Trusting Tanner (The Collins Brothers)

by Lexi Lawton

  “Getting involved with you,” she whispered.

  He jerked his head up.

  Dear God, kill me now. “I mean, I like you. A lot. And I’ll probably say yes if you ask me out again, but—”

  “Probably?” He lifted a brow.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll say yes.” She sighed at how easily she gave into him.

  His face split into a smile that had her most sensitive areas clenching and throbbing. And then she felt the unmistakable dampness between her legs. Seriously, how the hell did he do that with nothing but a smile?

  “Good, now that we’ve established there will be a second date…” His eyes dropped to her mouth, lingering there before rising.

  Her stomach dipped at the same time her heart fluttered, and the combination of sensations made her dizzy. She put her palms flat on the trunk to steady herself. Her breaths were shallow and borderline painful. There was a funny taste in the back of her mouth. Fear? Anticipation? She had no idea.

  “I’m not him, you know. Your ex.” His tone was soft, sensitive. “I don’t know the details, but I do know enough to know he hurt you. Bad. But I’m nothing like him, Jules. You can trust me.”

  She put her hands in her lap and stared down at them, fidgeting. Why had Tanner brought this up now? Was he trying to stall for some reason?

  He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head.

  “I know you’re not like him,” she blurted out before he could say anything else. “I do. It’s just—”

  He silenced her by slanting his lips over hers. She froze for half a second, and then she leaned into him. His lips brushed hers like they had earlier, and the world faded away. Juliana’s eyes fluttered closed at the feel of his tongue easing between her parted lips, tentative at first, then more self-assured, confident. She didn’t expect anything less from Tanner. He was the epitome of confidence, and that was glaringly evident in the way he kissed, like he knew how good he was at it. But this kiss was so much more than just confidence. It was a connection that went beyond the physical meeting of their lips. It was a slow, sweet, purposeful destruction of every wall and safeguard she’d built to protect herself.

  Juliana shifted forward and put her hands around his neck, her fingers tangling in his soft hair. Her nails scraped gently along his scalp, and he moaned. The low hum tickled her senses, and she deepened the kiss, pressing their mouths together harder. It was so much better than she ever imagined, and she never wanted it to end.

  Without breaking the kiss, he eased her legs apart and stood between them, then he moved his hands around to her lower back and dragged her closer until her butt was on the very edge of the trunk. She was pressed firmly against his hard, sculpted body, and for the life of her, she couldn’t think of a better place to be.

  Tanner nipped at her bottom lip and changed the angle of the kiss, barely giving her enough time to inhale a lungful of air before his tongue was flicking over hers, grazing the roof of her mouth. She half sighed, half moaned. Her heart was seconds away from bursting out of her chest, and her mind was complete mush. She couldn’t form a coherent thought much less any actual words.

  He wasn’t just kissing her. He was devouring her. Drinking from her like she was the nectar of life and he would die without her. And damn. It was good. So good she was going to need to go straight up to her room and change into a dry pair of panties. Or take a cold shower. Probably both.

  He pulled back, held her face in his hands, and gave her several quick, puckered kisses. “Mmm.” He licked his lips, his gaze hazy.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  “Now that was a good-night kiss.” He winked. “And it was well worth the wait.”

  Juliana smiled so big she was afraid her face might split in two. He liked kissing her? She wanted to jump for joy.

  He smoothed his hands down her neck and over her shoulders. “So, when are we going out again?”

  She laughed. “Whenever you want. I’m all yours.”

  “Damn right you are.” He slid his hand alongside her neck and brought her mouth to his for another kiss.

  If she didn’t stop him right now, she was either going to end up sitting on his car kissing him all night or suggesting they go back to his place. “Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”

  “Me, too.”

  Reluctantly, she slid off the trunk, and he embraced her in a hug. “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to your room?”

  “No, but thanks.” She placed a tender kiss on his lips, refusing to let it go any further, even though she wanted to. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”

  “You’d better.”

