Trusting Tanner (The Collins Brothers)

by Lexi Lawton

  Then she began to rock on his lap. Her movements were slow but self-assured. His entire world exploded and melted, and the only thing remaining was him and her, their bodies one. He took her face into his hands and kissed her, his tongue matching the rhythm of her body. No woman had ever felt this good, this hot and eager for his touch.

  He was too focused on the way she tightened around him, coaxing him into crashing over the edge with her, that his own impending orgasm barely registered in his mind. He couldn’t believe he was already so close to coming again. “Juliana, baby, please, slow down. I don’t—”

  “I can’t,” she whimpered. “I’m gonna come.”

  They’d both waited too long for this. They needed to get it out of their systems, and then later he could take his time, make love to her the right way, the way he’d always imagined he would. He tightened his arms around her, bringing his hands up to curl over her shoulders. She cried his name, her forehead dropping to his shoulder, her moans low and needy.

  He loved the way, even in the midst of an orgasm, she was so genuine. She wasn’t screaming for the sake of making noise; she wasn’t hollering for more so someone might hear them. Juliana was simply enjoying him, getting off with him, taking pleasure in him and him alone. She didn’t need the world to know how great it was. She wanted only him to know.

  Tanner held her as she came, her body trembling from the force of it, her breath hot and ragged against his skin, and then he let himself go, too. His body jerked as he came harder than ever before, and then he hugged her, burying his face in her hair. God, he loved her hair. Loved the way the curls bounced, the way it smelled like a combination of suntan lotion and flowers, the way it now tickled his face.

  She placed featherlight kisses across his shoulder, and he closed his eyes, sighing.

  “The sun’s coming up,” she whispered.

  “Good thing we don’t have any classes today. We can sleep in.”

  Lifting her head, she looked at him, disbelief coloring her expression. “You really think we’re going to get any sleep?”

  He chuckled. “We can try. But I’m good at functioning on very little sleep. It’s not like this is the first all-nighter I’ve pulled. And I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

  “No. But it’s definitely been the most fun all-nighter I’ve ever had.”

  “You and me both.” He slipped his hand to the back of her neck, bringing her mouth to his. “I could spend forever kissing you, Jules.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Despite urging Tanner to call his brothers so she could meet them and they could hang out, he’d insisted on spending the entire day in the room, just the two of them. And they’d had sex everywhere they could—the couch, the bed, the shower, the floor. He’d even tried to convince her to do it on the balcony, but she’d refused.

  Tanner took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Ready?”

  She nodded, even though she was nowhere close to ready. In between their episodes of marathon sex, she’d grilled him about his brothers. The more she knew about them before meeting them, the smoother it would go. She hoped.

  The bowling alley was packed, and Juliana was a little overwhelmed. She’d expected there to be a lot of people, it was a party after all, but she hadn’t expected it to be shoulder to shoulder. Every single lane was occupied. Sounds of balls rolling and pins being knocked down echoed off the walls. To her left was a room encased in glass, doors propped open, a band inside playing loudly. They sounded fantastic. He took her hand and led her through the massive crowd.

  “Tanner! Over here!” A guy who looked like a near-exact replica of Tanner stood on a bench at the far end of the alley, waving his arms over his head.

  “That’s Xander,” he said.

  Juliana’s stomach clenched. This was it. Butterflies waged war in her stomach. Regardless of what Tanner said, she couldn’t stop worrying about the possibility his brothers wouldn’t like her. What if they didn’t? How could she have a serious relationship with him if she didn’t get along with his family?

  “C’mon.” Tanner tugged on her hand.

  Xander jumped down from the bench and flung his arms around Tanner in a dramatic hug. “Oh Lord have mercy, hallelujah, you are alive!”

  “Dude, get off me.” He gave his brother a playful shove.

  “What the fuck do you expect? You show up last night, blow me off, and then haven’t answered any of my calls or texts. I worried maybe you had a fatal stroke while jerking off.”

