“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I have to get back to the office. I didn’t plan on uh, you know, on being here so long.”
She must really be freaked out. I’ve never heard Hannah stutter or say something like “you know” in all the years I’ve known her.
I rested my hand on hers.
“Hannah, I want you to know that when I asked you to come here today, I wasn’t expecting this to happen.” I smiled. “I’ll admit, I was hoping I’d get to kiss you again just see if it’d be as amazing as the first.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again and just stared at me.
“I’ll admit that when Mr. Hanover told me we’d be working together, I was pissed. Not because of you, but because it was going to mess up my well-ordered life.”
I looked at the wall and ran a hand through my hair, then rubbed my jaw, trying to find the right words. She still looks wary, and I have to convince her that I’m sincere. Looking back into her wide eyes, I continued.
“Look, you know me. You know my reputation. You know how I’ve lived. And I’ll admit that’s how I wanted it. Until now. Ever since we’ve been spending time together, you’re all I think about. I’m actually upset that we don’t have more events because I want to see you. When you ghosted me this past week, I—” I swallowed, not wanting to say the word that had popped into my head, but knowing she had to hear it. “I missed you.”
Chapter 16
Hannah
His last three words came out as a hoarse whisper.
Something tells me Jack is showing me a side of himself he doesn’t share with many people. And I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how to handle it. Aside from the fact that he’s sitting next to me stunningly, beautifully naked, he’s saying things I’d never dreamed would come out of his mouth. Not directed at me anyway.
And now he’s looking at me with those amazing hazel eyes...which look more green than brown at the moment...waiting for me to say something and I seem to have forgotten how to use my words.
“Are you just gonna leave me hanging?”
He chuckled, but it didn’t take away the intensity of his words or the insecure expression on his face. I’ve never seen Jack looking anything but confident, if not downright cocky, and it’s kind of unsettling.
Since he’s being so honest, I will too.
“I uh,” I cleared my throat. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say you’re at least a little interested in me,” he said. “Because if you weren’t, I don’t think you’d be sitting here, in my bed, after some pretty amazing sex.”
A little interested?
If only the man knew.
But that had been nothing more than a crush, a fantasy, and this right now, is very real.
“Please say something, Hannah. I’m dying here,” he said, his New England accent in full force.
He shifted, drawing my attention to his...everything...and I felt my face heat. I looked down at my lap and gathered my thoughts before meeting his gaze again.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t interested. I’m not very…” I trailed off, searching for a word. “Casual. I don’t do one night stands and I’m usually past the third date before this happens.” I tightened the sheet around my chest. “I didn’t do this expecting anything from you, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be interested in more than this one afternoon.” The smile that spread across his face was sweet and sexy and full of relief. “But Jack, we have to consider the fact that we work together might be an issue.”
“Is there a no fraternization policy?” he asked, then shook his head and quickly added. “There can’t be. I know of at least five couples who met working for the Waves.” I wasn’t talking about company policy and told him so. “Then what?” he asked.
I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but he has to think about this from all angles.
“I just don’t want things to get awkward.”
He thought about that for a moment, then frowned.
“Hannah, I wouldn’t even pursue this if I thought we’d have that kind of issue. We obviously have to take this one step at a time, but you have to know I’m not going into this with an end date in mind. I know girls like you don’t normally go for guys like me, but I’m hoping—” He stopped abruptly and swallowed, then cupped my jaw and rubbed his thumb across my cheek. “I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance.”
Before I could answer, my stomach let out a loud growl. His laugh echoed through the bedroom. At least that broke some of the tension, even though it’s a bit mortifying. Not ladylike, for sure.
“I’m sorry, you must be starving. I did plan on feeding you, but we kind of got sidetracked.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. “I’ll admit, I’m not upset about that.” Standing, he grabbed my wrinkled clothes from the floor. “I’ll steam these in the dryer to get the wrinkles out.”
He crossed the room and took a T-shirt out of the drawer and walked back to hand it to me. I’m not sure if the view of him coming or going was better. He pulled me from my Jack-induced stupor when he said, “As much as I’d enjoy the view if you sat at the table in that sexy bra and panty set, I’m afraid we’d skip lunch and go right to dessert...again. Especially when you’re looking me like that. You can wear that until your clothes are done.”
After slipping back into his shorts, he walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
I sat there, trying to process everything that had happened since I arrived here. Even taking the sex...which had been ridiculously amazing...out of the equation, this afternoon has been everything I’ve secretly dreamed of and never thought would happen. All these years, I thought I had him pegged, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. He’s not the shallow, self-centered jock I thought I knew.
Making my way to the bathroom, I got cleaned up and slipped back into my underwear and his T-shirt. The bra could wait until I had to put my own clothes back on. Lifting the hem of the shirt to my nose, I inhaled. The fabric holds his scent. Delicious.
