Hannah sat up and turned so she could look at him, examining his face to gauge his sincerity. “I don’t do casual flings, Matt. I’m not built that way.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Does this feel casual to you?”
A small smile came to her face as she shook her head. “No, but I don’t know what’s going on with you. But you and your friends all have a reputation with women. And with the way things ended before, I just need you to be clear.”
His mouth twisted in a grimace. “I apologized about before.”
“I know you did. And even though I forgive you, it still means that you’re good at hiding your thoughts, and the possibility exists that you’ll ghost on me again.”
“I won’t, Hannah. I told you, I learned from my mistakes. I won’t do that to you again.”
She nodded, feeling somewhat reassured at the sincerity ringing in his voice. “Okay. But if you decide you’re ready to move on, I need you to have the balls to tell me this time, okay?”
“I don’t see that happening, but okay.” He reached for her, tugging on her hands until they loosened their hold on the sheet and pulled her forward so she sat straddling his lap. “If it makes you feel more secure to hear me say it, I promise that I’ll tell you if I decide to end things between us. And you promise me the same, okay?”
“Okay.”
His hand slid up her back to tangle in her hair. “As for my reputation, it’s not entirely deserved. Lance and Chris were the manwhores. I just got lumped in with them because we’re friends.” He brought her mouth down to his for a kiss, but she didn’t let it last long, not quite as done with this conversation as Matt seemed to want to be.
She pulled back. “Is that so? So no hooking up with random girls at parties or whenever?”
A crooked smile took over his face. “I didn’t say I was celibate between relationships. But those guys didn’t even date. I’ve at least had girlfriends before. Now, do you really want to talk about other chicks?” He arched an eyebrow at her, the intensity in his eyes contrasting with the smile playing on his lips.
She shook her head, the movement small since his hand still held the back of her head. “Not really. Do you want to hear about my past relationships?”
That question provoked a growl, and she fought a smile at the rumble in his chest. “Not fucking likely.”
He pulled her mouth down to his with more force this time, not letting her get away, nipping at her lower lip so she would open for him. Soon he maneuvered them so he had her pinned beneath him again, his cock lengthening and hardening against her leg. “You’re mine, Hannah. As far as I’m concerned you’ve always been mine, and you’ll always be mine. Got it?”
He pulled back enough for her to nod, then he lowered his mouth to her skin once more. He was rougher than before, nipping at her neck and over her collarbone, soothing the sting of his teeth with his tongue and wet, open-mouth kisses until he reached her breasts. Using his fingers to stir her arousal, he ratcheted it up almost to the breaking point before donning a condom and sinking inside her once more.
The feeling of him stretching her sore tissues so soon after the last time made her gasp. The edge of pain served to heighten the pleasure even more.
He bracketed her face with his hands, his eyes boring into hers. “Mine,” he said as he thrust into her. He thrust again. “Say it. Say you’re mine, Hannah.” He withdrew, waiting for her to comply with his command.
She squirmed under him, searching for contact. “Yours.” One word was all she could muster. He thrust into her again, hard, each stroke a claiming. He covered her mouth with his, swallowing her moans and cries, driving her toward another orgasm, and when it came, her spasms set off his own, a series of fireworks exploding one after another.
Afterward, she lay under him, limp and exhausted, her body so sated that her brain finally shut off, letting her drift in the pleasure of skin on skin. Not feeling the need to wonder about what this would mean for tomorrow. Not worried about anything beyond the perfect microcosm of their shared universe.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Hannah sat at the table in the student center, bored out of her mind. Derek and Chelsea had gone to get some lunch, so she was alone with no one to chastise her for sitting. She had the clipboards neatly arranged in front of her instead of standing and holding one to try to attract the attention of the three other people who wandered in. They were still trying to get enough signatures for their petition. And no one bothered listening to her that instead of wasting time on the weekend to do this, they should be here during the week, and they should get their representatives in the Student’s Association involved. With the SA’s backing, they’d get more people to staff the table, better placement, and more people willing to sign.
