Love Surfaced Page 9

  “I’m not going to be one of the many in a string of girls, Tanner. You want me to tell my brother, but how can I when other girls are getting your attention?”

  “Jesus, Piper!” he yells. “Come sit next to me, and call my damn phone.” His fist slams on the mattress. Then his shoulders relax and he tilts his head. “Please.”

  He shoots me that melting wink, so I’ll forgive him for his anger.

  Standing right next to him lying in the bed, I cross my arms against my chest, but he grabs my hand and yanks me down. I topple down to the bed, and he laughs.

  “Now, pick up your phone and call me.”

  I pull my phone out and scan through the contacts until I press on his name. “Tell me.” I sit up as straight as I can, showing indifference at his demanding behavior. “I’m not about to press the Call button until you tell me who she is.”

  I cross my legs and scoot away, but his hand slides between my legs, and goose bumps engulf my body.

  “She’s this girl I’ve been seeing recently.”

  There went my heart. I’m waiting for the, But you’re the one for me, and I’ve been trying to end it.

  “I didn’t expect it to happen, Piper. I swear, I tried to stay away, but she was too powerful for my willpower.”

  My heart shatters to the ground. The phone drops to the bed, and my vision begins to blur, but I push it back. I refuse to allow him to witness how much he’s hurting me.

  Then, his phone rings, and I shake my head.

  “I gotta go.” I pick up my phone and see it’s calling Tanner.

  When I look up, he’s smiling, holding up his phone. The name Ashley appears, and my lips begin to form a smile even though I try to force it to stop.

  He clicks the green button, accepting my call, and places the phone to his ear. “Talk.”

  He nods to my phone, and a swallow before holding it up to my ear.

  “I need your advice because I think I’ve fallen in love with her, and it’s a foreign feeling for me,” he speaks into his phone as he stares at me.

  This time, the tears forming are from happiness. I bite my lip and study his face.

  “Oh, no. I fear the lip bite means you are trying to think of an excuse to let me off easy.”

  I put my phone down on the table and sit on the bed.

  He places his phone next to me, and I take a deep breath.

  “Tan”—I grab his hand, playing with his fingers—“don’t say it if you have any doubt,” I beg. My outsides hold up while my insides want to crumble to the ground, begging him not to break me.

  “Oh, baby, I’m not the one with doubts here.” He releases my hand, and his hand travels up my arm until his palm molds against my cheek. “I was covering our bases in case you ever called when your brother was around. Now . . . kiss me.”

  He lightly chuckles, and I bend down to meet his lips. With the warmth of his mouth on mine, I push back the insecure obsession that I’m not enough for him in the long-term. If he wins the marathon and obtains me, he might toss the gold medal aside for a new conquest. Instead, I enjoy the moment with him, allowing his love to shelter me.

  Pressing gently, we hold our lips together for a while before moving. His tongue snakes out and requests permission to enter. Unable to ever hold out when it comes to Tanner, I open and sink into his hold. Our tongues entwine as his hand moves to the back of my head. As always, I’m lost in the realm of lust with Tanner, but now, it’s matched with a promise of love.

  As our mouths close, he pecks my sore lips one more time. “Believe me, Piper. I love you.”

  My eyes close at his disclosure, and I muster every ounce of strength I have to open them. “I love you, too,” I confess.

  A sly grin sneaks across his face. “I know you do.” Then, he pulls me to him again, a little more aggressive and demanding this time.

  eight

  WHY AM I NERVOUS?

  I shake my arms at my sides and bounce up and down on the concrete floor. Blowing a long deep breath out, I divert my gaze anywhere but the stands. Tanner has seen me swim for years, but this time, he’s a boyfriend watching his girlfriend. With him being out for the season, from screwing up his back by speeding home, he doesn’t have much to do these days. Even though it’s a compliment that he was rushing back to me, I wish he had taken his time.