  Tanner hadn’t been lying when he’d warned her Xander was cocky, or that he used the F-word as naturally as most people breathed. She stepped to the side and watched the two of them, smiling. Tanner put his arm around Juliana’s waist and kissed her temple. “I’ve been a little preoccupied.”

  She smiled, shaking her head slightly. Thank God the lights were dimmed, because heat rose up her face, erupting in a full blush.

  “I can see why.” A different guy, who was another mirror image of Tanner, sat with his arms extended along the back of the bench and legs apart, giving the appearance he didn’t belong anywhere else but there. That must be Ryder. “Sorry, Finn, but I totally would’ve ditched your party for her.” His gaze lingered on Juliana much too long, making her shift her weight uncomfortably. Tanner pulled her even closer, and she gladly slid her arm around his back, taking refuge in his protectiveness.

  “That’s enough, Ryder.” Tanner’s voice had an edge to it, a warning of some sort.

  Ryder stood, laughing. He slapped his brother on the arm. “Relax.” Then he turned to Juliana. “I’m Ryder.”

  She shook his outstretched hand. “I’m Juliana.”

  “Yeah, I know who you are. I bet I know a lot more about you than you realize.” He winked at Tanner.

  Wait…Tanner had been talking to his brothers about her? What had he said?

  “Don’t,” Tanner warned.

  “Apparently my brother has no manners. I’m Xander, the youngest and best-looking Collins brother.”

  She took his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “That’s Finn, the birthday boy.” Xander pointed to a guy standing near the ball return. “And that’s Lora.” His voice had dipped with what sounded like annoyance.

  She gave them a small wave.

  “We gonna bowl or what?” Finn clapped his hands together. “We’ve been waiting on you two.”

  “Get it set up. Jules and I will go get some shoes.” Tanner took her hand again and led her away from the lanes.

  They stood at the counter and waited for someone to acknowledge them. “You failed to mention the three of you could pass for triplets.”

  He gave her an adorable, almost goofy grin, then lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Sorry?”

  “I don’t think you are.” She chuckled. “So, what have you told Ryder about me?”

  He rested his arm atop the counter. “Not much at first. I told him I’d met you and was attracted to you, but you wouldn’t go out with me and it was driving me crazy.” He caressed her cheek. “I told him how much I wanted you.”

  Her heart lodged in her throat, and she was frozen in the moment, savoring the feel of his hand on her face.

  “I told Xander about you, too, and he gave me the worst advice in the history of bad advice. I’m sure they’re both going to have a lot to say tonight. Ryder likes to tell me how wrong I am and how right he is. And Xander…well, he’s Xander, and I can never predict what’s going to come out of his mouth. I apologize in advance.” He leaned over and kissed her fully on the mouth. “But if they go too far, tell me, okay?”

  She wanted him to kiss her again. But they were interrupted by the guy behind the counter. “Need shoes?”

  “Yeah. I need a size eleven and she needs…?”

  “A six.”

  “A six?” Tanner grinned. “You’ve got small feet.”

  She shrugged. “Yeah, but I can always find the cutest shoes in my size.”

  He reached for
her. “I hate when you’re so far away.”

  Her brain turned to mush at his words. She leaned in to him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

  “Here you go.” The guy slapped two pairs of shoes on the counter then walked away to assist someone else. Tanner grabbed both pairs and headed back to the lane. She followed.

  “Figured it would be easier to play teams,” Xander said when they sat to change their shoes. “It’s me and Lora, Ryder and Finn, and then you two.”

  Juliana glanced up at the scorecard projected onto the wall above the lane. “The lovebirds?”

  Tanner’s head jerked up. “That’s real original.”

  “It was Ryder’s brainchild. I wanted the ‘Wannabe Porn Stars’ but I was outvoted.” Xander sipped from his beer then set it down. “Ladies first.” He nodded at Lora, who giggled and stepped up to the lane.

  When it was Juliana’s turn, she used Lora’s ball and rolled a perfect strike. When she turned to go back to her seat, everyone stared at her. “What?” she asked self-consciously.

  “Are you some sort of secret bowling champ or something?” Finn smiled. “I’ve never seen anyone with such perfect form.”

