by Lexi Lawton
“Now?” He raised a brow.
She nodded. There was a look in her eyes that gave him pause, but for the most part, her expression was unreadable. His stomach sank. Was she going to back out on their bet, tell him she wasn’t going to go out with him even if his team won?
“Yeah, sure.” He took her hand. “I’ll grab the beers. Anyone else need anything?”
“I’ll take some water,” Holly said.
“Coming right up.” Tanner led Jules into the kitchen, not missing the way Devon tracked his movements. “Okay, what’s up?” he asked, gripping the edge of the counter and leaning back.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said.
Here it comes. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, although he wasn’t sure there was anything he could do to brace himself for another rejection. He wanted her. Period. Full stop. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And he’d do whatever it took to get her. If that meant he had to listen to her say no a million more times, he’d figure out a way to deal with it.
She approached him, a sly smile tugging at her mouth. A chorus of “oohhhs” erupted from the living room, and the muscle in his jaw ticked. She glanced over her shoulder then back at him. “The game’s almost over.”
“I know.” He cocked his head in confusion. That could not be what she wanted to talk about.
“I don’t care if the Giants win.” She shook her head.
His eyebrows rose, and his ears rang with the meaning behind her words. “Wow. Well, I guess you’re honest.” He should’ve known better than to try to bet her into going out with him.
She laughed—actually fucking laughed—and then patted his chest like he was a child who needed comforting. But he wasn’t a child. He was a grown-ass man whose body ignited in primal ways with a single touch from her. She stepped closer, her hands going to his waist. Then she looked up at him under her lashes.
He clutched the counter so tight, his fingers ached from the force, but he knew if he let go, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from touching her. His heart was in his throat, and fear coiled in his gut. She was a full foot shorter than him, and she couldn’t weigh more than 120 pounds soaking wet, yet here she was, wielding all the power. She had him trapped, terrified of breathing wrong for fear she might turn her back on him for good.
Her fingers snuck under the hem of his shirt and flirted across his stomach, teasing around the waistband of his shorts. He sucked in a breath, trying to stop the erotic fantasies racing through his mind. “Jules,” he warned, his voice rough.
“I don’t care if the Giants win because”—she licked her lips—“because I want to go out with you regardless of who wins.”
He remained frozen in place, waiting a full beat to see if she was going to laugh again or tell him she was joking. But she didn’t. The tension eased from his body. “Jesus Christ, Jules. You had me scared shitless.”
“Scared? What did you think I was going to say?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “That you hated my guts, and if I didn’t stop asking you out you were going to get a restraining order. Or maybe you were going to tell me you realized you were in love with Devon.”
She sighed with aggravation. “If we’re going to go out, you need to stop worrying about Dev. We’re just friends.”
He still didn’t buy it, at least not as far as Devon was concerned, but he wasn’t about to stand there and argue with her. “Done.” Releasing the counter, he flexed the ache from his fingers. He slipped his arms around her and rested his forehead to hers. When his heart calmed enough so he didn’t feel like he was going to vomit, he said, “You and me. Saturday night.”
“Saturday? I’m surprised you don’t want to go out tonight.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. He was in so much trouble.
“What the fuck, Tanner! You in there making that beer?” Jason shouted from the living room. “Hurry up and get your ass out here. We’re in overtime.”
He laughed. He’d told Jason about the bet with Jules, and so he was rooting for the Giants today even though he was a diehard Miami fan. That was true friendship right there. Reluctantly, he released Jules and grabbed two beers and a bottle of water from the fridge. “Do you want anything?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks.”
He reached in and got a beer for himself. They returned to the living room. Tanner handed Devon and Jason their beers, gave Holly her water, then he sat in the recliner, pulling Jules down on his lap. Arm curled around her waist, he rested his hand on her thigh. The day had turned out better than he’d hoped.
…
Tanner rushed across the parking lot, through the grass behind the English building, and cut between the library and social sciences building. He’d overslept, because he’d been in the middle of a hot as hell dream involving him and Jules and no clothes, and now he was going to be late to lab. Normally he wouldn’t mind walking in five or ten minutes late, but their first test was coming up this week, and today was the practice lab.
“Hey, Tanner!” Devon approached to the left, his walk brisk and purposeful. “Hold up. We need to talk.”
“I’m already late for labs. I’ll catch up with you later,” he called over his shoulder as he continued toward Fallon Hall.
“It’s about Jules.”
That made him stop cold. He turned around to find Devon standing with his arms crossed. “What about her? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. And I want to make sure she stays that way.”
“Excuse me?” The tips of his ears burned, and he squeezed the strap of his backpack. Tanner slowly walked back toward Devon. “If you’re about to tell me to stay away from her, save your breath.”
“I’m not stupid. Jules would skin me alive if I did that.”
Tanner smiled. Her independence and stubbornness were two of the many things he liked about her. Devon didn’t return the smile. Okay then.
“I don’t know what you two have going on, but she likes you, and this had better be real for you, too. She’s not the type who does casual hookups.”
“And you think I am?” He took a deep breath and tried to swallow back the furious retorts building on his tongue.
