Now and Forever (23 page)

“What’s in the basket?”

“Oh,” she said with a grin, “these are homemade cookies for Ariel. I also have a Winnie the Pooh bear. You said she liked stuffed animals.”

“Look, Chipmunk,” Tanner said, pointing at the items Grace held. “You’ve got gifts.”

Ariel chortled and clapped her chubby hands.

He bounced her in his arms and kissed her forehead gently. This simple act triggered a fit of giggles gurgling from her tiny lips.

The sight was saccharine sweet and too much for Grace. Her insides went all soft and gooey like toasted marshmallows. Ariel looked safe and secure and overjoyed in his arms. She pinched his nose and was tickled pink when he gave her nose a playful tweak in return. They were a pair. Tanner’s magic had brought golden rays of sunshine to the adorable toddler’s broken world.

Grace reflected for a moment. Not too long ago, she’d been sifting through several online profiles, seeking a man who could stimulate her physically and mentally.
A man with integrity, compassion, intelligence and a face to die for.
A man who would make great husband and father.
A man with the power to make her laugh and weak in the knees.
The epitome of a true king.
After all her searching and hoping and wishing, she’d found him.

Kevin had been right. Ava had been on point, as well as Tanner. Everyone around her had been able to see what she couldn’t. For too long, she’d been shackled to the past and the ache that had bruised her heart. Pain had blinded her to Tanner’s value. Luckily, she recognized he was worthy of her love and trust. More importantly, she was worthy of his.

She wanted him. She needed to share his world. There was nothing about him that she would deny. And she was willing and determined to freely give him all of her.

It was nothing short of a miracle the day he walked into her life. She always believed miracles were for other people. Just like love and happiness.

In her mind, all things seemed possible now. Amazing what love could do.

With pride seeping through her pores, she intended to believe in magic.

Tanner’s magic.

*

“Sleep tight, Chipmunk,” Grace said, hugging Ariel tenderly.

Tanner eased the tiny tot into his arms and disappeared down the hall to put her to bed. Grace sat alone on the comfortable sofa, biting her thumb nail. She was in dangerous territory. All evening the air had been charged with sexual tension. It electrified the entire room and energized her body with teeny needles of vibration. More than once, heat waves of desires had drained her senses of reason after Tanner’s hand had barely skimmed her thigh, while reaching for one Ariel’s toys. Her breath wavered and her heart faltered when he boldly fixed his gaze upon her breasts and let it linger there, until he’d had his fill. Then, his eyes slipped down her body and settled on the valley between her legs. He had the nerve to openly gawk. That could have been his hands touring her hypersensitive turf.
Or worse, his mouth.

She counted her blessings since she had been able to maintain a hard-edged outer shell during her misery, while she had melted like butter on the inside. With a sigh, she ran her hands up and down her arms slowly. Not that she was cold.
Quite the contrary.
Warm rays zipped through her. Tangled in the web of clear-cut emotional responses to Tanner’s tangible and intangible forces, she felt doomed. He was like a whisper she wanted to capture in the palm of her hands, the gleam in a child’s eyes she longed to use as a nightlight. A hankering had developed deep inside her, strong and real, she was literally moved.

Games over.
Mysteries uncovered. Feelings revealed. Grace leveled with herself. This was where she wanted to be. This house, this man and this child were her dream. Being with them made her believe she had finally found the missing pieces to the puzzle of her life. She peered at her surroundings for the hundredth time and calculated the situation in her head. It all added up.
Her plus them
equaled total happiness.

She only hoped Tanner agreed with her computation.

Instead of mentally bloviating, she told herself to get up and leave. Take the memories of this perfect day with her and tuck them away in a sacred place when she arrived home. However, her body refused to budge.

Tanner returned and slid beside her. Air whooshed out of her lungs when his thigh touched hers. She crossed her legs nervously, as if that would create a barrier. He had no intentions of hindering his movements as he inched nearer. A devilish glint flickered in his honey-colored eyes. Except for her rapidly beating heart, the room was silent. The single lamp provided a dim glow.
Ideal for making out.

Watch it, girl
.

She was warning the wrong person. Tanner brought his hand to her face and dared to graze her cheek with a feathery lightness. She leaned into his touch, increasing the contact, which she craved like oxygen. A whimper lodged in her throat, threatening to escape free from her lips. She held it at bay. Her mind tried to avoid concentrating on the pulsating ache wrecking havoc between her thighs. The man had rattled her senses, yet again. It didn’t matter. She was where she belonged.

“Grace,” he whispered huskily.

She shivered. His warm breath washed over her and raised the hairs on the back of neck. Goose bumps dotted her upper arms. All hope vanished. She was lost in his very essence. Unable to tackle her emotions, she resisted the urge to gaze at Tanner for fear he’d see her risen nature. But temptation made her its slave and she succumbed to its wishes.

Lifting her eyes to his face proved to be difficult, but necessary. Her gaze clashed with his like a powerful Titan. The effects of the collision reverberated throughout her body, causing her to tremble. Passion swelled in his eyes. It beckoned her with uncontainable energy. She felt roped and tied by its force. She fancied herself being swayed by his magic. She surrendered to it eagerly and wondered where it would lead her.

She didn’t have to wonder long.

Tanner’s mouth covered hers in an instant. He took her breath away. But she didn’t care if she ever breathed again as long as she could dwell in this space and time. His mouth plundered hers, exploring and tasting like a hunger lion. Teasing and titillating, his tongue did major damage to her senses and self-control after it forced an entry into her mouth. Holy
moly
, she thought, folding in his arms weakly, clinging to a wing and a prayer that she’d be able to regain her equilibrium.

