Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Luke's heart beat hard in his chest as he gestured for Hannah to precede him into the house. The door closed with a decisive click, and he snapped the lock into place. As soon as the sound reached Hannah’s ears, she whirled toward him, eyes wide.
Adopting the most casual position he could muster, he propped one foot on the door behind him and shoved his hands into his pockets.
She watched him warily, as if she were second-guessing her decision, and he forced himself to slow down.
She knew why they’d come back here—she’d been the one to suggest it.
But saying something and following through with it were two very different things.
He offered her a tight smile. He felt like an awkward teenager on a first date. “I can take you home if you’d like,” he said.
She bit her lip before answering, her gaze darting around the room. “No. I…”
Her words trailed off, uncertainty clouding her features. He pushed off the door and extended a hand to her. “How about we start with the grand tour?”
She glanced around the room. The ranch-style house was older but clean and cozy, and he tried to see it from her point of view.
It looked lived-in without being cluttered, and the furniture was large and comfortable.
Her perusal of the room brought her gaze back to him, and her eyes lit on his hand.
After what he was sure was an intense internal deliberation, she slipped her palm into his.
He guided her farther into the house. “Living room. There’s the kitchen and dining room.”
A short hallway broke off to the left, and he stopped in front of a doorway. “I use the spare bedroom as an office.”
Although to call it an office was kind of an overstatement. Boxes stood two-deep, stacked head-high around the perimeter of the room, and the only workspace was an equally cluttered desk, papers and paraphernalia scattered across the oak surface.
Hannah glanced inside, and her eyes widened as she let out a startled laugh. “Good lord, are you hoarding inventory for a warehouse?”
“Hey, I have a lot of stuff,” he replied.
She tipped her chin up, gray eyes sparkling. “You think? And they say women are high maintenance.”
He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “Hey, cut me some slack. I just moved in.”
“Are you kidding me? This place looks like it belongs on an episode of Hoarders!” She threw her head back in laughter, but it was cut short as he slipped a hand down to smack her bottom.
She danced away from him, retreating farther down the hall, one hand covering the stinging flesh as she pouted prettily. “Ow!”
“Serves you right.” He narrowed his eyes and slowly advanced toward her. She bit her lip and threw a quick glance over her shoulder, already taking a step backward. He lunged at her with a low growl, and her high-pitched shriek morphed into laughter as she whirled away and darted into the bedroom.
He took off after her, slowing his pace as he crossed the threshold. She stood across the room, the large king-sized bed between them. “Trapped now, beautiful.”
He rounded the foot of the bed with slow, measured steps, all the while watching Hannah’s body twitch with anticipation.
With a sudden burst of movement, he hurdled the corner of the bed and swept her into his arms. Hannah let out a squeal but managed to evade his clasping hands and scramble free.
She was almost across the bed when he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back to him.
Hannah dissolved into a fit of laughter as he rolled her to her back. One knee pressed to the mattress between her legs, he caged her in his arms. Her gray eyes met his, and her smile faded, her gaze suddenly serious and intent.
His heart raced as he stared down at her.
Her skin, though perpetually tan from the hot Florida sun, was flushed, and he traced a path over the apple of her cheeks.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and he ran the tip of one finger down the curve of her jaw and over her bottom lip.
Hannah’s chin lifted instinctively, and he brushed a kiss across the plump flesh of her mouth.
Her eyes slid open and met his as he pulled back.
Her hand lifted to cup his cheek, and he turned his chin into her palm, the bristles of his five o’clock shadow grazing her soft skin.
His body felt like it was on fire, and though he ached to be inside her, he didn’t think she was ready for that just yet.
He drew in a deep breath and forced the words past his tongue. “We should stop.”
“What if I don’t want to?” Hannah’s tongue darted out, wetting her bottom lip, and he let out a low growl.
“Doc, I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, her voice low and breathy. “Don’t.”
He met her halfway, ravaging her mouth, and her fingers deftly slipped the buttons free of their holes. The fabric hung loose at his sides, and she placed her palms on his chest, the heat of her touch searing his flesh.
He needed to hear the words. “Tell me what you want.”
The wait was agonizingly long before she finally broke the silence. “You, Luke. I…” She licked her lips and blinked up at him, eyes hooded and sultry. “I want you.”
It was almost unfathomable that she would trust him with this. His heart swelled with pride and admiration as he brushed the hair away from her face with one hand. He needed to take his time with her, make sure she enjoyed this first time because he planned on doing it more than once. A lot more.
Her body trembled, and he lifted his gaze to hers. “Nervous or… excited?”
“Both.”
The word came out on a breathy whisper, and he couldn’t help but smile. He leaned forward and dropped a soft kiss on her lips. “You’re so beautiful, Hannah. Every inch of you is absolutely perfect.”
To reinforce his words, he placed a row of gentle kisses down the column of her neck.
She was so beautiful, so perfect—and she was all his.
Desire simmered in his veins, infusing him with a power he’d never experienced before.
He felt like he’d splinter into a thousand pieces if she pulled away from him now.
“Are you sure about this? If not…”
Her fingers curled into his hair, silencing his questions as she pulled his head down for another kiss, and he gave in to sweet bliss.