Instead they were shoved off into a corner without even basic signage to attract attention. Huge marketing fail. But since she’d stepped out of her leadership role, no one wanted to listen to her anymore. Well, some of them did, but Derek had managed to become club president, and he vetoed every suggestion she made, still pissed at her for breaking up with him. She’d been tempted to quit altogether, but Chelsea and Allison and a few others who’d been with her for the last couple of years had begged her to at least stay in the club. So here she sat, bored on a Saturday, guilted into helping with something that wouldn’t work, even if the goal was worthy. They were trying to get more recycling options in the dorms, not just around the cafeteria and other food service places, as well as start a recycling program for glass. On principle, Hannah approved. In practice, they could go about it all so much better.
She sighed, knowing that voicing any objections or alternative suggestions would be summarily dismissed and ignored. Even Chelsea and Allison, because they were friends with her, couldn’t get Derek to consider anything they suggested. The jackass just assumed their ideas all came from her, like they couldn’t come up with valid ideas on their own. So even if she wanted to put them up to making better suggestions, it wouldn’t work.
She put her head down on the table, tired from how late she’d stayed up the night before with Matt. Every time she shifted, she felt the delicious tenderness between her thighs, and she’d found more than one love bite when she’d taken a shower this morning. He’d protested when she’d left early, needing time to get back to her apartment to shower and change before coming to campus for this exercise in futility.
Matt’s low voice had her head snapping up. “Looks like things are going really well for you here.” He smirked when she rolled her eyes, leaning forward to give her a light kiss. Pulling up a chair next to her, he set a bag on the table.
Hannah sat up straighter. “What are you doing here? Aren’t we doing dinner later?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to wait to see you until dinner time, so I brought you lunch. Is that okay?” A tentative note entered his voice, and Hannah melted.
She leaned over to kiss him, letting it linger more than the last one. “Of course it’s okay. Thank you. I’m starving and wasn’t going to get a break until the other two came back.” She rubbed her hands together and smiled. “What’d you bring me?”
Matt chuckled, pulling a couple of burritos out of the bag. “I went to my favorite burrito place. I got you chorizo con huevos. Do you still like that?”
She snatched the burrito out of his hand. “Yes! But it’s so hard to find good chorizo around here. Have you had it?” She ripped the foil back from the burrito, but hesitated, her eyes finding Matt’s.
He chuckled. “Yes. I think it’s good, but I don’t have a best friend whose family is from Mexico. This is a pretty authentic place, though, and the rest of their food is delicious. Let me know.”
She stared at him a moment longer before taking a bite, letting out a groan when the spicy flavors hit her tongue. “Oh my God, Matt. This is so good. You’ll have to tell me where this place is so I can get my fix whenever I need it. Elena’s so busy that she only cooks like this when she has a craving. It’s n
ot often enough for my liking. I’d do it myself, but I’ve never managed to get it right.” She closed her eyes as she took another bite, Matt’s pleased chuckle washing over her. He’d just made this day so much better than it had been five minutes ago.
The sound of a clearing throat had her opening her eyes. Derek’s pissy face stared down at her, ruining her good mood, his twisted mouth marring his otherwise attractive face. She sighed, setting her burrito on the table. God, what had she ever seen in this guy?
Derek glanced pointedly in Matt’s direction. “I didn’t realize we were going to have additional help today.”
“This is Matt. He brought me lunch.”
With a sniff, Derek crossed his arms over the black T-shirt bearing the Environmental Club’s logo that they all wore. “You know it’s unprofessional to eat at the table while we’re collecting signatures. That’s why we alternate taking lunch breaks.”
Hannah couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Yes, of course. We’re so slammed, I must be making a horrible impression.” She made a show of looking around at the nearly empty space. One guy sat in a chair using his laptop at the far end of the building while two others left through the doors by the cafeteria. None of them spared a glance toward their table.
