When she finished talking, his eyes roamed over her face, searching, and he nodded once. “Okay. She’s right, and I’m glad she’s not treating you differently. If anyone else finds out, I don’t want any of this to blow back on you.” His fingers caressed her cheek, and she turned her face into his hand, taking comfort in the gesture.
He seemed to relax after that, and Hannah relaxed as well. No mention was made of them taking a break or breaking up altogether, which was a relief. But the easy togetherness they’d had before had vanished, and even though they both pretended everything was back to normal, Hannah was more careful of her words and actions both with him and at work, and she felt like he was doing the same thing. Every evening he would ask her if Sandra acted differently. And every evening she assured him that no, everything was fine. Sandra wasn’t going to out them.
By Saturday things had calmed down enough that Matt greeted her with a passionate kiss when she came over for Abby’s birthday party. She’d gotten there a little early to help Megan get everything ready.
“Get a room, you two.” Megan’s voice cut into the haze of desire that always swamped her when Matt had her wrapped up in him, his tongue in her mouth, his arms holding her tight against his body, one hand in her hair, the other on her ass.
He pulled back with a smile, placing another soft kiss on her mouth. “If you insist.” Both hands went to Hannah’s ass and lifted, and she let out a yelp of surprise before wrapping her legs around his waist, her hands clinging to his shoulders. He turned and started carrying her to his bedroom.
“Wait! No!” Megan protested, jumping in the way to block their path. “Hannah’s here to help me, not for you to screw her brains out! You’ll have to wait until later.”
Matt stopped, his grin still in place. “Aw. That’s too bad.” Loosening his grip, he let her slide down his front. Hannah reluctantly let go with her legs, placing her feet on the floor again. Going into his room sounded like a great idea to her, especially with that kind of greeting after a stressful week of walking on eggshells around each other. After hearing Chris and Megan going at it while trying to watch a movie with Matt in the living room, she’d gotten over her fear of being heard. She figured if they weren’t shy, she shouldn’t be either. Matt agreed, encouraging her to vocalize as much as she wanted, his dirty words spurring the same from her when she could manage more than moans.
He kissed her again before letting her go, smacking her ass as she turned to walk toward the kitchen. She cast a glare at him over her shoulder. “I’ll pay you back for that later.”
His smirk was irrepressible. “Looking forward to it.”
Megan put Hannah in charge of finishing dinner while Megan mixed the ingredients for the cake, popping it in the oven just as Abby and Lance arrived. Matt brought Hannah out to introduce her to another tall, hot guy, this one with dark hair, and a petite, strawberry blonde. When Matt called Hannah his girlfriend, both Abby and Lance looked her up and down before exchanging a look and smiling. Abby gave her a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you. Megan’s told me all about you.”
“Uh, good things I hope.” Hannah glanced at Megan, who just gave her an impish smile and a shrug.
“Abby’s my best friend. We talk. And another girl spending lots of time in my house merits discussion.”
Abby pulled back from the hug, looking Hannah in the eyes and smiling. “Don’t worry, it’s good. At least the stuff about you is. The stuff about Matt, on the other hand …”
“Hey!” Matt sounded affronted. “What lies are you spreading about me, Megan?”
Megan just laughed. “What makes you think they’re lies? You do enough stupid stuff all on your own. I don’t need to embellish it.”
Abby reached over and patted his arm, getting him to turn his glare on her. “Aw, don’t worry, Matty. She tells me about the sweet stuff you do, too. Like all your Valentine’s Day plans.”
Matt’s glare morphed, and his face tightened. The smile fell away from Hannah’s face too. Both Abby and Megan looked surprised at the change. Abby looked from Matt to Hannah to Megan, confusion written on her face. “What—”
“I hate when you guys call me Matty. My name’s Matt.” His voice came out gruff, almost angry.
Megan’s chuckle dissipated the sudden tension, and she hooked her arm through his, laying her head against his bicep. “I know, Matty. That’s why we do it.”
