Page 60 of Then and Now (The Edge of Retaliation 3)
“Fuck,” he growls, quickening his pace.
My fingers bite into his skin, my mouth finds his again, and I kiss him. I kiss him with everything I’ve kept bottled up in the last few years, I kiss him until I’m dizzy with lust, I kiss him until my lips burn. Our bodies tangle together and his skin slaps against mine as we both build, our pleasure becoming all we can focus on.
I can’t hang on a second longer, I explode with an orgasm that blows my mind. Tanner follows a second later, with a ragged growl, and our foreheads drop together, our panting breaths matching, as we come down from that incredible high. That was the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t know if it was the emotion, or just that it has been so long since we were together, but it was amazing.
My mind, however, goes to the one thing that I should have asked before we made love.
“Madeline,” I whisper. “Tanner …”
“I broke up with her,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against my mouth. “I’m not an asshole. I told her that I was in love with you, and it wasn’t fair on her. She was hurt and went to a hotel. I’ll call her soon, but I imagine she doesn’t want to talk to me, which is understandable. I wasn’t goin’ to cheat on her though, I had to be honest.”
My mind zones in on the one set of words he just said, skipping over the rest. “You’re in love with me?” I whisper.
He goes silent for a moment, and then says to me, “I’ve been in love with you for a long time. Thought I was gettin’ over it, but the moment I saw you again, I knew I would never get over it. Maybe it’s all the pain, and all the drama, but you’re in my heart now and I can’t get you out.”
My heart explodes, and I whisper, “I love you too, Tanner.”
He squeezes me. “I know that, honey.”
“You know,” I say, running my fingers down his chest, “maybe Celia brought us together for a reason. She’s probably looking down on us right now, smiling, because she knew we’d end up here. She knew we’d get past it all and bring each other comfort at a time when we never thought we’d find it again.”
“Yeah, I think about that often. Sometimes, I think maybe this is what she wanted all along. I never thought I could like you, let alone love you, but here I am. Feelin’ things I’ve never felt with anyone before.”
My heart swells with love, and I say to him, “Yeah, who would have thought. Do you think we have what it takes, to make it past all of this? We’ve been through a lot, and we’ve hurt each other a lot. I don’t want us to forever throw that in the other person’s face.”
“You made a mistake, I tried to seek revenge for that mistake, I found out it wasn’t your fault, and I recovered. The last three years, I’ve realized a lot. It’s different now. I’ve healed a great deal more. I’m not goin’ to promise that there won’t be time we use it, but I think we’re strong enough to leave the past in the past. I want to move forward with you, know that much …”
I squeeze him tighter. “Then I think we go all in.”
“Yeah, babe,” he murmurs. “All in.”
Finally.
“HOW ARE YOU ALL?” THE doctor asks, walking into the waiting room the next day.
We were all called in, well, I was, and I called everyone else. They said there was an update on Ethan, since those words came out of the doctor’s mouth, I’ve hardly been able to breathe. Every single moment has just felt like it has been in slow motion.
“We’re okay,” I say, “What’s the update, doc?”
I meet his eyes and hold my breath, waiting for his answer. Praying, with everything inside of me, that he does not tell us Ethan has passed away.
I can’t take that.
I can’t.
“He’s awake,” the doctor says, and I make a pained sound of relief. “It’s nothing short of a miracle, considering how much internal bleeding he had, and how much blood he lost. He’s still in critical condition and will remain in the ICU for at least another few weeks, but he’s awake.”
“Oh, thank god,” I cry, clutching my chest. “Thank you, god. Can I see him?”
The doctor nods, “Only one at a time, and right now, we’d prefer if just one of you went in until he’s doing better. Too much can cause strain, and we don’t want to risk anything right now. Not to mention infection.”
“Callie will go,” Tanner says, “She’s the one he’ll want to see.”
The doctor nods, and says, “Right this way.”
