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He didn’t need telling twice. He slid one hand under her ass, lifting her up to receive him, and this time after he slowly pulled back, he thrust deep and hard, making her gasp. There was no time to catch her breath as he set up a frantic, pounding rhythm. She threw her arms up above her head – there was no point in even trying to hang onto him.

“Fuck, Ev!” The heat in his eyes as he looked down at her made all her muscles quiver. He braced his hands on either side of her head and arched his back as he pushed himself up. She grasped at the headboard, needing to feel as though she had some grip on reality as he relentlessly drove her toward release. She wrapped her legs around his and felt him grow harder.

“Everly! I’m going to …”

“Yes!” she screamed. “Oh god, Tanner, yes!” She saw stars behind her eyes as she let go, flying higher and higher still when he let go, roaring her name as her orgasm triggered his. Even through the haze of ecstasy inside her head, she registered the way he felt pulsating inside her. The way his body gave her everything he had. The way they connected as though this was what they’d each somehow been waiting for – as if, like he’d said, she’d been made for him, and he for her.

When Tanner finally slumped down over her, he kissed her neck, and then nibbled her ear, sending aftershocks racing through her veins.

“You were right, darlin’,” he whispered. “We’re onto something special here.”

She pressed her cheek against his and closed her eyes as she breathed him in and nodded. She knew that she was right about the other part too – the part where they needed to make the most of it while they could.

~ ~ ~

Tanner lay in the darkness, smiling to himself like an idiot. He was amazed at himself, at the way he’d so badly wanted to bring Everly back here with him. He’d wanted plenty of women in the past, but not in the way he wanted her. It had felt important to him to bring her here – into his bed. He hadn’t given it much thought before, but he was all too aware now that he didn’t just take women back to their hotel rooms because it was more convenient – it was because he didn’t want them here, not in his home, not in his space, and sure as hell not in his life.

He looked down at Everly, curled his arm around her waist, and had to smile at the way she muttered to herself and pressed closer to him. She was something else. Part of what had him awake this early was that he knew for sure now that he wanted her in his life.

She’d amazed him last night. He wished that he could think of another word for it, but there wasn’t one, she was just … right. Right for him.

He brushed a strand of hair off her forehead as he watched her sleep. He knew in that moment that he didn’t want to say goodbye to her. At first, trying to persuade her to stay for the whole week had felt like a big deal. Now, he was facing evenmore of a challenge – how the hell was he supposed to convince her that she should stay for good?

Her eyes fluttered open, and he held his breath. He didn’t often stick around to see how a woman might react to him when she woke up. He preferred to slip away in the night. He didn’t think that made him an asshole – he liked to leave a little note so that they didn’t wake up feeling completely alone. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears as Everly came awake and realized where she was.

A rush of warmth filled his chest when she smiled and slid her arm around his waist.

“Good morning,” she mumbled.

“G’mornin’, darlin’.” He tucked his fingers under her chin and held her gaze as he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “You okay?”

“Honestly?”

He nodded, hoping that she wasn’t about to say that she regretted sleeping with him.

She smiled big. “I feel amazing.” She ran her fingers up his neck and into his hair, sending shivers racing down his spine. “At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about being yet another conquest for you. But I have to tell you, I’m kind of grateful now that you’ve had so much practice; you’re pretty damn good at it.”

He made himself smile, even though her words didn’t sit well with him. “I don’t think it’s about the practice. I think it’s about you and me – we’re different.”

She opened her mouth, but he pressed a finger to her lips before she could speak.

“It’s not a line, Everly. I can tell you in all honesty that I’ve never said that to a woman before. I mean it. What you said about us being onto something special? It’s true.”

Her eyebrows drew together as she searched his face.

“You don’t think so?” he asked.

She pressed her lips together, and he waited. She couldn’t disagree, could she?

She blew out a little sigh. “Of course I do. There’s no denying it, is there? But Tanner, the other part of what I said is true, too.”

He frowned. “That we should make the most of it while we can?”

She nodded.

“I don’t disagree, but I think we need to talk about thatwhile we canpart.”

“What do you mean?”