Grace was swept away on a magical cloud, rooted in the moment. Tanner tamed her lips with masterful kisses, which left every inch of her mouth probed and conquered. Muffled moans of pleasure gushed from deep in her throat as her mouth widened in order to intensify the tantalizing experience. Her feminine juices flowed, scorching hot and mind-crippling. Grace’s whole body gave a sharp jolt as pleasure surged through her veins, driving his essence deeper into her.

Tanner’s kiss was generous and liberal and outright wicked. She was fascinated with how willingly and eagerly her body responded to every flick of his tongue. His mouth mated with hers passionately and completely. Frantically, she countered his movements with fervent ones of her own, which ignited a series of gruff groans from Tanner. She drowned in the delicious sounds. It was music to her ears since raw physical attraction inundated every note. Only he could make her feel this way.

To her great dismay, he broke their passionate lip lock.

His head was positioned inches away from her face. He searched her eyes. In a low and serious voice, he asked, “Do you love me?”

Grace returned his steadfast gaze. Her pulse escalated. She inhaled deeply. The truth was evident as the air she breathed, the water she drank. He had put her on the spot. There was no escaping now. All exits had been sealed off. Do or die. Emotions were at stake, potent and valid. She puckered her glossed lips and said the only words she could say, “I love you with all my heart.”

That was all Tanner needed to hear. He lifted Grace into his arms as he stood up and headed to his bedroom, which he pushed open with his foot. The windows were wide open and the sheer curtains billowed as a gentle breeze swept through them. Cool air blended with their heated bodies. He crossed the room and stopped at the foot of his massive bed, placing her on top of it ever so gently. To his great surprise, Grace sat up, getting eye level with him. With one hand, she grabbed the back of his head and brought his mouth to hers and crushed his lips with a succulent and ravenous, which she poured her heart into. He let loose a guttural groan when she pressed her hips against his erection and began to grind. Her need was intense. She wasn’t able to focus on anything but him.

“I want you right now. I can’t wait another minute.” The tone of her voice reflected the strong yearning and desire that had drop-kicked her in the pit of her stomach.

Tanner sensed her desperation as the same emotion gripped him like a vice. “Babe, you don’t have to wait anymore. I got you and I intend to take care of every inch of your sexy body.”

In a flurry of wild and passionate kisses, their hands attacked each other’s clothes. A sexual beast had inhabited their bodies and it was hungry, seeking flesh to appease its appetite.
Raw, moist, and hot flesh.
Their most primitive desires had taken control.
Neither dared to fight its power.
The reward of surrendering was just too sweet. Tanner planted a string of sizzling kisses along her neck and shoulders, while his fingers worked on unfastening the buttons of her flirty shirt. He tossed the article of clothing aside and marveled at her breasts, which
peeked
at him through a black lace bra. He drew a hard breath.
“Oh, my.”

As he dipped his head to take a pert nipple into his mouth, Grace caught his head in her hands and pushed him away. Impatiently, she grabbed his shirt, moving it up and over his head. When he stood bare-chested before her, she blinked. The world seemed to disappear. Moonlight beamed off his rock solid chest and rock hard abs. He had muscles for days. The man was the most perfect specimen she’d ever seen.

So close. She got a good whiff of his rich and masculine scent. His aroma was infused with a heady natural odor and earthy cologne. She licked her slightly parted lips. The need to let her tongue do a few laps on his sculpted frame was overwhelming. However, her trembling fingers had claimed first dibs on connecting with his skin.

Delicate as a silk fan, her hands splayed on his broad chest. Wanting more, her greedy slowly began to trace a sensual path down his torso, leaving his flesh tingling and burning. The tips of her fingers abraded his hardened nipples lightly and his body gave a powerful jerk. She smiled triumphantly at his audible response to her intimate touch, a guttural and baritone rumble that would have made Barry White proud.

His reaction just amplified her lust.

Deliciously wicked ideas surfaced in her mind. Making him squirm until he was ready to burst topped her list. Feeling him shift beneath her fingertips, she determined pushing him to the limit would be like taking candy from a baby. She tested her theory. Before he knew what hit him, her tongue was retracing the path her fingers had created. Licking a little here, sucking a little there, she felt his muscles tense. With labored breath, he clutched her head in hand as she ministered a special dose of unforgettable magic his way.

“Do you know what you’re doing to me?” he asked, scalding her with his liquid fire gaze.

Of course she knew. For too many nights alone in her bed, she’d rehearsed this scene in her mind a thousand times. The taste and scent of his skin had been so potent in her fantasies that she believed it was the real deal. Finally, her desires had been executed. Glorious delivered.
Delightfully accepted.
She glanced up at him with the hint of the devil shimmering in her eyes. Feigning innocence, she said, “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

He lifted a brow.
“Really?
How about I show you?”

Danger swirled in his dark pools, pulling her under his spell, drowning her wits. Boy, she was in big trouble. His muscles flexed with strength and emphasis, sending a not-so-subtle message: he was in control. Taking the reins caused his chest to swell in a most appealing manner. Sure, the gesture was a bit cocky. Undoubtedly, his facial expression appeared smug. But the flames of her overheated nature were stoked by his masculine bravado.

Damn him.

How high was he trying to make her temperature rise?

Clearly, he wanted to reduce her to a pile of smoke and ashes.

Fascinated, exhilarated, and restless she braced herself for whatever came next. His eyes blew her wet kisses, while his fingers latched onto his pants and tugged them down his hips. She became light-headed and the room began to spin when he removed his black boxer briefs swifter than she anticipated.