Page 105 of Make It Last

His gaze was back on the road as he snorted. “But you didn’t.”

I grinned over at him. “Good thing, and I met you.”

His low chuckle rolled through me, warm and rough, and my belly did a slow, lazy flip. This man.

I had fallen in love with this place before I ever met him, but he absolutely sweetened the deal.

Tanner wouldn’t let me carry a single thing into the house. Not my bag, not my jacket, not even my water bottle.

As soon as I stepped inside, Growly leaped from his favorite corner of the couch and trotted toward me, tail high, purring his signature growly rumble as he circled my ankles.

“Oh, my goodness, I missed you,” I whispered, scooping him up.

He rubbed his chin against mine, whiskers tickling my cheek. I stared into his homely, perfect little face, one ragged ear with his plump cheeks and sweet eyes. My throat tightened.

“I never knew I could love an animal like this,” I said, glancing at Tanner.

He smiled, and my heart turned over in my chest. “Now you know.”

I set Growly down and gave him a little extra food because I wanted to spoil him. He sure liked food, and I liked making him happy. I spun slowly in the middle of the tiny house, clasping my hands together as I took in the view through the windows. The mountains rose in the distance, bathed in late afternoon light.

“I’ve never been to your house,” I pointed out suddenly.

“No, you haven’t. It didn’t come up because, well…” He gestured to my ankle. “You were recovering here. We can go over today if you want.”

“Soon,” I said quickly. “But I don’t want to leave here today. I think we just stay here for the rest of the day.”

He waggled his brows and shrugged. “Works for me.”

It was late afternoon, and while the bagel had tided me over, I was still hungry. “I think we order pizza,” I announced, “and we chill and watch Netflix.”

His gaze went dark and molten in a way that made heat pool low in my belly. “Okay,” he said slowly. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Do you have anything you need to do?” I belatedly asked, realizing he might have actual things to take care of.

“Nothing today. Tomorrow, I have to swing by the station. But today, I’m all yours.”

I let out another sigh.

“You’re sighing a lot,” he teased.

“They’re happy sighs.”

“Good.”

“Do you need to go to your house?”

“Nope. Unless you want to. But there’s no need today.” He glanced toward the living room. “And Growly’s here.”

Before I knew what was happening, Tanner tugged me toward the bedroom. Sunlight streamed through the window, dappling across the bed. Dust motes drifted lazily in the air.

“It’s daytime,” I pointed out.

“It is,” he agreed. “Is that a problem?”

“Oh no,” I said quickly. “Not a problem.” Not even a little.

Time seemed to loosen after that. I couldn’t tell if it moved fast or slow. Tanner unwrapped me like something precious, his big hands moving over my skin with deliberate care. His touch was light when I needed it, firmer when I wanted more. He cupped my breasts, thumbs circling slowly until my breath caught and my body arched toward him. His mouth traced a path down my belly, warm and unhurried. The scrape of his teeth along my skin made me shiver. The solid weight of him against me felt grounding and intoxicating all at once.