Page 78 of Let Me Be the One
The simple touch felt so good—human-to-human contact. Even better, contact with Tanner, a man she admired, a man she wanted. Scented heat poured offhis body, luring her closer. It took a lot of effort to hold her ground.
“Callie?”
“Hmm?”
“Would you like to shower with me?”
Her mouth opened again, but at least this time she managed to properly function. “Yes.” She nodded for good measure. “A hot shower in candlelight”—with you—“sounds like a terrific idea.” Thebestidea.
“We can get the dishes tomorrow. The power should be back on by then.”
“Okay.”
After the slightest pause, he asked, “Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Not knowing if he meantsleep-sleep or smoking hot sex, she nodded fast, because the answer was a resoundingyesto either one. Hopefully both. “Absolutely.” In case that wasn’t affirmative enough, she said, “I’d like that.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up in an amused grin. “Pretty sure I’m going to like it, too.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IFTANNER KNEWof her high expectations, based on her previous delicious—even sometimes unnerving—reactions to him, he might have been intimidated. Then again, she’d yet to see him apprehensive about anything. His usual mode seemed to be confident forward momentum, no matter what.
Whether trying to run her off, save her, or anything in between.
He jumped into that mode again by scooping her up. “Grab a candle.”
“Oh, um…” This was a first for her. In her world, men didn’t just scoop up women like it was nothing. If he was any other guy, she might have been annoyed, or she might have found the action hilariously ridiculous. With Tanner, it felt natural. Again.
She reached out and took the jarred candle from the table.
As he carried her closer to the remaining two candles, he said, “Blow them out so we can save them.”
She obligingly huffed a breath.
“Good.” With her holding the only lit candle, and him holding her, shadows closed in around them. If she’d been alone on a night like this, the atmosphere would have felt ominous.
Instead, as he carried her to the bathroom, she felt…special.Pampered. As if she really mattered to him. It was so unexpected, a nervous giggle escaped her when she seriously wasn’t the giggling kind.
At the look he slanted down at her, she cleared her throat and said, “I could have walked.”
In a tone devoid of haste, he said, “We got here faster this way.” The second he put her back on her feet, he took the candle from her and set it on the sink. “One second.” Moving all the damp clothes away from the tub, he turned on the water, pulled the shower curtain and lifted the nozzle to start the shower.
Efficient, that’s what he was. And maybe in a bit of a hurry regardless of how composed he appeared.
She, on the other hand, was already antsy. Big-time. Give her half a second and she could have him naked. Bummer that all they had was candlelight, but she’d make do.
Was there a flashlight somewhere in the house?
She was considering that, trying to remember if she’d seen one somewhere, when he stepped behind her and stripped away her open flannel shirt.
“Mind if I ask where you got this?”
Unsure what he meant, she turned to face him and found him scowling at the shirt like it offended him. “I guess it was Reggie’s. A few of his things were stored in the basement in a big chest.” Lifting a shoulder, she explained, “It looked cozy so I washed it and added it to my own stuff.”
For unknown reasons, that answer pleased him enough that he stole her breath with a consuming kiss. His hands moved over her hips, along her back, up and under her T-shirt, and as he put a marginal amount of space between them, he stripped that shirt away, too.
In the silence of the room, she heard his deeper breaths. As dark as it was, she could swear she felt the heat of his gaze moving over her breasts. With an inarticulate sound of hunger, he kissed her again, but not for long.
