assaulting my senses with his spicy aftershave, soap, and a masculine musk that’s just his.
One hand plants against the stone pillar and the other cups my jaw, tipping my face so I have to meet his gaze.
“She’s my mother’s friend’s daughter and she’s my date because I needed to bring one. I wanted to bring someone else, but they kept walking out on me.”
He looks into my eyes then his gaze drops to my lips.
“Me?” I ask in hope.
“You’re going to drive me crazy,” he mutters, then lowers his mouth to mine.
I feel like we have so much to talk about, so much we need to say but when his lips touch mine it all flutters away like so much burnt paper in the wind.
Wrapping my arms around his back I tip my face slightly, raise up on tiptoes and deepen the kiss, earning a deep, vibrating groan from his larger body.
“Yes. You. I want to get to know you, Hannah.”
“I just…”
“No excuses this time,” he moans.
“But I just…”
Ted pulls away then bends, grabs me around the waist and picks me up so I’m hanging over his shoulder.
I let out a shriek and smack at his hard back. “You put me down, right now!”
“We need to talk and I’m making sure that you don’t run away this time.”
“What’s there to talk about? Do you honestly thing we can have a frank conversation while I’m hanging over your shoulder?”
His grip tightens around me and he starts striding towards the Valet.
“Trust me,” he murmurs, one hand settling on my butt. “I won’t let you fall.”
I pout and make an angry sound in my throat but finally relent, relaxing in my position.
As I let the tension ease away, I realize that I do trust him.
I trust him.
I trust a man.
The Valet looks awkwardly between Ted’s face and me, slung over his shoulder like a potato sack.
Clearing his throat the valet says, “Is everything okay, sir?”
“Peachy,” Ted says firmly. “The lady and I need my town car brought around.”
“Yes, sir,” he says and turns away speaking in his earpiece in a hushed voice before turning back with a smile. “It’s coming now, should be here in a few minutes.”
As promised the car slows at the curb near us but it’s only once the car is waiting and Ted has the keys in his hand that he finally lets me down off his shoulder.
His grip on my arm is first to steady me on my feet but when it remains as he unlocks and opens my door, I realize that he’s making sure I don’t run.
“I promise I won’t run away,” I say impatiently and he gently nudges me into the car.
“If you do, I’ll chase you,” he replies and then gives me a look that tells me he fully intends to make good on that threat.
But instead of being annoyed, I smile. “I know.”
In the car he turns the heat on, then the radio, setting it to a soft rock channel and turning it down so we can still talk.
“Do you believe me about Clarissa? I mean, she’s actually a nice person when you get to know her, but she’s just looking for a husband to support her shopping addiction.” He shrugs. “I deserve better than that.”
“You do,” I agree. “And I believe you. I didn’t think I could ever trust anyone again but I want to. I want to trust you and I think you’ve earned it.”
He smiles and leans closer, brushing his lips over mine. “I want to be with you. I know we don’t know each other very well but…” He shrugs. “You’re all I’ve been able to think about since that first night. At first I thought it was just sex – I’ve never done the one-night stand thing before, but then all I could think about was being with you again, seeing you, touching you.”
“I’ve never had a one-night stand either,” I say, so surprised and giddy that I wasn’t just another notch, not even at first. “I think I freaked out because I didn’t know the rules and I was afraid of it turning into more. But then it did and you were all I could think about too.”
“My life is chaos. I haven’t
One hand plants against the stone pillar and the other cups my jaw, tipping my face so I have to meet his gaze.
“She’s my mother’s friend’s daughter and she’s my date because I needed to bring one. I wanted to bring someone else, but they kept walking out on me.”
He looks into my eyes then his gaze drops to my lips.
“Me?” I ask in hope.
“You’re going to drive me crazy,” he mutters, then lowers his mouth to mine.
I feel like we have so much to talk about, so much we need to say but when his lips touch mine it all flutters away like so much burnt paper in the wind.
Wrapping my arms around his back I tip my face slightly, raise up on tiptoes and deepen the kiss, earning a deep, vibrating groan from his larger body.
“Yes. You. I want to get to know you, Hannah.”
“I just…”
“No excuses this time,” he moans.
“But I just…”
Ted pulls away then bends, grabs me around the waist and picks me up so I’m hanging over his shoulder.
I let out a shriek and smack at his hard back. “You put me down, right now!”
“We need to talk and I’m making sure that you don’t run away this time.”
“What’s there to talk about? Do you honestly thing we can have a frank conversation while I’m hanging over your shoulder?”
His grip tightens around me and he starts striding towards the Valet.
“Trust me,” he murmurs, one hand settling on my butt. “I won’t let you fall.”
I pout and make an angry sound in my throat but finally relent, relaxing in my position.
As I let the tension ease away, I realize that I do trust him.
I trust him.
I trust a man.
The Valet looks awkwardly between Ted’s face and me, slung over his shoulder like a potato sack.
Clearing his throat the valet says, “Is everything okay, sir?”
“Peachy,” Ted says firmly. “The lady and I need my town car brought around.”
“Yes, sir,” he says and turns away speaking in his earpiece in a hushed voice before turning back with a smile. “It’s coming now, should be here in a few minutes.”
As promised the car slows at the curb near us but it’s only once the car is waiting and Ted has the keys in his hand that he finally lets me down off his shoulder.
His grip on my arm is first to steady me on my feet but when it remains as he unlocks and opens my door, I realize that he’s making sure I don’t run.
“I promise I won’t run away,” I say impatiently and he gently nudges me into the car.
“If you do, I’ll chase you,” he replies and then gives me a look that tells me he fully intends to make good on that threat.
But instead of being annoyed, I smile. “I know.”
In the car he turns the heat on, then the radio, setting it to a soft rock channel and turning it down so we can still talk.
“Do you believe me about Clarissa? I mean, she’s actually a nice person when you get to know her, but she’s just looking for a husband to support her shopping addiction.” He shrugs. “I deserve better than that.”
“You do,” I agree. “And I believe you. I didn’t think I could ever trust anyone again but I want to. I want to trust you and I think you’ve earned it.”
He smiles and leans closer, brushing his lips over mine. “I want to be with you. I know we don’t know each other very well but…” He shrugs. “You’re all I’ve been able to think about since that first night. At first I thought it was just sex – I’ve never done the one-night stand thing before, but then all I could think about was being with you again, seeing you, touching you.”
“I’ve never had a one-night stand either,” I say, so surprised and giddy that I wasn’t just another notch, not even at first. “I think I freaked out because I didn’t know the rules and I was afraid of it turning into more. But then it did and you were all I could think about too.”
“My life is chaos. I haven’t
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