  With his abundance of free time¸ I’m his new favorite thing to do. He comes to my swim meets when the men’s team doesn’t have a race. He escorts me to class and sometimes waits for me after. Obviously, there are reasons for us being together outside of my apartment. It allows us to sneak around. In public, our hands stay tucked in our pockets, and we constantly make sure to coincidentally bump into each other. These past few weeks, I’ve barely slept from the amount of caffeine I jolt my system with to keep up my stamina for him.

  “You ready?”

  Bea comes up next to me, and I nod.

  “Aw . . . relax. It’s just the hottest guy in Michigan staring at your ass.”

  I quickly twist around, resulting in me facing the stands.

  “Didn’t you realize you were offering him a great view of your ass?” Her laugh echoes through the entire pool house.

  “No!” I screech. “I need to calm down. Why are my nerves so frazzled?”

  “Because of what I just mentioned—the hot guy up in the stands who’s fixated on you.”

  She bends down, touching her toes, as I take my arms straight out, crossing and uncrossing them in front of me.

  “It might actually calm you if you look.”

  I take her advice and wish I hadn’t because Tanner is currently talking to a group of three girls, and I have no idea who they are. I’m assuming they’re from the opposing school.

  “Bad advice,” I mumble.

  Bea’s head shoots up to the stands. “Oh, please. Are you jealous of a couple of girls? You’re not one of those types.”

  She sits down on the cement floor, and I follow suit. Taking each other’s hands, we teeter back and forth, warming up our backs.

  “It’s hard, ya know? I hate this insecurity when it comes to him. It’s a part of myself I never thought existed until now.”

  I’m truthful with her because the fear of him cheating on me keeps me up at night. Staring at him while he’s lying next to me, I’ve fretted that we’re one party away from him finding someone who piques his interest more.

  “Piper, you’ve always been more than secure in yourself. What gives?”

  I wait for a teammate to pass by before beginning to talk, “Sara.”

  With one word, Bea gets it. She knows exactly why I’m a mess.

  “You have to overcome your insecurities, Piper. Just because Sara thought she couldn’t compare doesn’t mean he has an unrealistic vision of you. Does Tanner look at you like the rainbow sprouts from your ass?”

  I cringe.

  “Yes, but so what? He knows what lies beneath his quest.”

  What she’s saying sounds logical, but for me, it’s too foreign.

  She stops the teeter, holding us in a spot where she can make sure I see how serious she is. “I’m telling you this straight, Piper. You’ll lose him if you don’t let this issue go.”

  Bea is rarely ever serious, so this is one of those aha moments, and I need to pay attention to her.

  Looking back at Tanner, all I see is his smile, and the girls flocked around him are now gone. His lips are spread so wide in excitement, showing off his perfect white teeth. Then, as though he senses how much I need the reminder, he shoots me his classic wink.

  “You’re right. I’m being stupid,” I relent.

  Bea unhooks her hands from me before standing up. “About time you figured it out.”

  She leaves me, going to her bag to dig out her swim cap. When she returns, I’m bent over, touching my toes.

  “Now, go out there, and swim your ass off, so your drop-dead gorgeous man has no choice but to pour champagne over your body and lick it off tonight.” She
laughs, wandering to lane eight.

  Coach walks the line, directing all of us to be ready for positions, so I go to my bag and grab my goggles. As my hand reaches in, my phone flips, and I catch the screen light up.

  Tanner: You got this, babe. Steady and stealthy through the last lap. Then, imagine I’m waiting for you at the other end of the pool. ;)

  Me: What’s my prize if I win? You?

  Tanner: You already have me. :) Win and find out!

  Happy, I place the phone back in my bag. I’ll be cooling down my cheeks from the blush Tanner ignited. When I give one last look up in the stands, the exact opposite happens to me. Tanner’s encouraging eyes calm my nerves. Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for the sound of the starter pistol.

  A bang rings in my ears, and I dive into the water.

  Stroke, stroke, breathe.

  Stroke, stroke, breathe.

  My rhythm immediately kicks in, and weightlessness starts to flurry in my chest about my chances of winning first place. Visions of Tanner play in my head, and soon, I’m no longer fixating on my swimming strokes. All of Bea’s advice before the race mingles in my thoughts. How right she is. If I want this to work, I need to trust him until he takes my trust away, and hopefully, he never will. But I’m not giving him my complete self if I continue to doubt him.

