Chapter 10—Hannah

I stretched my arms over my head and wiggled my toes. My body was sore, and my muscles ached in the most delicious way. I’d spent the entire night with Ryan—well, almost the entire night. When we’d heard Kennedy get home around 3 a.m., I’d snuck out of his room and into mine. I stayed there for almost an hour, just long enough for Kennedy to get settled and fall asleep; then I went back to Ryan’s room.

I rolled over onto my side. Ryan was on his back, sound asleep. I watched him for a few moments, memorizing every feature of his handsome face, the way his chest rose and fell with his rhythmic breaths. My gaze moved lower, to his nipples and down his bare chest and killer abs. He was the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on. Resisting the urge to run my hands over his naked body, I eased out of bed and slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top. I smiled, remembering the way Ryan had reacted the first time he’d seen me dressed like this.

Careful not to wake him, I tiptoed out of his room and quietly closed the door. I headed down the hall and stopped outside of Kennedy’s room. Pressing my ear to the door, I listened for any sounds that she might be awake. All I heard was the sound of my own heart beating wildly. Satisfied I was the only one up and moving around, I headed to the kitchen to get some food. A night of marathon sex made a girl hungry—and I was starving. I busied myself with making eggs and pancakes. I debated thawing a package of bacon, too, but decided against. I didn’t want to wait that long to eat.

I poured pancake mix onto the hot skillet, and then a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. “What’re you doing?” Ryan’s voice was deep and husky.

“Making breakfast.” I turned my head just enough to capture his lips in a quick kiss. “Are you hungry?”

“Nope.” He reached around me and shut off the burner.

“Hey, what did you do that for?” I reached to turn it back on when he grabbed my hand, stopping me. “Just because you’re not hungry doesn’t mean I’m not. I’m starving.”

He spun me to face him, smiling. “Did you really think you could sneak out of my bed without me noticing?” He nipped at my bottom lip, drawing it between his teeth before releasing it.

My eyes fluttered closed, and I groaned softly. “I just figured I’d better get out before Kennedy woke up.”

“She’s sound asleep.” He continued to tease my mouth with an almost kiss.

“I know.” I sighed.

“Then why aren’t we taking advantage of that?” He gave me a wicked grin, his intentions crystal clear. “You’re certainly dressed for it.” Ryan took a small step back and let his gaze roam over my body.

My skin flushed with anticipation, and my clit throbbed with need. Would I ever get enough of him? I highly doubted it, and that was fine with me. “Aren’t you going to scold me?” I teased.

He furrowed his brow, confusion playing across his face. “For what?”

“I’m not covered. I distinctly remember you telling me I’m not allowed to dress like this in front of you.” I could barely keep from smiling.

“Hmm.” He closed the distance between us, and I sucked in a breath. “You’re right. I did say that.” Slowly, he pulled the strap of my tank top down my shoulder, following the same path with his lips. “Guess I’ll just have to take it off.”

Goose bumps erupted on my arms, and lust pooled between my legs. I placed my hands on his waist to steady myself and tilted my head. As much as I loved all this attention, I wasn’t sure I could handle the teasing. I needed him, and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from screaming at him to just fuck me already.

He moved to the other strap, repeating the torturous teasing, and I shifted on my feet, clenching my thighs to ease the throbbing. It didn’t help, though. “Ryan,” I groaned.

Smiling against my collarbone, he put the strap back up. Then he grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me onto the counter. I yelped with surprise. He cut me off with a demanding kiss that I eagerly submitted to. I’d give this man anything he wanted.

“The first morning I saw you dressed like this…” He dragged his hands up my bare legs and curled his fingers around my thighs, his thumbs grazing my pussy lips. I spread my legs, granting him access. “I could see everything. Your hard nipples. Your slit.” His gaze dropped, and when he looked back up, his eyes were dark, wolfish with hunger. “All I wanted was to feel you, Hannah. To slide my cock so deep inside of you, you wouldn’t be able to stand it.”

My breath hitched. “Well.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “You did a pretty good job of doing that last night.”

Ryan grinned, clearly proud of himself. “We should go back upstairs.” His finger wiggled beneath my shorts, his thumb landing on my clit. I moaned, letting my thighs fall open even wider.

“I think—” He shoved a finger inside of me, cutting off whatever I was about to say.

“What do you think, Hannah?” He worked that finger in and out of me, stealing my ability to speak. “Would you rather have my cock up in here?” He wiggled his finger. “Hmm?”

“Yes.” The word was strangled and barely audible, but I nodded to make sure he understood what I wanted.

