“That’s not what I’m after. Not even in the back of my mind. I just want to feel hot and sexy. I want to make wild love with you. The kind of lovemaking that will free my soul.”
His body went warm. All over. He imagined carrying her straight to his bed and stripping her bare. Naked all the way. But he wasn’t going to act impulsively.
“I have an idea,” he said. “Why don’t we plan a date night? We can ask Eric and Dana to babysit, and I can take you out to dinner, maybe a little dancing—”
“I don’t want to go on a date.”
He blinked at her. “Why not?”
“Because that seems too traditional. I want to do something crazy. Like go to your apartment at the stables and crack open that bottle of tequila.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” she assured him.
Then he wasn’t about to refuse. He would gladly give Candy her independence, right along with the wildness she craved. “If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“Do you think we could do a few body shots? I’ve never done those before.”
“Damned straight we can.” He longed to get crazy with her, to teach her how to be wild and dangerously wicked. “But let’s not get too drunk that we don’t remember what we did.” He wanted to remember every kiss, every caress.
“When is this going to happen?” she asked.
“As soon as we can arrange for Dana and Eric to watch Ivy. They can stay here with Jude, if they’re okay with that. I’d prefer that Ivy sleep at home, rather than take her over there for an entire night.”
“That’s going to be a big step for you, Tanner. Letting someone else take care of Ivy, especially all night.”
“I know. But I trust Dana and Eric. And I’m trying to learn to stop worrying every time she falls asleep.”
She smiled at him. “I’m proud of you for the progress you made. I even told Dana how well you’re doing.”
“Apparently you tell her everything.”
“Sometimes I do. Not always.”
“This time you did.”
“And now everything is settled.” She went back to the TV, searching for something besides the romantic movie to watch. “I’m so glad we got it figured out.”
“Me, too.” He studied her, thinking how lucky he was to have her as his friend and soon-to-be lover.
After they finished their meals, they broke open their cookies. His fortune read “Accept the next proposition you hear,” and hers was “You will take a chance at something in the near future.”
They could do little more than laugh at the perfection of the words that had been presented to them.
Intrigued by her, Tanner moved closer, inhaling the sweetness of her skin. The perfume that lingered. The scent of flowers in a sensual mist. “Should I kiss you now for a taste of things to come? Or wait until our first night together?”
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Nibbling. Biting. Which made his zipper go painfully tight.
“Let’s wait,” she said. “Let’s torture ourselves for the heck of it.”
Oh, he was being tortured all right. But he loved how the temptation made him feel.
Every hot, thrilling, anticipatory second of it.
Chapter Thirteen
On the day Dana and Eric were available to babysit, Tanner was working. Since he was already at the stables, he wouldn’t be coming home. Candy was in charge of getting the babysitters settled, and after that she would be meeting Tanner at his apartment.
Nervous excitement filled her with sexy butterflies. She couldn’t wait to see him, to let down her hair, to get hot and tipsy.
For her wardrobe, she’d donned a low-cut halter dress with a short hemline, resulting in no bra and lots of leg. Underneath, she wore a pair of lace panties. She’d moisturized her skin with a silky lotion and packed an overnight bag with a change of clothes for the morning. She didn’t bring any pajamas. She intended to sleep with Tanner in the buff.
“You look amazing,” Dana told her as they stood in the kitchen, filling bottles of Ivy’s formula.
“It’s going to be the night of my life.”
“It absolutely will. And don’t worry about anything on the home front. My man and I have got that covered.”
“I know Ivy will be safe with you guys.” For now, Eric was in the living room with both children. “I can’t tell you how much Tanner and I appreciate this.”
“I love that you’re having your first rendezvous at his apartment.”
Her heart bumped in her chest. “Me, too.”
Dana put the bottles in the fridge. “Now, say goodbye to the kids and get going.”
Candy did just that. She went into the living room and gave Ivy a big loving cuddle. She offered Jude the same affectionate treatment and swept him into her arms.
“Canny,” he said, giving her a toddler’s noisy kiss.
They separated, and she waved to him on the way out the door. She shot Eric and Dana a quick finger waggle, too.
A short time later, she arrived at the stables and headed for Tanner’s place. She entered the office building and took the stairs to his apartment. Already her pulse was fluttering, her body all too aware of itself.
She tried the door, but it was locked. Eager for their night to begin, she knocked.
Tanner appeared, looking fresh from the shower. His thick black hair was damp and falling in short choppy clumps against his forehead. His clothes consisted of a pair of jeans.
Low-slung denims and tousled hair. Damn if he didn’t make her mouth water.
“Wow,” he said as he checked her out. “You look beautiful.” He paused. “I can’t believe you’re actually here. You and me. Together like this.”
She smiled and nudged him backward, toward the interior of the apartment. “Let me in before I melt all over myself out here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grabbed hold of her, and they stumbled inside, where she dropped her overnight bag.
