As she gathered her things at the end of the day, she slipped on her coat and pulled out her phone. Nerves and anticipation warred inside her, making her breath come short. She hesitated a moment, trying to decide what to say, settling on simple and direct. I’m done for the day. Meet me in the lobby?
Chapter Nine
Matt’s phone buzzed on his desk, and he picked it up to see Hannah’s text. He thought for a moment about the best course of action. It would be safer for both of them to meet elsewhere, away from the prying eyes and listening ears of their coworkers. The new HR manager escorting the marketing intern to her car would definitely catch people’s attention, sending gossip flying through the office. Even though her text made him want to grab his jacket and leave, he couldn’t give in to that impulse. He needed to finish his work before he left, and this would also protect Hannah and himself. And the fact it meant he’d get to spend more time with her was just a bonus. At least that’s what he told himself before texting her back.
I still need to finish up a few things. Meet me at Twig’s on the corner. I’ll be there in 15 mins.
He turned back to his computer to finish up and close everything out, keeping his phone next to his keyboard waiting for her response. Satisfaction coiled in his chest when she texted back right away.
Okay.
Matt didn’t think he’d ever finished his end-of-day work as fast as he did today. He planned to buy Hannah a drink and invite her to join him for dinner. See if he could convince her to spend more time with him.
When Matt walked into the place he’d picked ten minutes later, he let out a low groan. He spotted Hannah right away. As well as what looked like half the marketing department, all of the interns, several of the sales guys, and even the head of HR. Damn it. He should’ve known better than to pick somewhere so close to work as their meeting place.
Hannah raised her eyes, her gaze connecting with his. She shrugged one shoulder and offered a sheepish smile before turning back to the person next to her and resuming their conversation. He watched for a moment, enjoying the way her face lit up in laughter at something the woman next to her said, appreciating the way her lips closed on the rim of her glass, drinking in the elegant way her fingers wrapped around her glass, wishing he could’ve felt them wrapped around him over the weekend.
“How many?”
The hostess’s voice interrupted his lustful thoughts. Tearing his eyes away from Hannah, he offered the hostess a weak smile and gestured to the group of his coworkers. “I’m with them.”
With a polite smile, she handed him a drinks menu and gestured for him to join his friends. He took the only open seat, down at the end away from Hannah, next to Janine, the head of HR.
She gave him a friendly smile. “I didn’t know you’d be joining us.”
“Yeah. I, uh, found out people were coming here just before I left and thought I’d come too.” His answer sounded stupid and forced to his ears, but Janine didn’t seem to notice.
“Well, the waitress should be back soon, and you can get a drink then. A few of us are splitting some appetizers. You’re welcome to have some if you’d like to pitch in.”
“Thanks. I’ll just stick with a drink.” He tried to keep up with conversation around him and not seem like an antisocial jerk. But he didn’t give a shit about any of it. Frustration that he’d made such a bad choice colored what should’ve been an enjoyable round of post-work drinks with his coworkers. He’d met up with groups here like this before, and he’d gotten to know the people he worked with better. But today his gaze kept drifting back to Hannah, even though he tried not to stare. He caught her looking at him more than once, and each time she gave him a rueful smile that he returned.
“Careful there.” Janine’s voice pulled his attention back to her after one such exchange.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Nodding in Hannah’s direction, Janine took another sip of her martini. “You two seem to be flirting across the table. She’s an intern, and you’re in charge of the interns for the semester. Don’t do anything stupid. Use your big head, Matt, not your little one.”
Matt spluttered, choking on his drink, not used to having his boss, a woman who was about the same age as his mother, make casual dick references in conversation. He coughed a few times before regaining control, and he saw Hannah shooting him a quizzical look from the other end of the table, several people turning their attention his way after his coughing fit. He ignored them all, though, instead focusing on Janine. “What?”
Janine gave him a knowing look. “Just a friendly reminder about the company fraternization policy. I like you, Matt. You’re a good worker, and you have a lot of potential to go far. I don’t want to see you do anything stupid to jeopardize that.”
Matt opened his mouth to respond, but Janine cut in before he could. “Don’t bother to deny anything. In fact, don’t say a word one way or the other. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice anything as long as you keep it to no more than this.”
His mouth now a firm line, he nodded once and finished the beer he’d ordered in a few chugs, even though it had lost all appeal. Time to go. He pulled a few bucks out of his wallet and tossed them on the table to cover his drink, muttering goodbyes to the people around him.
He could feel Hannah’s eyes on him as he did so. With barely a glance, he nodded at her once and left, the beer he’d drunk churning in his guts, making him feel like puking even though he’d only had one. As he walked to his truck, Janine’s warning rang in his ears, warring with the desire to make Hannah his again. He didn’t know what to do about either of them. Could he stay away from Hannah until after her internship?
No. He really couldn’t. His job required him to check up on her regularly. Plus she’d agreed to model for Megan.
