The Wrong Mr. Right (The Queen's Cove Series #2)(82)

With Hannah, those words didn’t sound like they used to. Before her, they didn’t apply to me. They were for someone else. But when I watched her sleep beside me, my heart ached for those words. Hannah living here. Moving all her books in, them taking up space everywhere in organized piles and filling up bookcases. The thought made me smile.

Deep in my chest, something cold and sharp poked me. My summer with my aunts flashed into my head. This thing with Hannah wouldn’t last. She’d bring her light, happiness, and radiance into my home and then she’d leave, it would be over, and I’d be left with a hole in my life. Like my Aunt Bea. Like Hannah’s dad.

I swallowed. I wasn’t going to worry about it now.

I slid out of bed, careful not to wake her, and padded to the kitchen, stretching and opening the fridge.

Twenty minutes later, she wandered in with a cute, sleepy expression on her face and rumpled hair. I grinned at her from my place in front of the stove and she stepped up behind me and slipped her arms around me.

Yeah, she wasn’t leaving. Not when I could have her like this, all comfortable and sleepy and sweet.

“What are you doing?” Her mouth brushed the bare skin of my shoulder.

“Making breakfast. You want a coffee?”

She nodded and I reached for a mug.

“I can get it.” She shot me a smile and poured herself a cup before taking a seat at the kitchen island. “Let’s go surfing today.”

Hesitation twisted in me and I made a face. My gaze snagged on her forehead. I frowned at it.

“Wyatt.” She rolled her eyes.

I crossed my arms over my chest and wandered over to the living room. Out the window, the water sparkled in the early morning light.

She stepped up beside me. “We don’t have to do the big waves today. We can take it easy. I want to get out there with you.” Her eyes pleaded and her pretty mouth curled into a smile. “It’s the perfect way to start the day.”

I sighed. “I can’t say no to you.” I pulled her into my chest and we watched the water for a moment before heading back to the kitchen.

After we had eaten, we changed into our swimsuits but got distracted. We fell back into bed, reaching for each other and getting each other naked again. I couldn’t get enough of touching her. Her smooth skin, her soft curves, the way her breath hitched when I touched her nipples or squeezed her ass or scored her neck with my teeth, it drove me insane. It was everything I wanted and yet never enough. I could never have enough of her.

We hadn’t gone all the way yet. I wanted more than anything to sink my aching cock into her warm, wet core while she squeezed me the way she had squeezed my fingers each time she came, but something held me back.

She wasn’t ready.

Maybe I wasn’t ready.

Which made no sense. Sex wasn’t a big deal to me.

I guess with her, it was. It wasn’t just me in this. It was her too, and I wanted to make sure she didn’t do anything just because I wanted her to. She had to want it for herself. She had to ask for it.

We finally made it out onto the water, paddling straight to the cove we hung out in after surf lessons.

She stretched out on her board and closed her eyes. Her mouth turned up in an expression of contentment. “If I were more cynical, I might think that you wanted to fool around this morning so I wouldn’t put up a fight about no surfing.” She opened one eye at me and I grinned.

“I will always want to fool around with you, bookworm.”

We watched each other for a moment, floating there, bobbing up and down in the water, and something passed through our gazes. Something warm, languid, comfortable, and understanding. My heart tugged toward hers and I swallowed with a thick throat.

A splash nearby stole our attention and she lifted her head with a frown. We saw them at the same time.

“Oh my god.” She jerked up and her board swayed in the water, threatening to tip.

“Stay still.” My voice was calm and I reached out to take her hand. “Stay where you are and breathe.”

She gripped my hand and we watched the black fins skim through the water fifty feet away.

“Are they going to attack?”

I laughed softly. “No, they’re just curious.”

The pod of orcas swam closer and she squeezed my hand.

“I’m scared.” Her voice was a shaky whisper.

I kept my tone calm and steady for her. “They’re not going to hurt us. They’re coming to say hi.” My thumb stroked back and forth on the back of her hand. “I’ve got you.”

One of the orcas blew out a breath and Hannah inhaled sharply. My gaze swung between the orcas in the water and her astonished expression. Her eyes were wide and her mouth parted. Neither of us would forget this moment. I’d seen orcas before in the water—they migrated up to the coast every summer and the town ran whale-watching tours—but never this close, and never with someone like Hannah squeezing my hand.

After a few moments, the whales grew bored or hungry and swam away. Hannah exhaled a long breath and lay back on her board, staring at the sky.

“Holy.”

My mouth lifted in a grin. “You okay?”

“Uh huh.” She glanced at me with bright eyes and a smile grew on her pretty mouth. “That was so cool!”

I nodded at her, smiling. My chest was tight and I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she watched the surface for more.