  She shook her head. “Beginner’s luck.”

  Tanner motioned for her to sit on his lap. When she did, he nuzzled her neck. “You’re sexy when you bowl.” He nibbled on her earlobe, and she leaned in to him, closing her eyes and moaning softly.

  “Aw, c’mon, you two! This is supposed to be Finn’s birthday party, not a make-out session,” Ryder said.

  Tanner flipped his middle finger at Ryder and then kissed her again. She really didn’t want to be that couple, the one constantly kissing and touching and being sickeningly “in love.” It annoyed the living shit out of her when she had to watch other couples act that way. But this was the guy of her dreams. There wasn’t a force on earth that would convince her to stop him.

  “Can you pry yourself away long enough to take your turn?” Xander asked.

  She broke the kiss, not wanting to push her luck with Tanner’s brothers. It was important they like her. When Tanner got up to take his turn, she sat in his spot. Like metal to a magnet, Xander and Ryder swooped in. She took a deep breath, knowing it was only a matter of time before they decided to question her.

  Ryder grinned, one corner of his mouth lifting a tad higher than the other. It was creepy how much he looked like Tanner, right down to the way he smiled. “How long have you and my brother been hooking up?”

  And there it is. “We’re not hooking up.” What they had wasn’t some cheap booty call. “We’ve been hanging out for about two months. It’s no big deal.” Maybe if she played it off as nothing serious, they wouldn’t interrogate her too much. She watched as Tanner threw his ball down the lane. They hadn’t really defined their relationship yet, but she wanted to. Labeling what they had would make it more concrete and real in her mind.

  “Do you love him?” Xander asked.

  Her eyes widened as she turned to glare at him. Did he seriously just ask her that?

  “Of course she does.” Ryder shrugged. “Who doesn’t love a Collins?”

  Xander laughed. “True.”

  “Besides, watch how she looks at him. It’s written all over her face,” Ryder said.

  Her head was spinning with the way they were talking about her like she wasn’t sitting right there between them.

  “Yeah.” Xander nodded. “She’s got it bad.”

  “She’s sitting right here, you know,” Juliana snapped.

  “Sorry.” Ryder nudged her shoulder.

  “Yeah, sorry.” Xander nudged her other shoulder.

  Great. Now she was their personal ping-pong ball. She needed some air, some room to breathe and gather her thoughts. She moved to get up when Tanner approached, his eyes narrowed.

  “Are these two harassing you?”

  If she told him the truth—they were making her uncomfortable and asking inappropriate questions—Tanner would leave. But she didn’t want to put him in a position where he had to choose between her and his brothers.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Everything’s fine.”

  Tanner studied her for a moment as if trying to decide whether she was being truthful. “I’m going to get a beer. Want one?”

  “Yeah.”

  He looked back and forth between Xander and Ryder, some sort of unspoken communication passing between them. When he walked away, she blew out a breath. She could verbally spar with Devon without breaking a sweat. Surely she could handle these two.

  “Do you love him?” Xander asked again.

  “What kind of a question is that?” Juliana refused to tell Xander she was in love with Tanner before she ever told him. That was wrong and unfair.

  “C’mon, you can tell us. We won’t tell him.” Ryder and Xander bumped fists in front of her.

  Suddenly it became very clear to her what they were doing. They were testing her, seeing how far they could push her. Most likely they were probably trying to see if she was worthy of dating their brother.

  Tanner returned, his arms full of beer bottles. He handed one to her, and then to each of his brothers. “Now, move away from my—” A small frown tugged at his lips.

  “Your what?” Xander grinned. “Come on, Tanner. Tell us. What is she?” Xander put his arm around Juliana’s shoulders.

  She saw the flash of anger in Tanner’s eyes. It was the same look he got when Devon would touch her. Now it all made sense—Tanner’s mood swings whenever Devon was around, his questions about whether she’d had sex with him. Tanner was jealous about her relationship with Devon. How had she missed that before now?

  “Don’t be a dick, Xander.” Tanner’s voice was tight.

