“Tanner.” I lose myself to the waves of pleasure that he’s built, my body becoming liquid, my mind blanking of everything but the tidal wave of pleasure as I come.
“Never had anything better than you in my life, baby. Fuck, I’d give everything up for you and never regret it,” he groans, thrusting into me once more before planting himself there. Tears spring to my eyes, and I wrap my arms around his waist and lift up to bury my face against his neck. His words rock me to my core while his heavy weight settles on top of me, making me feel safe rather than suffocated. “I’m heavy, baby,” he says quietly.
“Don’t move, please,” I whisper when he tries to roll away, and I tighten my hold on him. He doesn’t say a word. Instead, he gives me what I need. His weight settles back against me, and after a few short minutes, I fall asleep under the man I’m falling in love with, feeling safer and more complete than I have in years.
I wake with a start, the sound of what my sleepy brain registered as a gunshot still ringing in my ears. With my heart pounding, I roll over to search for Tanner, but the bed is empty, as is the bathroom, which I can see from where I am.
“Tanner?”
Silence greets my ears, and my heart drops to my stomach as I quickly get off the bed to search the floor for my clothes, trying to listen for anything out of the ordinary as I put them on. With my hands now shaking, I open the door and step out into the hallway. I can’t see or hear anything, but I do smell something burning, so I rush to the kitchen and turn off the stove, where a single pancake is burnt to a crisp.
Hearing voices coming from outside, I go to the front door and pull the curtain aside, blinking in disbelief at what I see. Earl, my seventy-plus-year-old neighbor who looks like the lumberjack version of Santa, has his handgun aimed at a shirtless Tanner, who’s got a bag of garbage in his hand. Without thinking, I swing the front door open, then scream as Earl lifts the barrel in my direction and fires a shot into the air over the top of my trailer. Startled, I slip off the step I’m standing on and land on my ass at the bottom of the stairs, watching in horror as Tanner rushes Earl.
“No, Tanner, don’t hurt him!” I yell over the sound of the blood now thundering through my veins. Thankfully, he slows down, but he’s still quick enough to disarm my neighbor in one smooth move, tucking the gun in the back of his unbuttoned jeans before stalking back toward me.
“Sunshine, what the fuck were you thinking?” he asks, hunching down next to me and moving his hand over my head and limbs. Just as I start to tell him I’m okay, he stands, pulling me up with him and wrapping his arms around me so tightly that all the air in my lungs leaves in a whoosh.
“Are you all right, Cybil? I thought this guy was robbing you,” Earl says, sounding nervous.
“I told you I fucking wasn’t robbing her,” Tanner rumbles, and I try to wiggle to get free, sure that I’m going to pass out from being held so tightly.
“How was I to know you weren’t lying? Cybil’s Bronco isn’t here, and I’ve never seen you before.”
“I explained to you why that was, old man!” Tanner yells, making me jump, and his hold tightens even more.
“I . . . I can’t breathe,” I choke out as stars begin to float through my vision.
“Shit, sorry.” He lets me go, and I gulp in air while watching Earl fiddle with the brim of his hat in his hands.
“I’m okay,” I assure both men once I’ve caught my breath, but neither of them looks appeased. “Really, I’m fine.”
“You’re shaking and pale,” Tanner informs me before glaring at Earl. “What the fuck were you thinking, shooting in her direction?”
“I didn’t know it was her. I thought she was someone helping you rob the place.”
“Right, because it’s normal for people to commit acts of burglary while shirtless and to also stop and take out the trash on their way out.”
“I don’t like your tone, son,” Earl rumbles, his face getting red with either embarrassment or anger. Probably a little of both, knowing him.
“Yeah, well, I don’t like my girlfriend getting shot at.” Tanner turns to face me and lifts his finger. “Don’t ever do that again!” he growls, and my jaw goes slack.
“W-what?” I hold my hand to my chest. “I didn’t get shot at on purpose.”
“You shouldn’t have come outside like you did,” Earl says, reprimanding me, and I toss my arms in the air.