Hung Up on Hadley (Red Maple Falls, #5)

by Theresa Paolo

  Hadley felt Sarah’s forehead, and Sarah eyed her curiously. “What are you doing?”

  “You’re either sick or my brother is wearing off on you.”

  Sarah laughed. “He just showed me the importance of time away from work.”

  “You do realize the travelling is his work, right?”

  “Yes, but it’s a good balance for us. His work is my vacation. Besides with his book coming out we haven’t had much time for travel, so tonight is my vacation.”

  “Until next month when she’s in France walking around the River Seine and touring Chateau de Versailles,” Cassie emphasized it with an impressive French accent.

  Sarah smiled. “It’s a hard life, but someone has to live it.”

  Kate and Shay spotted them and waved them over.

  “I’m going to get the drinks,” Cassie said as she turned to the bar.

  Hadley and Sarah walked to the table, and Kate and Shay greeted Sarah, each taking turns resting a hand on her stomach.

  “Still feeling good?” Shay asked.

  “Feeling great, but you’ll be happy to know that Cooper is starting to act like Matt.”

  “Do tell,” Shay said, taking her glass and moving closer to the edge of her seat.

  Hadley laughed at Shay’s excitement.

  “I wanted to take an extended weekend trip somewhere tropical, but Cooper outright refused. He said it was too risky with all the mosquito borne illnesses, even though I researched it and they’re not a threat anymore in most places.”

  Shay leaned back and tilted her head. “That’s all you got?” She laughed. “That’s nothing, and honestly, I agree with Cooper. Better not risk it. But when he starts showing up at your place of work and telling you not to lift a bag of sugar, or checking the temperature of the shower water with a thermometer, then come and talk to me.”

  “Matt did not do that,” Hadley said, trying to stifle a laugh.

  “Oh, you better believe he did. Apparently, the temperature should be under a hundred degrees and even if it was ninety-nine, I wasn’t allowed to get in.”

  “You deserve a damn medal,” Kate said, patting Shay’s hand in sympathy.

  “I’ve got one… my son.” Shay smiled, the corners of her lips extending to the edges of her hazel eyes.

  Cassie came over and placed three glasses on the table. She picked up a glass and handed it to Sarah. “Club Soda for you. And a double for me.” Cassie winked. “So what are we talking about?”

  “Husbands, pregnancy…” Shay said.

  Cassie shook her head. “Nope. It’s girl’s night. We are not talking about the boys.”

  “Agreed!” Hadley said even though she couldn’t talk about her guy even if she wanted to. Nobody knew what had happened between her and Sam, and while she loved the fact that she didn’t have to share any details, she did feel out of the loop when it came to her friends and sister. She was the only one, as far as they knew, who wasn’t attached. So Cassie’s words were a welcome relief.

  “First,” Sarah said, holding up her hand, “before we take boys off the table, I want to hear about how Hadley’s date went. You never did tell us, or at least not me.”

  Hadley fidgeted with the hem of her shirt beneath the table as she tried to remember that night, but all she kept thinking about was how Sam was waiting for her when she got home. A smile tugged at the edge of her mouth, and Sarah’s eyebrow raised.

  “That good, huh?”

  Crap. Hadley forced the smile off her face and shrugged. “It was all right. He was nice, but there wasn’t that spark.”

  “Your face is telling a different story,” Cassie accused.

  “I’m just happy to be with my favorite people. It has nothing to do with…It’s been so long I don’t even remember his name.” She held up her glass, hoping to divert attention. “To girl’s night,” she said and sighed in relief when everyone cheered and clinked their glasses against hers.

  Quickly conversation turned to the Zumba classes Cassie had been taking with Terry, which had everyone rolling with laughter as Cassie went into great detail about Terry’s outfits and how she always managed to get extra close to the male instructor, even inappropriately grazing his backside a few times.

  “What does the instructor do?” Hadley asked around a giggle.

  “He switches steps and reverses direction.” Tears of laughter poured down Cassie’s face as she continued. She swiped at them before grabbing a napkin and dabbing her eyes. She settled back into her chair and the laughter slowly died.

  “My dad called,” Shay said, running a finger along the top of her glass and causing all eyes to dart in her direction.

  She had a rocky relationship with her parents. Her mother was a horrible human being who manipulated Shay for most of her life until Shay finally chose to shut her out, but in doing so she had to shut her father out, too, who despite his short comings, Shay loved dearly.

  Hadley knew how hard it was for Shay to leave her past behind her, but it was the only thing she could do to get out from under her mother’s controlling hand. If it wasn’t for Shay’s mother, Shay and Matt’s love story would have started seventeen years earlier.

  “What did he have to say?” Hadley asked.

  “He misses me and wants to meet his grandson.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him he was welcome in my home at any time but my mother wasn’t, and he won’t come unless she can, so we’re back to exactly where we were at my wedding.”

  Shay’s eyes glassed over, but she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

  “I know the things your mother did are unforgivable, but maybe you can come to a compromise,” Hadley suggested.