  Ryder leaned forward and glanced toward his brother. “Ease up, Xan.”

  “Whatever. I think it’s my turn anyway.” Xander stood and tapped his beer bottle against Tanner’s. “Thanks for the drink, bro.”

  Tanner sat next to Juliana and put his arm around her. She relaxed into him, resting her head on his shoulder. His brothers were definitely a handful. If she wasn’t so worried about them hating her, she wouldn’t have been so nice or quiet.

  Ryder stood and joined Finn and Lora, who were in a heated disagreement about the score.

  “I’m sorry.” Tanner kissed her forehead. “We all have a history of bad girlfriends. We tend to be unnecessarily hard anytime one of us brings a girl around. You should’ve seen them with my last girlfriend. They were awful.”

  “Well”—Juliana straightened—“they kinda have a point. I mean, what are we, Tanner? Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? Or are we just two friends who’re hanging out and hooking up?”

  Her heart raced, and her face burned. She shouldn’t have asked him. Not here. Not like this. It was a conversation they needed to have privately, and not because she’d put him on the spot. She’d been the one to insist they take things slowly, and now here she was, demanding he make a commitment.

  “Jules.” He sighed. “Look at me.” He gently turned her face so she was looking directly into his deep brown eyes. “I’ve considered you my girlfriend since our first date.” He caressed her cheek, letting his fingers brush across her lips. “And I really, really hope you consider me your boyfriend.”

  “I do,” she blurted, which earned her a sexy smile.

  “Good, now that we’ve got that all figured out…” He winked then lowered his mouth to hers, parting her lips with his tongue and stealing her breath with a kiss nowhere near appropriate for a public place. Groaning, Tanner pulled away. “I need to use the bathroom.” He kissed her cheek. “Be right back.”

  Wiping her hands on her jeans, she stood and joined everyone near the lane. “Whose turn is it?”

  “Mine, then yours,” Xander said. “Where’s Tanner?”

  “Answering Mother Nature’s call.”

  Ryder took a long drink of his beer. “Is it true you don’t give a shit?”

  “There’s a
lot I don’t give a shit about. You’re going to have to be more specific.” She took a drink. The tension in her shoulders eased, leaving her relaxed.

  “His trust fund.” All traces of humor left Ryder’s voice.

  “Oh, that?” She shrugged. “So he has a trust fund. Big deal. He’s not the first person I’ve met who’s had one, and I’m sure he won’t be the last.” She hoped her flippant attitude would appease them. This was a topic she wanted to avoid. She’d tried to avoid it with Tanner, too, but he’d insisted.

  Xander studied her. “Did he give you a number?”

  “Yup.” She drank what was left of her beer and wished she had another one. She set the empty bottle on the table.

  “And you really don’t care?” Skepticism laced Ryder’s words.

  “Nope.” She tucked her hands into her back pockets and rocked on her heels. What was taking Tanner so long?

  “Why?” Xander asked.

  Heat pricked at her skin, and she swallowed hard. “I just don’t.”

  “Yeah, but why don’t you?” Ryder pressed. “Every single girl we’ve ever met has cared. Then you come along and don’t?”

  She rose up on her tiptoes and attempted to see over the crowd. Where the hell is Tanner? When she couldn’t find him, she fell back on her feet harder than intended. Ryder and Xander stared at her expectantly. “Look, I liked Tanner before I knew he had a trust fund, okay? Knowing he has one now doesn’t change anything for me.”

  “You’re telling us you don’t like him a little more now that you know he’s loaded?”

  She gritted her teeth. “No.”

  “Why not?” Xander’s gaze was unwavering.

  Christ, what was with these two? It was obvious they were much more concerned about Tanner’s trust fund than she was, which was odd considering they probably each had one of their own worth just as much. “Because money causes more problems than it solves.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Xander asked.

  Ryder tilted his head and gave her a disbelieving look. “Only someone without money would say something like that.”

  She took a few steps back, needing to reclaim some of her personal space, but the attempt was pointless, because Xander and Ryder invaded what little space she had to breathe.