“I know.” The words came out on a put upon sigh. With a rueful smile on his face, he patted Megan’s head, effectively dissolving the sudden tension. Hannah let out the breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding.
They moved into the living room while Megan finished getting dinner ready. Hannah tried to help again, but Megan shooed her back into the living room. “Relax. Hang out. Get to know everyone. You can help more next time.”
Abby looked up and scooted closer to Lance to make room for Hannah on the couch, but Matt grabbed her hips and pulled her onto his lap, her back against the arm of the couch, her legs across his so she faced Lance and Abby on their end of the couch. The conversation around her stopped as Lance and Abby gave her appraising looks again.
“So, Hannah, tell us about yourself.” Lance’s dark eyes traveled over her face, then further down, taking in her favorite green sweater and skinny jeans, lingering on Matt’s arm across her legs and his other hand gripping her waist before meeting her gaze again, his eyebrows lifted in question.
Abby, who reclined against his muscular chest, reached back and smacked him lightly. Apparently Matt didn’t have any small or homely friends. “Be nice, Lance. This isn’t an interview. She’s Matt’s girlfriend, and she has Chris and Megan’s approval.” He smiled down at her, his dark brown hair falling over his forehead, before they turned their attention back to Hannah. “We’re glad you’re here,” Abby went on. “Matt’s been the third wheel for a while now, and even though he never complained, it had to be awkward for him.”
Hannah shrugged. “It’s okay. What do you want to know?”
“What do you see in this big doofus?” Chris’s voice came from behind Hannah, where he sat on the recliner.
She turned and glanced at him over her shoulder before looking back at Matt. He stared up into her face, a smile on his mouth, but his eyes questioning, like he wanted to hear her answer as much as the others. She almost said something flippant and sarcastic, but the look in Matt’s eyes made her pause and think about the question. “The way we are together. It’s fun and easy, like we can talk about anything and nothing for hours. Or we can not talk and that’s okay too, just as long as we’re together, everything’s okay.”
“Yeah, I hear a lot of the not talking you guys do together.” Chris snickered, and Lance and Abby chuckled too, not even trying to hide it.
Heat rushed to Hannah’s face, and she kept her head down so her hair would hide her flaming cheeks. The happy look on Matt’s face changed as he glared at Chris behind her back. “Yeah, like you and Megan have any room to talk. I’ve had to listen to you guys go at it for months, and dude, you two are loud.” He drew out the last word and turned his gaze on Lance. “And you guys weren’t much better. I’ve been wearing earplugs at night for the last six months.”
Everyone broke out in laughter at that, including Hannah. She could see Abby blushing too. At least she wasn’t the only one who did that when conversation took a turn for the dirty.
The rest of the evening passed with food, drink, and laughter. Abby loved the presents from her friends and endured the good-natured teasing about not wanting to go to a bar for her twenty-first birthday, giving as good as she got with the sarcastic comments. They included and welcomed Hannah, made her feel like part of their group of friends, the newness of her presence with them wearing off quickly. She felt relaxed and comfortable, not just because of Matt or the wine Megan had served with dinner, but like she fit with them. After the stressful week she’d had with Matt, it was a relief to have the easiness back in their relationship.
With things between them back on even footing, Hannah fell into a routine of class in the morning, her internship in the afternoon, and evenings spent with Matt. She stayed over on weekends, but insisted on going home during the week since she had morning classes every day. The weekend after Abby’s birthday party, Chris left for several days to compete in the NFL Regional Combines, so Matt didn’t work out quite as hard. They all went out to dinner after Chris got back to celebrate. He’d been invited to the Superregionals in March, the last thing between him and the draft at the end of April.
Megan had nearly finished all the paintings for her show that was set to happen on April 9. Hannah had sat in on the last modeling session that Matt had done for Megan. The painting centered on the shoulders and biceps of Matt and Alex, one of his former teammates, standing back to back with their arms crossed over their chests. They made an impressive display—two handsome, ripped football players standing shirtless in a room left Hannah a little breathless, especially since one of them was hers. But Megan’s rendering of Matt’s pale Nordic skin contrasting with Alex’s bronze Hispanic coloring was nothing short of beautiful.