  “A compromise?” Shay laughed. “The woman doesn’t approve of my husband, and my son is half of him… if not more. I swear I look at that kid and wonder if I had any hand in creating him other than carrying him for nine months. He’s Matt’s spitting image, and if my mother can’t accept me and Matt then she sure as hell cannot accept Matthew.”

  “It’s different now. You guys are married and have your own family,” Cassie offered. “You proved to her that you’re not going to let her opinions affect you. Maybe now that she knows, she’ll have no choice but to accept you.”

  Kate put her glass on the table and shook her head. She pushed her strawberry blonde hair away from her eyes. “That won’t stop Cruella.”

  Sarah’s eyebrow arched. “Cruella?”

  “That’s Kate’s nickname for my mother.”

  “It’s very fitting. If you meet the woman, and god I hope you never have the misfortune, you’ll understand.”

  “She sounds like she’s left quite the impression,” Sarah said.

  Kate blew out a perturbed breath. “You have no idea.”

  While Hadley never had the pleasure to meet the infamous Mrs. Michael’s, Kate had plenty of times, and each time seemed to be as enjoyable as dunking your head in a vat of ice water.

  Sarah rested her hand on the table then her dark eyes met Shay’s. “If you want my opinion… not that you asked for it.”

  Shay nodded to Sarah to continue. “It’s always welcomed.”

  “You are in control of your life, which means you are in control of who can and can’t see your son. Speaking as a mother of a son who has family he’s never met, if they wanted to come into his life, I would have a hard time allowing it, especially since they have denied him all of his life. But your dad has never denied his grandson. I don’t know about your mother, other than what you have told me, but despite her manipulating and her boundary crossing, she seems like in that black heart of hers, she loves you.”

  “She just has a really twisted way of showing it.”

  “You haven’t spoken to her in a long time. Maybe that’s changed her a little. I mean…It couldn’t hurt to let them meet their grandson. You name the place, the time, and have complete control over it. At least then you’ll know you made an attempt and the rest wi
ll be in her hands.”

  “Maybe you’re right. What’s one meeting just to see how it goes? It doesn’t mean I have to let her back in my life, but if it goes well, it could be a step in the right direction.”

  “I’m usually against all things Cruella, but Sarah has a point. You miss your dad, we all can see that, and if the only way to see him is by seeing her, then it’s a small price to pay.”

  “I’ll have to discuss it with Matt.”

  Hadley snickered. “We all know you call the shots at the end of the day.”

  “True, but I want to make him think he’s had some say in it.”

  Everyone laughed and lifted their glasses to cheers.

  “What are we celebrating?”

  “Speak of the devil,” Shay muttered as she smiled sweetly at her husband. “Where’s my son?”

  “And mine?” Sarah asked.

  Matt smiled. “At grandma’s house.”

  Shay shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

  Matt was joined by Mason, Cooper, Caleb, and Sam. Hadley’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes landed on his. Heat coursed through her veins as she thought about his lips on hers and the way his tongue trailed against her skin.

  The guys surrounded the table, each standing behind their significant other. Sam stood just to the side of the group, and she wished he would come to her. She wanted his hands lovingly on her shoulders, the press of his lips against the top of her head as he stroked the back of her neck.

  Their girl’s night had been invaded, and now each one was paired off, leaving Hadley to sit alone, taking subtle glances at Sam.

  He tilted his head toward the bathroom, an insinuating notion in his gaze, and then disappeared behind the crowd. How was she going to get away without anyone noticing? Then she realized that a herd of elephants could trample through the room and nobody would notice, or if they did, they wouldn’t put two and two together.

  Everyone at the table had assumed she was still online dating. Nobody had known about the new developments with Sam and if anything, they would just suspect the two of them were off doing the friend thing like they had done for the past zillion years.

  Hadley laughed at something Cooper said then slipped away, signaling to Kate that she was going to the bathroom when her curious gaze landed on her. Kate nodded then turned back to her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  At the far end of the pub was a hallway that led to the bathrooms. She turned the corner, but when she didn’t see Sam she continued. Where could he be?

  Just as she was about to turn around, a hand reached out from a doorway, wrapped around her wrist, and yanked her into the dark space.

  Her palms landed hard against Sam’s chest, and he didn’t waste a second as his mouth descended on hers. The door clicked shut behind her then he gripped her face and deepened the kiss. It was a clash of teeth and tongues as they made up for their hours apart.

  She moaned into his mouth as he backed her up against a wall, a handle of a mop smacking them as they went. Hadley laughed, pushing the object out of their way as Sam trailed his lips down her neck.

  “What if we get caught?” Hadley asked, her breaths coming fast and hard as Sam pressed his erection against her. He ignored her question and pulled at her bottom lip with his mouth. A hot blast of heat ignited inside her, and she moaned her approval.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” he said, dragging a finger down her arm and sending a wave of excited chills through her body.

  His words created their own throbbing pulse of pleasure that erupted within her and shot thick spurts of liquid fire with each caress of his hands.

  He ripped the buttons of her flannel open, his head dipping to kiss the rounded curve of her breasts. Her head fell back against the wall as she held onto him, his tongue swirling across her skin, leaving behind a path of heated desire.

  “Sam,” she moaned, trying to fight the delicious assault. “This is too risky.”