  She turned and headed into her res hall. Even though her feet felt like they were encased in cement, each step away from Tanner harder than the last, she somehow made it to her room.

  “I take it the date didn’t go well,” Rebecca said.

  Juliana closed the door harder than necessary. She had hoped Rebecca wouldn’t be home. “Actually, it was amazing.” She toed off her shoes.

  “Apparently not. You’re here instead of at his place.” Rebecca snorted obnoxiously at her stupid joke.

  “Not all of us sleep with a guy on the first date,” she shot back, her words heavy with anger.

  “Whatever.” Rebecca tossed her cell phone on the foot of the bed and stood. “I’m going out. I’ll be back sometime tomorrow.”

  Oh thank God! Maybe she could get a good night’s sleep. Although she had a feeling she was going to spend more time dreaming about Tanner and reliving their kiss. Her lips were still tingly and numb. “Have fun.”

  “I always do.” With a grin, Rebecca walked out of the room.

  Juliana collapsed onto her bed. “Ouch.” Sitting up, she retrieved her cell phone from her back pocket, relieved to see she hadn’t cracked the screen. Tonight had been amazing, and that kiss was mind blowing. On a whim, she dialed Tanner.

  “Miss me already?” he answered.

  She let out a sigh. “Yes.”

  His soft chuckle sent a shiver down her spine. “Good, because I miss you, too.”

  Closing her eyes, she lay down, letting his deep, soothing voice wrap around her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tanner lay on the couch, one hand tucked behind his head, ankles crossed, and snatched the remote from the coffee table. He flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch. Sunday football wouldn’t start for another few hours, but his team wasn’t playing this week, so he didn’t care if he watched today or not. He settled on Fast and Furious, a movie he’d seen a dozen times, but it was a good one.

  Jason walked into the living room, fully dressed. Tanner glanced over, eyebrow raised. “You going somewhere?” They normally spent Sunday mornings playing Madden NFL.

  “Holly’s dragging me to a theme park today. It’s a double date with her roommate, Dena, and her boyfriend. I’ve never met the guy.” Jason frowned. “Wanna tag along?”

  “Nope.” Tanner laughed. He had big plans to lay around on the couch and not do a damn thing. Unless Juliana called or texted. Then he’d do whatever she wanted. “I take it things are better with Holly.”

  “So far. We had a long talk the other night, and we both agreed this is it. Either it works this time or it doesn’t, but we’re not going to keep going like we have been.”

  Tanner didn’t understand how or why they continually broke up. If he was as crazy about a girl as Jason was about Holly, he would never let her go. He yawned so hard, tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

  “Your date with Jules went well last night?” Jason sat in the chair and put on his sneakers.

  “Very.” He couldn’t have asked for a better first date, or first kiss. Christ, he’d been so hard he almost hadn’t been able to drive home. But then she’d called, and they’d stayed up on the phone until well after three a.m., something he hadn’t done since high school.

  “You planning to see her again?”

  “Absolutely.”

>   “You should invite her to come along today. We can make it a group date.” Jason grinned.

  “You’re starting to sound desperate, man.”

  Shaking his head, Jason flipped him off and left. Tanner turned his attention back to the movie and yawned again. His heavy lids started to close when his phone suddenly blared “Sexy and I Know It.” He grabbed his cell. “Dude, you need to get a life and stop calling just to hear my voice,” he said. “It’s getting weird.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, pretty boy. I need to know where you’re staying when you visit,” Xander said.

  “Who said I was even coming? I haven’t made up my mind yet.” He lowered the volume on the TV, waiting for Xander’s exaggerated reaction.

  He laughed. “The fuck you haven’t. We had this talk already, remember? Your ass will be here. If you want to stay at the frat house with me, I need to know.”

  “Nah. I’m going to stay at the hotel.” There was a full-service hotel with a fantastic view of the beach, and it’s where he preferred to stay whenever he visited Xander. Normally, he’d share the room with Ryder, but Tanner had other plans this time.

