Her grip on the door lessens and I push it open. The room is lit with candles—ones I’m pretty sure go in the bathroom. My mom has them sprinkled all over this place. Her feet are bare, but she’s still in the dress she wore out. She holds a deck of cards in her hands. “I wanted to surprise you. Listen, I know you have a plan for our first five dates—”

“Change of plans.”

19

SYDNEY

My mouth opens on a yelp that Tanner catches with his tongue. With no warmup or pretense, this kiss is hard and demanding and makes his intentions clear. Or maybe I’m just being hopeful.

His hands slide down my back and dip below my butt, and he hoists me up into his arms. I wrap my legs around him, and he walks us back to the bed. He lays me down gently, never breaking the kiss.

I don’t know what changed tonight, but I’m beyond ready. I want him. I’ve wanted him for two years—no even before that—but now I want him in all the same ways plus a million ways I never imagined before this time together at the lake.

With greedy fingers, I fumble for the hem of his T-shirt and lift. He stops only long enough to let me pull it over his head. I toss it and his mouth slams back down on mine. His skin is warm to the touch and I glide my palms over his hard muscles. Tanner has the kind of body that demands attention and respect. I give it both.

Excitement and nerves, the sheer gravity of what’s happening makes my breaths come too fast.

“Air,” I choke out. “Oh my god, I just got really nervous. We’re going to do this, aren’t we?”

He stops, those dark blue eyes stare down at me. “Do you not want to?”

I scramble to sit up, and he sits back on his feet.

“No, I do. I so do. It’s just… what if it’s bad? Or it’s so good we never leave this bed again? Or the rumor is true and you’re so big that it’s not physically possible for us to consummate?”

He shakes with laughter. “Consummate?”

“It’s a word!”

Tanner tries and fails to stop laughing. He clears his throat a few times and finally gets himself under control.

“Babe, it’s us. Of course it’s going to be amazing, but we don’t have anywhere to be for two weeks. I promise by then no matter how good it is, you’ll be ready to leave the bed. And if not, we’ll drop out of school and live here in our dirty sex sheets.”

“And the other thing?”

His lips twitch. “It’ll fit.”