  “I don’t care. I need you.”

  Words that she’d waited her whole life to hear, and now that she’d heard them, she was a prisoner to his declaration, willing to let him take whatever he needed from her.

  His hand sunk into her pants, the pad of his thumb finding her swollen nub and circling it. A cry ripped from her throat, and he pushed her into his shoulder. She bit down to muffle the noises that were spilling uncontrollably from her lips.

  He slipped between her folds, pushing a single digit into her wetness. She whimpered against his skin, digging her fingers into his shoulders. Her hips rocked against his hand, urging him deeper.

  His lips came down on hers, hard and demanding, making her forget about everything outside the door. She fumbled with his jeans as he did the same with hers. When their pants were at their ankles, he snaked his arm around her waist pulling her close before turning her around.

  He cupped her breast, kissing her neck as she placed her hands against the wall. She heard the rip of a wrapper then his hands were on her hips. He kicked her legs apart and thrust inside her. She let out a cry, and he turned her face to his mouth, devouring her with a passionate kiss.

  It was carnal and thrilling—a combination she absolutely loved. She had never desired someone so much that she was willing to risk being caught, but with Sam she couldn’t wait a second longer. She needed him inside her, needed him to stroke the raging flames of lust that burned out of control the minute her eyes met his across the table.

  It was a need so intense she didn’t know if it would ever be satiated, but with each pump of his hips, he brought her closer to the brink of release. His hand tightened on her hips as he moved with fast, insistent strokes. His other hand came up, cupping her breast and pinching her nipple between his fingers. She whimpered low in her throat as the pressure increased.

  His harsh breath brushed against her neck. “Come for me,” he said, words so inexplicably dirty they were enough to send her spiraling.

  She cried out as the last fiber of control snapped. Sam grabbed her face and kissed her hard, swallowing her moans as she plummeted into sweet oblivion. He thrust once more, plunging deep as his body shook against hers.

  They stayed like that for a moment, his chest pressed against her back, their hot breaths mixing together in the small confined space. Sam finally backed up cleaning himself up and pulling his pants back into place. Hadley followed suit.

  Sam framed her face then pressed a loving kiss to her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he said against her skin.

  “For what?”

  “Despite what you may think, that was not my original intention. I just wanted to kiss you hello, but then your hands were against my chest, and you looked at me with those big innocent eyes, and I turned into an animal.”

  If Hadley wasn’t mistaken, she saw shame flashing across his features.

  She reached up, pressing her palm to his cheek. “I’m happy you did.”

  “You deserve better than a quickie in a broom closet.”

  She loved the thought, but the truth was she didn’t care where they were; location was just a minute detail that meant absolutely nothing. “As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we are.”

  He backed her up against the wall, kissing her again, but this time it was sweet and controlled. “I don’t deserve you.”

  “I am pretty awesome.”

  He laughed, and her heart warmed at the sound. “That you are.”

  “We should head back.” She didn’t want to leave him, but she also didn’t want anyone to notice they were missing.

  “You go first.”

  She nodded and went to walk away when Sam’s hand grabbed her by the waist and yanked her back to him. He kissed her once more. “Come over tonight.”

  “For another quickie?”

  “I want to fall asleep with you in my arms, and I want to wake up the same way.”

  “I have to get up early and so do you.”

  “I don’t care.”

  The picture Sam painted
was everything Hadley wanted, and she wanted to say yes, but she couldn’t. “I can’t leave Lady by herself all night.”

  He tucked her hair behind her ear, his finger lingering on the soft curve of her lobe. “Then let me stay with you. I’ll even bring Lady a treat.”

  A smile spread wide across Hadley’s face. “How can a girl say no to that?” she asked before pressing a kiss to his lips and slipping out the door.

  Chapter 17

  Missy finally decided to take Sam up on his offer to bring her to the outlets. She picked the Saturday after Black Friday, and Sam was already regretting it. People clogged the outlets like sardines, pushing their way as they went. Each store looked like it was the scene of a small battlefield with clothes he imagined were once folded and were now tossed in discarded piles.

  “How you holding up?” Hadley asked while Missy disappeared into a dressing room for the nine hundredth time that day.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to release the tension. “I remember why I give her money for her birthday and Christmas every year and let my mom deal with taking her to spend it.”

  Hadley laughed, and god if that sound didn’t act as soothing fingers pressing into his tight tense muscles. He relaxed a little, resting against a table filled with a million different colored scarves. He held his hand out to Hadley, and when her fingers brushed his palm, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.

  She felt good in his arms, like she was always meant to be there. Her head rubbed against his chest before she pulled back. “Missy might see us.”

  “The last time she went into the dressing room, she was in there for twenty minutes.”

  He pulled her back to him, nestling his head into the crook of her neck and kissing the soft creamy skin. It didn’t matter where they were or what time of day it was, he always wanted her. He had no idea how he had been blind to her for so long, but now that his eyes were opened to the perfection that was Hadley, he never wanted to close them.

  “Okay,” Hadley said, pulling away and pressing a hand against his chest as though she needed the physical barrier to keep them apart. “That’s enough, Casanova.”