Two Bar Mitzvahs (No Weddings #3)(6)

He tried to press in as Hannah transferred the burgers from the grill top to a platter, but I palmed a hand on his bare chest and pushed back. I stared at the shorts barely hanging on his hips, scowling. “Put a shirt on, idiot. Show some respect.”

His eyes narrowed, but he glanced at Hannah and nodded before disappearing down the hall.

I dropped my face to her ear. “Sure you still want to come over to cook for these heathens?”

The front door opened and slammed shut, the other heathen arriving. “Holy shit!”

Hannah and I laughed at Ben’s shout. She nodded. “I love hanging with the guys. You included.”

What a lucky f*cker I was. I had a great girl who liked hanging with the guys. A girl who liked being one of the guys when the table talk turned…well, guy.

I grabbed the burger platter and brought it to the table already set with four plates, napkins, and silverware. French fries were in four small bowls at the corner of each plate. I set the burgers next to another platter piled high with toasted buns.

Ben barged into the kitchen, took one look at the table, and tackled Hannah into a bear hug. “I think I love you.”

Her brows shot up. “Only think?”

Mase returned with a faded T-shirt on. “He knows he loves you. But Cade’ll beat the shit out of him if he comes on too strong.”

I shrugged as I opened the refrigerator. “True.” I slid beer bottles between the fingers of each hand and brought four of them to the table.

Manners were lost as everyone sat and it became a free-for-all. We grabbed buns, forked burgers onto them, and loaded up with mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions.

Hannah nudged me with her elbow. “I can break away for camping Wednesday.”

I grinned. “Nice. I’ll check with Kristen, but that should be doable. Ben, can you cover for me at the bar?”

He gave a brief nod as he stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth.

Mase whined. “Who’ll feed us?”

I shot him a warning glare. “Fend for yourself. Oh, we’ll need to borrow your gear.”

He gave a tired sigh. “Fine. Pizza it is. And no problem.”

Conversation stalled the moment we bit into the burgers. I groaned. So did the guys. When I finally came up for air, I gave Hannah a hard look. “Best burger I’ve ever tasted.”

She snorted. “You’re so easy. You told me your weakness: bacon.”

Ben gave her a matter-of-fact nod as he took a pull from his beer. Then he set it down. “Everything’s better with bacon.”

Mase raised his bottle high. “Athe-f*ck-men.”

Hannah fought a smile. “So now it’s a religious experience?”

He dropped her a deadpan look. “It has been. I’ve been on my knees ever since you started cooking for us, thanking the kitchen gods. It’s like Cade and his contractor made this gourmet kitchen just for you.”

“Build it, and she will come,” I mumbled.

Hannah shot me a heated glance.

Mase tossed a fry at her. “No. No sexy shit at the table. We have to eat here.”

Ben shook his head. “Finish your food, then get the hell out of here. We’ll clean up.”

They usually did. But as I looked at my half-eaten burger and hers, I’d suddenly lost my appetite for anything but her.

Hannah and I scraped our chairs back at the same time, then I chased her down the hallway. The guys’ laughter was muted when I slammed my bedroom door shut.

She spun around, her chest heaving. The tiny purple T-shirt clung to her breasts with every sharp inhale. Her cheeks were pinked, eyes glinted with amusement.

But instead of jumping onto my bed like usual, she stood her ground between my desk and bed, waiting for me to make the first move. After our first time together last night, my bed suddenly had a greater purpose than our usual post-dinner studying.

I took a deep breath. “Before we do anything, we need to talk first.”

Her expression fell.

“No, it’s good. Well, not exactly ‘good.’ But it’s me not keeping things from you. I have to tell you what happened today.”

With that disclosure, she nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.

I sat in my desk chair and updated her on the malicious phone call, the resulting cancellation email, and my suspicions. “I plan to call Madison back. Agree to meet with her.”

Hannah’s expression remained steady, attentive. “How do you feel about that?”

“Irritated. Pissed. Determined. But oddly, relieved to get it over with. If she wants to meet me—whether or not she had anything to do with canceling our order—I’ll see what she wants. I hate getting a tetanus shot too, but it’s a necessary evil.”

She nodded but said nothing.

Worried about the whole disclose-everything idea, I frowned. “How do you feel about it?”

On a heavy sigh, she crossed her arms. “You meeting Madison? I don’t like it at all. You’ve been through hell with her. But I see why you feel you need to meet with her. Being informed is better than being left in the dark.” She shrugged one shoulder.

Yeah, she didn’t need to connect the dots for me. I got off the chair and knelt in front of her. “Hey. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be careful, Maestro. She’s only a nuisance. But she won’t be for long.” I sure as f*ck hoped. “Now, enough talk about what irritates both of us. Let’s shift the mood in here.”