Alpha Billionaire Series
Just Another Chance Chapter 12

TANNER

When we first arrive at the zoo, Addie has a funny look on her face and I wonder if bringing her here was a mistake. But then she assures me that she's happy to be back and we proceed to have the best damn night I've had since... Well, since our last date here.

Last time, it was winter and, as we held hands and walked through the seemingly endless light exhibit, I remember snow flurries began to fall and swirl around us. I pulled Addie beneath an overhang and kissed her senseless. She tasted like hot cocoa and peppermint sticks and the air around us smelled like evergreen boughs.

It was one of those magical moments that I will never forget.

Even when I wanted to, I couldn't. It is burned into my memory for better or worse.

Tonight, it's summer and the night remains warm after the sun sets. Instead of snow flurries, there are lightning bugs blinking all around us, and instead of hot chocolate, we scrape plastic spoons across frozen lemonades and walk shoulder to shoulder, checking out all of the exhibits. The local zoo is phenomenal, and the animals are treated well and their habitats are huge and set up to provide them with a sense of comfort. Almost like a sanctuary and it resembles how they would live if they were still out in the wild. Small, dismal cages and confined spaces are a thing of the past.

Our conversation flows smoothly, and our laughter fills the air. Being with Addie is easy. But more so than that, it's like I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. It's hard to explain it exactly. I just know without a doubt that she's the one for me. Now, I just have to convince her. And, in order to do that, we're going to have to discuss the past. I just pray it goes well because so far this evening has been perfect. The last thing I want to do is ruin it.

When I spot a quiet alcove covered in sweet-smelling honeysuckle, I take Addie's elbow and guide her over. We sit down, suddenly quiet, and finish our iced lemonades. There is so much that is hanging unsaid between us and it's starting to drive me crazy. I can't ignore it any longer, so I take a breath and plunge into the deep end.

"Thank you for letting me bring you here tonight," I say quietly.

"It's nice coming back. I haven't been here since...we came to see the Christmas lights."

"Yeah, me neither." I reach for her empty plastic dish and spoon and toss it into the nearby garbage container with mine. "Addie...I need to ask you something."

I turn to face her, and she swivels to look up at me.

Here we go."Why did you run off without even talking to me?" A weight lifts off my chest the moment I ask and I'm dying to hear her answer after all this time.

"You mean after I saw you kissing another woman?" she asks.

"Yes. Because if you would've stayed and heard me out then you'd know that woman was a hooker my father hired to try to break us up."

Disbelief and confusion flash across her face. "I'm sorry, what?"

"My dad told me she was a business associate's daughter and then begged me to have dinner with her as a favor to him. I felt bad and caved in even though I didn't want to. She tried coming on to me a few times and I cut the dinner short. We stepped outside and they must've planned for her to kiss me the moment you arrived. He wanted you to see that kiss. It wasn't even f*****g real, Addie. The whole thing was a setup."

Christ, it feels good to finally get that off my chest.

"Oh, my God," she whispers. "But-" Her voice trails off and I can see the gears spinning in her head.

"But what?"

"But then why did Kayla tell me you wanted to break up with me?" Confusion flares brightly in her brown eyes.

"What?" I practically roar. "Your sister told you that? I never had a conversation with her about wanting to break up, Addie. I swear."

"Why would she lie to me?"

"I have no idea."

She seems to be considering my words. "And earlier that day your dad stopped by my apartment," she says carefully.

My gut drops sickeningly. "What did he say to you?" I ask. God, just when I thought I couldn't dislike Thomas Beckett any further, I feel a wave of hate pass through me. If I replace out he did something more to break Addie and I up, I will never forgive him. "He told me to back off. He said you were moving on and that I wasn't good enough for you. That I was holding you back from the life you should be living."

"Shit," I swear and swipe a hand through my hair. If he weren't already dead, I'd kill him myself.

"Then he said you were at dinner with some socialite, and she was more fitting than I was." Addie presses her lips together and I have a sinking feeling there's more.

