A Date with an Admirer Read online

  “I don’t do drama.”

  “There wouldn’t be any drama.”

  I lift my head slightly to look at my sister. Her eyes are pleading, and I swear I could make her hop on one foot, with her tongue out and her hands pretending to be paws right now, but everything she’s saying doesn’t interest me.

  “I’m on vacation,” I remind her.

  Her eyes twinkle. “Which is perfect.”

  “How so?”

  “Because you’ll want to wine and dine her after the ball.”

  Yeah, right. “Highly unlikely. I’m not interested in having a relationship with anyone . . . at all.”

  “It’s Sophie Peterson.”

  Everything around me goes still. Sophie Peterson used to be the reason I kept a bottle of lotion under my bed and always had a missing sock. She was the reason I rarely dated anyone in high school and when I did, they couldn’t have dark hair or brown eyes. She was the reason I left Raleigh and went across the country for school. Sophie Peterson with her chocolate brown hair, brown eyes, and perfect smile. I can remember it clear as day. The corner of her mouth lifting slowly and her eyes lighting up. Damn, seeing her smile gave every guy in high school false hope thinking they stood a chance with her. I remember the first time I almost saw her tits when she was in Ellie’s room changing. It was enough to send me back to my room to rub one out.

  “Now that I have your attention,” Ellie says with a smirk.

  “I’m not an escort service.” Besides, Sophie wasn’t interested in me in high school. Why the hell would she be now?

  Ellie huffs. “Never said you were, but you’re here and she’s single, and you could be her knight in shining armor.” Ellie repositions on my bed, sitting on her knees. “Think about it, Tanner. You in a tuxedo and Sophie in a beautiful dress with her long hair cascading down her bare back. You’d have every excuse to touch her, to feel her body pressed against yours. For one night, you’d be tasked with making her douchebag ex jealous.”

  I stare at her as if she’s lost her mind. “Have you been reading mom’s Harlequin’s again? I’m not Fabio.”

  Ellie sighs. It’s like she’s losing her patience with me. “Take her to the ball.”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  Because I’m fucking in love with her! Wait, am I? I shake my head to clear my thoughts. “Doesn’t sound like my cup of tea.”

  Ellie types on her phone and turns it toward me. It’s a picture of Sophie, dressed in a yellow bikini, which is a hard color to pull off unless you tan like her. Her hair, which I have dreamed about touching for years, rests over her shoulder, and there is something about it, about her. I can’t put my finger on it. Just looking at her makes me hard. That’s how crazy Sophie makes me. I roll back onto my stomach, making sure my sister can’t see what’s happening in my nether region.

  “Please tell me you don’t have a hard on right now?” Ellie grumbles.

  “Grow up,” I tell her.

  “You’re such a guy. I swear, you’re all one track minded.”

  I roll my eyes. “And women aren’t? Some of you are dirtier than men. Take for instance, that time when you screwed Ben Wankerson behind the shed at school.”

  Gasping, she holds up a hand. “First of all, his last name wasn’t Wankerson.” I wait for her to finish her sentence, but she says nothing.

  That makes me smile. “You know you can’t start a sentence with ‘first of all’ and not finish the list, right? And, I love how you correct me on his name but not the part about the shed.”

  She growls. “Shut up and tell me you’ll take Sophie to the gala.”

  “No.”

  “Tanner,” she whines. “I know you have a crush on her.”

  “Used to,” I say, shrugging nonchalantly.

  “You still do. I know you have a picture of her in your spank drawer. Just think, if you take her, you can come home and jack off to your physical memory instead of a made up one.”

  She’s definitely crossed the line now. I’m not a horny teenager anymore who can’t get a piece of ass. On the contrary, I’ve had my fair share of women over the years. I sit up and grab her arm to drag her out of my room. “You’re ridiculous. Stay out of my stuff, my room and love life.” I push her out of my room and slam the door, making sure to lock it. I fall back onto my bed and close my eyes, but all I see is Sophie, and not in a way she would appreciate me seeing her.

  Dressed hiked up over her hips.