He didn’t waste a second of their precious time. He kissed her hard and fast, the frenzy between them packed with lust. She moaned and met his fervor, tongues tangling and teeth clashing. He’d never kissed her like this when they were younger. Not this desperately.
After he pulled back, he said, “I bought you some roses.”
“You did?” Still reeling from the kiss, she asked, “What color?”
“Orange. They mean passion and desire. I wanted to do something special for you, but I didn’t want to get too traditional, so I figured that wild-themed flowers would work.”
Pleased with his bohemian romanticism, she leaned into him. “Where are they?”
“In the bedroom. But they’re rose petals, not the full flowers, so I sprinkled them on the bed.” He trailed a finger down her collarbone, toying with the cleavage her dress revealed. “The tequila is in the bedroom, too. On the nightstand, with the salt and lime.”
She bumped his fly. He was already hard beneath his zipper. “Can I see the bed?”
His lips quirked into a half smile. “Don’t be surprised if I went overboard.” He took her hand and led her to his room.
Sweet mercy. Overboard was an understatement. The quilt was drawn, revealing a white sheet covered in orange petals.
“I ordered them from a florist,” he said. “They sell them by the hundreds.”
Unable to resist, she removed her shoes and flung herself on the mattress, scattering the bright foliage. “This is heavenly, Tanner.”
“I’m glad you think so. I discovered that orange roses are a cross between yellow and red roses, and the meaning comes from both. Yellow is associated with friendship and red represents love. When you put them together, you get desire that stems from friendship.”
She w
as impressed with his research. “You really thought this through.”
“I tried to come up with something that was significant between us, something that mattered.”
“It does matter. Thank you.” It was wonderfully romantic, but sweetly sensual, too. It almost made his room seem like a honeymoon suite.
A honeymoon suite?
Candy quickly curbed the image. Marriage was supposed to be the last subject on her mind.
Tanner leaned against the cherrywood armoire, his gaze trained on her. “Take off your dress. I want to look at you.”
Her heart jumped to her throat. “You are looking at me.”
“Don’t be coy. You know what I mean.”
Yes, she knew. She was stalling to catch her breath. “I need a second.”
“No extra seconds allowed. Do it now.”
She liked that he’d given her a sexy order. She liked everything about him. He was her friend, and now he was about to become her lover, just like the orange rose indicated. No husband imaginings, she reminded herself. No dreamy musings.
“Candy,” he said. “Your dress.”
“I’m doing it now.” She reached behind her neck and worked free the tie that held it in place. Once that was undone, the garment slid to her waist. She peeled it off, leaving her topless, her bottom half barely covered by the lace panties.
He stared at her, and she imagined how she looked, 90 percent naked and surrounded by flower petals.
“Damn,” he said. “You know how to drive a guy crazy.”
He went over to the nightstand, picked up the tequila and broke the seal, opening the bottle.
Candy watched him, waiting to see what came next. Her heart hadn’t quit pounding. Her pulse was even thudding between her legs. He knew how to drive a girl crazy, too.
“It’s time for a shot,” he said. “And I get to go first.”
He poured a glass and set it off to the side. Next he lifted a lime wedge and brought it up to her mouth, explaining that she should keep it there, until he was ready for it.
She gripped it between her teeth, and he leaned forward and glided his tongue over one of her breasts, dangerously close to the nipple.
Sweet, sweet sin. She shivered from the want of him.
He sprinkled salt on the damp spot, and when he licked it off, her nipple got in the way, and he tongued that, too.
Every muscle in Candy’s body tensed. He added more salt, just for the hell of it, just to tease her.
More licks, more tastes.
Finally, he grabbed the shot glass and drank the tequila. As soon as he swallowed the liquid, he covered her mouth with his and removed the lime.
Roughly. Erotically.
She clawed the rose petals, clutching them in her hands. She’d been celibate for years and now she was playing drinking games with Tanner Quinn.
He ditched the lime and kissed her, the taste of citrus sizzling between them. Candy released the foliage and pulled him down on top of her. They rolled over the bed, body to body, pulse to pulse, still kissing like fiends.
“I’m doing one more shot,” he told her. “Then you can take your turn.”
She wasn’t about to refuse. He could have whatever he wanted, in any order he wanted it.
Once again a lime wedge went in her mouth, but this time he poured a dollop of tequila in her belly button, making her breath catch.
He licked her stomach and sprinkled the salt. After another sexy slash of tongue, he sucked the tequila from her navel.
Keening out a soft moan, Candy thrust her hips. He was toying with the waistband of her panties. But he didn’t remove them. He cruised his way up her body and took the lime from her mouth with his.
She wrapped her arms around him and held tight. He discarded the lime, and they kissed, hot and deliciously wet. Nothing had felt so right, so wrong, so wild, so decadent.
