Her breath catches and although I had decided kissing should be off the table tonight, I bend to kiss her again. I can't help myself—those lips call my name in a way it's never been called.
She presses her chest against mine and wraps her arms around my neck again while opening her mouth to mine and letting me in. I don't even care that there will be no sex tonight; I'm down with kissing her for hours instead. When her lips leave mine, I hold her close and murmur, "We should practise that some more."
Her mouth curls up into a grin and she kisses me again. "We really should." She brushes her lips over mine once more. "I've decided I like your kind of fun."
"You were expecting something else, weren't you?"
"I had no idea what to expect, but I thought for sure it would be something wilder than this."
I laugh. "I'm sure you've got the wrong idea about me. Mind you, I did have something else in mind, but this is better so I vote we forget all other plans and you keep practising whatever you want on me."
"I was just hoping it didn't include getting a tattoo done."
The idea of tattooing her jolts desire through me. Images of my hands on her milky skin flood my mind and I do my best to push them away. I'm on my best behaviour tonight and those kinds of thoughts are not what I need in my head right now.
"It definitely didn't include that, but I'm not going to tell you what it was because I'll keep that for another date."
Her brows rise. "Oh, you think there will be more dates?"
Smirking, I reply, "You're living in deep denial if you think there won't be any more dates. For one, you've got a fuckload of practise to take care of, and for two, you are so far gone on me that the word no has been wiped from your memory."
Her laughter floats through the warm summer air. "You forgot number three."
My turn to raise my brows. "And what's number three?"
Goddess mode returns as she stretches to whisper in my ear. "Let's just say that more dates would help me decide whether clothes will be needed going forward."
Fuck me. I love goddess mode.
Chapter Seven
JULIETTE
I take the last few steps up to my front door before turning around to face Tanner. He doesn't give me time to even think about what I'm going to say—his arms circle me and he pulls me close so he can plant a long kiss on my lips.
He tastes like heaven. Well, that's not really true, but it may as well be heaven because I could live in his embrace, with his mouth on mine, forever. I'm so stubborn, though, that it pains me to admit I was wrong about him. I thought this date would go the complete opposite to the way it has. Tanner has well and truly shown me a side to him I would never have expected.
"Are you free tomorrow?" he asks when he ends the kiss.
My brain works fast and I decide I need to take back some control of this. "No, I have work all day." It's a lie, and as much as I detest doing it, I feel it's necessary. I need some time to get my thoughts together about him.
He narrows his eyes at me. "Really?"
Well, shit, I suck at lying when interrogated. I take a deep breath. "No, but I want some space to figure stuff out."
"What's there to figure out?"
"You." I'm as honest as I can be now. I've never been the kind of woman who plays games.
"I think you need me around if you want to figure me out. I'm happy to come over and help you with that." He grins at me, and I realise he's trying to lighten the mood. I've been so tightly wound over him since the day we first met that I haven't been able to see his casual side for what it is.
Placing my hand on his chest, I attempt to gently push him away. He resists at first but then grants me my wish. "I'm honestly not trying to jerk you around." I turn serious again. "I just need some time to think."
"Sweetheart, I'm not asking for a commitment here; let's just have some fun."
His words cause me to snap back to reality. He just wants fun, Juliette, nothing more. Disappointment slides through me, and all I want to do is go inside and shut myself away from him. I paste a smile on my face. "Thank you for tonight, it was definitely fun."
He frowns. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Please don't make me elaborate. I just want to go inside.
"Why do I get the feeling I just fucked up somehow?" He tries to move closer to me again, but I shuffle back.
"No, you didn't. I'm just tired." I'm not lying. It's not his fault that I misread his intentions. I should have realised all he wanted was some fun.
He watches me for a few moments, contemplating what I said, and then nods. "Okay, you go get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow." He kisses me once more before waiting for me to go inside.
After a beat, I turn and enter my house. As the door closes behind me, I sag against it.
This was not how I was supposed to be feeling after that date. I was supposed to be coming home to a long bath and some work, with Tanner Brady firmly out of my mind. Yet here I am, upset because I'm not sure I can put him out of my mind.