Afterward Megan showed her the piece she loved the most color-wise. It was the hands of three people. The first set of hands were small, almost the color of bisque porcelain, palms together. A pair of hands that were almost the same bronze as Alex surrounded the first pair, and another pair of dark brown hands surrounded those two. The contrasts of the three pairs of hands, the shading and photorealistic attention to detail, showed the beauty of each one.
Hannah couldn’t help browsing through the completed canvases that leaned against the wall. They represented every imaginable skin tone—pale with different undertones, various shades of tan and bronze, to the darkest brown Hannah had seen on a person. They were almost abstract, focusing on specific body parts, like the one of Matt and Alex that only showed one shoulder and upper bicep of each guy. She couldn’t even pick out the one of her and Daniel. “Holy cow, Megan. These are amazing. How many people did you get to model for you?”
Megan shrugged, a pleased smile coming to her face. “I’m not sure. Ten or fifteen I think. I recruited almost everyone I know and made the guys help me get people from the football team. Some of the figure models helped me out, but they’re not a very diverse group, so I mostly had to beg and plead. You know about the party, right?”
Hannah stopped looking through the paintings. “What party?”
“For the show.” Megan perched on the stool next to her easel, her arms crossed, a small frown on her face. “Matt didn’t tell you?” When Hannah shook her head, Megan went on. “He probably just forgot, the dork. Anyway, there’s a party the opening night of the show. All the models are invited, but I want you there as a friend, too.”
“Of course. Count me in. I’d love to go.”
They made their way back into the living room where Chris and Matt sat on the couch playing a video game. Megan looked them over and turned back to Hannah. “Only a week left of classes until spring break. Any plans?”
Hannah shrugged, her eyes straying to Matt. “I’m not sure. My roommate is planning on going home, but I’m not sure if I want to go with her or not. What about you?”
“I’m going home with Chris. It’s going to be the official meet-the-parents visit.” She leaned closer, her voice lower. “I’m actually a little nervous. I’ve never been introduced to someone’s parents like this before.”
“You have no reason to be nervous.” Chris’s eyes never left the screen, his thumbs and fingers pushing buttons on the controller. “They love you already because you’re making me graduate. Everything else is just a bonus for them.”
Matt paused the game to look at Hannah. “Stay here with me. You don’t have classes or work. I’ll call in sick on Monday, and we can have a long weekend together.”
“Okay. That sounds fun.” The grin on Matt’s face matched her own. She’d hoped to get to spend more time with Matt, which was why she hadn’t planned anything else. But she’d been too shy to bring it up before now.
His invitation added another mark in the tally to show that he cared about her as much as she did about him. He wanted to spend the week with her, sleeping with her every night. The only thing that worried her was how she’d be able to force herself to go back to her own apartment at the end of spring break. Over a week in Matt’s bed would make it feel more and more like home.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I could get used to this,” Matt whispered against Hannah’s lips. When he got home from work on Friday, he found her at his house, lounging on the couch in one of his T-shirts. And nothing else. Chris and Megan had left just after noon to drive to Port Orchard, so she’d been there alone, waiting for him. He couldn’t think of a better way to start the weekend.
He deepened the kiss, sliding his hands down her back until he reached the hem of the T-shirt where it fell just below her ass. He slipped one hand underneath the fabric, encountering bare skin. Fuck. She wasn’t even wearing underwear. Unless she had on a thong … He let out a low groan, his cock lengthening down the leg of his dress pants. Hannah’s lips curved in a smile against his.
Breaking the kiss, he pulled back, one hand still kneading her ass, the other coming around to the front to lift the shirt and confirm his suspicion. He was right. Nothing underneath. His dick got even harder.
“Fuck, Hannah,” he breathed. “You’re going to kill me.”
She gave him a wicked smile and pulled the shirt over her head.
“Naughty girl.”
“Oh, I’m a naughty girl, am I?”