  Sophie on her knees between my legs.

  Her dark hair spread across my pillow.

  Me between her legs.

  Her hand in my hair.

  Me finally nestling between her creamy thighs.

  “Fuck my life,” I groan, only to hear a fit of giggles on the other side. “Go away, Ellie.”

  “Take her to the dance, Tanner. You know you want to.”

  “I hate you.”

  She laughs again, but it fades away.

  I don’t know how long I laid in bed, ignoring the tent Omar was making in my shorts. I reach for the bottle of lotion I know is still under my bed and add some to my hand. Of course, I forgot to push my shorts down, so now I’m wiggling out of them and the effort seems to be too much. But my little buddy, it’s like he knows what’s coming and springs loose of my waistband the first chance he gets. I lift my head and take a look, for no other reason than to stroke my own ego. I may call my dick little, but he’s far from it. In fact, I’ve had plenty of one-night stand call backs, who wanted another go around.

  Spreading the lotion around my cock, it fucking throbs, knowing it’s about to get some action. Whether my hand or a sweet pussy, it doesn’t care. He loves a good stroking. My hand grips my dick and moves up and down, while I picture Sophie in her string bikini, pulling each tie slowly and methodically. Her bra goes first and she cups her supple tits, pushing her taut nipples between her fingers.

  “Fuck,” I mutter to my empty room.

  The bottoms come off slowly and her legs part as her hand trails down her tanned torso and her finger parts her perfectly plump lips. I pump harder, feeling the pressure as my balls tighten. I want to slide my hard cock between those lips and show her what she’s been missing all these years.

  “Yeah, touch yourself.” And she does. She fucking slides her naughty finger into her core and pulls it back out. It goes right to her mouth, and she smiles. Fuck, I want to kiss her, to taste her, to make her scream my name. It’s been my dream since I was fourteen years old when Ellie brought Sophie home.

  “Arghhhh.” I’m close. My hand is sliding up and down my shaft like it is its only job in life. My hips buck as I imagine myself pounding into Sophie with her arched back and my hand tangled in her hair. My release comes, it’s hot and rapid. I turn into my pillow and groan loudly.

  Breathing heavily, it takes me five, maybe ten minutes to recover. I clean up as best as I can and go to my door, opening it quietly to make sure my sister isn’t lurking before running into the bathroom and hopping into the shower.

  I’m quick, washing everything and trying not to think about my fantasy because if I do, I’ll be hard again and will need to take care of the situation. Back in my room, I find a clean pair of shorts in one of my boxes and slip those on. No need to get dressed because I’m going to take my Wrangler over to the beach today and hit the waves. I need to exert some energy.

  When I get upstairs, my sister is at the table, playing on her phone. I know I’m going to regret this, but after what I just did, I have no choice. “I’ll take her,” I say as I walk away.

  3

  Sophie

  I think I drank way too much last night. Waking up with a raging headache isn’t my idea of fun. Then again, when I think of what Ellie and I did, I can’t help but smile. It felt good tossing Warren’s things in his front yard last night. Yeah, it was also a little childish, but again, it felt amazing. Especially when I made sure his pink boxers were on full display. There’s nothing wrong with men
wearing pink, but Warren just looked like a douchebag in it. It’s crazy how a breakup can make you see things more clearly.

  My phone rings and I already know who it’s going to be. I look down and there’s Ellie’s name. I quickly grab the TV remote and hit pause on the movie I’m watching. Hallmark now has Valentine’s day themed movies out and I can’t get enough of them. If only love was really like the way you saw it on TV.

  “Hey, Ellie,” I say, answering the call.

  She snickers in that mischievous way of hers. “How ya feeling?”

  “Pretty good,” I lie, wishing my headache would go away.

  “Glad to hear it. Are you dressed?”

  I look down at my Chapel Hill sweatshirt and matching Tarheel pajama pants. “In my jammies, why? You coming over? I have Hallmark on.”

  She bursts out laughing. “Not exactly. My brother is though.”

