“That’s it? Seriously?” Tanner asked laughing.
“Yes, that is it. I was traumatized! Don’t laugh at me!” I yelled waving my hand at him and turning beet red.
“That’s so cute… you’re blushing…” he said with a glint in his eye.
“I am not… What is that horse’s name?” I was pointing at the brown one in front of me.
“This here is Kipper. His former owner’s little girl named him after some cartoon character. The white one is Cotton.”
“They are beautiful…”
“Come here,” Tanner came back and took my hand. “You know I won’t let anything hurt you,right?” he asked quietly as he bent down a bit to look into my eyes. I knew at that moment that he wasn’t just talking about the horses anymore.
“Yes, I actually do know that,” I said smiling at the thought of him throwing his rock hard body on mine during the tornado.
We walked forward about five feet, and Tanner took my other hand and put it on the horse’s face. I started to rub its nose. The horse snorted and I jumped. Tanner quietly put my hand back.
“You’re doing just fine…” Tanner said in a soothing voice. “Maybe one day you can ride them.”
“Baby steps, Tanner…” I said.
We spent about 30 minutes walking around the barn, surveying damage to the fields and part of the fence.
“Looks like I have a little bit of work ahead of me,” Tanner said pulling on a wooden fence post that had fallen over.
“You’re good with your hands. Cooking, horse work, fences…” I started. “Women?”
Tanner smiled a sly grin and turned to me. He tipped up his cowboy hat that he had put on to shield him from the sun.
“You tell me…” he said pulling me closer with both arms around my waist. “Am I good with my hands, pretty lady?” he whispered.
I put my hands around his neck and pulled him in closer meeting his lips with mine. We moved our lips in perfect rhythm as our bodies pressed against each other tightly. The taste of his lips and feel of his tongue thrusting in and out of my mouth was overwhelming. What his kisses did to me made me wonder what else he could do to my body.
“Shannon…” he whispered.
“Yes?” I whispered back as I continued to nibble on his neck.
“You either have to stop kissing me now or I am going to carry you right over to that bale of hay and have my way with you…” he snickered at me, but I knew there was a grain of truth and a hint of hope in his voice as he said it.
I slowly pulled back a bit and smiled up at him. He removed his hat and placed it on top of my head.
“You look good in my hat,” he commented before taking my hand and leading me back toward the guest house.
Chapter 16
“Mom, how are you? I’ve been calling you all afternoon!” Courtney chided me from the other end of the phone.
“I’m fine. Sorry. My battery had died and I didn’t know it,” I said apologetically. I was a bit distracted as I stared at Tanner cooking dinner from across the room.
“Well, I am all moved in. I have the nicest roommate, Sylvie. She’s here from France. Her accent is so cool…” Courtney said as she continued to update me on her new place. I was excited for her, but sad I wasn’t able to be there on her first day. I knew Denise had taken great care of her, buying her the things she needed to decorate her new digs.
“I wish I could be there, sweetie. But I will come for a visit very soon!” I said smiling into the phone.
“I know you will, Mom. It’s just been a very tumultuous time. Listen, Mom, Denise told me something…”
“What?”
“About this Tanner fellow…”
My stomach sank. I thought I had remembered to swear Denise to secrecy. Apparently the wine clouded my mind and I didn’t tell her.
“What did she tell you?” I whispered as I slipped up the hallway into the bedroom.
“She told me he is a very nice guy. Sweet to you. Threw his body on you during a tornado?” Courtney giggled.
“All true…” I whispered with a smile.
“You sound happy, Mom. I haven’t heard you sound that way for a long time,” Courtney said.
“I am happy, which is crazy given that I have lost all of my money, my old house, my new house…” I started.
“None of that matters when you find someone who really cares about you, does it? Go for it, Mom. You deserve it. You owe it to yourself to start living now. Don’t keep waiting because you never know when you won’t get any more chances,” Courtney said in the most serious tone I’d ever heard.
“Courtney, I just met the guy…”
“So what? Do you have feelings for him?” she asked.
I waited a moment, searching my soul for the real truth. Not the “should be” truth. Not the logical truth. I was looking for MY truth.
“Mom? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. I was thinking… Yes, I have strong feelings for Tanner. There, I said it. Are you happy now?” I asked giggling. Just then, I felt someone standing behind me. Then kisses started trailing up the back of my neck and his hands slipped around my waist.
“Yes, I am very happy to hear that…” Tanner whispered in my ear as he nibbled it.
He had heard my admission, and now I couldn’t deny it.
“Listen, Court, I have to go… time to eat dinner… Call me tomorrow, okay? Love you, honey!” I said as we both hung up.
I slowly turned around and looked up at Tanner. He removed the hat from my head and tossed it on the floor beside me.
“You have strong feelings for me?” he asked quietly as he pushed a stray bit of hair behind my ear.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that, you eavesdropper,” I said with a wry smile.