That sexy, throaty quality in her voice always had the blood rushing to his cock, and he had to reach down and adjust himself in his pants. He was fully hard now, straining against his zipper. Like his dick had a mind of its own and needed to get to her. He nodded, licking his lips. “Very naught.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
The tease. She knew exactly what he’d do about it, all but begging him to spank her. He was so fucking turned on right now, he almost couldn’t bear it.
Closing the small distance between them, he pressed her naked body to his, grinding his cock against her belly, wishing his clothes weren’t still in the way. One hand tangled in her hair, and he pulled her head back to kiss her, owning her mouth before breaking the kiss, keeping her head pulled back while he spoke to her. “I’m going to spank that pretty ass until it’s red, and then I’m going to fuck you until you can’t come anymore.”
She whimpered low in her throat, the sound one of need, not fear. But he loved making her tell him that’s what she wanted, even when he knew she wanted it as much as he did.
“Do you want that, naughty girl?” She tried to nod, but his hand still held her head in place. “Say it. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Her cheeks, already pink with arousal, got even pinker as she blushed. He loved that he could make her blush like this, and she would still talk dirty to him anyway. Her voice came out breathy, barely above a whisper. “I—” She licked her lips, and the sight of her pink tongue flicking out had him biting back a groan. “I want you to spank my ass and fuck me.”
He grinned, showing all his teeth. “I believe I said I was going to spank your pretty ass until it’s red, and then fuck you until you can’t come anymore. If that’s what you want, you have to ask for all of that.”
She closed her eyes, that little whimper coming out again. Her lids lifted, her dark green eyes hazy with desire, and the fact that he put that look on her face made him even harder, the knowledge of the effect he had on her driving him wild. “Say it, Hannah.” He bent his head close to hers to whisper in her ear, biting gently on her earlobe, making her shiver before he continued. “Tell me exactly what you want. And ask me nicely.”
A sigh escaped her lips, and she licked them again. “Please, Matt. Please spank my pretty ass until it’s red and fuck me until I can’t come anymore.”<
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He growled low in his throat. “With pleasure.” His mouth crashed into hers, and she struggled against his grip, trying to get closer to him. When he pulled back, he sat on the couch and pulled her down across his lap, adjusting her so her upper body could rest on the cushions and her ass was right where he wanted it. He landed a slap in the middle of her right cheek, watching the rebound in her flesh, a pink handprint forming soon after. She jerked a little at the force of the spank. It was probably harder than she’d expected, the effect of her asking him to spank her—even if he had told her the words to say—making him skip the lighter, warmup spanks. Rubbing the stinging skin for a moment, he braced his left arm across her back so she wouldn’t jump so much that she fell off his lap.
She jerked with each smack that landed on her ass, her cheeks turning pinker with each slap. He varied the tempo and strength of each spank, giving her little breaks to rub her ass and down between her legs, gauging her arousal and how red her skin was getting. He just wanted to get her blood flowing, let the pleasurable sting build her desire, the feeling of being naked over his lap while he still had on his work clothes get her primed so that the sex, when it happened, would be explosive.
With roommates around more often than not, this kind of play was a rare treat. But it was fantastic when they got the chance. He’d been so looking forward to this week with her all to himself, especially the long weekend where they could just laze around the house together. Naked. He had no intention of letting her put on clothes barring some emergency. His cock twitched against her side at the thought, the confinement in his pants getting uncomfortable, but he loved playing with her like this and didn’t want to stop yet. And from the way her hips lifted to meet his hand with each stroke, neither did she .
God, he loved her. So much. And he still hadn’t told her.
This week. He’d find the time this week and tell her, and hope she’d say it back. Even if she didn’t, yet, he knew it was just a matter of time. The longer they were together, the more time she spent with him, in his bed but also in his home, in his life, cooking together, sharing meals, doing her homework in the evenings, the closer they got, the more entwined their emotions became. Yes, if she wasn’t already in love with him, she was definitely falling. And he couldn’t wait until he could say those three words without worry, the casual intimacy more appealing than ever.
Players of Marycliff University Box Set, Books 1–3 Page 62
