Managed Hearts (Players of Marycliff University, #3)

by Jerica MacMillan

  The doorbell sounded a little while later, and Hannah sat up, putting her books away. Matt missed the feeling of her against him, her warmth and weight comforting, but got up to answer the door, pulling his wallet out of his pocket to pay for their food. He spread out the food on the coffee table, fried rice to share, a stir fry for him—a concession to trying to keep up with the healthy eating edict since he was helping Chris train—beef teriyaki for Hannah. He got plates and glasses of water for them from the kitchen, catching Hannah popping a vegetable from his stir fry into her mouth when he came back in. She grinned at him, unrepentant.

  He shot her a mock-glare. “Careful. You might have to pay for that later.”

  “Oh?” Her cheeky grin grew wider. “And how would I do that?”

  He leaned down, catching her mouth in a kiss, his teeth sinking into her lower lip until she gasped, tasting the spices and sauce that lingered there. “Keep stealing my food, and you’ll find out.” He made sure his voice came out as a growl next to her ear, and he was rewarded with another hitch in her breathing, pink staining her neck and chest where it showed above her shirt. When he pulled back, she was still staring at him, green eyes wide and dark, her lips parted. He grinned at her, and she dropped her eyes, clearing her throat and shifting in her seat, reaching forward to dish out some food.

  Matt almost moaned when he dug into his own food. Chris was a tyrant about diet now that he was all-in for the NFL Combines. Matt had never seen his friend train harder, pushing himself to be faster, better, stronger than ever. He was in peak condition, and Matt felt like a slob next to him, so he did his best to keep up. It was hard, though, working full time and trying to fit in workouts and drills with his friend. He couldn’t do it as much as he’d like, and he felt like they were drifting apart more and more. Between his job, Chris’s rigorous training schedule, plus finishing school and how much time he spent with Megan, Matt barely got to see him.

  And he didn’t even want to get started on Lance and Abby. The traitor moved out. He’d barely seen either of them since he’d graduated in December. They’d had a little party to celebrate for him and exchange gifts, just the five of them, before they’d all gone their separate ways for Christmas. He’d felt more like an outsider than ever, even though he’d supposedly been the guest of honor, the only one not in a couple. The irony of the fact that he was the single one when he’d been the only one of the three of them to have a girlfriend before last summer was not lost on him.

  He felt like everyone was leaving him behind, moving on with their own lives, following their own dreams, and he sat home in this house that wasn’t really his, with a job that would pay the bills, but wasn’t what he’d dreamed of as a teenager, when his walls were filled with surfing posters, and he worked so he could afford to play in the ocean. But surfing for a living cost too much, and he didn’t live in the right part of the world to make it work. He hadn’t been surfing in too long. School and football kept him away from the ocean during the only season where surfing wasn’t dangerous in Washington, and the waves were big enough to be worth riding. He made time for the summer waves when he spent time at home, and it felt nice to be on a board again, but the baby waves combined with a bunch of beginners just learning to surf taking over his favorite beach just didn’t really relieve the itch.

  But he wasn’t alone here, now. Hannah was here. Thinking about surfing brought his thoughts back to her. That summer was the last one where he’d had fun surfing, teaching Hannah how to ride his board and his cock. And the way she reacted to him still, he kind of hoped she might steal more of his food. He’d love the chance to take her into his room and spank her round ass, turning it pink, feeling her get wetter from the sting. She’d liked it when he’d given her playful spanks that summer, though he hadn’t done anything like he was imagining now. No, his tastes had evolved a bit since then. He wondered if hers had too.

  He decided to test it out, and casually nudged the carton with his stir fry toward her. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow in question.

  “Are you offering me your food?”

  “Hmm?” He feigned innocence. “What? No. You know I don’t like sharing my food.”

  She chuckled. “Good. Me either.”

  They chatted while they ate, the silence that had descended while they first dug into their food lifting. Matt had ordered enough so there’d be leftovers, and when he was full he started closing up the boxes so he could stash them in the fridge. Just before he closed his box, Hannah’s fingers plucked a slice of red pepper out of the box and popped it in her mouth, mischief in her eyes when he looked up at her.

  He let out a low growl. “You’ll pay for that.”

  She giggled at him. “Sure, sure. I’ll believe it when I see it.” She stood up, carrying their plates to the kitchen. Matt came right behind her, stashing the food in the fridge, and cornering her against the counters before she could get away.

  “Naughty girl. I warned you there were consequences to stealing my food.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him, letting his other hand roam down to caress her ass, palming it before landing a sharp smack.

  She gasped in response, squirming in his grip, but her pupils grew larger, and Matt knew she was as turned on as he was. He groped her ass some more before landing another smack against her other cheek. Her body pushed against his, her hands clutching at his t-shirt over his chest. He smiled down at her, baring his teeth. “Shall I punish you, then?”

  He turned them so he was backing her toward his room. She went without resistance, almost tripping a couple of times, but he had her, making sure she wouldn’t lose her balance. Once in his room, he pushed her down to sit on his bed, turning to close the door behind them just in case. He didn’t expect his roommates home soon, but the memory of their interruption on Friday was too fresh.

  He sat next to her and patted his lap. Hannah looked at him, uncertainty written on her face. “I won’t actually hurt you, I promise. It’s just for fun.”

  She hesitated, 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 a little 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.

  Matt smiled again and captured her hand to hold behind her back. He leaned down and growled in her ear, “It’s a spanking, Hannah. It’s supposed to sting a little.” While he spoke his hand was still rubbing over her ass, then tracing the seam of her jeans down between her legs. She twitched a little like she was getting 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 how wet she was.

  “You like that? You want me to bury my fingers inside your tight pussy?” His voice was still a low growl.

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

  He pulled her up, setting her on her feet, but keeping his hands on her hips to keep her 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 just 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.”

  He felt her softening under his hands, the tension draining from her, and she dropped her hands, 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 do try anything or keep 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, then 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 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 let out the breath he was holding, continuing to stroke up and down her legs, contenting himself with that 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, and now she was cautious. He wondered if that was with everyone or just with him. He decided it didn’t matter, because he was determined to make her trust him again and get back to the way things were with them before.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Hannah took a deep breath before knocking on the door at Matt’s house. She was more nervous 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. Elena had gone home for the weekend, so they’d had the place to themselves.

  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 escalate things each time, 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 was conflicted about all of that. While she appreciated that he was respecting 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, but hadn’t gotten it. 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 really thought about what modeling for her might 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 it’s not like she could 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 a little warmer.

  Leaving her clothes neatly folded on the back of the toilet, Hannah took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door, taking the few steps to get to the studio door that stood cracked open. She pushed through and froze, instinctively clutching the robe and shopping bag holding the rest of the bras and panties to her chest. A surprised “Oh!” escaped her mouth.

  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, who stood chatting with Megan 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 a little bit of black scruff along his jaw line. His hair was equally short, like he just 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 appeared to be really looking at Hannah 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 that 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, Hannah decided with a sigh. She’d already promised Megan she’d model for her. She couldn’t just leave her hanging like this, especially since 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.