Who the hell does this guy think he is?
“I don’t know what she’s told you about her ex, but that asshole broke her, and I was there for every second of it. I had to watch her cry over that dickhead, and I will not let her go through that again.” Devon stepped closer. “Consider this fair warning. You so much as make her cry a single tear, I will break every fucking bone in your body.”
What. The. Fuck. Tanner took a step back. “Where the hell is this coming from? I thought we were friends, man.”
“We are, but Jules is important to me, and I won’t let anyone hurt her again.”
Tanner clenched his hand into a fist, released it, then did it again. His heart thundered loudly in his ears, deafening him to everything else around him. “You love her,” he said. It wasn’t a question that needed an answer. It was a sudden realization, like he’d been beaten upside the head with a baseball bat. How had he not seen this before?
“Of course I do. She’s my best friend.” He sounded offended.
“Are you in love with her?”
Devon flinched as if he’d been hit. “No.” He shook his head. “She’s like my sister, and I will always have her back.”
Tanner didn’t believe that for a second. There was no way in hell Devon saw Jules as a sister. But regardless of how he felt about Devon, he was important to Jules, and if Tanner wanted to be in her life, he was going to have to learn to play nice with him.
“Look. I don’t want any bad blood between us, all right? We both care about Jules, so let’s be nice for her sake.”
“We won’t have any trouble so long as you don’t hurt her,” Devon said.
“You don’t have to worry. I have no intention of hurting her.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “We good now? I ha
ve to get to class.”
Devon’s only response was a firm nod before he spun on his heel and walked away. Tanner shook his head. Did that seriously just happen? He desperately wanted a relationship with Jules. Not Jules and Devon. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, startling him. He pulled it out and saw a text from Juliana. Are you seriously skipping class?!?
He hit reply. And miss the opportunity to see your beautiful face? No way.
Juliana: I think my eyes just rolled out of my head.
He laughed. I’m on my way. Tucking his phone back in his pocket, he hurried to class. Jealousy still tugged at him, and he wasn’t fully convinced Devon’s feelings for Jules didn’t go beyond friendship. He wasn’t going to let it get to him, though, because he would fight for her if he had to. She was worth it.
Chapter Twelve
Juliana reread Tanner’s text for what seemed like the millionth time. Wear something comfortable. You’ll need socks and sneakers. She’d borderline harassed him all week to find out where he was taking her, but he wouldn’t give her so much as a hint. Checking her reflection in the mirror one last time, she gave herself an encouraging nod. She couldn’t quell the storm of nervous butterflies in her stomach, though, which was silly because it wasn’t like they hadn’t hung out before.
Of course, tonight was different. They were taking a huge jump out of the friend zone, and as much as she hated to admit it, she hadn’t been out on a date since she first started seeing Zach. And that was years ago. She’d worked tirelessly to protect herself from getting hurt again, but now her heart was out there, vulnerable to whatever Tanner chose to do with it. Tonight, they’d have their first kiss, too—a fact Tanner hadn’t let her forget. What if she didn’t remember how to kiss? Or what if Tanner thought she was a horrible kisser?
She forced the thoughts from her mind. Grabbing a hair tie, she wrapped it around her wrist then tossed her fold-up travel brush into her purse. The closer she got to being ready and walking out the door, the more her stomach revolted, twisting and turning over on itself, threatening to erupt its contents out of her mouth.
Calm down. You can do this. But her internal pep talk didn’t do much good. Juliana left the room and closed the door. She exited her res hall to find Tanner waiting outside. He was dressed in dark-colored cargo shorts and a polo shirt. He hadn’t been lying when he’d said dress comfortably. At least she didn’t feel so bad now about wearing jean shorts and a fitted T-shirt. His face lit up with a gorgeous smile, his dimple carving into his perfect features. Her breath caught at the sight of him.
“You look amazing,” he said, walking toward her. Confidence and sexuality radiated off him in waves. He stopped in front of her and took both of her hands into his, lacing their fingers.
The touch sent a tingling spark up her arms, and goose bumps erupted on her skin.
“For the record, I would have come up to your room and gotten you. I feel like an ass for standing out here and making you come to me.”
“I know, but I never know when my roommate will be there, or if she’ll even have clothes on.”
He grinned. “Okay then. Ready to go? Our reservations are for six thirty.” He released one of her hands, keeping the other firmly in his grasp, and led her toward his car.
Her steps faltered. “Reservations?” Any place requiring a reservation also usually required a certain level of attire, and neither of them were dressed for anything like that.
“Don’t worry. It’s not what you think. Trust me.” He opened the passenger’s door and waited for her to get in. She hadn’t met any college guys who had the manners and chivalry Tanner possessed, which was one more reason she liked him.
When he was in the car and pulling onto the main road, she asked, “So are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?”
“No. It’s not far, though. You won’t have to wait too much longer.”
Excitement bubbled up inside of her. “If I guess, will you tell me?”
“If you guess, I’ll give you any damn thing you want.” He gave her a sideways glance, a smirk lighting up his face. “But you’ll never figure it out.”
