but you’re right, we don’t want Ashton coming back out and seeing me doing what I want to do to his mom right now.”
She let out a short laugh. “No. We shouldn’t risk it, but he’s going to have to have an early night tonight.”
“It’s the sensible thing to do. He’s had a big weekend. He should get to bed early.” He squeezed her ass again. “And so should his mom.”
They both started guiltily when Bear’s voice came over the intercom. “We’re going to be starting our descent here soon.”
Tanner smiled. “I think that’s his way of saying I should come get Ashton.”
Everly nodded. “Thanks. It was so kind of Bear to let him sit in the cockpit with him, but I like the idea of Ashton sitting back here with us so that Bear can focus on landing us safely.”
She slid off his lap, and Tanner got up to go and fetch Ashton. He knew that in his active-duty days, Bear had dealt with much worse distractions than a small boy peppering him with questions from the right seat, but he still wanted Ashton to come and sit with them for the last part of the flight. He didn’t know what to expect when they landed, and he wanted to be sure that Ashton was glad he was there.
~ ~ ~
Ashton helped Tanner load the bags into the trunk of the car. Then, they stood and watched as the plane took off again. Ashton waved like crazy when it taxied by them on its way to the end of the runway.
Tanner pointed. “Look, Bear’s waving back.”
Ashton waved even more enthusiastically. “Bear’s cool!”
Tanner gave Everly a wry smile as he said, “He is. He’s a great pilot, too.”
“He showed me how to fly the plane. He even let me hold the controls.”
Tanner chuckled. He couldn’t blame the kid for being so enthralled. He’d felt the same way the first time that Bear had let him sit in the right seat. “That’s awesome. Do you want to be a pilot now?”
Everly couldn’t help but laugh at the look her son gave him as he said, “Duh! No. Bear’s cool, being a pilot’s cool, but not as cool as being a cowboy. I’m going to be a cowboy – just like you.”
Her heart melted in her chest. It was that last part – he wanted to be just like Tanner. She closed her eyes briefly, hoping like hell that she wasn’t making a huge mistake here.
“Come on, let’s get home,” she said. “We still need to get things ready for school tomorrow.”
“And you need to call Mel, Mom. Don’t forget to call her. She doesn’t need to pick me up from school.” He grinned up at Tanner. “Tanner’s going to get me.”
It felt strange to see Tanner in the passenger seat of her Camry. He looked much more at home behind the wheel of his big truck. Not that she was complaining – she was so glad he was here.
He looked out the window at the rolling hillsides covered in grapevines. “So, this is where Xander grew up, huh?”
“You mean Ava’s Uncle Xander?” Ashton asked.
“I do. I know him.”
“Oh, that’s right. You were SEALS together, right?”
“That’s right.”
Everly slowed the car as they approached Grady and Hannah’s cottage. It felt strange to just drive by, but she didn’t want to take up too much of what was left of the evening.
“Hey, look! That’s Grady’s car. Do you think Ava’s with him?” Ashton asked.
“It looks like we’ll find out,” said Everly as she watched the car approach them.
When they drew level, it turned out that Ava and Hannah were both with Grady.
She stopped and put her window down, and Grady did the same. Ashton and Ava waved madly at each other.
Grady smiled, and Hannah made big eyes at her from behind him.
“You made it back, then?” Grady asked.
“We did, and we brought Tanner with us. Guys, this is Tanner. Tanner these are our friends, Grady and Hannah.”
“And Ava!” Ashton added. “That’s my best friend Ava I was telling you about.”
“It’s good to meet you all,” said Tanner.
“You too,” said Grady. “How long are you here for?”
Tanner chuckled. “In theory, I was only supposed to drop these guys back home again, but I managed to persuade them to let me stay for the week.”
“That’s great,” said Hannah. “I hope you all have a good time. And don’t forget, Everly, if you need us to watch Ashton…”
“Tanner’s going to watch me!” Ashton called.
Grady and Hannah both smiled at that. “That’ll be fun for you guys,” said Grady. He looked at Tanner. “Let me know if the two of you want to hang out with Ava and me. Everly can give you my number.”
Everly was pleased to see the way Tanner smiled at that invitation. “I’ll do that, thanks.”
Hannah leaned around Grady so that she could see Everly better. “Give me a call, and we’ll see if we can’t all get together.”