Derek leaned over the table, his chest puffed up, trying to look intimidating. “That’s not the point, Hannah, and you know it. We have rules in place for a reason. You were part of the leadership last year. You of all people should know how we do things. You look sloppy sitting here, eating, with some guy who’s obviously not one of us.”
Before Hannah could respond, Matt stood up, holding up his hands palms out. “Hey, man. Calm down. There’s no need to act like that.”
Derek turned on Matt, brown eyes blazing, trying to hold onto his intimidating look in the face of Matt’s taller, more muscular physique, his laid-back attitude lulling Derek into thinking that he could still try to control the situation. Derek pointed a finger in Matt’s face, and Matt straightened even more. “You stay out of this. I don’t even know who you are. I’ve never seen you before. And we don’t need you here sniffing around Hannah, messing with our project. So either sign the petition or leave.”
Matt chuckled, his hands in his pockets. “Whoa there, little man.” Derek’s face turned red at Matt’s insult, and Hannah stifled a snort. Chelsea stood off to the side wide eyed. “I came to see Hannah. Your accusations about her professionalism are a bit ridiculous, especially with you acting like that.” He shrugged, crossing his arms and tilting his head back a little. “Of course, there still isn’t anyone else around, so criticizing your professionalism is about as stupid as you criticizing hers. So why don’t you settle down and let her eat. If you’re so worried about her eating at your table here, we’ll happily relocate somewhere else. Of course, I can’t guarantee I’ll have her back as quickly as you might like, but …” He shrugged, cracking a little grin, seeming to enjoy needling Derek.
The patches of color on Derek’s cheeks grew redder and his nostrils flared. “Look, man, I don’t know who you think you are—”
“Oh, my bad. Hannah didn’t mention it. I’m her boyfriend.” Matt’s tone had grown harder, and Hannah recognized the signs of him losing his patience, the stiffening of his shoulders and straightening of his spine, his laid-back attitude falling away. “And I don’t appreciate little anal retentive pissants like yourself trying to throw his weight around like it means something, especially with her.”
Derek turned his attention to Hannah. “Really, Han? You’re going to let this juiced-up meathead talk for you? Since when are you okay with anyone speaking for you?”
Matt’s nostrils flared, and he moved to place himself between her and Derek. Hannah took that as her cue to step in. She stood up, her amusement at their conflict fading. She laid a hand on Matt’s arm, his muscles hard under her touch. He didn’t look at her, never taking his eyes from Derek. “It’s okay, Matt. I’ve got it.” His head moved a fraction of an inch in a tight nod, but he didn’t unclench his jaw or divert his hard stare.
Sighing, she faced Derek, done dealing with his pompous ass. Picking up her burrito, she carefully wrapped the foil around it again, not bothering to look up as she spoke. “Look, Derek. We should all just call it a day. This isn’t the best use of anyone’s time. We’ve gotten two signatures in the last three hours.”
Derek interrupted her with a loud, frustrated sigh. “Hannah, you’ve given us your opinion more times than I care to remember. This is what we’ve decided to do. If you can’t be supportive, you can just quit. I know you wanted to anyway. I’m not even sure why you’re here.”
Matt moved to step between them again, but Hannah stopped him with a hand on his arm once more. “Derek, don’t be ridiculous. You know I care about the club and what we do. I just think—”
“You’re not here to think. You’re here to get signatures. And you aren’t even doing a good job of that.” He picked up a clipboard, making a show of examining the few signatures they’d managed to collect that day. “Chelsea and I were gone for almost an hour and you didn’t manage to even get one.” A large clap sounded when he tossed the clipboard back on the uncovered table. Hannah flinched, her cheeks heating, that damn blush kicking up again.
“That’s not fair, Derek, and you know it.”
