Second Chance - Tanner & Shannon (New Beginnings - Romance) Page 7

  “Then why are you being so stubborn?” Denise chided as she let out a belly laugh.

  “My husband JUST died, Denise!”

  “Your husband was dead to you long ago, Shannon, and you know it. You aren’t doing anything wrong. Get on with living your life, whatever that entails. If Tanner is in it, great. Just make good choices. Don’t pick another jerk who will steal years of your life,” Denise said softly.

  “I know you’re right. It’s just so hard to trust anyone with my heart…”

  With that, we decided to go to bed. It had been a very long day for me. I would figure out what to do in the morning.

  Chapter 15

  Morning came and went in Atlanta, but I slept right through it. Just before 11am, I finally dragged myself out of Denise’s guest bed and took a look at myself in the mirror. With just my jeans and a t-shirt, I looked horrible. I missed Tanner.

  What are you thinking? You just met him, I thought to myself.

  After splashing some water on my face, I went downstairs to find Denise sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

  “Well, good morning, sleepy head,” she said smiling.

  “Sorry I slept so late. I didn’t mess up your day, did I?”

  “Nah… Dan is at work and I took the day off. So what are your plans for the day?” she asked with a knowing grin on her face.

  “Well, I am not quite sure. For one thing, I have no clothes. They are all back at the house… and probably destroyed or hanging in a tree somewhere. Do you think I could borrow an outfit or two?” I asked.

  “Sure, you know my closet is your closet… Let’s go find some stuff.”

  After shopping in Denise’s closet for an hour, I found 3 outfits that I would take back with me to the farm. I said my goodbyes and got into my car to make the long trek back to the farm in the hopes that Tanner would still let me stay there.

  I could have stayed with Denise, but she had her own life and I didn’t want to disrupt it. I also had unfinished business at that farm and its name was Tanner.

  As I drove the two hours back to the house, I ran through everything in my mind over and over. My marriage. John’s death. The job they asked Tanner to do. He could have continued lying to me. He didn’t owe me anything. He could have accepted the money and found his daughter.

  Oh. God. His daughter. Emmy.

  How could I help him get her back? I shifted into solution mode as I thought about how I could possibly get that file from Parker’s office. My mind raced as I considered all of the ways that I could sneak in without getting caught. If I could just get that file, maybe Tanner would have a chance at getting his daughter back.

  I drove up the gravel driveway slowly looking at the home that had been ravaged by the tornado. A blue tarp covered the roof and repair men were already there working on it. I parked and took my purse and extra clothes from the SUV, making my way down the walkway to the guest house.

  I could see Tanner’s truck still parked where it was the night before. Before I could knock, the door swung open. Tanner was standing there with no shirt. His muscular build was a thing to behold. Chiseled biceps, six pack abs and a luscious tan from working outdoors.

  “Shannon!” he yelled, immediately sweeping me into his arms and hugging me tightly. He buried his head into my neck and kissed me sweetly. I could feel his heartbeat quickening and his breath catching.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as he pulled back from me and put a hand on each of my cheeks. He was obviously concerned. “I am so sorry I pushed you too far. I got carried away,” he apologized.

  “No, no, no… You didn’t do anything wrong…” I started to say as he took my hand and pulled me inside the guest house, shutting the door behind us.

  We sat down on the sofa and I held one of his hands.

  “Tanner, I am so sorry if you were worried about me,” I said.

  “Worried about you? I was frantic. Do you realize I had no way to know where you went? If you made it there okay in the heavy rain? If you were ever coming back?” he asked.

  For a moment, I was awestruck. Here is a man who cared if I was driving safely in the rain. I had never experienced that before. I cocked my head and looked at him.

  “What? Why are you looking at me that way?” Tanner asked with a quirk of a smile.

  “Because no man has ever worried about my safety… my well being… It’s nice,” I whispered.

  “If you will let me, I will worry about you for the rest of…” he stopped himself. I wanted to hear the end of the sentence, but it was obvious he was trying to avoid scaring me all over again.

  “Can I ask a favor of you?” I changed the subject.

  “Sure, anything.”

  “Will you take me to see the horses?”

  “I thought you were too afraid,” Tanner said.

  “I am. But it is time to start facing my fears. I need to take back my power,” I said smiling. I had renewed energy to create a new, better life for myself.

  “Well, then, Miss Courageous, let’s go,” Tanner said pointing toward the front door. He smelled so good as I moved past him. His cologne lingered in the air, and I closed my eyes to take it in.

  We walked a short distance to the big red horse barn. There were two horses there, one white and one brown. They were beautiful animals, but I had harbored a fear of horses since I was small.

  “So, why are you so scared of horses anyway, Shannon?” Tanner asked as he walked a few feet ahead to stroke the face of the brown horse.

  “My Dad forced me to take a lesson once when I was about eight years old. This kid in front of me was kind of overweight, and he slipped off the horse right in front of me during a jump. It terrified me even though he was okay…” I smiled.

  “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 whis
pered 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 h
e 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.