“You didn’t answer my question, Shannon…” he said pulling me closer and moving his lips within inches of mine. “Tell me…” he said as he trailed kisses down my neck.
“I have strong feelings for you…” I whispered in a husky voice. My breath caught as he pulled me closer and pressed his face into my neck. I could hardly stand up as all of the blood was being ushered to other, more sensual places in my body.
“Good, because I have strong feelings for you too,” he muttered as he brought his lips up to mine and began kissing me passionately. These weren’t the kisses of an eager schoolboy; they were the kisses of a red-blooded, passionate man who couldn’t get enough of me.
“Tanner…” I said in breathless anticipation of what was to come.
“Yes?” he responded between frantic kisses.
“I’m ready… to live again… to feel something again,” I said. He stopped and looked at me with his nose touching mine.
“What do you mean, Shannon?”
“Make love to me…” I whispered bringing my lips into his again. I lightly bit his lower lip and he moaned as he scooped me up into his arms and gently placed me on the bed.
“Are you sure, Shannon?” he asked being careful not to go any further than I wanted.
“I am positive. I want you…” I said reaching up to bringing his delicious lips back down to mine. He was on top of me, writhing in sensuality as we touched and caressed each other’s bodies. He reached down and used his masculine hands to slide my sundress over my hips, up my abdomen and over my head revealing that I was wearing no bra and only lacy pink panties.
Tanner stood up and looked down at me as if he was reveling in his ability to look at me naked.
“You are stunning, Shannon. Look at you…” he said.
“Thanks, but…”
“No, no, no…” he put his index finger over my lips. “You are stunning. Forget what he ever said to you. He was an ass. You’re so beautiful, it brings tears to my eyes sometimes.” Did he just say that to me?
He reached down and slid my panties off before I had even noticed. I pushed back further on the bed as Tanner yanked his t-shirt over his head and tossed it across the room. I sat up and crawled over to the edge of the bed.
“Let me help you with those,” I said softly as I unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them to the floor. Standing there in just his gray boxer briefs, he looked so masculine and rugged. Right out of a 70’s cigarette commercial.
I stood up and pulled him in close for another kiss while I used my hands to slowly pull down those sexy boxer briefs to reveal what I had felt all along, his hard as steel erection. I cupped him in my hands and gently pulled leading him over to the bed again.
“Well, Miss Shannon, tell me what you really want,” Tanner chuckled as he climbed on top of me. “But first, I have some other areas that I really want to explore…”
All I wanted was to feel him inside of me, filling up every empty space that had been vacant within me for years. I wanted him to wash away 18 years of emptiness, loneliness and bitterness with one swift release.
“Tanner…” I moaned as he lay on top of me kissing my neck, and making his way to my breasts. He nuzzled between them for a moment, teasing me with his kisses. He licked lightly around my nipple bringing it to a hard point. I writhed underneath him, begging silently for him to fill me with himself. I had never wanted and needed someone as much as I needed him then.
His calloused hands explored my body, one rubbing my bottom while the other held the back of my neck. He took one of my breasts in his mouth and began to alternate sucking and flicking it with his tongue. I thought I was going to lose myself at that moment. I felt like I was coming undone, as if he was unraveling years worth of pain in that one moment.
He continued his vacation down my body until his face was between my thighs. I could feel his warm breath as he kissed me there over and over, teasing me with his mouth. I arched my lower back over and over, meeting his mouth with my most private area, begging him for more. He used his tongue to encircle me there, filling my pleasure point with blood and sensations I had never felt before. I moaned in sheer ecstasy as he brought me to an earth shattering orgasm that washed like waves over my body.
“Now, Tanner, I need you now…” I whispered. He didn’t say a word, but reached over into the nightstand and opened a package. He slowly slipped on a condom and then filled me in one big thrust. I cried out in desperation for more as he rocked in and out, holding my backside in his strong hands.
The power of this man rocked me to the core. He wanted me, needed me. His total focus was on me right now. His movements brought new sensations. I never knew I could reach that pinnacle again so soon after the first, but he was a magician with his body.
“Shannon, come for me… Let it all go…” he whispered as he leaned in to kiss my neck. Seconds later, my body shattered into a million pieces as we had our releases at the same time in a beautiful, powerful orgasm.
Tanner rolled to the side and pulled me in close, my rear end snuggled against him. We forgot about dinner which sat cold on the stove and fell asleep in each other’s arms. I was home. I felt peace for the first time in years.
Chapter 17
“Shannon, wake up… I think your cell phone is ringing,” Tanner said lightly shaking my shoulder. He was right. My ringtone was a catchy little jazz tune, and it was loud enough to wake anyone up. I jumped up, fully aware that I was still stark naked and grabbed my phone from his dresser. I didn’t recognize the number, but I did see that it was just after 2am.
“Hello?” I said doing my best to sound awake, but then realizing I shouldn’t be awake at 2am.
“Mrs. Harris?” a man said on the other end of the phone.