“You did it, Mommy!” Tabitha said proudly.
“I sure did, sweetheart.” She embraced Tabs and let the pride flow through her. It was a long ride with a lot of bikes to follow but she had made it. The rush of adrenaline prevented the exhaustion from setting in.
Hannah held onto Tabs as they made their way to the big tent on the lawn halfway up the driveway. Malinda followed and the two shared another big hug. As Hannah was pulling away, she caught a glimpse of the sexy reporter moving into the tent.
He was staring again with those dark eyes and Hannah couldn’t look away. Desire coursed through her as he ran his fingers through is hair, loosening the waves that had been matted down by the helmet. His camera bag was slung over his shoulder, camera at the ready in his hand.
As he approached, Malinda shifted her position and took up a pose with Hannah. “Say cheese, Palindrome.” Aaron’s gaze shifted to the viewfinder as he snapped picture after picture. He finished with a smile and wink before turning away and snapping pictures of other riders.
“He’s totally in to you’”
“Whatever,” was the most clever remark Hannah could come back with. His leathers clung to his very fine ass and thighs, drawing an appreciative sigh from Hannah as she bit down on her bottom lip again. Yeah, he was hot, there was no doubt about that. Her whole body went through another temperature spike before she forced herself to look away, and get caught up in the post-ride buzz under the tent.
It had been an amazing ride. It was a mostly sunny day and warm, but not too hot. There wasn’t a lot of traffic to contend with this early in May, so the riders were able to stay together without incident. Everyone talked of the ride, how much they enjoyed it, and how hungry they were. “Bring on those burgers,” one of the riders called out and everyone cheered.
Steven’s father Frank manned the large barrel grill while Donna brought out the assorted salads and chips. “What can I do to help?” Hannah asked, hoping to keep herself occupied and her mind off the sexy reporter.
“Oh, honey, you must be exhausted. Just sit down and relax,” Donna insisted.
Ok, so keeping busy with food preparations was a no-go. Hannah grabbed a water from one of the coolers and chugged it all in one go. She’d have preferred a beer, but the family agreed not to offer alcohol at the fundraising event. Hannah would have to wait until all the riders left before digging into Frank’s stash in the small refrigerator in the garage.
“That was a great ride.” Hannah jumped as Aaron stood next to her. She wasn’t accustomed to startling so easily, or locking gazes with a sexy stranger. “How are you feeling?”
Once her heart stopped racing, she managed to find a few words. “I’m exhausted but the ride was awesome. I can’t believe how many bikes turned out.”
“What was the final count?”
“One hundred and thirty two bikes. Plus we had another 52 registered passengers.”
“Do you know your tally yet? How much you raised?”
“No idea,” Hannah said, not having the mental capacity to do the math in her head. She nodded in Malinda’s direction. “Looks like L is still selling t-shirts.”
“I get why she calls you Palindrome. But why do you call her L?” Aaron asked.
“You know she’s in roller derby, right?”
“Roller derby? No. Where does she do that?”
She was a little surprised he didn’t know. Everyone who knew Malinda knew derby was a big part of her life. Of course, Hannah wasn’t sure how acquainted Aaron and Malinda were. They met at church. When Malinda found out he was a reporter, she invited him to the ride. Hannah wondered how much they had actually socialized after Rev. B was done with her Sunday sermon.
“Down in Springfield, Mass, where she lives. She’s only up here on the weekends. She’s thinking about moving back though, and joining up with the Upper Valley league. Anyway, her derby name is Ballistic Miss L. She’s always been a little crazy and her aunt nicknamed her that when we were kids. It stuck. I call her L for short. Always have.”
“And how long has she called you Palindrome?”
“Ever since our kindergarten teacher explained what a palindrome is. She used my name as an example. Malinda thought it was the coolest thing, so it stuck.”
“So you two were friends before you married Steven?”
Hannah laughed. “Yeah, Malinda and I were best friends since preschool. Steven and I didn’t get together until after high school.”
“Oh, did Malinda get the two of you together?” he asked.
