Page 60 of Make It Last

I snorted. “We’ve established beige is actually a great color.”

His thumb distracted me as he brushed idle strokes along the inside of my wrist. I realized he could just do that forever, and I would be happy. My hormones loved it.

I was hot all over, a little tingly and breathless, and it was so foreign to me to actually be excited about any kind of touch. Even before I married Brad and experienced our disaster of a sex life, I felt like I didn’t know how to reconcile two parts of myself: the tendency to be a little too pushy and get too excited, running into the hard wall of my inexperience and insecurity.

Needing a distraction, I looked over at Growly, who was sound asleep. I glanced over at Tanner again. “I told him not to mess it up if you wanted to kiss me.”

Tanner’s laugh rumbled, and I giggled. “I’ve never had a pet. Is that a thing?”

He shrugged. “He seems very asleep.”

We both looked over at Growly, who was still asleep. “It should be fine, but it feels weird.”

“Ava, you’re thinking too hard,” Tanner said. I let out a sigh. “Let’s just watch a show.”

I sagged back into the couch cushions. “I’m getting ahead of myself. I need to put the pizza away anyway.”

“You’re not putting anything away.” He narrowed his eyes at me as he released my hand and stood to pick up the pizza boxes. “I’ve got this.”

“I know, but?—”

“Ava, am I going to need to get bossy with you?” He waggled his brows, winking as he turned away, and I enjoyed the view. He was muscly everywhere. I loved it.

While it was extremely frustrating to feel limited and like I should get up and help, I decided—as I waited on the couch with Growly snoring in the corner while Tanner put the pizza boxes away in the refrigerator—that it wasn’t a bad deal to have a situationship with a guy who didn’t mind doing things around the house. Brad had been useless that way. He was the guy who would argue about how hard he worked and how, when he came home, he just wanted to relax. Meanwhile, I worked just as much as he did, if not more, and did all the stuff at home. Our two biggest arguments in our short-lived marriage were about housework and the whole sex thing.

I shoved those memories away. I really didn’t want thoughts of Brad to ruin my time with Tanner. Because I liked Tanner. A lot.

Within minutes, Tanner was drying his hands on a dish towel and hanging it where it belonged, another mark in his favor. Not only did he help, but he knew what the fuck to do.

I now understood the concept of competence porn. I’d heard that expression before, but seeing as my one and only serious relationship had been with someone who wasn’t competent at anything—except being a useless jerk—I’d never grasped it.

Aside from the rescuing thing—which Tanner was very competent at—he could wash dishes and put everything away in its proper place. No instructions or nagging necessary. My ovaries were about to swoon over this.

When he turned and started walking back to the couch, I noticed how broad and strong his shoulders were. Sweet hell. This man.

“What?” Tanner asked as he sat down beside me.

I reined in my hormones. “You do dishes.”

His sleeves were still rolled up. Arm sexiness abounded with his muscled forearms dusted with golden-brown hair. Heat rolled through me, and I almost had to clench my thighs to relieve the pressure building. Oh. My. God.

“I do,” he said, completely oblivious to me swooning over his arms and my hormones twirling and pirouetting inside. “It’s not that hard.”

“Well, I appreciate it very much.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

I shimmied a little closer, grateful that Growly had fallen sound asleep on the opposite side of Tanner.

“What’s up?” His lips twitched at the corners, and his gaze was teasing.

“Kiss me. You’re really good at it.”

He did just as I asked. No hesitation. Within a matter of seconds, he carefully pulled me onto his lap, yet another mark in his favor. Even though I kept forgetting to be mindful of my ankle, this man did not. He adjusted me carefully so that my foot was still propped up on the ottoman.

All the while, he didn’t lose sight of my mouth. Dusting kisses at the corners of my mouth, nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth, and his tongue gliding against mine.

When we broke apart, I gulped in air, lifting my eyes to his. “We could just do this forever.”