Managed Hearts

by MacMillan, Jerica

  He sat next to her and patted his lap. Hannah looked at him, uncertainty written on her face. He tried for a reassuring smile, but couldn’t be sure it didn’t come out predatory. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. It’s just for fun.”

  Still hesitating, her lips parted like she might say something, but then she leaned toward him. Helping her across his lap, he had to hold back a groan when her side pushed and slid against his cock. He adjusted her so her ass was the highest part of her, round and waiting for his hand, and wrapped one arm over her back, just to maintain their connection.

  He rubbed his hand over her backside before landing a smack. More rubbing and another smack. She jerked a little with each hit. He was hitting hard enough to cause a sting, but not more than that, especially with clothes in the way. Still, after a few more smacks her hand came back to cover her ass.

  “Ow!” She sounded a little surprised.

  With another smirk, Matt captured her hand and pinned it behind her back. He leaned down and rasped in her ear, “It’s a spanking, Hannah. It’s supposed to sting a little.” While he spoke his hand continued to rub over her ass then traced the seam of her jeans down between her legs. She twitched a little like she wanted to get away, but he kept his pressure firm, and she pushed back against his questing fingers. God, how he wished she were wearing a skirt or yoga pants. Anything that would be easier to strip off her than tight skinny jeans so he could see her bare ass turning pink and feel her wetness coat his fingers.

  “You like that? You want me to bury my fingers inside your tight pussy?”

  She stiffened at his dirty talk and started pushing back, trying to get up. “Let go, Matt. Let me up!”

  Pulling her up, he set her on her feet, but kept his hands on her hips until he was sure she was steady.

  She looked angry, brushing her hair out of her face with quick, jerky movements, and he couldn’t figure out why the sudden change. She’d been into it just a second ago. “What’s wrong? I was just playing. I didn’t mean—”

  She stepped back, her arms crossed over her chest. “Is that why I’m here?”

  “What? What are you talking about?” He sat on the bed, so confused now.

  She blew out a breath, annoyed. “Are you just trying to fuck me? Because that’s not why I came over. Are you mad because you didn’t get in my pants the other night?”

  “What? No.” He stood, gripping her shoulders when she started to back away. “Were you not paying attention earlier? I miss you. I want you. Yes, I’d love to finish what we started on Friday night, but that’s not why I invited you over. If you don’t want to do that, then we won’t do that. We can go back and watch TV or you can keep reading if you need to. I just want to spend time with you.”

  Her eyes narrowed, her face skeptical, but she didn’t shrug off his hands or twist out of his grip, so he took that as a good sign. But her words were less encouraging. “I should go. I have homework.”

  “More than what you brought with you?” She jerked her head to the side once, a quick negative. He rested his forehead against hers. “Stay. Read here. Don’t go yet. Stay.”

  She softened under his hands, the tension draining from her, and she dropped her arms, her posture more open and less defensive. “Fine. I’ll stay for a little while longer.” She pulled her head away from his and stuck a finger in his face, her eyes narrowed again. “If you try anything that keeps me from getting my reading done, I’m gone.”

  He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face. “Fair enough.” He kissed her once, hard, but with no tongue, pulled back, and opened the door. Turning her to the opening he smacked her ass once more. “Time to get to work.”

  She glared at him over her shoulder and pinched one of his nipples through his shirt.

  “Ow! Hey!”

  With a devilish grin on her face she sauntered out the door, an extra sway to her hips that he knew was for his benefit. He followed her into the living room. “Careful, Hannah. Keep that up, and I might not be able to keep my hands to myself after all.”

  She shot him another glance over her shoulder. “Okay. Just remember that I’ll leave if you don’t keep your promise.” After settling into the corner of the couch opposite him, which made him growl and move closer so her legs were over his lap, she gave him a thoughtful look. “I believed you earlier when you said you’re sorry. But that doesn’t erase what happened. I can’t pick up with you where we left off like it was nothing.”

