Page 17
Story: Her Protector on Route 14
“Greedy for more,” I answer with a soft laugh. He chuckles and kisses me again.
“How about we clean up first?” he offers.
“And cuddle?” I ask.
He pauses a moment, looks at me, and drinks me in. “If that’s what you want, yes.”
I nod and welcome him to take care of me, to keep me tightly against him until my eyes are too heavy to think about a potential round two. I wiggle against Tanner until he calms my hips and kisses the back of my head. I’ve never been so comfortable being the little spoon.
***
In the morning, I stretch and reach out for Tanner. “Morning.”
My hand brushes cold sheets. I blink, roll over, and find the other side of the bed empty. No note, no warmth, no sound from the bathroom either.
It’s not that late. So where is he?
I check my phone. No text. No call. Nothing.
A dull ache settles in my chest.
Was I not good enough?Did I do something wrong?He came, didn’t he?
I try not to spiral. Tanner’s not exactly the cuddly, linger-after kind of guy. He’s quiet, guarded. I knew that. But still, waking up alone like this—it stings more than I want to admit.
I get dressed slowly, tugging on jeans and a t-shirt, pulling my hair into a messy bun. I tell myself breakfast will help. Something warm. Something grounding.
But when I reach the dining room, I freeze in the doorway. Tanner’s already there. Sitting at a small table with a half-empty plate in front of him. He’s not looking for me. He’s not waiting. He’s laughing. At something the waitress says.
She’s curvy, confident, and the way he smiles at her—relaxed, easy—it knocks the air right out of me. I’ve never seen him act like that with anyone else.
Maybe last night was just sex to him. Maybe I was just a detour. A reminder he could still open up, then walk away just as easily.
I bite down on my bottom lip, my stomach twisting.
Sex doesn’t have to mean something,I tell myself.Even if it did for me.
I turn before he sees me. My feet carry me back to the elevator, up the hall, and into my room. I’ll process alone. No fake smiles. No pretending. Just space.
Because right now, that’s the only thing that doesn’t hurt.
Chapter 12 - Tanner
I get breakfast to go for Holly so she can sleep in and head back to her room. I see her packing up when I arrive. Her eyes aren’t their normal bright green and she keeps biting the inside of her cheek while pacing back and forth like she’s forgetting something.
“You should eat,” I say, holding up the box.
Holly pauses, then looks at me. She smiles slightly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s the same smile she gave me when I dropped her off after stopping our first kiss. I take a step closer. “Holly, are you-”
“Thank you. It smells great, but I’m not really hungry right now. I’m eager to get on the road,” she says.
“You don’t want to wait another day?”
“No, there’s no reason to .... unless you’d like to stay here,” she says.
We check out and get back on the road and everything seems fine, normal, at least on the surface. Her smiles seem to fall the second I look away. She doesn’t sing along to the radio, she doesn’t throw questions or candy at me.
It eats at me. After three hours of near silence and short answers from her, no rambling at all, I’m done trying toguesswhat’s wrong with her. I don’t want to be the guy that asks a million questions and pisses a girl off more. But I don’t want to go on without understanding what the problem is.
“How about we clean up first?” he offers.
“And cuddle?” I ask.
He pauses a moment, looks at me, and drinks me in. “If that’s what you want, yes.”
I nod and welcome him to take care of me, to keep me tightly against him until my eyes are too heavy to think about a potential round two. I wiggle against Tanner until he calms my hips and kisses the back of my head. I’ve never been so comfortable being the little spoon.
***
In the morning, I stretch and reach out for Tanner. “Morning.”
My hand brushes cold sheets. I blink, roll over, and find the other side of the bed empty. No note, no warmth, no sound from the bathroom either.
It’s not that late. So where is he?
I check my phone. No text. No call. Nothing.
A dull ache settles in my chest.
Was I not good enough?Did I do something wrong?He came, didn’t he?
I try not to spiral. Tanner’s not exactly the cuddly, linger-after kind of guy. He’s quiet, guarded. I knew that. But still, waking up alone like this—it stings more than I want to admit.
I get dressed slowly, tugging on jeans and a t-shirt, pulling my hair into a messy bun. I tell myself breakfast will help. Something warm. Something grounding.
But when I reach the dining room, I freeze in the doorway. Tanner’s already there. Sitting at a small table with a half-empty plate in front of him. He’s not looking for me. He’s not waiting. He’s laughing. At something the waitress says.
She’s curvy, confident, and the way he smiles at her—relaxed, easy—it knocks the air right out of me. I’ve never seen him act like that with anyone else.
Maybe last night was just sex to him. Maybe I was just a detour. A reminder he could still open up, then walk away just as easily.
I bite down on my bottom lip, my stomach twisting.
Sex doesn’t have to mean something,I tell myself.Even if it did for me.
I turn before he sees me. My feet carry me back to the elevator, up the hall, and into my room. I’ll process alone. No fake smiles. No pretending. Just space.
Because right now, that’s the only thing that doesn’t hurt.
Chapter 12 - Tanner
I get breakfast to go for Holly so she can sleep in and head back to her room. I see her packing up when I arrive. Her eyes aren’t their normal bright green and she keeps biting the inside of her cheek while pacing back and forth like she’s forgetting something.
“You should eat,” I say, holding up the box.
Holly pauses, then looks at me. She smiles slightly, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s the same smile she gave me when I dropped her off after stopping our first kiss. I take a step closer. “Holly, are you-”
“Thank you. It smells great, but I’m not really hungry right now. I’m eager to get on the road,” she says.
“You don’t want to wait another day?”
“No, there’s no reason to .... unless you’d like to stay here,” she says.
We check out and get back on the road and everything seems fine, normal, at least on the surface. Her smiles seem to fall the second I look away. She doesn’t sing along to the radio, she doesn’t throw questions or candy at me.
It eats at me. After three hours of near silence and short answers from her, no rambling at all, I’m done trying toguesswhat’s wrong with her. I don’t want to be the guy that asks a million questions and pisses a girl off more. But I don’t want to go on without understanding what the problem is.