Slipping his finger from me, he lifted me off the counter and set me back on my feet. Ryan’s pants were bulging in the front, his erection sticking out without shame. I reached for him, wanting to tease him the same way he’d been teasing me. But before I could get my hand down his pants, Kennedy entered the kitchen.

“Shit,” I mumbled and quickly turned my back to Ryan. I turned the stove back on and resumed cooking, praying Kennedy wouldn’t question what I’d really been doing. And I hoped against hope that she hadn’t heard anything else. My face flamed with embarrassment, and my heart was lodged in my throat.

Ryan moved around me and reached for a coffee mug. I knew he was stalling, needing time for his cock to go soft before he faced his daughter.

“Morning,” Kennedy said.

“Morning,” I said, glancing at her over my shoulder. Nothing about her expression or demeanor suggested she’d overheard me and her father. Some of the tension left my body, and I focused on cooking pancakes. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Kennedy said, and there was something in her tone that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge.

“So.” Ryan finally turned around and leaned against the counter, coffee cup clutched firmly in his hand. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye—no erection. Smiling, I flipped the pancakes. “What’re your plans today?” he asked his daughter.

Kennedy shrugged and made her way toward the coffee pot. “I was thinking Hannah and I would hang out. Maybe go to the mall, get our nails done or something.”

I sucked in a breath. As much fun as it would be to hang out with Kennedy, I really wanted to stay here with Ryan. But that was going to be impossible, because if I said I didn’t want to go out, Kennedy would stay home, too.

“What do you think?” Kennedy poured herself a cup of coffee then pinned me with a questioning stare.

“Yeah, sure. Sounds fun.” I piled pancakes on a plate and handed them to her.

Ryan shot me a look I couldn’t quite decipher. What did he expect me to say? I slopped butter on the skillet and poured more batter.

“I was hoping you’d make time for your old man,” Ryan said with a laugh.

Kennedy glanced up from buttering her pancakes. “I always have time for you, Dad.” She smiled sweetly. “I was thinking we could go to dinner tonight.”

Ryan nodded, and I waited for one of them to make it clear I wasn’t invited. But neither of them made that known. I’d save them the trouble. “You two have fun. I’m going to order pizza and be lazy on the couch.”

“You know you’re always welcome to come with us,” Ryan said.

“I know.” I sliced a look at him—his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were dark and brooding. What was that all about? “But you haven’t seen Kennedy in a while, and I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on.”

He narrowed his eyes, and I knew he picked up what I was putting down. He needed to tell Kennedy about us. But then, a stray thought struck fear into me—Was there an us? Or was last night a onetime thing? We’d been too busy having sex to really talk about it, and we’d been interrupted this morning.

I blew out a breath and flipped the pancakes. Great. They were burnt. I scooped them off the skillet and dropped them in the trash.

“Guess it’s just you and me tonight, then, Dad.” Kennedy grinned and took another bite of her food.

One way or another, I was going to have to find a moment alone with Ryan and ask him what was happening with us. Although, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. What if he said last night was it, that we’d never be together again? My hands shook as I made another attempt to cook pancakes.

“I’m gonna take a shower.” Kennedy finished eating and carried her plate to the sink. “Hurry up, okay? I want to get to the mall early so I can get a pedicure, too.” She blew me a playful kiss then practically skipped out of the kitchen.

I handed Ryan a plate of pancakes, which he promptly set on the counter, completely uninterested. He snaked his arm around my waist and turned me toward him. “Ryan,” I whispered harshly. “What if Kennedy comes back?”

He silenced me with a much too short kiss, and all objections I had died on my lips. “Are you sure you won’t come to dinner with us tonight?”

I shook my head. “You need to talk to Kennedy.”

Sighing, he momentarily hung his head.

My heart sank. “You are going to tell her, aren’t you? About us? I mean, about what happened last night?” My voice trembled, and my limbs were shaking. “Is there an us?” My question was barely audible to my own ears; I had no idea how Ryan heard me. But he had.

“I want there to be,” he said, adjusting his hold on me and pulling me a little closer. “But you’re right. I do need to tell her.” With a quick kiss, he released me.

“And what if she doesn’t take it well?” I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter, mostly so I could hide how badly I was shaking.

“I don’t know.” He dragged his hands through his hair.

I nodded because I knew if I tried to talk, I’d break down into tears. Was it too much to want him to assure me that it would all be okay? Or that we’d deal with Kennedy’s reaction together, no matter what?

With a less than encouraging smile, Ryan took his plate and sat at the table. My appetite was gone, so I cleaned up my mess, fighting back tears with each passing moment. Why was it that every guy I fell for never felt the same for me? Why was I that easily disposable?