*
Hannah took the world’s fastest shower and put on actual clean clothes, including a bra. She was mortified, and yet strangely aroused, when she’d found herself with little clothing lying on Dylan’s hotel bed. It had smelled of him.
Then she really looked at him and discovered the most amazing classically sculpted chest. It took a lot of strength to not touch him and feel the fur between her fingers, lick the warm, bronze skin.
Sweet biscuits and gravy.
She hadn’t showered or washed her hair in at least two days. It was a wonder he’d accepted her breakfast invitation.
She ran the brush through her wet hair and slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. The oven beeped and she raced into the kitchen. Hannah threw herself into baking and had the scones in the oven in record time. It felt good to have the dough between her fingers.
Newly returned from her trip, Mama emerged from her bedroom dressed in a pretty pink outfit. She was a petite, older version of Hannah, with her brown hair liberally sprinkled with silver. She had a pep in her step that had been missing. Mama even looked healthier, with a sparkle in her blue eyes.
“Morning, sweetie.” Mama brushed a kiss on Hannah’s cheek before heading to the coffeepot.
“Where you headed?” Hannah slid onto the stool on the other side of the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the family room. She wasn’t anxious. She was just waiting for the scones to be finished.
“I’m going shopping with Sophie.” Mama smiled, happy to have Dax back together with his high school sweetheart. The two women had become fast friends again, leaving Hannah at home, which was fine by her. She was certain they were talking about potential wedding plans and Hannah wanted no part of that.
“Have fun.” She picked up her now-cooling coffee and sipped it, wishing for her espresso machine. She pushed the idea away because therein lay thoughts she didn’t want to let out of their cage. Sooner or later, there would be no safe topics to think about, but she wasn’t there yet.
“You can come with us, you know.” Her mother eyed Hannah with a maternal suspicion. Hannah tried to look as innocent as possible.
She shook her head. “Nope. I’ve got nothing I need to buy.”
Mama put one hand on her hip. “Pardon? You lost everything you own in a fire a few months ago. The only thing you bought was a pair of jeans, two T-shirts, a few sweats and necessities. You’ve got to replace everything, Hannah.”
Oh, but she wasn’t ready to do that. Some things couldn’t be replaced. Her heart pinched, and damn it to hell, her eyes pricked with tears. Again. She couldn’t be sad. She had to be happy and move on.
“Just go, Mama. I don’t want to talk about it.” Hannah escaped from the room, leaving her coffee and her mother behind. The backyard sparkled in the early morning sun. She heard a car start up and tuned everything out except the sound of the birds twittering around her. A few squirrels joined in and it all brought her a temporary peace.
“What are you doing out here?” Dylan’s voice shocked her to the point she jumped a foot in the air and nearly peed herself.
She pressed a hand to her pounding heart and turned to look at him.
Holy sweet mother. He was just as handsome, big and spectacular as she remembered. And he smelled good. Her body cried out and her head told it to shut up.
A thousand things raced through her head. Then she heard the sound of the timer screeching inside.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” She raced into the house, banging through the back door with a silent apology to the wall as the door handle smacked it. She pulled the scones from the oven and set the pan on the cooling rack.
As she headed back out of the kitchen, she finally realized what she was doing. She stepped back outside, wondering if Dylan was still waiting for her at the pump.
The infamous spot in the Blackwood backyard had been a hangout, a mandatory wash station decreed
Hannah took the world’s fastest shower and put on actual clean clothes, including a bra. She was mortified, and yet strangely aroused, when she’d found herself with little clothing lying on Dylan’s hotel bed. It had smelled of him.
Then she really looked at him and discovered the most amazing classically sculpted chest. It took a lot of strength to not touch him and feel the fur between her fingers, lick the warm, bronze skin.
Sweet biscuits and gravy.
She hadn’t showered or washed her hair in at least two days. It was a wonder he’d accepted her breakfast invitation.
She ran the brush through her wet hair and slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. The oven beeped and she raced into the kitchen. Hannah threw herself into baking and had the scones in the oven in record time. It felt good to have the dough between her fingers.
Newly returned from her trip, Mama emerged from her bedroom dressed in a pretty pink outfit. She was a petite, older version of Hannah, with her brown hair liberally sprinkled with silver. She had a pep in her step that had been missing. Mama even looked healthier, with a sparkle in her blue eyes.
“Morning, sweetie.” Mama brushed a kiss on Hannah’s cheek before heading to the coffeepot.
“Where you headed?” Hannah slid onto the stool on the other side of the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the family room. She wasn’t anxious. She was just waiting for the scones to be finished.
“I’m going shopping with Sophie.” Mama smiled, happy to have Dax back together with his high school sweetheart. The two women had become fast friends again, leaving Hannah at home, which was fine by her. She was certain they were talking about potential wedding plans and Hannah wanted no part of that.
“Have fun.” She picked up her now-cooling coffee and sipped it, wishing for her espresso machine. She pushed the idea away because therein lay thoughts she didn’t want to let out of their cage. Sooner or later, there would be no safe topics to think about, but she wasn’t there yet.
“You can come with us, you know.” Her mother eyed Hannah with a maternal suspicion. Hannah tried to look as innocent as possible.
She shook her head. “Nope. I’ve got nothing I need to buy.”
Mama put one hand on her hip. “Pardon? You lost everything you own in a fire a few months ago. The only thing you bought was a pair of jeans, two T-shirts, a few sweats and necessities. You’ve got to replace everything, Hannah.”
Oh, but she wasn’t ready to do that. Some things couldn’t be replaced. Her heart pinched, and damn it to hell, her eyes pricked with tears. Again. She couldn’t be sad. She had to be happy and move on.
“Just go, Mama. I don’t want to talk about it.” Hannah escaped from the room, leaving her coffee and her mother behind. The backyard sparkled in the early morning sun. She heard a car start up and tuned everything out except the sound of the birds twittering around her. A few squirrels joined in and it all brought her a temporary peace.
“What are you doing out here?” Dylan’s voice shocked her to the point she jumped a foot in the air and nearly peed herself.
She pressed a hand to her pounding heart and turned to look at him.
Holy sweet mother. He was just as handsome, big and spectacular as she remembered. And he smelled good. Her body cried out and her head told it to shut up.
A thousand things raced through her head. Then she heard the sound of the timer screeching inside.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” She raced into the house, banging through the back door with a silent apology to the wall as the door handle smacked it. She pulled the scones from the oven and set the pan on the cooling rack.
As she headed back out of the kitchen, she finally realized what she was doing. She stepped back outside, wondering if Dylan was still waiting for her at the pump.
The infamous spot in the Blackwood backyard had been a hangout, a mandatory wash station decreed
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