Page 40 of Make It Last

“Yes.”

“Okay. What would that be?”

I took a quick breath and cleared my throat. “How about you be that guy?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

I started to get anxious and hedged. “You saved my life.” He rolled his eyes a little at that, but I pressed ahead. “Okay, you rescued me off the mountain, and I really enjoyed that kiss too. It was my best kiss.”

“Okay.” He nodded slowly.

I rubbed the hem of my shirt between my fingers. “And we could see if it’s good beyond that. If it’s not, I get it. Just don’t analyze me or critique me. Just, um, be gracious about it.”

“Ava.” Tanner held my gaze with a somber expression, leaning forward slightly. “That’s not how it works.”

Nervously, I swallowed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“That kiss was great because we have chemistry,” he said bluntly. “I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert, but chemistry is what makes it work.”

“Well, we have loads of that,” I exclaimed.

His smile stretched from one corner to the next. My belly flipped slowly as heat bloomed and need rolled through me in a liquid wave, slow and languid through my veins.

“I’m still not clear on your proposition,” he said.

“Maybe it’ll be a little awkward because of my ankle”—I gestured to it—“but we could, I don’t know, just see how it goes. You could maybe show me what you mean.”

When he remained quiet, I circled my hand in the air. “I’m not going to call it lessons, but maybe let’s just do an experiment and see if it goes okay. If it’s not a disaster, we could do that more. We could just see how it goes. I’m not asking for forever, because there’s an end date to this for me. I like you. A lot. That kiss was amazing, and I’d like a chance to see if it can be more than that.”

Tanner was quiet long enough that I started to feel very uncertain.

“Hey, we can just rewind and take all that back. I didn’t mean to make this awkward.” My pulse ricocheted everywhere, and my insecurity roared.

He leaned over, reaching for both of my hands. “I’m in.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Really?”

“Yes, and I promise you—no sports analysis. Ever.”

“But what are we going to?—”

He shook his head, releasing one of my hands to press his forefinger against my lips. “I’m not worried about it.”

I eyed him doubtfully.

“Trust me. Look, I don’t like to be the person who bashes people, but your ex is an asshole. He cheated on you. I don’t care what the circumstances were—someone leaving an encounter, even if it’s just a kiss, feeling like they were critiqued as if it was sports analysis is terrible. I’m sorry you had to experience that.”

I took a steadying breath. “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. You made the proposal.” He started to release my hands as he leaned back.

I was feeling greedy and all bound up with need when I snatched both of them right back. “Can we kiss again?”

Chapter Seventeen