Page 19 of Make It Last

“Not last I checked.”

Tanner, handsome as all hell, rolled his eyes. He didn’t seem to realize what a big deal it was to tell a woman she was beautiful.

“Come here,” I demanded.

At that moment—with Tanner here while I wore a hospital gown and looked as unsexy as possible—I felt a glimmer of my old self. The me before my marriage. That version of me came roaring back.

He set his pizza down on the rolling table beside my bed and leaned his elbows on the railing. “Right here?”

Pretty sure we weren’t prepared for what I did next. I leaned forward, bracing an elbow on the pillow on my lap. Wow, he was handsome.

I studied him. His gorgeous eyes were this caramel color—swirly with gold. His lips were shaped just right, the bottom one a little fuller than the top. His jaw had sharp lines, and his cheekbones were something. Good grief, I’d never even noticed a man’s cheekbones, but his were carved.

“Two more inches,” I declared.

He looked confused, so I took matters into my own hands. I leaned forward, cupped his cheeks, and kissed him. The moment our lips met, I was surprised lightning didn’t strike right then and there. The point of contact was so hot I was certain sparks scattered in the air around us. He froze for a second.

He smelled amazing—woodsy and smoky with a hint of fresh soap. His cheeks were warm under my hands. I loved the feel of his prickly stubble under my fingertips. I leaned back, feeling my eyes widen.

“Tanner,” I whisper-shouted.

He looked shocked for a heartbeat, but then my rescue guy took charge. He lifted his hand, curling it gently around the back of my neck. Oh, that was awesome. His touch was strong and warm. He angled his head to the side and laid one hell of a kiss on me.

He started with an easy brush of his lips over mine, slow and easy. On the heels of a breath, he drew back, nipping my bottom lip.

Oh. My. God. It was a good thing I was sitting down. I’d have melted into a puddle if not.

His eyes darkened. “Ava,” he rasped.

I could feel the shape of my name on my lips when he kissed me again. This time, his tongue slid almost languidly across my lips. When I gasped, he swept inside, and our tongues tangled. I was breathless and hot all over by the time he drew back, ending with one kiss on each corner of my mouth. When he straightened, even he looked a little unsettled. His shoulders rose with a deep breath. All the while, I could barely even breathe.

I tried to collect myself. “Holy wow,” I finally managed, my voice hoarse and breathy. “That was a little unexpected.”

“Yeah,” he said evenly, though his voice was still rough and his cheeks tinged pink.

“You should give classes.”

“What?” Tanner looked confused.

“On kissing. Best kiss of my life, Tanner. Hands down.”

His eyes went a little wide. “You don’t have to go overboard, Ava.”

“I mean it. I am a cynical, angry woman who swore off men. You just kissed me, and I saw stars. I’m on fire. I don’t even know what to do about this.” I leaned back into the pillows, grabbed the daily medical report off my table, and fanned myself with the pages.

Tanner’s lips twitched. “Well, I have to agree. Best kiss ever.”

I froze. “Oh my God, Tanner. Now, you don’t need to go pretending I swept you away.” I took a steadying breath. “We have to be normal again.”

I opened my mouth to say something else just as there was a knock on the door.

“Hello?” Chris, one of the nurses, peeked around the edge of the door. “Oh hey, guys. Just gotta do your nightly check.”

“Come on in,” I said with a wave. Not because I wanted him to come in, but because I needed something, anything, to snap me out of this fuzzy desire before I did something truly crazy. Like try to get Tanner to climb into this sexy hospital bed with me.

Tanner made his getaway once Chris started checking everything. He was so smooth about it that it didn’t even feel awkward. All the while, though, I was freaking right the hell out inside. I couldn’t believe what I had just done.

“How are you feeling?” Chris asked just as the door closed behind Tanner.