Preparing myself for the worst, I nod for her to continue. "And?"

"And then he pulled his check book out and asked how much it would cost to get me out of your life."

For the first time ever, I have no words. It's hard for me to grasp how low my own father sank in an attempt to break us up. Every vile curse word imaginable flashes through my head and I hope my father is roasting in hell right now. I grab Addie's hands in mine, lean in and press my forehead against hers.

"I'm so damn sorry, Addie." She squeezes my hands then our fingers thread together. I'm looking down at our hands and it's hard for me to comprehend what she just said. We were both callously tricked, but here we are once again, back together despite the world being against us.

It's like Fate granted us a second chance.

"It's not your fault," she whispers. "But why didn't you come over and explain things to me? I waited..." Her voice catches. "I waited up all night for you, Tanner, and you didn't even call."

"I was on my way, and I got into an accident."

"Oh, my God," she whispers. "What happened?"

When we lift our heads up, I stare into her pretty dark eyes, glistening with unshed tears, and I can only imagine all of the unnecessary pain we've both endured because of my father, Chella and Kayla. I don't want to f*****g think about it anymore. All I want to do is start making up for lost time with the woman I have always loved.

Because that's the one thing that never changed.

I love Addison Lila Hayes with every fiber of my being. I always have and I always will.

"I was speeding, driving like a damn lunatic, and turned right in front of a truck. Broke my leg and got a concussion."

Her eyes briefly squeeze shut and she releases a shaky breath.

"I had to stay in the hospital for a week. I was a little out of it and by the time they released me, it was too late. I tried to replace you, but you were gone."

"I'm so sorry." She starts sniffing and it kills me.

"Addie, sweetheart," I murmur and reach up to cup her face. "Let's not talk about that now. I just want to focus on you. Do you know how fucking much I've missed you these last two years?"

"I missed you, too."

Slowly, I lower my lips to hers. The moment our mouths connect, it's pure magic. It's like coming home and nothing has ever felt so right. How do you even adequately explain the moment when you replace your lost soulmate again? I can't verbally express it, so I keep kissing her until we're both forced to break apart and come up for air.

Breathing hard, foreheads touching again, emotion hits me hard. Her, too. We're clinging to each other like we're the only two people left in the world. I can't wrap my head around the fact that my father had lied, sabotaged our futures and purposely driven us apart for his own selfish reasons. Bastard.

The air between us feels so much lighter and cleaner now, though. We never stopped loving each other. It was all a horrible misunderstanding that I don't even fully understand yet. Right now, all I know is I love this woman more than ever before and I need to get her alone.

"Will you come home with me?" I'm still holding her face, scared to death to let go. Scared that she will disappear like a puff of smoke or that I'll wake up and this will all have only been a beautiful dream. "Yes," she whispers.

Relief and anticipation flood through me. I release her beautiful face and look deep into her chocolate eyes. I can't believe she's here with me right now and that we're about to go back to my place. My pulse thunders and I can only stare at her, willing her to feel all the love that's pulsing through my body.

"Tanner?" She studies me closely. "Are you okay?"

"I'm in fucking awe of you, Addie. You're so strong and resilient." "Me?"

"Oh, sweetheart, you're the strongest woman I've ever met and I'm so sorry my father screwed everything up between us. Fuck, Addie. Facing each day without you by my side these past two years has been soul-crushing. No words can express how much I've missed you." A small smile lifts the edge of her mouth. "I feel like I'm dreaming." She touches my face, running her hands along my jawline, as though trying to convince herself that I'm real.

"We're not dreaming," I say and capture her lips in a searing kiss. My tongue plunges into her mouth and she tastes like sugared lemons. The sweet scent of honeysuckle surrounds us, and I slide my hands through her hair, curving around her neck, and drink deeply. After indulging another minute, I pull back. "We should go."

Addie nods and I pull her up off the bench with me. I hustle her toward the exit, and she giggles as she tries to keep up with my long legs. "Wait for me," she exclaims.

