Given Time

♡46♡

The first thing I notice when I step into the bedroom is all the candles. Tea lights are dotted on every available surface, allowing a soft glow to light up the room. Tanner's back is to me as he finishes lighting the last few by the bedside table closest to me, and I see that he's stripped down to his black briefs, giving me a perfect view of his behind. I lean against the door frame as I watch him bend over to light the last two, the muscles flexing in his back as he does this.

I glance around the rest of the room as he finishes, and I can see that the covers on the bed have been pulled back, and the pillows are plumped and laying down on the mattress. The sheer drapes are now closed, making it seem as if we are in our own world. A light piano piece escapes from his phone on the other bedside table, filling the room with peaceful music. My nerves begin to ease from seeing how much thought Tanner is putting into this, and I get a sense of thrill go through me as I am about to share this precious moment with him.

I'm glad that I decided to wait. Sure there were times I was tempted in the heat of the moment to go there with Shawn but that little voice in my head was telling me, 'No, you're not ready to take this next step'. I put my thoughts of him away and focus solely on Tanner. The man I am truly, madly in love with.

The floorboard creaks beneath my feet as I step further into the room which catches Tanner's attention, and he turns around to face the doorway. When he sees me in my silver underwear, he soaks me up with his eyes, and his lips part slightly.

"Wow," he breathes.

I'm happy that he likes the underwear I chose to wear. He hasn't seen me in this before as I only bought it recently.

I continue to walk across the hardwood floor to him, and when I reach him, he winds our hands together and lifts one of our hands, and caresses my cheek with his thumb. "You look so beautiful, Leah."

"Thank you," I whisper. "I love what you've done with the room," I say with a stronger voice as I look around at his creation.

Tanner's eyes briefly scan the room, and he kisses the back of my hand. "I found the bag of candles downstairs when I was looking for glasses."

He leans behind him and picks up two champagne flutes that I didn't see before as his body was blocking them when he was lighting the candles. "The owner left this for us as a thank-you gift." He hands me one filled with sparkling champagne and clinks his glass with mine. "Cheers."

I grin lightly. "Cheers."

I tilt my head back slightly as I take a sip of the champagne, feeling the bubbles fill my mouth. I swallow the cool liquid and feel it run down my throat, quenching my thirst.

Tanner then takes the flute out of my hand and places it back down on the table beside his. My heart rate picks up as he bows his head and kisses me soft and sweetly, with just a hint of tongue.

In one fluid motion, he picks me up in his arms and takes the three steps to the bed, and lays me down on the soft mattress, my head hitting the feathered pillows. He hovers above me, making sure that his body doesn't crush mine, and he looks down at me with adoration in his eyes. One of his hands moves to my back, and he snaps the bra open. I help him push it down my arms, and when it's free, I throw it to the floor. His eyes skim down to my chest, and he sucks in a breath and places his warm lips against my breasts, tasting them.

I squirm and moan on the bed and wrap my legs around his back and use my feet to push his briefs down his legs. When they reach his ankles, Tanner kicks them off and eases my legs off of him so he can travel further down my body, kissing and sucking as he descends.

His fingers skim the edge of my panties, and I can feel that they're already soaked from his physical touches. He slides the thin fabric down my legs and chucks them over his shoulder. His hands then conform around my outer thighs, and he pushes my legs open and licks his lips. In the next instant, his head descends between my legs. My back arches off the bed when his tongue meets my sex and glides its way up my core. He groans in satisfaction and digs his fingers into my thighs and works his tongue faster, loosening all the knots in my muscles. My hands grip the pillow behind me, and I cry out every so often when he hits the right spot.