Page 80 of Hannah.
I feel a twinge of guilt that threatens to open up into a canyon. I have to stop it now before it becomes too much. “You’re welcome, Hannah.” I ghost my lips over hers, not letting her pull me into the full kiss she so clearly wants. A ball of anxious energy is growing in me, and there is the oddest desperation to run making my leg muscles tighten. I need an excuse. “Wait here, sleepy girl. I'll be right back.”
“Don’t go,” she protests, but I need some space, need to breathe and distract myself from the shameful memory of the other woman back at Cambridge that I’ve so thoroughly broken and how it’s warring with a feeling so vast and unfamiliar that I have for Hannah that I’m terrified it might be….
Might be…love?
“I'll be right back,” I say, pulling on my briefs before shrugging on my robe and tying it tightly. “Promise.”
Our suite smells intoxicatingly like Hannah's perfume and sex, but it's actually a relief to get a lungful of the fresh air out in the hallway. It clears my head and settles me, and by the time I make it downstairs, I’m calm. Focusing on the cool wooden floor under my bare feet and the painfully pleasant stretching of my sore muscles centers me. Okay. Okay. There is a beautiful girl upstairs in my bed waiting for me without a stitch of clothing, and I’m sure as hell not going to ruin that by having a meltdown in front of her.
I find the first house staff member I can and order a small tray of refreshments, insisting that I'll carry it up myself. I’m not sure Hannah would be too happy if a housekeeper burst into the room where she is lounging in the nude.
When I return, she’s sitting up, the sheet wrapped around her like some sort of messy toga, and she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees me. “There you are.” A rush of emotions plays over her features, mirrored in the set of her shoulders and the stiffness of her spine that gradually relaxes. Damn. She must have thought I was having regrets and running off like some asshole. An apology forms on my tongue, but before I can utter it, the tray catches her eye. “What did you bring me?”
Ah, good. Food. A subject that isn’t littered with potential landmines. “Just a little something to bring you back to life is all.” I place the tray on the mattress, decorum be damned. On it are two golden brownpain au chocolatsand two small white cups of espresso. “I know you love these, and you'll need the caffeine if you’re going to keep those pretty eyes open for the rest of the night.”
Hannah’s smile is blinding. Then she climbs across the bed and kneels next to the tray, picking up a flaky pastry and breaking it open. The smell of chocolate and butter wafts between us, and she moans.
“This is perfect,” she says and offers me the other piece. I shake my head, and she shrugs, biting into it and licking a crumb from the corner of her mouth. “Mmm.”
“I’m glad,” I say as I watch her eat, and her cheeks turn pink. “What?”
“Stop watching me, Johan. You’re making me self-conscious.” She adjusts her sheet toga, much to my disappointment. The only thing more satisfying than seeing her enjoy the food I brought might be seeing her enjoy it with her perfect breasts on full display. “I feel like I should mind my manners.”
“Never,” I assure her, sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching my long legs out. “There are no manners here, darling. You’re utterly fascinating.”
Hannah finishes the pain au chocolat and washes it down with a sip of espresso. When she’s done, she crawls across the mattress and deposits herself in my lap, her arms winding around me. “Thank you,” she whispers. “It was delicious, and you’re right, just what I needed.”
Her laugh is breathy as I wind my arm around hers, finishing off my own espresso without displacing her and waiting for the kick of caffeine to hit my veins. “Of course it was. My perception is unmatched.”
“Mhm. Arrogant as ever, I see.” She takes the cup from my hands and places it back on the tray. Then her fingers slide through the opening of the robe, her nails running along the muscles of my chest. I shudder at the contact and her nails on my skin. “So, what did you and your overinflated ego have in mind for our newfound energy?”
As much as I’d love to stay in bed with her for the rest of the night, I need to pace myself. After years of pent-up sexual frustration, it would be too easy to wear her out; she’s probably a bit sore already and won’t even realize it until she’s on her feet. As much as Hannah would probably deny it, she's new to all this and needs to go easy, and it’s my duty to take care of her.
“I thought we could explore and go a bit outside,” I tell her. “I used to love hiking through the forest as a kid; there are all sorts of ruins and secret little places to discover. But something tells me you’re not up for a hike, huh?”
Hannah looks down at her legs where they are wrapped around my waist, no doubt thinking of how they shook earlier. “Ah, no. Maybe not today.”
I massage her upper legs, both out of empathy and because I’ll take any excuse to touch her. “I suspected as much. There is a Japanese Garden nearby and a nice paved walk. How does that sound?”
“That sounds lovely.” She rests her cheek on my shoulder and remains quiet for a moment. “Can we just stay for a few more minutes, though?”
I lean back, reclining on the pillows and pulling her with me, and Hannah settles against me happily. The sheets are around her waist, and the creamy swells of her breasts push against me, her nipples brushing the fabric of the robe. My cock stirs, but I ignore it. Later. There is time for that later. Right now, I’ll bury my nose in the sweet scent of her hair and cherish the weight of her body in my arms. Hannah snuggles her face against me as I tell her, “Of course we can.”
There’s little I could deny this woman as long as it’s in my power to give it to her.
“Johan?” she asks, looking up with a hint of concern in her eyes. “Can we stop by a pharmacy? I might need to get something.”
The reality of what she’s implying hits me, and I feel like a total ass for not considering it sooner. “Oh gosh, of course,” I respond, my voice laced with regret. “I’m so sorry, Hannah, I completely forgot you might not be on the pill.”
She offers a small, understanding smile. “That’s alright; I didn’t really have time to think about it.”
I lean down and press a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry, we’ll get whatever you need.”
After the Missus has had her fill of cuddling, we quickly wash up, Hannah not wanting to get her hair wet for the second time today with a full shower. We both pull on clothes more suited to our upcoming activities. When Hannah emerges in her cozy, knitted sweater and fitted jeans, my mouth goes dry. It’s notrevealing—hell, she’s been naked in bed with me for hours now—but the outfit emphasizes her long, lean legs, and the sweater dips just low enough to give me a tantalizing hint of the shadowy valley between her breasts. Her figure, lithe and soft, would make even a bag look astounding. I can’t resist her. Not even for a second.
“You look gorgeous.” My voice is rough, and Hannah blushes. “Just gorgeous.”
“I'd tell you the same, Johan,” she responds, her half-lidded eyes raking over me. “But I’d be lying.”