So out of character for Candy. But this was the new woman she was becoming. The long-ago girl, leaving her innocence behind. She was making up for lost time, getting free and wild with Tanner. This was exactly what she wanted, what she needed.
“You’re so sweet,” he said. “And salty.”
She smiled, thinking about how generous he’d been with the shaker. “Gee, I wonder why.”
“Yeah, I wonder.” He looked into her eyes and dusted rose petals out of her hair. “We’ve got these dang things all over us. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone so overboard with them.”
“I don’t mind. I think it’s beautiful.” Some of them were stuck to his skin, dotting his big broad chest. “But you’re still wearing your pants. That’s not fair. If I’m in my underwear, then you should be, too.”
He undid the top snap of his jeans. “If you say so.” He took her hand and placed it against his fly. “But if you want them off, you should at least open the zipper.”
Heavens, yes. She went after the metal teeth with a vengeance. She helped drag the denim down his hips, too. He was wearing the same type of boxers she’d seen him in before.
She admired the darkly dangerous sight of him. His underwear was black and hers was white. Somehow that seemed to make perfect sense.
She sat up. “It’s time for me to do my shots.”
“You only get two, so make them count.”
“I will.”
“Then go for it.” He kicked back and grinned like the bad boy he was. “I’m all yours.”
All hers. She liked the sound of that. Candy slipped a lime wedge into his grinning mouth, and it made him look even more devilish.
She couldn’t decide what part of him to salt and lick. So she hesitated, contemplating her options. He raised his eyebrows, reminding her he was waiting with the lime.
She smiled. “Sorry. My inexperience is showing.”
He gestured to the tequila, silently telling her that she’d forgotten to pour herself a shot.
Oops. She got it ready and set it off to the side. Then she went back to her decision. Should she salt his neck, his chest, his stomach...?
She gave his belly button a gander. He had a nice inny. She would definitely save that for the second drink, like he’d done with her.
For her first encounter, she chose his neck. There was something incredibly sexy about doing it so close to his face.
She rolled her tongue along the cords in his throat, giving them both a sensual jolt. She added the salt and licked the passionate hell out of him, filling her senses with his skin.
Completing the process, she drank the tequila, shuddering from the slow burn as it went down, her eyes watering. It was even stronger than she’d assumed it would be.
She took the lime from his mouth, plowing into the kiss that came after it. The long, lingering flavor. The heat. The excitement of being wild with Tanner. They kissed and kissed, wicked pleasure bursting from their pores.
During the belly-button shot, she scraped a nail along his thigh, giving him an extra thrill. He was as aroused as a man could get.
As the last bit of alcohol fired through her blood, she delved into his boxers and felt him up. Closing her fingers around him, she moved up and down, relishing his masculine heat.
He didn’t let her play for long. He nudged her hand away and started pushing the rose petals onto the floor.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Pieces of orange flew off the bed and floated to the ground. “I’m getting rid of them.”
Mesmerized by the falling flowers, she watched him clear the bed. He’d created the romantic ambience, but now he seemed determined to consummate their affair, without anything getting in his way.
* * *
Tanner peeled off Candy’s panties, anxious to do away with the only scrap of clothing she had left on.
Such a pretty wisp of fabric, he thought. He tossed it onto the floor, where it settled into the flower heap.
She smiled at him, looking soft and sweet and glassy-eyed.
“Are you tipsy?” he asked.
“A little.”
“Technically, we only had one shot.” What she’d taken from his navel wasn’t more than a thimble, about the same small amount he’d taken from hers.
“I hardly ever drink. But I think maybe I’m also tipsy from touching you and kissing you and licking your skin.” She made a sexy, dreamy sound. “And letting you take my underwear off.”
He nuzzled her ear. She still had a few petals in her hair. “I like corrupting you.”
“You’re good at it.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Her lipstick was gone. Her mascara was smeared, too, making catlike rims around her eyes. Even with flawed makeup, she was ravishing.
She tugged at his boxers. “You need to get naked, too.”
“I intend to.” He removed his underwear, freeing himself. He wanted nothing more than to be inside her. But he held out for more foreplay, putting his mouth between her legs.
He tasted her in the most intimate way, drinking her in, getting intoxicated on the feeling. She was deeper and richer and warmer than the tequila.
She rocked against him, her moans light and breathy and barely audible. He’d never touched a more sensitive woman. She was worth the wait. Seventeen long years of it.
Already he could feel her coming unglued, slowly, like an envelope reacting to steam, its edges unfurling.
She arched and sighed, her eyelashes fluttering.
As her legs tensed, as her stomach muscles quivered, Tanner absorbed her release.
Sweet, silky madness.
He rose up to kiss her, to breathe in the warmth of her orgasm. More than ready, he removed a condom from the nightstand.
He tore into the packet and took out the protection. She watched him put it on. Neither of them could seem to keep their eyes to themselves.
The Bachelor's Baby Dilemma (Family Renewal) Page 15