Tanner and Esme

Chapter 32 (Esme): Something Important

I couldn't help but smile when Jude burst into our apartment shouting his happy news about lattes and love. In his young mind, what else did anyone need? Come to think of it, he might not be so far off the mark. Throw in some good books and life was perfect.

"That's exciting news!" I said as our boy threw his arms around my legs and hugged me as I smoothed my hand over his head. "I get a caramel latte and Daddy still loves me!" 

My comment may have been directed to Jude, but I was looking and laughing at Tanner, who was staring right back at me, grinning, eyebrow cocked. Not embarrassed in the least that his son had obviously outed a previous, private conversation between father and son. Jude had no concept of secret or private.

"Well, that should be rewarded," I declared, and I was about to prove I wasn't the same girl Tanner had been married to. Through therapy, I'd grown up, learned about what I actually wanted from my life and what I should expect. I'd learned I needed to be vocal about my needs and not just passively move along, following someone else's lead, accepting whatever.

So, without hesitating, for the first time in our lives, I initiated a kiss with Tanner. Just walked over to this man and pressed my mouth to his in a very hot, not-safe-for-work kiss. A kiss little eyes should probably not see. Tanner, however, didn't seem any more worried about it than I was and the instant my mouth touched his, his free hand grabbed me by the back of the head, entangling his fingers in my hair so I couldn't back away, even if I'd wanted to.

I didn't want to.

 Vikings plundered, pirates looted and Tanner took my mouth captive and did both. He took over the kiss and returned it with an intensity that made me wish I'd taken the initiative more often. Damn this man could kiss. His tongue stroked against mine, his hand remaining at the back of my head, keeping me in place. He pressed me closer, our kiss wet and hungry...and then my daughter's little hands were pushing at my face.

"No, mama!"

I leaned back from Tanner, who now had both of Liora's little arms trying to reach all the way around his neck, her head burrowing into her Daddy's chest, staking her claim.

"Someone didn't like that," he murmured to me, and although his mouth may have been grinning, his eyes were seriously heated and intense, clearly ready for more. Those beautiful lips pressed a kiss to Liora's head, still not taking his eyes from me. 

"She's going to need to get used to that," he decreed.

"Maybe," I murmured, shrugging, batting my eyes at him.

His eyes gleamed with mischief at my teasing. 

"No maybe about it," he said. "I'm going to keep kissing you like that until you stop seeing other men and only see me. And then I'm going to keep it up to make sure you keep seeing only me."

"Well, if that's your intent, you're going to need to step up your kissing game. It wasn't bad," I said sweetly, and I knew I was guilty of gross understatement, "but I see a lot of room for improvement."

His lips twisted into a smile. "A lot of room?"

"For improvement. I'd rank it a solid...four."

"Four out of five isn't too bad," Tanner mused.

"Four out of ten, Tanner," I clarified the rating scale for him. "Like I said, definitely room for improvement, but not too shabby this early on. Good enough for now, and we'll see if there's significant improvement on our next date."

"Ez, this weekend when we go out, I'm getting to ten," he promised. "I'll show you significant."

"We'll see," I said simply. "It's good to have aspirations. A goal to work toward, Tanner."