She saw Derek open his mouth to say something else, but Matt spoke next, his hand coming around her waist. “And we’re done. Come on, Hannah. We’ll have lunch somewhere else. Let this jackass sit here all day by himself if he wants. You don’t need to take this shit from him. Let’s go.”
He tugged her away, and she went, not wanting to deal with Derek anymore, but Derek couldn’t let them go without a parting shot. “Yes, that’s it. Run along, Hannah. Let this guy tell you what to do. Maybe he’ll have better luck than I did. God knows you never listened to me.”
She turned to face him, but Matt urged her to keep going. “Ignore him. He’s obviously just a little man that feels the need to compensate by making himself seem more important than he is. Save your breath. Nothing you say can change anything, and it’ll only make it harder for me to walk away without punching his smug little face.”
Hannah chuckled at his assessment. “You have no idea how right you are.”
“Oh yeah?” A grin tugged at his lips and he raised his eyebrows.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Derek still kept going. “If you leave, Hannah, you’re not welcome back.”
That had her stopping in her tracks. Matt turned too. “Threats now? Come on. Hannah’s probably the best thing that ever happened to your club, and you’re too stupid to realize it. You know what I think, though? You’re just a jealous little asshole who wouldn’t know what to do with someone like her even if you had the chance.”
Derek let out an ugly laugh. “Jealous? Not hardly. That bitch and I broke up weeks ago.”
In three long strides, Matt was back in Derek’s face, bunching Derek’s shirt in his fists, lifting him onto his toes. “Watch your mouth, little man, or I might decide it’s my job to give you a lesson in manners. And much as I hate the idea of her dating someone like you, you really just proved my point.” Matt’s voice stayed low, and Hannah had to strain to hear him. “Someone like you could never keep someone like her around for long. And when I call you little man, it’s not just because you’re shorter than me. I have a feeling that you trying to act all big and tough this is because you need to compensate for something below the belt, ya know?” He paused, then nodded slowly, his teeth bared in a feral grin. “Yeah, you know exactly what I’m talking about. No wonder Hannah broke up with you. Between acting like a jackass and not knowing how to use the meager gifts God gave you, what woman wouldn’t?”
With that, Matt shoved Derek back, then turned and grabbed Hannah by the hand. He scooped up the bag holding their burritos that they’d almost left behind, and they left the student center.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Matt practically
dragged Hannah behind him, slowing when he realized her shorter legs couldn’t keep up very well. Once around the corner and under a grouping of trees, their bare branches reaching up to the leaden sky, he stopped, pulled her around in front of him, cupped her cheek, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. That small contact grounded him, and the tension went out of Hannah as well, her body going soft against his.
He pulled back, looking down into her green eyes to ask the question that had him stunned. “You dated that jackass?”
Hannah’s cheeks, already pink from the chilly air, flushed redder, and she lowered her eyelids, pulling away from his hand. “For a couple of months last semester.”
He tilted her face back up, waiting for her to meet his eyes again. “Why?” He kept his voice low, tried to make it nonjudgmental, but he couldn’t keep his surprise out of his tone. The way that guy had acted—the way he’d treated Hannah—he couldn’t fathom why anyone would willingly spend time with that asshat, much less date him. Frustration and anger roiled in his chest. He could admit, at least to himself, that part of it was jealousy that anyone else had touched her, even though he knew she’d dated since him, and he’d dated too, so he really didn’t have the right to feel that way. But she was his, dammit. More than that, his anger stemmed from seeing Hannah treated badly. Whether she’d dated anyone else in their time apart didn’t matter. She was his now, and he wouldn’t stand for that kind of crap.
She shook her head. “He didn’t act like that when I first got to know him. He can be funny and charming when he wants to, and we care about a lot of the same things. When he asked me out, it seemed like a good idea. But he kept trying to tell me what to do and control who I spent time with. He got worse the longer we were together, so I broke up with him after Thanksgiving.”
Players of Marycliff University Box Set, Books 1–3 Page 58