  He swallowed, rubbing a hand over her shin up to her knee and back down to her ankle. “I get it. I can be patient. But I’m not willing to let you go again so soon after getting you back.”

  She stared at him a moment longer, drawing in a breath like she might respond, but instead she just nodded and turned her attention back to her book.

  Matt continued to stroke up and down her legs, contenting himself with the simple amount of contact that she allowed. He hadn’t realized how much damage his actions had done to her. The trusting, open girl that she’d once been was gone, leaving this cautious woman in her place.

  Was she this cautious with everyone? Or just with him?

  It didn’t matter. He’d do whatever it took to make her trust him again and get back to the way things had been before.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hannah took a deep breath before knocking on the door at Matt’s house. Her nerves were worse than normal, because today she wasn’t here to see Matt. She was here to model for Megan. Hannah had been over here for at least an hour or two almost every day after work since Tuesday. On Friday, Matt had come to her apartment and spent the evening. They’d had the place to themselves since Elena had gone home for the weekend.

  Things had gotten a little more heated between them, but she hadn’t let him get as close to stripping her as that first night after the club. True to his word, he backed off whenever she wanted him to, waiting for her to initiate each step, only putting his hands under her shirt when she did it to him, each of his actions mirroring hers. And there hadn’t been any dirty talk since the spanking incident on Tuesday.

  She felt conflicted about all of that. While she appreciated that he respected her boundaries, she liked it when he took control and did things to her. She’d liked it before, and that hadn’t changed. That had been part of the reason she’d been disappointed with every other sexual relationship. She wanted a guy who took charge in the bedroom. Bossiness in any other aspect of life was annoying, but in bed it was hot. Since Matt had been her first, that was what she’d expected the next time she’d had a boyfriend and hadn’t gotten it, or with anyone since. Not even bossy Derek could manage to dominate her the way she liked when they had sex. But she’d revoked Matt’s permission to treat her that way when she’d established their boundaries on Tuesday. It was up to her to let him know when it was okay to cross them again.

  The dirty talk, though. That was something new. He’d never talked to her quite like that when they’d been together before. It had shocked her, but turned her on whenever she remembered it. She found herself squirming on the doorstep thinking about it when Megan opened the door.

  “Oh my God, Hannah. You’ve been here every day this week. You don’t have to knock and wait. Sorry I didn’t answer sooner. I knew it was you and figured you’d just come in.” The animated brunette grabbed Hannah by the wrist and dragged her into the house. Megan wore a T-shirt and pair of shorts covered in paint, and her hands bore colorful smudges.

  She cast a glance back at Hannah as she led the way toward the back of the house. “Are you thirsty? Do you need to pee? Because if so, now’s the time to do both of those. I’m going to need you to hold your pose for a little while, and I’d like to get as much done as possible in the first set. Don’t worry, I’m not a slave driver, you’ll get a break if you need it, but the longer you can go without one, the better.”

  Megan ducked inside the room and came out with a plastic shopping bag, holding it out to Hannah. “Here. Find your size and change into
this. There’s a robe in there too if you want to put that on, but Chris and Matt are working out, so it’ll just be us.”

  Hannah took the bag from Megan, a little in shock from the tumble of words and the fact that she needed to change into something that might make her want to wear a robe. “Um, I, uh, what?”

  Megan gave her a look of amused indulgence. “The project is about skin tones. I need to be able to see your skin, so, no, you can’t wear your usual combo of a sweater and skinny jeans.” She pushed Hannah toward the bathroom. “Go change. You’ll be fine. Come in here when you’re ready.” With that Megan disappeared into the room across from Matt’s that she used as her painting studio.