“Will do.” Everly wanted to laugh. Whether they got together or not, she could tell that Hannah wanted to ask her all about Tanner.
Everly checked the rearview mirror and saw another vehicle coming down the driveway behind them.
Hannah laughed when she saw it. “It’s up to you, but you might want to get going. That’s Willow and Slade. If they catch up with us, this might turn into a party that will last all evening.”
“We should probably go,” Everly said hurriedly. “Say hi to them for me, but we still have to get everything ready for tomorrow.”
Hannah gave her a knowing smile. “Yes, you guys should get going.”
When they made it back to the house, Ashton helped Tanner get the bags from the trunk while Everly opened the front door.
Once they were all inside, she smiled at them. “What do we want to do, then?”
Ashton blew out a big sigh. “What I want to do is go back to Montana now. I’m glad that Tanner’s here, but I’d be happier if we were there.”
She was tempted to agree with him – she felt the same way. But despite having spent the weekend in Tanner’s world with him, they were now back in the real world, and they had to face it.
~ ~ ~
By Wednesday, Tanner felt as much at home with Everly and Ashton as he did with his family. He smiled and thought – the rest of his family. After just a couple of days, he was determined to make the two of them his family.
He sighed as he pulled back into the driveway at Everly’s townhouse. The thing was, he wanted them to be his family, but he didn’t want this to be his life. He missed the ranch, missed the horses, his siblings, maybe most of all, he missed Montana. Napa was nice enough, but he felt claustrophobic here.
He climbed out of the car and smiled when the front door opened. “Hey, honey. I’m home!”
Everly laughed and held her arms out to him. “How did it go?”
He wrapped her in a hug and dropped a kiss on her lips before saying, “It was fine. We got him there on time.” Ashton had begged his mom to let Tanner drop him off at school this morning. Tanner loved it, but at the same time while he sat in the drop-off line, he couldn’t help wishing that he was dropping Ashton off at school in Livingston.
Everly gave him a puzzled look. “Was there a problem?”
He shook his head. “No. It was all good.”
“But?”
He blew out a sigh. “I don’t want to keep dancing around it, darlin’. I’m loving being here with you, but I want to take you guys home with me.”
She nodded slowly. “I think you know that I’d like that, too. But…”
“The school in town is great – and he’d be in the same class as Mateo,” Tanner ventured.
“I know, but… There’s my job.”
“You could find a job up there.”
She made a face. “I’ve been thinking the same thing, but I don’t know where to start – or how long it would take me.”
He pursed his lips, wondering if he should say what had been on his mind. He decided he had to try. “Does it matter? I mean, I’m not saying that you should move up there and rent a place of your own. I’m asking you to come and be with me.”
She met his gaze and held it. “I… Of course I want to be with you – we both do. But… Even if… I mean, I’d want to stay with you, too. But if we’re living in your home, and I have no income…”
He nodded. “I get it. It’s like asking you to give up your independence, isn’t it?”
“It is. And that’s just not who I am. I’m not saying that I don’t trust you – even though part of me thinks that it’s crazy to trust you after such a short time.”
“I know. We’ll figure something out.”
“We will. But let’s not worry about it right now; what do you want to do today?”
He grinned and tightened his arms around her waist as he started backing her toward the stairs. “You. I want to do you.”
She laughed. “You’re insatiable.”
He nodded happily. “I am when it comes to you. And now that the little guy’s at school, I want to make the most of it.”
She laughed. “You mean we haven’t been making the most of every night since you got here?”
He shook his head solemnly. “No. Not saying that I haven’t enjoyed it, but I’ve been restrained – and you’ve been quiet.” He dropped a kiss on her lips and started leading her up the stairs. “Now that we have the place to ourselves, I think we should…”
She nodded eagerly. “I think we should, too.”
Once they were inside the bedroom, he closed the door behind them and backed her up against it. “I’m glad you didn’t get dressed yet,” he said as he slid his hands inside her pajama bottoms.
She gave him a guilty smile. “I wanted to wait for you to get back before I went in the shower.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I like the way you think. But I think we should call the shower round two, or maybe round three.”
As he spoke, he pushed her pajamas down. Her arms came up around his neck when he brushed his lips over hers.
“Tell me more,” she breathed.
He nipped her bottom lip. “First, I need to taste you.” He dropped to his knees and kissed her stomach. Little bolts of electricity shot down his spine when she tangled her fingers in his hair.