“Umm, no. Actually, we snuck around for about a month.” Hannah recalled that summer after her first year of college. When she got the job at the bank, she went straight to Malinda’s house to share the good news. Malinda wasn’t home, so Steven offered to take her out to celebrate. He had reason to celebrate as well. He had just finished college and landed a job as an electrical engineer at the Mill. She always thought Steven was good looking, but had never been attracted to him – until that night. There was a spark between them and Steven confessed he always had a crush on her, but didn’t dare ask out his sister’s best friend.
“No one knew we were dating, but Malinda knows me too well. She figured it out.”
“What did you study in college?”
“Speech therapy, but I didn’t go back after my freshman year. Steven and I got married and I stayed at the bank.”
“Have you ever thought about going back?” he asked.
“Nope, not once. I really like working at the bank, especially now that I’m a loan officer. I know it probably doesn’t sound ambitious or exciting, but I feel like I’m helping people make their dreams come true, plus I love the small town feel. You know, it takes a village. It’s very rewarding.”
“Helping people achieve their dreams sounds pretty ambitious to me,” he said
The blush inspired by his warm smile started at her cheeks and traveled everywhere, inspiring a shiver down her spine. This virtual stranger’s approval of her career choice shouldn’t give her warm fuzzies, but it did.
People started filling the seats around them with plates full of food. She enjoyed talking to Aaron, was even interested to know about him, but that curiosity scared her a bit. Excusing herself instead, she set her mind to run away before getting too wrapped up in Aaron’s spell, before forgetting about her simple formula.
He stood up with her. “It was nice talking with you,” she said, dismissing herself and turning to walk away.
“You can call me Hawk if you want to. That’s what all my friends call me,” he said.
“I’d rather call you Aaron.” Disappointment spread across his face, as if she’d just shot him in the heart. “It’s just that Aaron is such a nice name,” she said, hoping she hadn’t hurt his feelings.
As his smile returned, the sexy dimple reappeared, along with an overwhelming desire to sink her teeth into it. “Oh. Umm, thanks. Yeah, Aaron works for me.”
“See you later, Aaron,” she said, on a mission to feed Tabs something healthy before she ate too many hot dogs.
She found Tabitha back in the sandbox, scooped her up, and brushed off the sand. “Let’s get some grub.”
Sensing Aaron’s eyes on her, Hannah focused on her daughter instead of the warm fuzzies firing up inside her. She hadn’t felt this kind of attraction in years, not since Steven. After losing him, she swore she would never feel again. So much for best laid plans.
Chapter 3
Hannah rested her head in Steven’s lap as the slow chirp of crickets and cascading waterfall sang a natural love song. The air was cool on her face, the moss providing a soft cushion beneath them. Her toes played in the shallow water that pooled under the waterfall. She twirled her fingers in his hair, noticing it was longer than he normally kept it, and she liked the way little waves formed at the ends of his thick locks. A smile crept across her lips when she realized he wore a purple survivor’s shirt.
She was trapped in a dream, the crickets actually ch
irping outside her open bedroom window, but she didn’t care. This was her favorite place, this mostly unconscious state, somewhere between a sound sleep and the semi-consciousness that woke her into the day. It felt real and was her only connection to Steven. They talked. They made love. It was more than a dream. It was her reality. It was one of the few places she felt comfort instead of heartbreaking loss.
When she was finished telling him about the motorcycle ride, Hannah waited for him to kiss her. His lips stretched into a smile filled with desire and anticipation. Funny how they looked more full, like they were already swollen from a passionate kiss. As he moved too slowly, she anchored the hand that had been playing with his hair around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers.
This is what I’m doing for sex, she thought as his lips pressed into hers, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more, wanted his hands on her, wanted to feel his touch. Just like she had in so many other dreams.
Somehow she knew they weren’t going to make love. This dream was different. She couldn’t quite place what was off, but even in her sub-conscious state, she knew something was amiss.
Her breath caught on a light gasp as his fingers traced along the top edge of her tank top, just above the swell of her breasts. It was such a subtle caress, one she had never felt in any of her other dreams. When their lips separated and she opened her eyes, she gasped again.