  Hannah left her coat in the kitchen and went into the bathroom to get changed. What Megan said made sense, but she hadn’t thought about what modeling for her would entail. With the shopping bag on the closed toilet lid, Hannah looked inside. There were packages of beige material with letters on them—S, M, and L. She pulled one out and realized it was a simple bandeau bra. And there was no way the small she held in her hand would fit over her C cups. Finding a large, she tore open the package and undressed so she could slip it on. There were also several sizes of matching bikini cut panties. This was why she might want a robe. Well, this wouldn’t be the first time a girl had seen her in her underwear, and she couldn’t leave the robe on while Megan painted her, so she just pulled it out and draped it over her arm. It was a simple gray knee-length one that felt like a soft T-shirt. She might want it for afterward, or if they took a break. Her skin pebbled with goosebumps, both from nerves and the chill in the older house. She hoped that Megan’s studio was warmer.

  Leaving her clothes folded on the back of the toilet, Hannah took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door, crossing the hallway to the door of the studio in only a few steps. She pushed the door open and froze, clutching the robe and shopping bag holding the rest of the bras and panties to her chest. “Oh!”

  Megan wasn’t alone in her studio. She sat on a tall stool chatting with a guy. Not just a guy, but a guy with a completely drool-worthy body, wearing only a pair of low-slung track pants. His upper body was all chiseled muscles—broad shoulders, defined pecs, washboard abs, arms that flexed and relaxed in mesmerizing ways when he moved, under skin the color of mahogany.

  Conversation between the guy and Megan stopped when Hannah entered the room. Megan stood and ushered Hannah into the room, shutting the door behind her. “Hannah, this is Daniel. Daniel, Hannah. You guys will be posing together.”

  Daniel stepped forward and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Hannah.” His dark eyes twinkled in a face that appeared more babyish than she expected from a guy with a body like that. He had round cheeks and full lips, with scruff along his jawline. His hair was just as short, like he used clippers on his head and face equally. Though she had to admit he’d probably look even younger without the scruff, so she could understand why he’d keep it.

  Hannah dropped the shopping bag and shook his hand, still keeping the robe in front of her. “You too. Uh, Megan? You didn’t tell me I’d be posing with someone.”

  Megan looked up from where she was arranging her supplies. “What? Didn’t I? Sorry. I thought I told you it was about contrasts.” She gestured toward the two of them. “Contrast.” Megan’s gaze sharpened, taking Hannah in for the first time since she walked in the room. “Did the bra not fit? Why are you keeping the robe in front of yourself?”

  Hannah’s cheeks warmed. “No, it fits fine. I just …” She glanced from Daniel, who looked amused at her discomfort, back to Megan. “I didn’t realize it would be more than just you. I wasn’t prepared for this.”

  Megan shrugged, not seeming to take her discomfort very seriously, and turned back to arranging her paints and easel. “I’m sorry. I really thought I told you.” Rubbing her hands down her sides she came back to stand in front of Hannah and Daniel and held out a hand. “Here, I’ll take the robe to keep it out of the way. Let me see how badly the bra and panties match your skin.”

  Hannah hesitated a moment, not sure what to do, looking into Megan’s expectant face. Fuck it. She’d already promised Megan she’d model for her. She couldn’t just leave her hanging like this, not when it was already planned and she had another model here for this. That was just how she’d have to think of him. Another model. This whole thing was professional and platonic.

  She handed the robe to Megan, who took it and swept her eyes over Hannah’s body, her gaze assessing. Megan made a little face. “It’s not great, but it’ll have to do. I’m assuming you don’t want to pose nude.” Megan looked at Hannah, her dark eyes twinkling, her lips curved in an impish smile.

  Hannah grew even warmer, but figured Megan was joking. At least mostly. She shook her head. “Uh, no, thanks. I’d rather not. This is pushing it for me.”

  Megan’s grin grew wider, and she turned to Daniel. “Alright, pants off. Let’s get you two in position.”

  Daniel grinned, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. “Careful, Megan. You’re sounding a little porny with commands like that.”

  Megan narrowed her eyes at him, and Hannah blushed even more, the prickly heat spreading down her chest. “Watch it, Carter. You’re making your partner blush. While the pink is pretty, it’s not what we’re going for today, so cut it out.”