I looked over at the bed, with the covers, sheet, and pillows bunched in the middle. Before I could overthink it too much, I walked over and pulled everything off, then put it all back in place. Not exactly hospital corners, but not too bad.
After obsessing over Jack for years, I know it’ll be way too easy to let myself get lost in this. I did that once before and it didn’t end well. Yes, I’d been a lot younger then, but the risks are the same. My heart needs to understand that my head is in charge here.
I walked toward the door, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the way. The Waves logo on the T-shirt shouldn’t make me go all gooey inside, after all I have tons of team gear of my own. But this isn’t mine, it’s Jack’s. I turned, and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of his name and number on the back.
Oh hell.
Jack
I dumped pasta into the boiling water and stirred, then checked on the chicken. Everything looks good. I’m not a gourmet cook, but I can make a few things well.
Pulling a knife from the block, I rolled the prosciutto and chopped, then pulled it into a pile, and chopped again. I was repeating the pile and chop thing for the third time when I spied Hannah timidly walking through the living room. At the sight of her wearing my T-shirt, all long legs and sexy curves, I lost my rhythm and the knife slipped. I dropped it before I cut myself.
“Are you okay?” She ran into the kitchen and looked at my hands.
I nodded. Seeing her move like that with no bra on had my tongue in knots. I seriously must have been brain dead for the past decade. That’s the only explanation for why I never noticed how sexy this woman is before now.
“What are you making?” she asked.
“I cleverly call it prosciutto chicken. It’s those two items simmered in garlic and olive oil. Then I make a cream sauce, top it with parmesan, and pour it all over pasta. I pr
efer cavatappi.”
I picked up the spatula and stirred the chicken before it burned. Her wide eyes watched my every move.
“What?” I asked.
“When you said you were going to feed me, I didn’t think you’d actually be cooking.” She chuckled. “You make lotion and soap, and you cook. A man of many talents.”
I bobbed my eyebrows. “You have no idea.” That adorable blush appeared again. “I love that blush.”
“It’s so embarrassing.” She groaned.
“Well, I like it,” I said, and leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose. Resting my forehead against hers, I added, “And I really like the way you look in my T-shirt.” Her blush intensified, but I didn’t want to embarrass her any more, so I didn’t comment on it.
Turning back to the stove, I gave the chicken another stir then added the prosciutto, mixing it through.
“Can I help?”
“I got this,” I said then nudged my chin toward the edge of the counter where I’d stacked plates, napkins, and forks. “But you can set the table.”
She smiled and did just that. As she leaned over the table, my shirt rose showing a nice amount of upper thigh and just a hint of the curve of her amazing ass. I had to force myself to look away before I stalked over there, bent her over the table, and fucked her hard.
Taking a deep breath, I focused on the task at hand. The prosciutto looked nice and crisp, so I twisted the cap off a box of chicken broth and added it to the pan. Once it started to simmer, I poured in some heavy cream and turned up the heat to bring it to a boil.
Hannah stood across from me, her elbows resting on the counter. I wish I could see that view from behind.
The sauce started to bubble and I lowered the heat, then added a handful of parmesan and stirred. It thickened pretty quickly and I lifted the strainer from the pasta pot and gave it a few good shakes to remove the excess water, then poured the pasta into the chicken mixture.
“That looks amazing,” Hannah said as she watched me mix it all together. “It smells really good, too.”
“I hope you like it,” I said as I poured everything into a large serving dish. “It’s one of my favorite meals.”
She backed away from the counter as I walked out of the kitchen and placed the bowl on the table. I mentally shrugged. It’s probably for the best. As much as I’d wanted to see that view from behind, I don’t know if I’d be able to keep my hands to myself if I actually did.
“I have water and sweet tea to drink,” I said. “Wine and beer, too. It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?”
“That sweet tea was really good. I’ll have some of that.”
I went back to the kitchen and grabbed the pitcher out of the refrigerator and two glasses from the cupboard. After settling in at the table, I picked up the serving spoon and placed a healthy portion of pasta on Hannah’s dish.
Her eyes widened. “Jack, I can’t eat all that.”
“Sure you can. I can’t be the only one who worked up an appetite this afternoon.” I placed twice the amount on my dish. “Speaking of five o’clock. You’re not going to get in trouble for not going back to the office, are you?” I didn’t think she would, but I had to ask.
“No.” She picked up her fork and toyed with the pasta. “I don’t have to punch a time clock or anything, but I usually work a full day, even when there isn’t a game or event.”
“And then some,” I said.
“There’s always so much going on. It can get out of hand pretty quickly if I don’t stay on top of things.”
“You do an amazing job.”
I stuffed a forkful of pasta into my mouth and chewed, then realized she was staring at me. I swallowed and said, “What?”
“You said I do an amazing job.”
“Why is that surprising?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t think the players even noticed what the PR department does. Except when we’re bugging you to sign or attend things.”