Hannah wasn’t looking at Steven. Instead, she was falling into the seductive, dark brown eyes of Aaron Hawkins.
Breathing like she’d just sprinted a marathon when she startled awake, Hannah tried to shake off the vision, the dream of Aaron Hawkins. Kissing him. Wanting his hands on her. This so went against her formula.
The crickets were a distant hum beneath her panicked breaths. She tried to focus on the cool air skating across her body, hoping it would calm her down. Hannah hadn’t awoken in a panic since Steven was sick. Back then, she often awoke in a cold sweat, terrified he had died while she slept. When she realized he was still breathing, she’d breathe a sigh of relief, subduing the panic.
Now Hannah wasn’t sure how to recover. The cool air didn’t help, so some sort of distraction was in order. It was early, just before seven. She hated getting up this early on a weekend, but maybe she could have some quiet time, or get some things done around the house before Tabitha got up.
Banana pancakes. That was a good distraction. Quiet time meant she was just going to think about that dream, about Aaron. No way could she do that.
Sliding into the soft pink slippers that waited for her feet every morning, she grabbed Steven’s UNH zip-front sweatshirt and slipped it on. As Hannah zipped the front, her fingers lingered at the top of her tank top, caressing the skin just like Aaron had in the dream. “Pancakes,” she said, dropping her hands.
On a mission to keep Aaron Hawkins out of her head, Hannah stalked out of the bedroom and turned left to where the kitchen occupied the open floor plan of her ranch style modular home.
“Good morning,” Malinda said from behind her in the living room.
Hannah jumped, banging her knee on the kitchen island.
“Wow, you’re a little jumpy this morning.”
Hannah didn’t respond, just focused on the mission. Pancakes. Banana pancakes. She pulled the box of pancake batter out of the cupboard and tried to remember where the mixing bowls were. After turning in circles, she walked around the island in the middle of the kitchen a couple times before finally opening cupboards to look for a bowl.
Malinda laughed out loud. “You know when Tabs is trying to take off a long sleeve shirt and she starts spinning in circles? The harder she tries to pull her arm out, the faster she spins. Yeah, that’s what you look like right now. You’re making me dizzy. Whatcha looking for, anyway, Han?”
She felt dizzy, but it wasn’t from spinning in circles. If only she could get that dream out of her head. “Friggin’ mixing bowl,” she mumbled, opening and closing cabinets without even looking inside.
Hannah stopped the aimless search as Malinda came into the kitchen. Her friend opened one of the lower cupboards and pulled out a mixing bowl. Yep, that was right where it should be. Right where Hannah had put it. Funny she hadn’t thought to look there.
As Malinda placed the bowl on the counter in front of Hannah, she asked, “What’s going on?” Her laughter was gone, but she was still smiling.
“Nothing’s going on. Just want to make pancakes for Tabs. I’m too tired to remember where I put things.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Malinda laughed. “You’ve lived in this house for like, centuries and have never rearranged your cupboards. You don’t just suddenly forget where the mixing bowls are. What is going on?”
She shot her friend a dirty look, but couldn’t deny Malinda had a point. Everything had its place in the kitchen and Hannah had never rearranged. She rarely introduced anything new into the kitchen-fold. When she did, it replaced something old. Hannah knew exactly where everything was, because it was precisely where it belonged. “Nothing’s going on,” she shrugged, knowing Malinda wasn’t going to let it go.
“You’re a liar. Now dish.” The command in Malinda’s voice told Hannah she was going to have to fess up.
“I had a dream. A disturbing dream.” Maybe disturbing wasn’t the best way to describe it. It did however, describe her reaction to it.
“Couldn’t be about some sexy reporter, could it?” A smirk played across Malinda’s face.
Hannah was frustrated that her friend could read her like an open book. “How the hell do you do that?”
“Hello? I’ve known you for-ev-er. It’s not like it’s one-sided; you can read me, too. So tell me about the dream.”
