Chapter 34 – Tanner
THIRTY-FOUR
TANNER
There are few things I want more than anything in this world: my parents to live long and healthy lives, my brothers to get into good schools and grow out of being the little shits they are, to find a good job after graduation, and to know what it feels like to make Katarina Marritt orgasm, ideally more than once.
Since the day I met her in the student center, it’s all I can think about. Well, maybe not so specifically. But I so badly want to be able to touch her freely, to feel her soft skin against my palm without restraint, to know the way her tongue tastes as it grazes my own.
I’m thankful that I no longer have to wonder what it’s like to feel her.
Elijah never deserved her—the thought of them together actually makes my skin crawl. However, it was never my choice to make; never my place to lure her away from him simply to be able to touch her when she clearly loved him.
I’m not that guy. I’ll never be that guy.
That’s what makes this new advancement just that much sweeter. She wants this, she wants me…even if it’s just for the sake of wiping him from her memory.
I can work with that.
My lips press firmly against hers, my tongue flicking out to tease her own. Kat lets out a soft gasp, her body relaxing into mine as she eagerly responds. I deepen the kiss, our tongues dancing and exploring each other’s mouths. Her hands find their way to my hair, pulling me closer as our bodies become one in this passionate moment.
I want to relish it, savor it, because I very well might not get this again. It’s possible she wakes up tomorrow and decides that once was enough to pull her out of this Elijah Hanas-induced haze. While the thought of that is about the last thing I want, I’d respect it. We had a deal, so if this is all she needs from me, I’ll gladly hand it over.
In an effort to more literally follow through on our deal, I tighten my grip on her waist and pull her toward me, away from the headboard. With a swift movement, I flip her over so that she’s lying on her back under me. Her body tenses and she gasps as I maneuver her into position.
Kat’s eyes meet mine for the first time since I kissed her, and I can’t help but inspect them. While I’ll be the first to say this is just sex, just something she needs, I can’t help but find myself clamoring for reassurance that this is the right move for us, for her. The last thing I’d want to do is push her too far.
As if she can read my mind, Kat whispers, “Tanner.” Her voice is raspy in a way I’ve never heard before.
“Hm?”
She inches closer, her eyes locked on mine, and I can smell the hint of mint wafting from her breath. “Kiss me,” she demands, and I eagerly oblige .
Our lips meet with a force that sends sparks shooting through my entire body. I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She tastes like spearmint, which must mean she snuck away to brush her teeth after dinner—a smart move considering the heavy dose of garlic Jenna used in the sauce. But even with the refreshing minty taste, all I can focus on is the warmth of her lips against mine and the electricity between us.
My lips trace a path of gentle pressure over her collarbone, leaving a trail of soft kisses. Kat’s breath hitches as I continue my slow descent, my tongue gently teasing the sensitive skin beneath her ear. I can feel the heat radiating from her body, matching the fire building within me. Her moans grow louder with each pass until a gasp escapes her lips and she wraps her arms around me tighter.
Goddamn, that sound.
She tangles her fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck before yanking my head backward. It stings, but in that intoxicating way that drops you on the edge of something even more pleasurable than you could ever think possible.
Our mouths crash together once again before she reaches down to slip her fingers just slightly below the waistband of my sweatpants.
Yes, fuck yes, but not yet.
When I yank her hand away, she whimpers in protest, but all I can do is grin at her insistence.
“Have some patience—it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” I return to kissing her neck, except this time I venture lower. As I press my lips against her soft skin, my tongue dances over each raised goosebump on a trail toward the edge of her thin camisole. My bottom lip grazes the fabric as I continue to explore every inch of her body.
I tug the fabric downward to find she isn’t wearing a bra. Admittedly, I was hopeful when she appeared to have changed into pajamas after dinner, but I couldn’t be sure.
Slowly and lightly, I circle the pad of my thumb over her rosy pink nipple, in complete awe at every new discovery of her body. I’ve envisioned what she might look like beneath her clothes a million times over, oftentimes in situations that made me feel like anything but a gentleman, late into the night after she’s gone to bed when I still taste rocky road on the tip of my tongue.
Every inch of her skin is new and thrilling to discover. I can’t believe my luck.
Dipping my head lower, I close my lips around her sensitive nipple and lap my tongue against it with precision, toying with the sensitive peak as she gasps. I can’t fight the grin that creeps across my lips at the sound, so I look up at her.
The flames that burn in her eyes make me wonder if she’s as turned on as I am. Her skin tastes of honey and spice and all I can think about is what other parts of her taste like.
What her pussy tastes like.
And here I am telling her about the virtues of patience… The irony is not lost on me.
I hook my fingers on either side of her pajama shorts to find a cherry-red thong hidden beneath. My grin widens at the sight as I bite my lip with delight. “Did you come in here knowing this would happen?”
Her face reddens and she shakes her head. “No, but I hoped it would.”
Good answer. Good fucking answer .
Pressing a soft kiss to her lips, I pull away, scooting down the bed to bring my face level with the apex of her thighs. Kat squirms against my sheets, but she doesn’t say a word. I take this as the go-ahead and dip downward, allowing my hot breath to ghost over what I hope is wet skin below the thin scrap of fabric before pressing a kiss atop the red barrier.
“Tanner, please,” Kat moans, and it takes everything in me not to strip off my sweatpants and drive deep into her right this second. However, I am a gentleman, and Katarina Marritt deserves to know what it feels like when a man is fully driven by her pleasure and nothing else.
“Yes?” I mumble. I press my lips to her inner thigh and she trembles.
“Please,” she says, her moans shifting into whimpers.
I chuckle, bringing my lips back against her pussy with only the thin piece of fabric keeping me from licking her senseless. “Please what?”
She glares at me playfully and I know instantly that I’ve toyed with her enough.
I grab the edge of her soaked panties and pull them down, exposing her glistening skin. The scent of her arousal fills my nostrils, and without hesitation, I trace my tongue from her entrance to her swollen clit, never breaking eye contact as she watches me intently.
“Goddamn, sweetheart. You taste incredible,” I mumble against her sensitive core.
When I return my attention to her bundle of nerves, she lets out a guttural moan and arches her back, begging for more. I wrap my lips around her clit and suck hard, making her grind her perfect pussy against my mouth.
I focus on her throbbing clit, delicate and swollen between my lips. Her moans grow louder as I suck and flick at it with my tongue. She arches her back, pleading for more, and I eagerly oblige, sucking hard while using my other hand to part her and expose her perfect pussy.
She rocks against me, grinding her hips and urging me on. Eagerly, I plunge two fingers deep inside her, feeling her sex grip them tightly. With each thrust, she bucks and writhes, pushing herself closer to the edge of pleasure.
But I’m not done yet. I continue to pump my fingers in and out of her while maintaining my assault on her sensitive bundle of nerves. She cries out in ecstasy, unable to contain her pleasure any longer. I revel in the power as I bring her to the brink again and again until she finally succumbs to her orgasm.
Gently, I press featherlight kisses against her inner thigh, giving her a moment—but just a moment—of reprieve.