“Yeah?”
“Oh, hell yeah.” He slid his hands between her thighs and held her open as he trailed his tongue over her entrance. “You taste so damn good.”
“Tanner!” she gasped as he slid a finger inside her.
“Yeah, darlin’.” He teased her clit with the tip of his tongue as he slowly pushed his finger deeper, loving the way her inner muscles clamped tight around it. “You’re so fucking tight, and so wet.”
His scalp tingled as she tugged on his hair. “Stop teasing.”
He chuckled and added a second finger as he closed his mouth over her. His cock throbbed against his zipper, impatient to be inside her. He’d been with a lot of women in his time, but he’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her. The little sounds she made as he feasted on her had him on the edge himself.
When she started to rock against his face, he knew she was on the edge. He twisted his hand, seeking the spot. Her hands dropped to his shoulders and her thighs started to quiver.
“Tanner!”
He smiled and worked harder, bracing his arm over her stomach to keep her upright as she came undone. It got harder to move his hand as her inner muscles pulsated around him. He urged more from her with his lips and tongue, driving her higher and higher until he felt her crest the wave. As she started to come down the other side, he was overcome by the need to be inside her.
She was still trembling as he got to his feet and scooped her up in his arms. He threw her down on the bed and fumbled with his belt and zipper. He only managed to get his jeans pushed down to his ankles, before he was scrabbling in the drawer for a condom. Once he had it on, he positioned himself above her. Her satisfied smile as she said, “Give me a minute, you almost destroyed me,” made him feel like a damned hero.
He shook his head and spread her thighs with his knees. “No minutes left. I need …” Then it hit him. No matter how badly he needed her, he couldn’t just … “Jesus, Everly. Can I?”
Her cheeks and chest were flushed, her eyes were wide as she lifted her hips and nodded.
“Thank fuck for that,” he groaned as he thrust deep and hard.
“Tanner!”
The last ripples of her orgasm fluttered around his aching cock, tearing a sound from his chest that was more like a growl than anything else. He pulled back and slammed into her again. She wrapped her legs around his thighs and clung on as he set a wild, punishing rhythm. He was losing himself inside her – and he never wanted to be found again.
He wasn’t going to last, but he needed her to come again. He needn’t have worried about that. She thrashed her head from side to side as she moaned his name, over and over.
“Tanner! I … I …”
He drove harder. “Come for me, darlin’.”
She gripped him tight in wave after wave, and he let go. A wave of darkness crashed over him as he pulsated inside her. He came so hard that every nerve ending from his scalp to the soles of his feet seemed to convulse as he gave her everything he had.
As he slowly came back to his senses, the thought hit him that he hadn’t just given her all he had – he’d given her all he was.
He tried to hold his weight off her, but she pulled him down to her.
“Wow!” she breathed after a while.
He slid his arm under her, wanting to hold her as close as he could. “Wow doesn’t even come close.”
She smiled. “You’re right. But if wow isn’t the word, I don’t know what is.”
His scalp prickled again when the word hit him. “I do.”
She looked up into his eyes with that gorgeous, satisfied smile on her face. “What is it, then?”
He kissed her slowly and carefully before he said it. The word used to scare him. He’d never said it to a woman he’d been with – and now he knew why. He’d been saving it for her.
“Love.”
Her eyebrows drew together.
He dropped a peck on her lips and smiled. “That’s the word,” he explained. “I love you, Everly.”
Her eyes grew wide, and he held his breath.
“Wow!”
He nodded sadly. “Are you saying that’s the word you’d rather stick with?”
“No!” She traced his cheek with her fingers. “Why would you think that, you crazy, beautiful man? What I’m saying is that I love you, too.”
He dropped his head and rested his forehead against hers as he looked down into her eyes.
“Thank you. I won’t let you down, darlin’.”
“I hope not.”
“I promise you. I’m going to love you the best I can.”
She chuckled. “I think you just did.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t mean like that.”
“I know.” Her expression grew serious. “Do you think we can make it work?”
“I know we can. I know we will. I don’t have any experience with loving a woman, I think you know that. But I learn fast.” He winked. “And I like to be the best.”
She ran her hands up his arms. “You are the best.”
As he looked down into her eyes, he had to say it again – he loved the way it sounded. The way it felt. “I love you, Everly Welsh.”
“I love you right back.”