  When my fingers touch the black plus sign, I emerge from the water with cheers erupting. I look up at Tanner in the bleachers. He’s standing up, clapping his hands and then raising his hand in the air to cheer. In this moment, I vow to myself to give Tanner all of me tonight—heart, body, and mind.

  I TOSS MY KEYS ON the kitchen table and drop my bag to the floor. Before I can reach the fridge, Tanner’s arms are wrapped around my waist, and his head is nuzzled in my neck. Holding his head exactly where I want it, I revel in the butterfly kisses he’s casting across my shoulder. The fridge door slips from my hands, and I sink back into his hard body while his lips tenderly nip at my skin.

  Tanner backs us up. His hand grips my hip, and he spins me around into his arms. “Congratulations.” He slides my hair off my shoulder and pierces me with desired eyes.

  “You said that already.” My hands circle around his waist. I raise his thin T-shirt to splay my hands on his back.

  “I’m proud of you.” His head dips to the hollow of my neck as his fingers move lazily down my spine, raising goose bumps in their wake. “Watching you anytime makes my body want you, but watching you swim drives me crazy with want every damn time.”

  I smile against his shoulder from the compliment of what seeing me swim entices in him. “I could say that exact same sentence.”

  He cups my face with his palms. “Let’s stop talking then.”

  “Okay.” I lick my lip, sensing this will be a different type of coming together than usual.

  When his lips brush along mine, they’re gentle and sensual and loving.

  His hand glides down my rib cage until he grips my hand in his. He leads me to the bedroom, and I follow through the doorway before he shuts the door.

  “I want to take off your clothes painfully slow, reveling in every inch of your skin.” He sits down on my mattress, positioning me in front of him.

  It’s intimate and intimidating mixed together.

  His fingers leave shivers on my skin as they roam up my ribs, pushing my shirt up. Casting short kisses up my stomach, he rises to his feet, and in one fluid motion, he discards my shirt up and over my head. The thin fabric hits the floor at the same time his hands slide behind my back, expertly undoing my bra hook. Once it’s unhooked, his fingers guide the straps down my arms while I stand as still as a mannequin. My heart pounds so hard that it might pop out of my chest.

  Swiping my nipple with his tongue, he sucks my breast into his hot mouth. My hands grip the bottom of his shirt, raising it up his body. Without breaking from my skin, he grabs his shirt from the collar, and my nipple pops out of his mouth when he finishes pulling it off and tossing it across the room. He goes right back to circling my nipple with his tongue, and my head tips back as I close my eyes at the arousal pooling in my core.

  “God, Piper. I love your body,” he murmurs against my skin. He switches to my other breast while his fingers undo my jeans. “I’ll never get my fill of you.”

  His sweet but seductive words only make the waiting for him to be inside of me unbearable.

  Pushing my jeans down, his touch is so ginger and caring. Tingles erupt across my whole body. Stepping one foot out of my jeans at a time, I stand in front of him in a pair of purple satin panties, and my hands clench to stop the urge to shield myself. When I catch his craving eyes roaming up and down my body, my skin sears. He inches forward, his tongue swiping along the seam of my panties, and my breath catches in my throat. Right as I’m about to release the constricted breath, I suck in deeper when his hands roam up my thighs. My eyelids droop as his thumbs slide under the satin of my panties on either side, and he hooks them down the fabric, dragging my panties down my legs.

  “Stand up.” I say, taking a step back to give him space.

  “Let’s trade.”

  Inching off the bed, his hands move up my legs until he grabs a hold of my ass.

  I screech when he picks me up, spins me around, and positions me on the bed. His jeans bulge in front of me, and this time, I can’t control my hands. My fingers manipulate the button, and his stomach sinks in from his deep intake of breath. Carefully, I lower the zipper and push his jeans down his muscular legs, leaving him in his black boxer briefs. I lean back on my elbows, admiring his body. The ripples, the bulges, the smooth lines from his shoulders down to his feet have me salivating at this creature in front of me.