  “What?” I shout, jumping to my feet. “What do you mean he’s coming over?” Heart racing, I rush into my bedroom. My hair’s a mess and I have zero makeup on. Not exactly the way I wanted to see him for the first time. Pressing the speaker button, I toss my phone on the bed. I almost trip as I hurry into my bathroom to wash my face. There’s not enough time to wait for the water to get warm so I hold my breath as the cold water splashes against me.

  Ellie giggles. “He agreed to be your date to the Valentine’s Day ball. I knew he would. The guy’s been hard up over you for forever.”

  I dry my face quickly. “What all did he say?” I rush over to my closet and grab the first pair of jeans I can get my hands on. Before I can slip them on, the doorbell rings. “Shit,” I gasp, “he’s here. I look like hell.”

  All Ellie does is laugh in reply. Ripping off my pajama pants, I squeeze into my skinny jeans and opt to keep my Chapel Hill sweatshirt on. There’s just no more time.

  “If you were wearing a trash bag Tanner would still think you’re sexy as hell,” Ellie admits. “He was a little annoyed with me this morning. I went to mom and dad’s house to welcome him home in the old Ellie fashion.”

  She used to give him hell, always picking on him. It used to piss Tanner off. “That’s mean, Ellie. The poor guy just got back.”

  Ellie snorts. “He’ll be okay.”

  The doorbell rings again and my heart jumps. “I gotta go. Thanks for asking Tanner for me. I’ll call you later.”

  “No problem.” As soon as we hang up, I wrap my messy, tangled hair up into a bun, hoping I don’t scare Tanner the second I open the door.

  Taking a deep breath, I hurry to the front door and place my hand on the knob. Here we go. My breath catches in my lungs the second our eyes meet. His are still the same striking blue as before. His blond hair is a little longer, tousled in that sexy way you’d imagine California surfers to look. In his low-cut jeans and snug light blue T-shirt, he looks exactly like a version of Chris Hemsworth. Butterflies flutter in my stomach.

  “Hey,” I say, voice breathless.

  Tanner’s lips pull up at the corner and he rakes his gaze up and down my body. “It’s been a long time.”

  Stepping back, I open the door all the way. “Yes, it has. Do you want to come in?”

  Tanner steps in and looks around. “Did Ellie tell you I was coming?”

  I ran a hand over my messy bun. “Yeah, literally just five minutes ago. I’m sorry I look like a hot mess right now.”

  Tanner meets my gaze and smirks. “More like hot as hell, Soph. Your fucking ex was stupid for what he did.”

  That makes me smile. “Thanks. I appreciate you agreeing to be my date. I know it’s probably the last thing you want to do now that you’re back in town.”

  He shrugs. “Actually, I think it’ll be fun.” His eyes twinkle with mischief and it makes me tremble. I wonder what kind of fun he’s referring to. All I know is that I’m looking forward to it.

  I nod toward the couch. “Want to have a seat? We can catch up.”

  Tanner walks over to the couch and I sit beside him. The way he stares at me with such intensity makes me nervous. I love it though. “I hear you’re a dentist now,” he says, draping his arm over the back of the couch.

  “Yep,” I reply, smiling back at him. “I love it. Your sister is my office manager. She told me she gave you hell this morning.”

  He scoffs. “That’s putting it lightly. The girl has no boundaries.”

  I laugh. “Exactly. I love her though.”

  “So do I, but I’ll be happy to get out of my parent’s house tomorrow. That way, I don’t have to let her in if she comes to visit.”

  “Just don’t let her know where you put the spare key. She barges in all the time here,” I say.

  Tanner chuckles and shakes his head. “Don’t see how you do it. She’d drive me insane.”

  I have to agree with him. Sometimes she does drive me crazy, but it’s part of who she is. “Where’s your house at?” I ask, turning my body more toward him.

  He points toward the door. “About a mile from you. I was hoping the house would be ready yesterday, but it had to go through one last inspection. Got the call this morning that it’s ready.”

  “Did you design it yourself?”

  He nods and I can see the pride on his face. “Yep. It’s on the lake. Not exactly my beachfront property in Cali, but it’s pretty damn awesome.”