  Daniel’s grin didn’t falter while he stripped off his pants, leaving him in brown briefs that didn’t quite match his skin tone either. Neither did they hide the bulge in the front.

  When Hannah ripped her gaze from the front of his briefs, her eyes clashed with Daniel’s, who just chuckled some more.

  “Daniel!” Megan snapped. “I told you to stop embarrassing her!”

  He shrugged, completely unrepentant. Megan came over and began arranging the way they should stand. She had Daniel stand right behind Hannah, one arm around her waist holding her close so that her whole back smushed against his front. Then she had them shift their legs so that the left was in front and had them lean forward as well, so that Daniel was wrapped all around her. It felt strange being pressed so intimately against a guy she didn’t know. This was nothing like what she’d expected.

  Megan stood back, the assessing look back in her eyes as she looked them over. With a nod, she stepped back to where her easel stood, an open sketch pad on a table next to it. “Alright, are you guys comfortable? Can you hold that position for a little while?”

  Hannah nodded, and felt Daniel speak his agreement, his low voice rumbling from his chest through her back. He was taller than her, but not as tall as Matt. Her head came up to his ear, and her bottom nestled against his hips. She reached up and rubbed at a sudden itch in her nose, shifting slightly. Something twitched against her ass, and she stiffened a little in surprise, unable to help shifting again. When she felt another twitch, another wave of prickly heat rushed over her from her chest up to the top of her head.

  Megan’s head snapped up. “What the hell, Daniel? Whatever you’re doing or saying that I can’t see needs to stop. She’s blushing again.”

  “I didn’t do anything!” Daniel’s arm clamped tighter around Hannah’s middle, and he bent his head a little to whisper in her ear. “Seriously. You can’t wiggle like that. I’m not trying to molest you, but you can’t expect me to keep it down with an almost naked hot chick wiggling against it, can you? Be still, and we’ll be fine.”

  “Fucking hell. Now you’re both fidgeting. Get it together, you guys.”

  Hannah couldn’t suppress the smile that came to her face while Megan muttered to herself and started sketching. “It’s a good thing I need to get the lines down first. That gives Hannah time to quit blushing like a schoolgirl before I have to mix my colors.”

  The modeling session seemed to take forever, even though it was only two hours. They calmed down quickly, and Hannah found herself growing comfortable with Daniel’s body pressed against hers and his arm around her. Megan turned on music so they weren’t just sitting there in sil
ence. Every so often Daniel would try to start a quiet conversation with her, but Megan kept glaring at them, so he eventually stopped. Every so often Megan gave them a break to move and shake the stiffness from their muscles.

  Hannah was grateful when Megan declared that their time was up. “The guys’ll be back soon if they’re not already, and Chris and I have plans, so I need to shower and change soon. Thanks so much for your help.” She handed Hannah her robe and Daniel his track pants. “Can we schedule another session? Can you guys do next Saturday at the same time?”

  With a groan, Daniel adjusted the waistband of his pants. “How many sessions are you going to need, Megan?”

  She tilted her head and thought for a second. “Hopefully just one more. But I might need another after that. We’ll have to see how much we get done next time.”

  Sighing, he dropped his hands at his sides. “Fine.” He narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at her. “But you better be trying your best to get this done ASAP. I know how much you love looking at my body, but I’m no cheater, and you’re taken.”

  Megan laughed, slapping his hand down, and Daniel flashed that boyish smile again and gave Megan a friendly hug. “Same time next week works for me. You okay with that, Hannah?”

  “Yeah. I can do that.” Hannah had wrapped the robe around herself and, even though she’d gotten more comfortable with the modeling, she was looking forward to getting her clothes back on. “Should I leave the bra and panties here or take them home?”

  “Take them home. I’ll lose them if you try to get me to keep track of them for you. You’re lucky I thought to buy some for everyone. My original plan was nude models, but Chris told me that none of the guys would go for that, and that I’d have a hard time finding girls who weren’t already life drawing models to pose nude too.”