Chapter Six
B ranch spotted Hannah perched on the bleachers. Her hair was braided back into two sections, and a baseball cap with the team’s insignia shaded her face. Her white tank top left her shoulders bare, showing more of those freckles that left him nearly dizzy with desire. He’d imagined kissing each and every one more times than was healthy. He rounded the bleachers and started up the steps. The metal creaked beneath his weight. Hannah’s head lifted, finding him quickly. When she smiled, his cock twitched in his jeans. Not exactly the place for ardent thoughts, but Hannah simply ignited something inside him.
“Thanks for the invite.” He smiled and slid onto the bleacher beside her. The metal had heated under the sun’s molten gaze, and he was thankful his bare skin wasn’t touching it. Hannah, on the other hand, was wearing shorts… Jesus, those shorts. For a moment, he could only focus on the sight of her toned, bare legs brushed with sprinkles of gold and brown.
“From what I’ve heard, Hunter Green cares little about party crashing.” A wry smile bloomed over her face. It was an expression he hadn’t seen before, and it was fucking gorgeous. Her gaze was trained on the field to where Collin tossed a ball with one of the coaches. The grin on his face was so carefree there was a prickle behind his eyelids before he could stop it.
“When it comes to the people I care about, there’s not many rules I wouldn’t break.” He held her gaze for a moment before glancing down again. “The bleachers are pretty hot. Let me grab a towel from my truck so you don’t fry.”
“I’m okay. The heat feels good.” The sharp clang of a metal bat against a tee brought their attention back to the practice. A volunteer had helped Jacob hit the ball and had taken off at a sprint, pushing his honorary nephew’s wheelchair around the field. He spotted Brynn and Ransom behind home plate and waved. Mere hours ago, he’d been modeling suits and tuxes. At the same time, Jacob made sarcastic quips on his AAC device, and the women in his life argued over the best looks for a formal Texas wedding. A whisper of a breeze skirted through the thick heat, stirring the air. Hannah’s sweet scent, like the orange Creamsicles he’d enjoyed as a kid, tickled his nose. He couldn’t help but drag the citrus and vanilla into his lungs and scoot closer on the bench so their knees were almost touching. The anticipation of such an innocent brush of skin was nearly laughable, but hell, he couldn’t wait for her to shift to feel that soft, sun-warmed skin against his.
Hannah cleared her throat. “They don’t go away.”
“What doesn’t?” He rested his elbows on his knees and turned all of his attention on Hannah.
“The freckles.” She frowned. “You’ve been staring.” In his peripheral vision, he saw another school bus pulling into the lot. The kids started cheering and clapping, excited for the opposing team to arrive. He kept his eyes trained on Hannah, though, because her tone told him whatever was going on in her head right now held weight.
He glanced down at her legs. Damn straight, he’d been staring. An ache had started within him when he laid eyes on her bare skin and then imagining those legs wrapped around his waist? He shook his head. “Those shorts are lethal, Han.” His voice was all grit. No way to hide the desire there. Not that he wanted to—he wasn’t going to hide anything from this woman, least of all how badly he wanted her. “Hard not to stare, baby.” Her cheeks flushed at the endearment. That his words could have that kind of impact on this badass flight medic did nothing to ease the tightness between his hips.
“Some people have freckles that fade with less exposure to sun. Mine are genetic. When I was younger, my parents were relentless in their pursuit of a dermatologist who could fix them.”
Something ugly burned in his chest. “Not a damn thing about you that needs fixing.”
“Glad you think so because they’re part of me. Permanent. My mother cried when the doctor said lasers and chemical peels wouldn’t lessen the appearance.” She rolled her eyes, but her mother’s lack of acceptance had to have stung. “Neither would the absence of exposure to sunlight, so the days of going to the beach or country club wrapped up like an haute couture mummy were over.”
Despite his growing dislike of her family, a bark of laughter left his lips. “See, those freckles are magic. I hate the idea of you covering them up. Ever. Someday soon, when you’re ready, I’m going to take my time kissing each one.”
“Well, that’s impossible because they cover my entire—Oh.” The peach tinge on her cheeks intensified.
Fuck, but he loved this shy side of her just as much as the take-charge woman. The air of innocence combined with deft competence was lethal. “That’s right, Han. I’m going to discover each and every one.” More people had started to arrive now that it was almost game time, erasing their earlier privacy.
“The game’s about to start.” She looked straight ahead, ignoring his comment, but if he wasn’t mistaken, her voice was breathless.
Ransom and Brynn were walking toward the bleachers, hand in hand. Behind them, Joker and Sam approached with Axe and his girlfriend, who was also Jacob’s friend Cora’s grandmother. He had noticed Cora and her parents standing by the dugout earlier. Cora and Jacob had a teenage romance happening, so she must’ve wanted to watch the game. They’d all come into their SEAL family in different ways, but that was precisely what this was. A family.
