Page 24 of This for That (The Edge of Retaliation 1)
I smile, then I walk over to the Mustang, running my fingers over the sleek, shiny paint. “This car would have a few stories to tell, I’d imagine,” I say, my voice husky.
Tanner walks over, opening the back door and pointing to the seat. “Get in.”
I do as he asks, climbing very carefully into the cream leather seat. I lean my back against it, breathing in that old smell that feels so much like home. Yet, at the same time, it brings a pain to my chest that I can never seem to shake when inside a car. It never leaves. Always there. Always tormenting me.
“You’re beautiful, Callie,” Tanner says, his voice low and so damned sexy, I’m scared to turn and look at him. I’m scared of how his eyes will capture mine, and I’ll be unable to look away. “You know that, yeah?”
I look to him and give a small smile. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.”
He narrows his eyes slightly, and then reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind my head. “You don’t see your beauty.”
“I see surface beauty.”
“You don’t see inner beauty, too?”
I want to change the subject. This is getting way too close to home. Way too close to the secret I keep clutched to my chest, terrified to let it free, terrified to share it with another soul.
“Of course,” I lie, and then lick my lips and look away, hoping for a distraction.
So much is running through my body right now—mostly anticipation. Especially when Tanner reaches over, his fingers grazing up my leg slowly, making me shiver from the inside out. I’ve not been close to a man in a very long time, and even when I was, it was basic and it was sloppy. Men like Tanner, they don’t kiss you sloppily; they don’t fuck you sloppily. I have no doubt that if Tanner fucks me, I’ll never be able to look away. I’ll never be able to think of any other man the same way I think of him. He’ll ruin me for life.
“You seem nervous,” he murmurs, that voice making me want to clench my legs together to stop the strong ache forming between them. “Not goin’ to do anything you don’t wanna do, Callie. But I won’t lie; if I don’t taste you, I’m not goin’ to stop thinkin’ about your lips and how fuckin’ incredible I think they’ll feel.”
Oh. God.
“I am a little nervous,” I hesitate, wondering if I should just tell him. Is it better if he knows? Or will it just turn him off? Will he know the moment he kisses me? My chest clenches with unease and anxiety, and I know that I won’t be okay unless I tell him, because I’ll be so afraid of making a mistake. “I want you to kiss me. It’s just . . . I’m . . . I’m not very experienced.”
Tanner pulls back and looks at me. “How so exactly?”
“This is embarrassing,” I say, looking away and muttering, “I’m a virgin.”
For a moment, it is silent. I’m scared to look back, scared of what I’ll see. I finally turn to see him just staring at me, confused, then his eyes get a little more hooded. “Well, one thing is for sure—the plans I had for you in the back of this car aren’t going to happen tonight.”
I feel disappointment punch me in the chest. “Oh . . .”
He reaches up, cupping my chin. “Not for the reasons you think, believe me. You are too good to lose your virginity in the back of a car, no matter how nice it is, to a stranger.”
Oh, lord. He’s a goddamned good-looking, amazing creature I want to pounce on right about now. I want him so bad. I didn’t know it was even possible to want someone you hardly know, but it turns out it is a very real thing.
“Gotta know,” he goes on, “how a girl like you, with a face like yours, and an ass that sweet, is a virgin?”
Shit.
I shrug and whisper, “It’s a long story, but I just haven’t met anyone who has sparked that in me, and I don’t know . . . I just don’t know. It hasn’t happened.”
“Well,” he growls, his voice low and husky, “I can change that for you, darlin’, but I’m not doin’ it here in this car. I am, however, goin’ to kiss you.”
God.
I swallow and give a tiny nod.
He leans forward, his hand still on my chin, and his lips press against mine. The kisses I remember from boys back in high school? Those kisses were horrible, horrendous, sloppy, and definitely not a turn-on.
Tanner’s kiss? Oh lord, Tanner’s kiss is the kiss of your very best dreams. The kiss that makes your whole body tremble. The kiss that makes your heart flutter and your tummy twist. It is everything all wrapped up in one gorgeous package. His hands, the way they graze over my face, cupping my jaw, sliding behind my neck. His mouth, the way it starts moving slowly, his full lips coaxing, and then his tongue, the way it dances and flutters, gently touching mine, before disappearing and making me want more.