With a groan, Matt started the car and dropped his head against the steering wheel. He was fucked. And not in a good way.
Matt tossed his keys on his dresser and hung his coat on the back of the desk chair in his room, his phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a text from Hannah.
Sorry about the crowd. A few of them were already there when I got there and invited me to join them. They wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He sighed, trying to figure out how he should navigate this situation. No problem. It’s a popular place. I should’ve thought about that when I suggested it.
I still have your sweatshirt.
Moving to the kitchen, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge, even though he’d just had one at the restaurant. He took a long pull before responding again, trying to decide what to do. Should he invite her over? Offer to go get it? Tell her to keep it until she came over to model for Megan? He should choose the last one, Janine’s warning fresh in his mind.
But he’d been aching to see her since Friday, and the brief touch in the hallway outside the break room when she almost ran into him didn’t cut it, much less sitting across a crowded table from her where they couldn’t even talk. Fuck it. He was going to invite her over. What Janine didn’t know wouldn’t hurt anyone.
Want to bring it over? I was just about to figure out dinner. You could stay and eat with me.
He forced himself to set his phone down on the kitchen counter and take a few steps away instead of checking it every three seconds like a crazy man, willing her to respond. Instead he leaned against the counter on the opposite wall, drinking his beer, staring at it like it might explode.
He’d finished his beer by the time her text came in. He reached for it with steady hands, despite the anticipation coiled tightly inside of him like a spring about to snap. I can’t tonight. I have an early class tomorrow and lots of reading to get through. Matt’s heart fell at her words, the tension releasing with a twang that he felt in his gut.
Then another text came in. A single word that renewed his hope.
Tomorrow?
Chapter Ten
Hannah took a deep breath before turning off her car. She checked her phone agai
n to make sure the number on the little brick house she’d parked in front of matched the address Matt had given her. It looked familiar, but with her nerves she wanted to be sure. Everything looked different in the fading twilight than it had Friday night. Plus, she hadn’t been paying close attention to what the house looked like, too distracted by Matt to care.
Checking her back seat, she reassured herself that she had Matt’s sweatshirt as well as her backpack with a change of clothes and a couple of her textbooks inside. She kind of suspected that she might end up spending a while at Matt’s house this evening. Much longer than it would take just to drop off his sweatshirt. He’d invited her for dinner the day before, so she assumed that he was planning for that again when he’d accepted her suggestion that she come over today instead.
She’d brought the change of clothes and homework because she figured that if she were going to hang out for a while, she didn’t want to stay in her work clothes. But she still felt kind of presumptuous for bringing them along. So she just grabbed the sweatshirt and made her way up the driveway to the front steps, watching where she walked on the cracked concrete, dark gray with age.
Matt answered the door almost immediately, like he’d been standing on the other side waiting. Her eyes drifted over him, from the messy blond hair that still reminded her of the surfer boy she’d met three summers ago to the piercing blue eyes, over the broad shoulders and carved chest hidden by a faded blue T-shirt that said Steepwater Surf Shop, down to worn-looking jeans that hung low on his hips. His bare feet peeked out under the hems, and Hannah sucked in a breath at how delicious he looked in casual clothes. She also felt awkward and overdressed in her fitted green sweater over a white button-down blouse, gray dress pants, and low-heeled black shoes, topped with her gray pea coat.
He stepped out of the way, holding the door open for her, his eyes raking over her in the same way she’d done to him. “Come on in.”
Once he’d closed the door, she thrust the sweatshirt at him, holding it out almost like a shield. “Here’s your sweatshirt. Thanks again for letting me borrow it.”
He took it from her hand and smirked a little, like he was amused at her nerves. She had no idea why she felt this nervous about seeing him again, but she’d barely been able to eat lunch. And it had only gotten worse as the day had gone on. She’d been distracted at her internship, and her supervisor had to repeat herself on more than one occasion. Hannah had been able to brush it off as being distracted by a big test coming up at school, but she knew she couldn’t let herself keep getting that thrown off just by the prospect of seeing Matt again.
But here she was, with the guy she’d been halfway in love with three years ago. It seemed unreal and overwhelming at the same time. Even though she’d seen him yesterday and spent time with him Friday, it hadn’t sunk in yet that he was back in her life and wanted her again. And she had no doubt in her mind after Friday night that he did, in fact, want her. She’d felt exactly how much before his roommates had barged in.
That thought had her glancing around, her arms crossed over herself. “Are your roommates here?”
Matt stepped closer to her, his hands going to her waist, pulling her against him. The action forced her to drop her arms, and they fell to his biceps. He held her loosely, but his intentions were undeniably clear. “Nope. They’re hanging out with some other friends tonight.”
Hannah nodded, still looking around, anywhere but at Matt’s face now inches from her own.
