Rushed (Adventures in Love #1)(54)

“I think you’re right,” I agree, knowing my relationship with Galvin has always been the thing people thought of when they saw me, so they don’t know what to say or how to act around me now that he and I are no longer together. That’s why being with Tanner away from here felt so good. I didn’t have to deal with the awkwardness. I was just able to be myself. “We should go back to bed.”

With a lift of his chin, he takes the glass from my hand, setting it on the counter before moving me down the hall. When we reach my room, I drop my sweater to the floor and climb into bed. He gets in with me, fitting himself against my back and resting his hand on my stomach, which causes my muscles to bunch and twitch.

“I like your bed,” he says quietly, the words brushing my ear and causing my nipples to pebble.

“You and I hardly fit in my bed,” I whisper back, covering his hand with mine as I smile. Really, I didn’t know if the two of us would be able to fit in my double bed, but somehow, we’re making it work.

“That’s why I like it. You have nowhere to go, so you can’t run from me.”

“Hmm,” I hum, and his hips push forward, allowing me to feel how hard he is. I press my thighs together to ease the ache between my legs. “I could get away if I wanted to,” I say breathlessly, and he lifts the bottom of my camisole, placing his hand against my bare stomach.

“Why would you want to get away from me?” He nips my earlobe, causing a zing of desire and heat to travel down between my legs. With every inch of me waiting in anticipation, I hold my breath, then hiss as his fingers skim just under the edge of my panties, and lower over my pubic bone, then down between the lips of my pussy. Latching onto his arm, I pant for breath as he rolls over my clit.

“You’re already soaked, sunshine, and I’ve hardly touched you.” His warm breath causes me to break out in goose bumps while his fingers send me spiraling quickly toward an orgasm.

“Don’t stop.” I turn my head, and his mouth catches mine. As his tongue slips between my lips, I fall over the edge, moaning his name. I come back to myself as he slows the kiss and rolls me to my back.

“Clothes off.” The gruff order leaves no room for argument, not that I would argue with him. I swiftly rid myself of my cami, then lift my hips and slide the cotton material down my thighs before tossing my panties to the end of the bed as he frees himself from his boxers. The moment we’re both naked, he grasps my ankles to spread my legs, then crawls up the bed between my legs and looms over me with only the moon making it possible to see him.

“You’re beautiful.” I slide my hand down his chest and abs, then wrap my hand around his cock, listening to him groan as I stroke him, loving how he feels in my hand.

“Legs around my hips, Cybil.” His hand covers mine as I lift my legs; then he guides our hands to my entrance, with me still holding him.

I bite my bottom lip and arch my back off the bed as he enters me, sure there’s nothing better in the world than this, than feeling him inside me, feeling him over me, being the center of his attention. Moving my hands to his shoulders, I hold on as he thrusts in and out of me hard, stealing my breath every time he bottoms out. “Oh God,” I whimper when tingles begin to dance over my skin and my core starts to tighten.

“I’m right there with you, sunshine.” He kisses me slowly, then pulls away and fucks me hard, the sound of skin slapping and heavy breathing filling the room.

“Tanner.” I lose myself to the waves of pleasure that he’s built, my body becoming liquid, my mind blanking of everything but the tidal wave of pleasure as I come.

“Never had anything better than you in my life, baby. Fuck, I’d give everything up for you and never regret it,” he groans, thrusting into me once more before planting himself there. Tears spring to my eyes, and I wrap my arms around his waist and lift up to bury my face against his neck. His words rock me to my core while his heavy weight settles on top of me, making me feel safe rather than suffocated. “I’m heavy, baby,” he says quietly.

“Don’t move, please,” I whisper when he tries to roll away, and I tighten my hold on him. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he gives me what I need. His weight settles back against me, and after a few short minutes, I fall asleep under the man I’m falling in love with, feeling safer and more complete than I have in years.



I wake with a start, the sound of what my sleepy brain registered as a gunshot still ringing in my ears. With my heart pounding, I roll over to search for Tanner, but the bed is empty, as is the bathroom, which I can see from where I am.

“Tanner?”

Silence greets my ears, and my heart drops to my stomach as I quickly get off the bed to search the floor for my clothes, trying to listen for anything out of the ordinary as I put them on. With my hands now shaking, I open the door and step out into the hallway. I can’t see or hear anything, but I do smell something burning, so I rush to the kitchen and turn off the stove, where a single pancake is burnt to a crisp.

Hearing voices coming from outside, I go to the front door and pull the curtain aside, blinking in disbelief at what I see. Earl, my seventy-plus-year-old neighbor who looks like the lumberjack version of Santa, has his handgun aimed at a shirtless Tanner, who’s got a bag of garbage in his hand. Without thinking, I swing the front door open, then scream as Earl lifts the barrel in my direction and fires a shot into the air over the top of my trailer. Startled, I slip off the step I’m standing on and land on my ass at the bottom of the stairs, watching in horror as Tanner rushes Earl.