  “You didn’t finish the job,” he kids.

  A small smile crosses my lips, and I sit up straighter, leaning toward him again to relieve the last piece of fabric between us. But he beats me to it and places his thumbs into each side of his briefs before shoving them down his legs. Our eyes feast on each other’s bodies, and again, I’m struck by how much I love this man.

  I crawl backward up the bed, and Tanner follows me each inch of the way. After I sink into the mattress, he lowers himself on top of me, his face nuzzling in my neck and his hands threading through my hair. He’s not demanding or rough. Rather, he’s worshipping and sensual. My legs part to grant him access, and his hardness presses at my opening. Unable to hold off, I clench and grind against him, my back arching, as his lips feather kisses along my skin. Once his mouth is on top of mine, he slides into me, and I raise my hips off the mattress.

  “Jesus,” he murmurs.

  I close my eyes, circling my hips. He pushes into me again, and my heels dig into the mattress. My impatience to move faster grows with every thrust. Our bodies slide along while our mouths devour one another in a slow melody of kisses. When his hands finger through my hair and he gazes down at me with passion and desire, I soar higher. The buildup from the ecstasy rises, and I’m seconds away from reaching my orgasm, the faster he thrusts into me. Tanner finishes me off by rapidly pumping into me over and over again.

  “Tan,” I sigh.

  His hands reach down, grabbing my ass to reach the limits of my depth. My nerves flutter feverishly like a million little butterflies struggling to release from a jar, until I’m free.

  “God, Piper. I love you,” he says softly as he stills inside me.

  We lie on the bed, my body snuggling next to his hard one. I take shallow breaths as his fingers graze up and down my bare spine.

  “Thank you, Piper,” he whispers.

  I pick up my head, my chin resting on his chest. “It wasn’t our first time.”

  “It kind of was.” He stares down at me with lovingly soft eyes. “You finally gave me all of you. All the other times, you were holding something back.”

  With a small smile on my face, my heart warms with how well this man knows me. “I was but not anymore. Just please—”

  His finger moves up, stopping in front
of my lips. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ve waited a long time for you, Piper, and I’m not about to ruin it.”

  He confirms that I am different from the other girls. The fact that he’s waited for me as long as I have for him elates me to the umpteenth degree. On cloud nine with his confession, I lay my head back down on his rising and falling chest. Committing his heartbeat to memory, I wrap my arms a little tighter around his waist.

  “I love you, Piper, and that’s not going to just disappear,” he continues.

  I’m not sure my heart can handle any more of his confessions.

  “I love you, too, Tanner,” I whisper.

  “You have all of me.” The permission I’m giving him to grab a hold of every thing I possess—my body, my mind, and most importantly, my heart—doesn’t seem as scary when I lie in his arms.

  Isn’t that the problem? Tanner has been a safety net for me for most of my life. He’s kept me grounded with my swimming and worked with me when I needed his encouragement. Most of all, with his presence alone, I never worry about anything, except for one thing—the amount of want that gushes from my pores. I can’t lose that if a love relationship goes south.

  nine

  I RUSH UP THE FLIGHT of stairs and bend over to catch my breath while my trembling finger blindly searches for the doorbell. Not finding it, there’s no choice but to lift my head while still heaving from my sprint. After I press the black button, my feet tap back and forth, impatiently waiting for the sound of his footsteps on the other side of the door.

  Why didn’t I just use my key? Because this time is different.

  This isn’t Brad’s sister coming to study, cook dinner, or chat about last night’s episode of Breaking Bad. Nope, this is Piper Ashby secretly escaping to Tanner McCain’s apartment for an afternoon quickie before her brother¸ Brad Ashby, returns from swim practice.

  My teeth nail my bottom lip down as my head flickers from right to left, praying like hell my brother doesn’t round the corner from the stairwell or elevator. We should have done this impromptu meeting at my apartment, but my roommate, Wendi, is the head of the gossip ring at Michigan University. It’s hard to believe that the better alternative is to have sex with my brother’s best friend ten feet from his bedroom.