She lifted a brow. “Is that so?”
His only answer was a nod.
“You seriously underestimate me, Collins.” Even if he was right and she couldn’t guess correctly, she was going to have fun with him. She and Devon played this game all the time, and the more ridiculous the guess, the better. But the trick was to start slow and then hit him with a crazy answer when he least expected it. “Okay, we’re going on a hike.”
“Kind of.”
“We’re taking a walk on the beach.”
“If we were walking on the beach, I would’ve told you to wear shoes that come off easily.”
“Are we going to be inside or outside?”
“Oh no.” He shook his head. “This is a guessing game, not twenty questions.”
“Laser tag.”
“No, but that does sound fun. Maybe next time.”
“Paintball.”
“Nope.”
“We’re going to run a marathon,” she said.
He laughed. “No.”
“Bungee jumping.”
“No.”
“Skydiving.”
His eyes widened. “I didn’t realize you were an adrenaline junkie.”
“I’m not.” She shrugged. “But life’s too short not to try everything at least once, right?”
Tanner took her hand and laced their fingers. Hand holding was one more thing Zach would never do, at least, not with her, but it was something she enjoyed. The fact her hand fit perfectly in Tanner’s was a bonus. “That’s the best attitude you can have, especially considering what I’ve got planned.” He winked.
“You don’t play fair,” she teased. “Wait! I know. We’re going to rob a bank, and we’ll have to run when the cops show up. Oh! No. I got it.” She snapped her fingers. “We’re going cow tipping.”
“What the hell is cow tipping?”
“It’s when you sneak up on a cow and tip it over. They’re like boulders, so it generally takes more than one person. It has to be a coordinated effort for it to work.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve actually tipped over a cow?”
She laughed. “Maybe. You tell me where we’re going, and I’ll answer your question.”
“I suggest you get back to guessing. And you’d better hurry up. We’re almost there.”
Juliana glanced out the window in the hopes she’d see something to give her a hint, but there wasn’t much around. “Hmm.” She pursed her lips and tapped her finger against them. The shoes were definitely a clue, the only one she currently had, but what the hell did it mean?
“Please don’t do that.” His dark gaze was trained on her instead of the road.
“Do what?”
“Purse your lips. It’s distracting as hell. Now all I can think about is kissing you.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s all you’ve been able to think about since you met me.” She wouldn’t complain if he were to kiss her right now, but she knew if he did, she wouldn’t want him to stop, and then things would get out of control. And she wasn’t going to sleep with him on their first date—no matter how badly she wanted to.
“Your time is up, Shea.” Tanner pulled into the mostly empty parking lot of a monstrous brick building. It had to be at least six or seven stories high, but there wasn’t a single window. There was a set of double doors illuminated by two very bright lights. Spray painted across the front of the building in bright yellow letters were the words Adrenaline Avalanche. Before she could ask what this place was, Tanner was out of the car and around to her side, opening her door.
She took his proffered hand and got out. “Too bad I didn’t guess correctly. You would have loved what I was going to ask you for.” She patted his chest.
He groaned. “Now who’s not playing fair?”
“Actually, turnabout is fair play, so…” She looked aroun
d at the empty lot. “Are you sure this place is open?”
“I guess I deserved that.” He grinned. “Yes, they’re open. C’mon.”
Her heart fluttered as she followed him inside. But one look was all it took for her heart to stop. It was a gigantic obstacle course: rope bridges suspended seventy feet in the air, zip lines leading to ball pits, gigantic trampolines, faux rock walls… This was Tanner’s idea of a date?
“Sorry, we’re closed for a private party,” the man behind the counter said without looking up from his cell phone.
“I know. It’s my party,” Tanner said.
Juliana’s ears rang at his words. He’d reserved this place for them? What the hell?
“Oh, right, of course, Mr. Collins. My bad.” The guy smiled. “I’m Riley. Follow me and I’ll get you all set up.”
“You reserved this entire place just for us?” she whispered in astonishment as they followed Riley toward the obstacle course.
“Yup.” Tanner nodded.
She let out a small gasp and quickly covered it with a cough.
“Are you okay?” His voice was filled with concern.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“You’re asking me that now?” She laughed. “What if I am?”
“Then we leave and find something else to do,” he said as if it were no big deal.
“Well, I’m not.”
He slipped his arm around her waist. “Good, because I really want you all to myself tonight.” He pressed his lips to her temple in a soft, lingering kiss.
A series of tremors rocked her core, and she closed her eyes, allowing herself to just feel him. She was tempted to suggest they kiss right now so she could concentrate on the obstacle course and not be distracted by wondering when he’d kiss her. How it would feel. If he’d like it. If there would be a second or third or hundredth kiss.
“Okay,” Riley said, cutting through their moment. “The course is pretty self-explanatory once you get into it. There are arrows along the way to point you in the right direction. Each time you make it through an obstacle, a member of our staff will be waiting on the platform to help you transition into the next one.” He grabbed a harness and held it up. “You’ll need to wear these for the first part.”