“Of course we notice,” I said. “I’ve been with the Waves longer than you so I know how it was before you started. Things run much smoother now and you’re always respectful of our time, which means a lot. You know how many directions we’re pulled in and you make sure you don’t add to the stress. And I know the guys with families appreciate how you plan things their wives and kids can attend. Everyone loved the end-of-season event last year. It was actually a lot of fun, definitely better than sitting behind a table signing pictures all day.” Hannah’s face practically glowed at my words, and I realized that she probably doesn’t hear much praise for her work, especially from the players. “I’m gonna stop before your head gets too big,” I said around a smile then pointed at her dish with my fork. “Now eat before it gets cold.”
She picked up a forkful of the chicken and pasta and put it in her mouth.
“Mmm, this is delicious.” She quickly shoved another bite into her mouth and chewed.
It was my turn to glow under her praise.
“So good,” she said after swallowing another bite.
We ate in silence for a few minutes until my plate was clean and hers was nearly empty. She set her fork down, sat back in her seat, and rubbed her stomach.
“I can’t believe I ate all that. I’m so stuffed.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “But it was so good. Thank you.”
“Glad you enjoyed it.”
Which is true. Most of the women I’ve been with ate like birds and it was annoying as hell. Nothing worse than taking someone to a nice restaurant and having them order a plain salad with dressing on the side.
“Did you find that recipe in a cookbook or make it up yourself?” she asked.
I pushed my plate away and rested my elbows on the table.
“My mom used to make it all the time. I’m not sure where she got it from, I just remember helping her make it.”
“How old were you when she died?” she asked.
I don’t usually talk about my mother with anyone. It’s still too painful, even after all these years. But something about Hannah makes me want to spill my guts.
“Twelve, almost thirteen.”
“I’m so sorry. That must have been horrible.”
I nodded at her words and cleared my throat.
“She was one of those moms involved in everything, so it was all really strange after she was gone. No matter what I did or where I went, there was a giant hole,” I said. “Plus it happened so fast. There was no long illness or anything. She went to the grocery store one day and never came home.”
“I can’t imagine.”
She blinked several times then met my gaze with glistening eyes. Might as well put it all out there.
“She was hit by a drunk driver and died immediately, which was a blessing. At least she didn’t suffer,” I said.
“What happened to the other driver?”
“He was taken to the hospital and died a few days later.”
“What about your dad? Is he still alive?”
“Depends on what you consider living.” Her brow wrinkled and I gave an explanation before she asked for one. “He pretty much fell apart after she died and still hasn’t gotten himself back together.”
“Do you see him often?”
“Not really.” I shrugged. “A few times a year. Usually when I’m playing in Boston.” Her eyes widened, then turned sad. “I know how cold-hearted that must sound, but he seems happy in his misery. I’ve tried to get him help, so have other people, but he just wants to sit home and wallow. I’d get pulled into it if I spent too much time there, so I make sure he has everything he needs from the fringes.”
She stared down at the table and nibbled at her bottom lip, and I have no idea what’s going on in her head. I don’t usually give a shit what people think of me, but she’s different. I fought the urge to explain how my life had been after my mom died. How my father would sit and stare into space for days, how he stopped going to my games and school functions, stopped wanting to breathe. How losing
my mother had been bad enough, but then my father spaced out and everything just fell apart.
I didn’t say any of that, yet somehow she knew.
“So you basically lost both your parents,” she said, then reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m so sorry Jack, that must have been awful. I don’t think you’re cold-hearted, it’s just sad. My father drives me crazy sometimes, but I know he’s always there if I need him, no matter what.”
The mention of her father gives me a good reason to get off the topic of mine.
“What’s the story with you and your father? You looked pretty upset when you first got here.”
Shaking her head, she said, “It’ll sound ridiculous after what you just told me.”
“Come on. I told you mine now you have to tell me yours.”
“I don’t think that’s the saying.” She offered a small smirk with her words.
How could she make me smile during this conversation? Not to mention make me rock hard. One minute my chest hurt talking about my father and the next my dick is throbbing because she picked up my innuendo and tossed it right back at me.
“Anytime you want to explore the real saying, I’d be happy to oblige.” Her eyes glittered with interest. I stacked the dishes together and set the forks on top. “Would you put these in the sink?”
She blinked, her mouth curling into an uncertain smile.
“Oh, sure.”
My T-shirt grazed her upper thighs as she stood. It took all my willpower to keep my hands to myself. She picked up the plates and carried them to the kitchen. Moving quickly, I ran to the end table and grabbed a condom out of the drawer, then followed the path Hannah had taken and didn’t stop until I stood directly behind her.
She turned and screeched. “Jack!” I grabbed her arms as she bumped into my chest. “I didn’t hear you behind me.”
I turned her back around, trapping her between me and the counter. Rubbing my hands up to her shoulders, I squeezed then settled into a massaging rhythm. She moaned and dropped her head back against my chest.
Waste of Handsome (Carolina Waves #2) Page 13
