No Weddings (No Weddings #1)(62)

My throat was raw, my eyes dry. I blinked several times trying to process the lights on in my room, the laptop open with the screen dark, and the loose notes spread all around me on the bed. Maybe I’d actually fallen asleep.

A buzzing noise sounded above me, then stopped. The gears in my mind turned until my brain caught up with reality and I flew upright, scattering the nearest papers onto the floor.

The screen on my phone was illuminated for a split second longer before it went dark.

I turned it on. Three texts. All from Hannah.

I took a deep breath and clicked into my text app.

The first came in at 5:37 a.m.



Hey Cade. Sorry didn’t reply last night. Fell asleep after shower.



The second a minute later.



I missed the guys too.



The third came in with the same time stamp.



Missed you most of all . . .



I let out the breath I’d been holding. I re-read the trio of texts. By the third time, I couldn’t hold back the huge grin on my face.

And she’d sent me those three naughty little dots.





At last count, a week had seven days, a day twenty-four hours, and each hour had sixty minutes. The stretch between when I last saw Hannah until the next time I laid eyes on that beautiful woman had been the longest week of my life. It had only been four days. But those five thousand seven hundred and sixty minutes had felt like forever.

Now, I couldn’t tear my gaze from her as she stood in her entryway, looking f*cking magnificent. Her long hair hung down around her face in waves. A low-cut tank top cupped the upper swell of her breasts. Dark shredded jeans clung to her thighs. And her toes peeked out beneath the frayed denim at the hem, covered in a green polish.

My breathing grew shallow, just shy of outright panting with my tongue hanging out. “Fuck, you look edible.”

Her easy smile twisted into a smirk as she pushed a flat palm against my chest. “Back up, horny boy. You don’t get to lick the frosting tonight.”

Tonight.

I did get to lick it at some future time. That incredible point was not lost on me. I wanted to say “soon”—I was dying for it to be soon—but I knew Hannah needed my patience. And I would be patient as a rock for her.

Her brow furrowed. “You sure we can’t take my car?”

I glanced at the fastback. Bet she purred like a dream. My thoughts immediately went to Hannah’s jeans and the seam that stroked up between her legs where I couldn’t wait to be. I knew my bike sent vibrations hard enough to cause a friction there for her. But would the bass vibration of the muscle car be more intense?

On a snort, I shook my head. Wild car rides would be saved until I actually had access into those jeans. For now, I settled for the next best thing.

“No,” I growled low. My meager control around her had slowly unraveling threads. “I need you wrapped around me, even if it’s only on my bike.”

She pressed her lips together and then her tongue flicked out, wetting the lush bottom one. My eyes dropped there, staring as she bit it. Her neck flushed, and she took a deep inhale, doing wonderful things to her cleavage.

My mind raced. Intuition told me she’d guttered her thoughts as her gaze drifted down my body. I clenched my fists and released them, unable to stop myself from asking. “Whatcha thinkin’ there, Hannah?”

Her gaze flew up from my crotch. Her blush deepened, lips twisting into a smirk. “Something very naughty.” She passed me by, motioning to the bike. “Well, you getting on, or what?”

Too many retorts flew into my mind, tangling into a jumbled mess. Damn woman had short-circuited my brain.

Instead of taking our flirting dance further and risking her being uncomfortable by my ramping up the sexual innuendo, I climbed onto the bike. Over my shoulder, I muttered, “Hannah, please have mercy on me. If you don’t, I may not survive the night.”

She climbed on behind me, soft laughter ringing out in my ears. The wonderful sound calmed me back into a man more in control of his faculties, even if only by a few degrees.

As she adjusted though, I had to breathe deeply, pinching my eyes shut. Her flattened palms spread up my back, then down and around my waist, settling on my chest while her body pressed flush against me. I nearly blew a gasket, but slowly exhaled, grateful. I’d become the luckiest man alive with heaven wrapped around me.

She trusted me. Even if only with her life for this brief moment in time as we drove the twenty minutes to the bar. My heart thudded hard over the fact. After a week of not knowing which way was up in my world, her holding tight to me was an incredible start.

Although recent March nights had been unseasonably warm, there was still a slight bite to the air, and I worried for an instant whether or not she’d be warm enough. But with her pressed up so tight against me, intensifying the heat between us, I made it my personal mission to keep her plenty warm.

By the time we arrived, the front parking lot was almost full. I eased my bike into a slim space in full view of the packed front patio and cut the engine.

I helped Hannah off the bike. She removed her helmet and then looked up at me with bright eyes and a huge smile. Her cheeks were pink, and the soft waves of her hair had a windblown look, rendering her relaxed and naturally gorgeous.

She looked a little wild, in fact, and the effect knocked the wind out of me.