  “What the fuck for? All the action will be at the house.”

  “I know, but I might be bringing someone with me.” He’d been dead serious when he’d tossed the idea out to Jules last night.

  “Who?” There was a brief pause. “Do not tell me you gave in to that psycho chick from the party. The one who doesn’t seem to understand the word no.”

  Tanner flinched. “No. Why the fuck would you even bring her up?” She was nothing more than an unpleasant encounter he wanted to forget.

  “Because I know how desperate you can get.”

  “Blow me.” Tanner laughed. “And you have no room to talk, bro. You’ve got your own clingy psycho chick. How is Lora, by the way?”

  “Dude, you’re an asshole.” There was pure humor in his tone. “So, who’re you planning to bring, then?”

  “I doubt she’ll even want to go.” And if she did say no, he was seriously considering staying here, too. That would royally piss off Xander, though.

  “Whatever. Just don’t bail on me, or I’ll have to come up there and kick your ass.”

  “Do me a favor. Reach around and remove the stick from your ass crack. I’ll be there.” His stomach twisted at the possibility he’d be four days without seeing Jules.

  Ending the call, Tanner slid his phone onto the coffee table and turned up the TV volume. He’d finally managed to doze off when his phone rang. Again. What the fuck! He reached for his cell, expecting to see Jason or Ryder’s name. His eyes snapped fully open, and his heart raced. It was a message from Jules. Hey. Want to hang out?

  He sat up. Do you even need to ask? I’ll pick you up in 20 min.

  Before he was able to get up from the couch, she’d replied. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were waiting around for me to call.

  He stood and headed to his room to get changed. Am I that obvious? He set his phone on his bed and stripped off his sweatpants and T-shirt. He then put on a clean pair of shorts and a polo shirt.

  Juliana: Yes. But you’re cute, so I forgive you. She followed that with a winky face emoji.

  She called him cute, and he grinned like an idiot. I’m on my way. Getting his wallet from the dresser, he slipped it into his back pocket then reached for his car keys. It took him less than ten minutes to reach her residence hall. During their marathon phone call last night, she’d finally told him what room she was in, and then proceeded to make him swear he wouldn’t judge her based on what her roommate might be doing at any given time. He’d promised, repeatedly, that nothing anyone else did would change his opinion of her.

  He stood in front of her door, took a deep breath, then knocked. A moment later, the door opened. His eyes widened, and he took a step back. “Rebecca?” He looked up and down the hallway, checking the room numbers around him. He was at the right room, wasn’t he?

  She smiled seductively. “Well, this is a surprise.” She patted his chest. “I knew you’d come around eventually.”

  He took another step back, out of her reach. “Uh, does Jules live here?” God, please let him be at the wrong room, because if Jules’s roommate was the same girl who had been stalking him… He shook his head. This had to be some sick, twisted joke.

  Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “You’re the guy she’s been seeing?” He almost smiled because, well, Juliana had been telling people about him, which was a good thing, right? But Rebecca’s maniacal laugh jerked him back to the present, fucked-up scenario. “Can’t say I’m surprised. You two are perfect for each other.” That sounded like anything but a compliment. And her snicker of derision solidified her insincerity.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” He wanted to smack himself. Engaging with her never ended well.

  “Wait. You two know each other?” Jules appeared behind Rebecca, her gaze landing on Tanner.

  Shit. He’d worked so hard to gain an ounce of Juliana’s trust, and now he had to explain her roommate was the girl who couldn’t seem to leave him alone? There was no way this couldn’t go wrong for him. He cleared his throat. “You ready to go?” he asked Jules, ignoring Rebecca completely.

  “Yeah.” She stepped around Rebecca, giving her a cautious look.

  “Have fun.” Rebecca snickered and slammed the door.

  He silently led Juliana out to his car, wondering what he was going to say to her and how she’d take it. Not that he had anything to hide. He opened the passenger door for her, and she slid in without a word. It wasn’t until he was behind the wheel and headed down the street that she spoke.