  “If you love California so much, why’d you come back?”

  With a heavy sigh, his smile fades. “They didn’t have a position available at the West Coast office. The owner of M&M Architectural Design offered me a job. It’s based out of Charlotte, but I can pretty much work from anywhere as long as I’m in North Carolina. I couldn’t pass it up.”

  I shrug. “Hey, at least, you have your family here. Can’t be all that bad.”

  His grin returns. “It’s looking up for me.”

  It’s hard to imagine him being the same Tanner I knew nine years ago. He’s completely different, but then again, I really never paid much attention to him back then. Kind of makes me feel horrible asking him to do me a favor.

  “Do you need help moving in tomorrow? I’d be happy to help you. It’s the least I can do for what you’re doing for me.” If he accepts, it won’t make me feel so bad.

  For a few brief seconds, he stares at me curiously. Makes me wonder what’s going on in that mind of his. He peers around my living room and nods. “You know what, I think I’ll take you up on that. All of my furniture will be delivered tomorrow, but I could use some help moving the boxes from my parents’ house.”

  I hold out my hand. “Deal. I owe you.” He shakes my hand and goosebumps break out all over my skin. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to notice.

  He slowly lets me go. “So, tell me about this party. What all do you need me to do?”

  My cheeks burn. There are things I’d love for him to do, but I’m not about to mention them. Closing my eyes, I sigh and open them back up. “Okay, it’s a Valentine’s Day ball, put together by a girl I knew in college. Everyone I graduated with will be there. It’s like one of the biggest events of the year.”

  Tanner smirks. “Your ex will be there, right?”

  I nod. “Yes. Along with the woman he cheated on me with. I’m sure everyone there knows what happened. I can’t not go.”

  “Do you still have feelings for your him?” Tanner asks, furrowing his brows.

  “No,” I gasp, knowing it’s the God honest truth. I stare right into Tanner’s eyes, hoping he can see it as well. “I don’t love him anymore. Here recently, I keep thinking I never did. We didn’t have that connection.”

  Tanner moves closer, his eyes searching mine. “What exactly do you want from me? Do you want it to look like we’re together?”

  My stomach flutters and the nerves make me shiver. “Would that be okay with you?”

  His eyes focus on my lips for a few seconds before meeting my gaze again. “If you want this to be believable, we might have to practice. I don’t want to be at the party trying to kiss you,
only to have you recoil or look surprised.”

  Everything inside of me trembles. Just the sound of his voice and hearing those words turn me on. “That’s not going to be a problem,” I say, whispering the words.

  Tanner smiles. “You sure? I’m right here if you want to practice.”

  Dammit to hell, I want to kiss him more than anything, but that’s the sexual tension talking. I can’t be acting rash like that, not with Ellie’s brother. Then again, he has a point. We can’t go into the party pretending to be together and not looking like we’re together.

  Taking a deep breath, I get to my feet. By the mischievous grin on Tanner’s face, it’s obvious he can tell I’m contemplating it. “Okay,” I give in, “maybe we should practice a couple of things, but not today. I think we should get to know each other a little better first. We have a week before the party.”

  He agrees with a nod and stands. “Sounds good to me. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. We’ll spend the day together.”

  I like the sound of that, maybe too much. “See you tomorrow,” I say. I walk him to the door and he opens it. He glances down at my lips again and I really just want to say fuck it and kiss him just to see what it’s like, but I totally chicken out.

  Something tells me he’s not afraid though. Tanner starts out the door and looks at me over his shoulder. “Sweet dreams tonight, Soph. I’m sure I will.”

  Mouth gaping, I watch him get in a black Jeep and drive away. Sweet dreams aren’t exactly what will be happening in my sleep. All that’s roaming through my mind is naughty. Groaning, I shut the door and lean against it.

  “What the hell have I gotten myself in to?” I can still smell Tanner’s cologne and it’s intoxicating. “I’m going to be making out with my best friend’s brother. If that doesn’t spell disaster, I don’t know what does,” I mutter out loud. What’s bad is that I know I’m going to like it.

  4