His other teammate, the oldest of their crew, Silver, volunteered on the team, as did Iron, a well-known Navy vet. Iron had been Ransom’s former teammate on an op that went sideways. A young SEAL had sacrificed himself for the rest of the team, and Iron had lost a leg trying to save him. Now, the auto body shop he owned sponsored the inclusive baseball team. Iron Auto Collision Center provided all the uniforms and equipment. Sponsoring the team wasn’t the only outreach program the tough SEAL had going. He partnered with the local vocational school to pair students with internships. Joker’s twin sister, Addison, was the only person missing in their tight-knit group. She was an anthropologist, and despite reducing her workload, a colleague had reached out with an emergency assignment. Their friends squeezed into the stands, surrounding them with chatter and laughter—effectively dissolving his earlier intimacy with Hannah.
“Heard you look good in a tux.” Joker slid across the bench and clapped him on the back.
“I might’ve been described as the perfect James Bond body double a time or two while modeling.”
“Told you any compliments would go straight to his head,” Ransom grumbled, slinging his arm around Brynn’s shoulders.
Everyone had already noticed his interest in Hannah well before he’d admitted it to himself. Now, the only person left to convince was Hannah herself. Her hands rested on her lap, and he looped his arm between her elbow, clasping one of her hands in his. Her skin was warm and fit perfectly against his palm. She glanced at him, eyes wide, but didn’t pull away.
Every so often, he’d caress the back of her hand with his thumb, fascinated by the goose bumps that immediately popped across her skin. She was incredibly responsive to his touch, and he couldn’t help but think about what her reaction might be when he explored other parts of her body. He let go of Hannah’s hand and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. Collin was up next at bat, and he trained his camera on him as he moved up to the plate. Patrons of both teams clapped and cheered as Collin swung the bat at the tee, and the ball went rolling. A volunteer on first base jumped up and down as Collin sprinted toward her, arms waving in the air. He snapped picture after picture, warmth filling his chest at the triumphant smile on the teen’s face. He turned the phone so Hannah could check out the photos.
“Those are great.” Her eyes brightened as she scanned the photos. “Can you send them to me?”
“Of course.” Their gazes met and held, the air charging between them. He’d never pressure her to give him more than she was ready for physically or emotionally, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to coax her beyond her comfort zone. He texted her the pictures and took her hand again, enjoying the feeling of being exactly where he was supposed to be. He’d never had this sense of rightness, of peace, settle over him, and he wouldn’t squander a second of it. Something vibrated against his arm, and he glanced at Hannah’s midsection.
“What do you have in the fanny pack of yours?” He grinned.
Hannah gave him a playful push and started to unzip the pack. “Nothing good.” When she removed the cell phone and glanced at the screen, her expression got tight.
“Work?” he asked. It would suck not to spend time with Hannah after the game, but at least he was available to take Collin home.
“No,” she sighed, hitting the red circle to bypass the call. “My mother.”
“Do you need to get it?” The relationship was strained, and he hated that for her.
“If I thought she had anything new to say, I might.” On the field, the teams were lining up to shake hands. Spectators were getting to their feet and making their way toward their players.
Their friends were starting to collect their belongings. “We’ll be right down,” he said. Joker and Ransom exchanged a look, and both nodded, clearing out of the space so he and Hannah could have a moment alone. “Is something wrong?”
Hannah sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. “In Agatha’s world, nothing is right.” She blinked and jammed the phone back into the pouch. “Rochelle told her I invited a guest.”
“And she’s giving you a hard time?” His mouth went dry. He’d love to know why Hannah’s parents were completely distant, yet they felt like they could control Hannah’s choices.
She straightened her shoulders. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Why, though?” He was trying to ignore the desire to pick up the phone and tear into a bunch of people he’d never met. It was going to be a challenge to keep himself in check if anyone was disrespectful to her.
“She hasn’t personally selected you from a pool of eligible bachelors, let alone dug into your personal life, criminal records, and bank accounts. I told you going would be awful. Your life is going to be under a microscope.” Her carefully controlled tone gave her away. She’d been dealing with this shit for so long she was good at masking the hurt. She put up with their actions, but she didn’t expect anyone else to.
“I’ll gladly tell them anything they want to know to keep the pressure off you.”
“You really mean that.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.
“Yeah, baby, I do. Now, let’s get something to eat with Collin and go back to your place.”
“Are you inviting yourself over again?”
“Last time, I didn’t invite myself. I just showed up.” He grinned, gave her leg a quick squeeze, and stood. Once again, he was thankful for the turn of events that left him on medical leave so he could act as a buffer between Collin, Hannah, and her over-the-top family.