Jumping out of bed, I grab the quilt thrown across the back of a nearby chair and wrap it around my shoulders, then quickly scurry out of my bedroom, stubbing my toe on the corner of my dresser on my way out. "Shit! Shit!" I stumble down the stairs, trying to ignore the throbbing in my foot. "I'm coming! Hold your horses!" I yell.
When I reach the door, I disengage the lock and swing it open. My knees go weak, and my breath catches in my throat. It takes two seconds for him to register the situation. When he does, his easy-going smile vanishes, and anger takes over his handsome face.
"What…what are you? I mean, how are you? What are you doing here?" I ask, finding it hard to form a coherent sentence.
"I think the better question is, why the hell did I wake up this morning to find you gone? To find you had snuck out of my bed." Tannon's nostrils flare as he takes a step closer and leans down to bring his face an inch from mine. "I think I made it pretty damn clear last night that you are mine now. That means when I wake up the next morning after spending all night in that sweet pussy of yours, I expect to have my woman lying next to me. Especially when I intended to start my day eating her for breakfast."
Shocked at the words that just came out of Tannon's mouth, I stand with my mouth gaped open. "I…I…but."
"But what?" he asks, still in my face.
I swallow. "It was best I leave. You know so that we could avoid the whole awkward morning after a one-night stand deal."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, I just thought you would prefer I was gone when you woke up. I mean…"
Suddenly Tannon cuts me off. "I swear if you say that word one more damn time, I will put you over my knee. We are not a one-night stand. I claimed you the moment I laid eyes on you from across the bar last night. If that didn't give you the indication that you are mine, then my dick inside your pussy last night sure as hell should have."
At the mention of him being inside me, my sex clenches, and my breathing picks up.
Tannon's pupils dilate, and a growl rumbles in his chest as he firmly but gently brings his hand up and wraps his long fingers around the back of my neck. "I think you like that idea, don't you, baby? Christ, I can still smell me on you," he says, running his nose along the side of my face. "You snuck out of my house and then came back here and crawled into your bed with my cum still in your pussy. Didn't you?"
"Yes," I confess.
"I bet if I stuck my hands down your pants now, I'd find your pussy drenched too."
Like putty in his hands, all I can do is nod.
"Good." He takes a step back, knocking me out of my sexy Tannon daze. "Now that we've cleared things up, I hope we understand one another."
Cleared up what? Before I have a chance to question him, Tannon walks past me, inviting himself into my home. Tannon glances around, taking in his surroundings.
He runs his palm down the mahogany trim around the opening to the living room. The deep color is a stark contrast against the pale grey walls.
"So," I rock back on my heels, feeling a bit nervous. "I love everything about this house. I'd like to keep everything as original as possible. I mean, I'm sure it needs bringing up to code, but esthetically, I want it to remain the same pretty much."
Stopping in the middle of the living room, Tannon turns to face me, his brows furrowed. "Why the hell is it so cold in here? You should have the heat on before you get sick."
"Yeah, uh..." I hug myself from the chill. "My furnace is on its last leg. My dad has someone coming out to look at it this morning."
"You've been sleeping in a house, in the middle of winter, with no heat?" he barks.
"I have a space heater when it stops working, and I make use of the fireplaces as well. It hasn't been too bad." I shrug.
Off in the distance, I hear my phone ringing. "I'll be right back. I have to get that." Leaving Tannon in the living room, I jog up the stairs to my bedroom. When I pick up my phone, I see it's Danny calling.
"Hello," I answer.
"Hey, Winter. I'm sorry to call you so early, but Christy came down with a bug, and I have to take her to the doctor. I won't be able to be at the bar for the delivery in an hour."
"That's okay, Danny. I'll handle it. You worry about your wife. Tell Christy I hope she feels better soon."
"Will do. Thanks, Winter."
After hanging up with Danny, I rush to get ready to head to the bar. Once I finish brushing my teeth and throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I dress in a pair of skinny jeans and an emerald green fleece pullover along with brown knee-high boots.
When I make my way back downstairs, I find Tannon gone. "Tannon," I call out. When he doesn't answer, I walk over to the living room window and peer out. His truck is gone. A piece of paper on the table beside the front door catches my attention. Picking it up, I see it's one of his business cards.
When I flip the card over, I see the note he left for me.
I'll see you later.
~T.
Okay then.
With a shrug, I gather my things and head out the door.
It's now past midnight, and I am dead on my feet as we lock up the bar, set the alarm, and walk across the parking lot to our vehicles. Without Danny coming in to work the day shift, I spent the whole morning alone until Brinkley clocked in. I filled my best friend in on all the juicy details. Well, not all of them. Some of the deliciously dirty things Tannon did to me, I kept to myself. Brinkley was also the only one who found humor in the mess that is my life when Tannon turned out to be part-owner of the company I'm looking to hire for home restorations.
"Damn, I'm exhausted." Brinkley's keys jingle as she unlocks her car door. "And next time Danny calls in, let me know. You shouldn't take on so much by yourself."
"It wasn't too bad. I only had to deal with paperwork, inventory, and a liquor delivery," I tell her. I also kept waiting for Tannon to walk through the door at some point today, but I don't say that out loud. With the note he left this morning, I figured that meant he would stop by for a beer or something. I was so distracted watching the door every time it opened that I screwed up over a dozen drink orders in a couple of hours. It got to the point my wait staff was looking at me funny. By a quarter to midnight, I had given up on him coming. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurt and disappointed.
"I know what you're thinking. I've watched you looking for Tannon all day," Brinkley states.
"Am I that transparent?"
Brinkley laughs. "A little." She tosses her bag into her car. "You'll see him again. If what you told me earlier is any indication, Tannon wants you like Santa wants his cookies."
It's my turn to laugh. "I love you, Jelly." I shake my head and smile.
"I love you too. Which is why I'm giving you a piece of advice."
I throw my purse onto the floorboard of my truck, then look at my best friend. "Let me have it," I tell her.
"Live a little." She looks at me over the top of her car. "Don't go trying to plan a future with the guy. Take it day by day, and simply have fun and enjoy each other. Get out of your head. Throw away the checklist you've made for yourself. Love isn't calculated, Winter."