Given Time

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I keep my hands on Tanner's arms as I lead him through the house, trying to find a quiet place away from all the people who have chosen to spend Halloween here.

I spot the door to the bathroom is open in the hallway, so I steer Tanner in the direction of it and push him in the room before shutting the door behind us. The music instantly dulls, and I watch as Tanner staggers over to the toilet and sits down, putting his head in his hands. I edge towards him and run my hand through his dark hair. "Are you okay?"

He gives a weak laugh. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

"I'm fine, Tanner. He didn't hurt me. I'm just embarrassed that I thought he was you."

He raises his head, and I can see his eyes are hard. "As soon as I saw him on you, I wanted to beat the shit out of him. I still do. I don't know how I even managed to get away from him."

He's breathing in and out harshly, and his hands are fisted together, but I know he won't do anything now that I've got him alone.

"I do. You're stronger than you think you are. In the past, you probably would have hit him, but you know that by doing that, you'd just hurt me. I'm so proud that you listened to me and let me take you away from him."

He snorts. "You think too highly of me."

I kneel in front of him and rest my hands against his chest.

"No. You just don't let yourself see how good you can be. Yes, you have your flaws as do I, but since I've spent more time with you, I've seen how much you've grown as a person.

"You've even had an effect on me, and I can't imagine my life without you."

He gently holds my chin and leans forward, making me feel dizzy from his closeness. He traces kisses down the side of my face and murmurs, "I'm sure there are better guys out there for you."

I repeat his words back to him that he spoke to me on the boat. "I only want you."

His eyes begin to soften, and a shy smile crosses his face. "And I selfishly want you as well."

He closes his lips over mine and kisses me so tenderly like I'm a fragile ornament that could break any second. When we part, our foreheads lean together, and I focus on his steady breathing.

A knock on the door disturbs us, and I sigh. "I guess we better get back to the party."

He runs his hand across my lip, and I gently bite the pad of his thumb. He smirks and presses his lips against mine again. "I guess so. Do you want to go play some beer pong? I'm no way near smashed yet. I'm letting the boys down. James has already thrown up, and Garrett's passed out on the couch," he says to lighten the mood.

I groan. "Oh God. Please do neither of those things."

He chuckles in return and kisses me again, then lifts off the toilet and guides me to the door. When we walk out into the hallway, I see that a small line has formed for the bathroom. A few people quirk their eyebrows, assuming that we were up to no good in there, while others look annoyed at having to wait.

I duck my head and follow Tanner into the kitchen where Zara, Jake, Ben, and Toby are. I immediately go over to them to reassure their concerned faces.

"So he's not going to go crazy and start beating everyone up, then? You know, like you tried to do with Chloe?" Zara quips after I assure them that he's calmed down.

I frown. "Ha ha, very funny. We talked it out, and he's good. I think he just wants to focus on getting drunk so he doesn't have to think about it."

"Well, the douche bag was thrown out as soon as you and Tanner left. So there's no risk of Tanner of running into him," Jake tells me.