"I've waited too long. Move it, baby."

She laughs, linking her arm through mine, and I start walking faster, practically jogging.

"Keep up, sweetheart, or I'm going to toss you over my shoulder and carry you out of here." I've never wanted to get home so fast in my life. Addie picks up her pace and we make it to my Mercedes in record time. I drive far too fast, yet carefully, and when we pull into the underground parking garage below my loft, I'm thrilled to finally be home.

I pull Addie over to the elevator and I can't keep my hands off her as it starts up. Dragging her against me, my mouth captures hers and I clasp her hips, holding her close and grinding against her. She whimpers, kissing me back with utter abandon, and I'm drowning in her baby powder scent.

When we get up to my loft, I close the door and turn to replace her looking around, almost shyly checking the place out.

"Your place is nice," she says.

"I'll give the official tour later," I promise and hungrily corner her against the nearest wall. Propping my hands up on either side of her head, my lips descend and plunder. I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of her, but I'm going to try. I'm going to indulge and feast on her like a Thanksgiving Day dinner.

God, it's been so long. I haven't been with anyone since Addie. Guess that's what love does- casts a spell over you and makes you long and pine for a specific person. Since I couldn't have her, I chose to have no one. I don't regret that decision.

On the flip side, I'm so goddamn hard now, it hurts. I grind against her, imagining the sweet moment that I sink home, deep inside her warmth. I hope I can last because right now it isn't looking so good.

My lips drag over her throat and when she reaches around and squeezes my ass, I groan. "You taste so good," I murmur.

Her arms wrap around my neck, and she crushes her breasts against my chest. It's divine and, at the same time, setting a fire inside me that's beginning to blaze out of control. My hands slide up under her dress, pull her satin panties aside and touch her hot, wet center. She pushes against my hand, undulating, and I stroke her dripping folds, worshipping her wet slit like it deserves.

"Christ, sweetheart, you feel so good. I need to taste you. It's been too long." I start kissing my way down her body, licking wherever I replace a spot of bare skin, and duck my head under her dress. I slide the panties down and, as my mouth makes contact with her sweet p***y, I nearly bust through the zipper of my jeans. Yeah. Now I'm home.

My tongue goes to work, and Addie falls back against the wall with little shuddering breaths.

"Oh, God," she murmurs, hips tilting toward my plundering mouth.

I plan to make up for lost time and I pull out every trick in my book. I want to give her more pleasure than she's ever experienced before. I suck her clit into my mouth, using my tongue to tease. It doesn't take long before she's in the throes of a climax and those sexy, breathless sounds that only she makes fill the air. F**k. I'm so turned on right now that I nearly blow.

I draw back, mouth glistening with her sweet juices, and catch her as she starts to slide down the wall. "Still have those spaghetti legs, I see."

Addie wraps her arms around my neck, and I head to the spiral staircase.

"And you still have a magical tongue," she sighs, head lolling against my shoulder.

I chuckle. "Did you miss it?"

"I missed you. So...damn...much," she utters, pressing kisses against my skin, dragging her mouth along my throat.

My legs nearly buckle, but I push forward, starting up the narrow, twisting stairs and pause at the top. My king-sized mattress sits on a raised platform in the center of the loft and is covered in silk navy sheets. With Addie in my arms, licking along my jaw now, it's a damn welcoming sight. My knee hits the bed and I lower Addie down. When her hand slides down the front of my jeans, it's almost enough to make me come right then and there. Grabbing her hand, I give her a warning look.

"You should probably know that the last woman I was with..."

She arches a dark brow, waiting for me to continue.

"It was you, sweetheart," I admit huskily. "Which means I'm on the verge of losing my mind right about now."

Something flashes in her chocolate eyes.

"It was always you, Addie," I whisper hoarsely.

"Take your pants off and remind me what I've been missing," she murmurs.

I instantly oblige as she pulls her dress over her head and tosses it aside.