Firefighter Tanner Hall is used to running into burning buildings and risking his life to save others. It's just another day of work for the father of two. But when he gets a call from the San Diego zoo about an animal attack, he has no idea what he...
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"Oh god, Tanner!" I cry out, teetering on the edge of release for the third time tonight. By now, it's probably early morning, but neither one of us has stopped long enough to check the clock.
Tanner's lips are on mine in a kiss that's as demanding as he is. It steals my breath, and it turns me around and there's such a ferocious passion built up inside of it that it leaves me spinning.
It's almost more than a kiss. It's like a possession. It's overpowering, it's intoxicating, it's everything I've ever dreamed of.
"Jesus, Zoe. You're so goddamn beautiful." His voice is breathy as he towers over me, his body nearly glowing in all of its grandeur. A chest full of intricate tattoos, muscles so sharp you could cut diamonds on them, the deepest brown eyes ever created, and that bulge... My goodness, did that thing really fit inside of me?
It's almost as if he can read my mind, and he smirks, running a hand through his tousled hair. My back is against the bed now, and Tanner faces me. He takes my ankle, running his fingers up my calf before resting it on his shoulder. His eyes are locked on me as he slips inside of me again and finds an even rhythm. With each thrust, I feel like I am losing all control of my body, but somehow that doesn't scare me. I trust Tanner with everything I've got.
Tanner runs his fingers through my hair as he rocks against me. "That's it, baby. Eyes on me."
My body is exhausted and I can barely catch my breath, but I can't say no because I want this just as much as he does. It's like we've opened the floodgates now and we'll never get enough of each other.
Tanner pumps faster, his pace scorching as he presses his thumb to my clit. I squeeze my eyes shut, a moment of red-hot bliss hitting me the same second that Tanner climaxes. Our bodies collapse next to each other on the bed, both of us searching for breath, but deliriously happy.
"I don't know if I can go again." I say, resting my head on his shoulder. Tanner drapes his arm over me and sweeps a kiss across my forehead.
"I think that's good for tonight, don't you? I'm an old man, after all. I don't have quite the stamina I used to."
"Yeah," I scoff, "Somehow that loses its effect when it's a firefighter talking. Your bar for stamina is a little high."
"Good point." He chuckles, giving me one last kiss as I snuggle into him. "Sweet dreams, Zoe."
"Goodnight, Tanner."
When I wake up the next morning, the unmistakable smell of bacon is coming from my kitchen. Unless Honey learned how to cook overnight, that's odd, because I live alone.
I roll over and spot the pile of clothes still on my floor and the events of the night start to come back to me. The fundraiser, the confrontation with Gwen. Mostly important, Tanner, here at my house professing his love for me. It's almost embarrassing how giddy that makes me feel. For a long time, I didn't think I'd ever allow myself to feel that way about another man again. I certainly wasn't planning on Tanner Hall walking into my life, though. Or rather, walking into a lion's den.
Slipping a t-shirt on, I tumble out of bed and down the stairs to the kitchen. Considering I only went to bed a few hours ago, I'm still thoroughly exhausted and the thought of facing the day is almost too much, but bacon and Tanner soften the blow a bit.
As I come around the corner, I spot Tanner standing at my stove, shirtless, with only a pair of shorts on. He's got music playing and is humming along to the beat as he flips a few strips of bacon into the pan. I wouldn't ever say it out loud, but he looks absolutely adorable, and a smile pulls at my lips.
"Good morning," I walk around the island, slipping my arm around his waist.
He turns that Hollywood smile on me and presses a kiss to my lips. "Good morning, beautiful. I made some coffee and bacon will be ready in just a few minutes."
"Are you always this chipper after no sleep?" I give him a hall smile, half yawn.
"Oh, right," Tanner laughs, "Perks of the odd firefighter hours, I guess. Speaking of which, I have a shift in a few hours. I hate to leave so soon, but I need to shower and get myself together a bit before I go. Please don't think I'm ducking out on you."
"With coffee and bacon? That would be like the most polite ghosting ever." I tease. "Don't worry at all. I'll probably crawl right back into bed when you go. Not all of us are on the fire schedule."
"Good," He grins. "You need your rest."
Tanner hands me a cup of coffee, and we eat a little breakfast before he has to go. Even though it's short-lived, I have to admit, it's nice to have someone else around. For the first time since the break in, I didn't wake up nervous once. Maybe that was because of the world class distraction I had going on, but I'm still chalking it up to Tanner.
"Can I at least give you a ride?" I ask, leaning against the door frame. It's even funnier in the daylight that Tanner ran here last night.
"Nah," He shrugs me off. "The fresh air will be good for me."
"Where will the boys be today?"
"With my parents, and maybe Gwen. She's heading out of town in a day or so."
My eyes widen. That was certainly a change in plans. "She is?"
He nods. "Can't come soon enough, to be honest. Will you call me later when you wake up?"
"You know, you could just call in sick..." I suggest, thinking about how nice it would be to just go back to bed with him.
Tanner takes my chin in his hand and leans down in a kiss that's over all too quick. "You're a bad influence on me, Zoe Parker."
He backs down my front steps, flashing me a grin once he gets to the bottom. "Rest up. I've got a lot of plans for you when I see you next."
I watch as Tanner walks down the street, disappearing around the corner to his house. There's a storm coming in this afternoon, and as tired as I am, I decide a walk on the beach before the bad weather would be nice, so I go back inside to change. As soon as I grab my shoes, Honey knows what's happening, and she sprints back and forth while I get her collar. I grab a couple balls to throw along the shore for her and we head out.
Even with the heavy foot traffic, I love living this close to the water, especially on days like today. It's early enough that the big Sunday afternoon crowds aren't out, and the seashells aren't all picked over. When I was little, searching for seashells was one of my most favorite things about coming to visit my dad, and it still is. As Honey and I walk, I pick out a few for my collection and tuck them safely into my pocket.
Honey runs in and out of the water a few times chasing birds, and I finally get her to calm down long enough so that we can sit on the sand. With the storm coming, the tide is all over the place today and beautiful waves are crashing on the coast. A few surfers are braving the weather, but for the most part, it's quiet around here. After a bit, I head home for a nice, cozy nap.
I toss one more ball for Honey, but it skids over to the other side of the house. She barks as if she can't find it, so I begrudgingly go to help her. So much for a retriever.
When I come around the side, I notice it isn't a ball she's barking at at all. There's something laying on the ground, and as I get closer, I realize it's one of my security cameras. My heart stops as I immediately jump to the worst, but I'm able to quickly talk myself back down. With the storm coming, the wind could have easily knocked it down, and that could be an easy explanation. None of the other cameras have been messed with, and this one is way on the side of the house, anyway. It doesn't make sense that this would be the one thieves would target.
I take it inside and decide against texting Tanner just yet. He just barely left my house, and I don't want to seem desperate. Instead, I check the video feed and just like I thought, there's nothing suspicious on it at all.