“Hannah.” His voice came out an amused rumble, and she forced herself to raise her eyes to his. “Yeah?”
He leaned down and kissed her. It was almost chaste, his lips soft and light against hers, but the way his fingers tightened on her hips made his kiss seem like a precursor to more. When he pulled back, his mouth still held the hint of a smile. “Are you okay?”
Now she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. “Yeah.”
His smile grew bigger. “You seem a little nervous.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, a little.” She waved a hand around. “I’m just not sure what to expect here. What this is. What you want, exactly.”
His fingers flexed on her hips again. “Just you. Just this. Us. Another chance.” His voice dropped lower. “I missed you.”
Hannah’s breath stopped in her throat at that declaration. At least Matt didn’t mince words. That hadn’t changed. He’d always been direct with her, especially about the fact that he wanted her, from the very beginning. But she pulled away and turned toward the couch, shaking her head. “You missed me, huh? Really?”
She turned back to him, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed. The coffee table stood between them now, providing a needed barrier. His hands on her body and his lips on her skin short-circuited her brain. And that statement from the guy who’d just stopped talking to her was ridiculous.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his face serious. “Yeah. I did.”
She tilted her head, one eyebrow creeping up her forehead. “Since when? Yesterday? Friday? Or before?”
At least he had the grace to look sheepish at the last question. One hand came up to rub the back of his neck, and he dropped his gaze for a moment before looking her in the eyes again. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened before. About the way things ended.”
Hannah snorted. “Ended? You mean the way you left me hanging?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it was a dick move. I’m sorry. Really, I am. I was young and stupid, and I didn’t realize what I was giving up when I let you go like that.”
“You didn’t let me go, Matt. You ghosted me. At least if you’d had the balls to end things, I would’ve had some closure.”
He nodded again, his mouth twisted in a grimace, his blue eyes pained. “I know. Believe me, I’ve regretted it since I realized you’d stopped emailing me, and I didn’t know what to do about it or how to make it up to you, especially with you still in high school three hours away and planning on going to college on the other side of the state. I figured it was better for both of us to just let it go. It was shitty of me to treat you that way and not have the balls to have a hard conversation, and for that I’m so sorry.” He took a step around the coffee table so he could get close to her, but she moved away and held up a hand. “Please, Hannah. I am sorry. Do you want me to beg?”
She shook her head. “Just give me a second, okay?”
“Whatever you need. I can wait.” His hands went back in his pockets, but his eyes never left her face.
She thought over what he’d said for a minute, her chin tucked into her chest, her chin length bob swinging forward to hide her face. He’d apologized. Isn’t that what she wanted from him? Elena had been hounding her all weekend about what had happened Friday night. She gave in and told her about it Saturday night, and Elena had been a little disgusted with her that she’d let things get as far as she had without some kind of discussion about how things had ended before. “That boy needs to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness,” had been Elena’s exact words. Matt had basically offered to do just that. She didn’t want him on his knees begging, though. She didn’t get a thrill out of having that kind of power over a man. But she did appreciate the apology.
“You were young and stupid, huh?”
“I was.”
At least he didn’t deny that it had been a shitty way to treat her. He acknowledged the mistake and apologized. That had to count for something, right?
“And you’re older and wiser now?”
A crooked grin appeared on his face. “I like to think so.”
She smiled back. Really, it was a forgone conclusion. She couldn’t stay away from him now if she tried. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. I forgive you.”
Relief suffused his features. He started to take a step toward her again but stopped himself. “Can I touch you now?”
In answer, she stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his chest. His arms slid around her waist again, an
d he pulled her tightly against him, dropping his mouth to hers.
This kiss was anything but chaste. His tongue swept along her lower lip, and she opened for him. With one arm wound around her waist, keeping her body flush with his, he moved the other up to tangle in her hair, pulling her head back more so he could taste her at his leisure, just like he used to do. Heat gathered at her center, and her clothes felt stifling. When he broke the kiss, she was gasping for breath, his hand still in her hair, his eyes staring down at her face, focused on her kiss-swollen lips.
“Oh, God, Hannah. I missed you so much. I didn’t even realize it until I had you in my arms again. This feels so right. You have to feel it too.”
Without giving her a chance to answer, he released his hold on her hair and pressed her face into his shoulder, burying his face in her hair and kissing her scalp. She didn’t know what to say to that, and it seemed like he didn’t really want her to answer anyway. Was this for real? Was he for real? Was there a chance that she’d meant more to him than she’d thought all along?
That idea left her reeling and unbalanced, clinging to Matt for stability. He held her there for what seemed like a long time, and she relished the feel of him against her, his strong arms clasped around her body, his warmth, his solid muscles against her front and under her hands, so familiar, and so different from how things had been before.
He let go reluctantly when she pushed away, looking down into her eyes again. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She gave him a small smile. “I just want to take off my coat.”
Always You Page 8