A Special Kind of Love by Tamara Hoffa Page A

cheek.
    “Hey,
what about me?” Josh cried. “Doesn’t anybody love me?”
    Kamani wrapped him in her arms and kissed the
top of his head. “You know I love you, Joshua.”
    “Me
too,” said Annebelle . “Even if you
are a big jerk.”
    “Hey!”
    “It’s
not nice to call names,” Kamani and Aaron both said
at once. Sharon laughed. They were both on the same page. No doubt about it.
    “Sorry,” Annebelle mumbled.
    Josh
smiled with satisfaction.
    Tanner
stepped back into the kitchen, holding a small folding table. He weaved his way
around the kitchen table and headed to the family room. The five of them
followed. As Tanner set up the table, Aaron went to retrieve the puzzle.
    Aaron
returned and dumped the puzzle pieces onto the table. He began to turn all the
pieces so that they were facing up. Totally engrossed in his task, he ignored
everyone else in the room. Annebelle and Josh started
helping him.
    With
the children occupied, Tanner turned to his mother. “We’re going to get going.
Okay, Mom?”
    “By
all means. Go ahead. It looks like we’ll be busy for a while.”
    Sharon
knelt down next to Aaron. “We’re gonna go, baby. Can
I have a kiss?”
    “Not
a baby,” his automatic response. He lightly bussed her
cheek and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
    “We’ll
see you tomorrow, Aaron. Okay?” Tanner said.
    Aaron
was back to straightening puzzle pieces. “’Kay.”
    Tanner
and Sharon made their goodbyes to Kamani and left for
their night alone.

 
 
    Chapter
Six

 
    The
drive to Sharon’s house was accomplished in companionable silence. Her hand was
clasped in his on the center console. His thumb idly stroked the back of her
hand. She closed her eyes and let the warmth of the gesture stroke her lonely
heart too. Her thoughts drifted to the night ahead. She was nervous, but the
good kind of excited nervous. Well, mostly. A tiny part of
her worried about taking the next step in their relationship. John
hadn’t been her only lover. They had met in college and there had been a boy in
high school. But that was a long time ago. She wasn’t eighteen anymore. Or even
twenty-two. No, thirty-two wasn’t old. But she’d had a child, put on a little
weight, and there were tiny creases—she refused to call them wrinkles—decorating
the corners of her eyes.
    Tanner
was so handsome. So fit. There didn’t seem to be an extra ounce of fat on his
body. The small lines at the corners of his eyes, only
made him more attractive to her. What would he think when he saw her without
her clothes and her makeup?
    She
opened her eyes and snuck a peek in his direction. He chose that moment to look
her way and their gazes collided. His smile was soft and sexy. He tossed her a
wink and focused his attention back on the road, but it had been enough. With
one look, he had made all her fears vanish. He liked her. She liked him. He had
made it clear on more than one occasion that he desired her. Hell, he was
downright wicked in some of the things he’d said during their late nightly
conversations. She let the anxiety fade away and anticipation took its place.
    She
imagined peeling the clothes from his body and exploring every inch of skin. Sliding her tongue over the hard plains of his chest, caressing his
strong shoulders. Heat bloomed between her thighs and she squeezed them
together to assuage the ache. She shifted in her seat, unconsciously moving
closer to Tanner. Mentally she cursed the console that separated them. If he
had bench seats, she could snuggle up to his side, kiss his neck, rest her hand
on his thigh, and see if those muscles were as hard as they looked.
    Damn,
she better get her imagination under control or she was going to be in trouble.
She stole another glance in his direction, her eyes locked onto the bulge in
his lap . Well lookie there. Maybe I’m not the only one having carnal thoughts.
    Tanner
made the turn into her driveway and parked. He squeezed her hand briefly