  “What was that back there? How do you know Rebecca?”

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and clenched his jaw. Rebecca was one person he wished he had never met. At least he understood why Juliana hadn’t wanted him anywhere near her room. He couldn’t imagine having to live with someone like her.

  “Oh God.” Juliana had her hands over her face. “Please tell me you did not have sex with her.”

  “What?” Eyes wide, he whipped around to look at her. “No.”

  She didn’t respond, and his stomach dropped. “Why are we here?” she asked when he pulled into the parking spot in front of his apartment.

  “Because we obviously need to talk, and I wanted somewhere we wouldn’t be interrupted. Jason is out with Holly for the day, so I have the place to myself.” He walked her inside. He sat on the couch and pulled her down next to him.

  “You swear you didn’t have sex with her? Because that’s a deal breaker for me.” The desperate pleading in her gaze tugged at his heart. “I mean, you have a past. So do I. And neither of us can change that. But it’s…weird to be dating the same guy my roommate slept with.”

  For the first time in his life, he was glad he hadn’t given in to his basic male urges, and he’d been tempted back then, especially because he’d been in an extended dry spell. Hell, he still was. “I swear on my life. I did not have sex with Rebecca.” He took her hands into his, caressing her knuckles.

  “Did you kiss her?”

  “No.”

  “Did you take her out on a date?”

  “No.”

  “Did you ask her out?”

  “God no!” He was not the least bit attracted to Rebecca.

  “Did anything happen with her?”

  He blew out a shaky breath. He wished he could say no to that question, too, but lying to Jules was not an option. “I had a couple of drinks with her at a party. We danced. That was it.”

  “Wait.” She started to pull away, but he held her hands. “She’s the crazy girl from the party who wouldn’t leave you alone? The stalker?”

  He could see the shock written on her face, and he knew what she was feeling because he felt it, too. “Yep. I had no idea she was your roommate. You’d never said her name.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jules. You’ve already said she’s been difficult to live with, an
d I’m sure this won’t make it any easier.”

  “You don’t need to apologize. You said you didn’t do anything with her, and it’s not like you assigned me to live with her.” She was stiff as a board, angling her upper body away from him, almost like she was trying to protect her heart.

  “I’m not just saying it, Jules. It’s the truth.” What if she doesn’t believe me? Beads of sweat popped up along the nape of his neck, and he exhaled slowly.

  “I’m sorry I interrogated you. That wasn’t fair.” The tension visibly left her body, and she scooted closer.

  Wait, that was it? No more questions? “It’s okay.” He cupped her cheek, his thumb running across her bottom lip, amazed by how easily she’d given her trust to him. Now, more than ever, he wanted to prove he wasn’t a dick like her ex. “I don’t want this to be a problem for us, though.”

  She leaned into his palm and closed her eyes momentarily. “I can’t say I’m happy my roommate is obsessed with the guy I like. But it certainly isn’t your fault.”

  Easing his hand around to the back of her neck, he pulled her mouth to his, brushing his lips over hers. Her soft sigh encouraged him, and he dipped his tongue inside, taking a languid taste. Her flowery scent mixed with the faint taste of peppermint swirled around him, heightening his need. She was hesitant at first, like she wasn’t sure she believed him enough to let him kiss her, but then her hands flattened on his chest and moved up until her fingers were clasped around the nape of his neck.

  “I don’t care about her, Jules. You’re the only one I want. You know that, right?” His heart raced, and his lips tingled with a kiss cut much too short.

  “Sometimes it’s hard to believe that.”

  Leaning back, he pulled her over onto his lap, and she straddled him. The position was so familiar and comfortable, he had to remind himself this was still new for both of them. “Oh, honey.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “What did he do to you to make you doubt yourself like that?”

  He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but he had, and he wasn’t sorry. From what little she’d said about her ex, and the information he’d gotten from Devon, there was a lot more going on than he knew. And if he was going to have a relationship with her, he needed to know what he was dealing with.