“Yeah, um, like I said, it was disturbing. Peel a couple bananas, will ya?” Hannah wondered how to explain dreaming about kissing Aaron Hawkins without actually explaining she was dreaming about kissing Aaron Hawkins. Not to mention, when the dream started, it was Steven but when it ended? Oh boy.
Hannah measured pancake batter into the mixing bowl and added water. Switching to auto-pilot, her hands went through the motions of mixing the batter, but her mind wasn’t focused on pancake batter at all.
Malinda started peeling bananas. “The dream, Palindrome.”
Yes, resistance was futile when it came to keeping something, anything, from Malinda. “I still dream about Steven. A lot.” This was a confession. She hadn’t told Malinda about her dreams for years. These were private moments with Steven, the only ones she got. Hannah hadn’t been willing to share, except this dream was so unlike the others.
Malinda’s expression tightened, as if she understood. Hannah figured she did. Malinda adored her brother. Hannah wouldn’t be surprised if Malinda dreamed about him, too. Not the way Hannah did, of course.
“They are pretty … sexual.”
She paused as a smug smile played across Malinda’s face. Hannah wanted to smack the total look of satisfaction off L’s face. It was as though she knew exactly where Hannah’s dream had taken a turn and was thrilled to pieces about it.
Hannah continued before she followed through with the smacking face idea. “This dream started out with Steven. We were kissing but when the kiss stopped and I opened my eyes …”
Malinda finished for her. “It wasn’t Steven.”
Hannah shook her head.
Malinda laughed.
“Don’t you think that’s a little disturbing?” Hannah asked, hoping her friend would see the horror in the dream.
“Hell no, it’s not disturbing. It’s about damn time. Now please tell me it was Hawk you were kissing.”
Hannah’s head shot up from the bowl, her glare narrowing in on Malinda as realization dawned. The smug look wasn’t just about the dream. Her friend had been scheming.
Malinda feigned an innocent look Hannah wasn’t buying. Not for a millisecond.
“Why would you think it was him?” Hannah asked.
Malinda tossed the peeled banana at Han
nah and got to work on the next one. “Hello! McFly!! I saw the way you looked at him yesterday and the way he looked at you. You’d think you were each other’s last meal. You should go for it. Make that dream a reality!”
Ok, so maybe Malinda hadn’t been scheming. Hannah couldn’t pretend she didn’t undress the sexy reporter with her eyes, or that his stare didn’t burn into her. But, she’d try. “Oh, no, I’m so not ready for that!”
“Seriously, Han, it’s time for you to find someone. Even if it’s just short term, or casual, or whatever. You need to be with someone. You need to move on.”
The same sermon, the same preacher. Well, one of many preachers. She’d heard it from her mother, and her colleagues at the bank who had tried to set her up, but Hannah was still married. She’d always be married. To Steven.
“You should probably get in the shower if you’re going to have breakfast with your parents before church.” Changing the subject was the only weapon Hannah had to fight this battle – this losing battle.
“It’s not going to work. You know I don’t back off that easy.”
Hannah sighed. “You’re alone. You don’t see me playing matchmaker for you.”
“I’m alone because I haven’t met the right person. You’re alone because you’re sleeping with a ghost. If those sexy brown eyes looked at me the way they looked at you, I’d be all over that.”
“I’m not sleeping with a ghost and I’m not just going to jump in bed with the first sexy guy who looks at me.” Maybe she could be talked into it. The prospect of having sex was a little enticing. Even more so if it was with Aaron gazing at her with those brown eyes.
“Ha! So you are attracted to him!”
“He’s attractive. That doesn’t mean I’m attracted to him.” God, how much more was she going to lie this morning? Especially when she knew Malinda wasn’t buying a word of it.
“Then explain the way you were looking at him yesterday. Explain the dream. “
“Mommy, why are you and Auntie L fighting?” Tabitha rubbed her eyes as she dragged her feet across the living room. Her tawny hair was a snarled mess in the back and full of static in the front, but she looked like an angel in her Cinderella jamas.
Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin' Anthology 2015 Page 217