Page 37 of Take the Bait
The thought clanged through her like it’d send her into a panic attack.
Tucker took care of her more than anyone ever had. Loved her quirks, obsessed over her body, and listened to her with captivation and amusement.
Not only did he clearly care about her, but he made her feel like a goddess in bed. Made her feel a boldness she’d never felt with anyone else. Made her feel like any kinks she wanted to try would be fair game—and he’d welcome anything she threw his way with open arms. It was a vulnerability—a side of herself—she’d never shared with anyone else before.
The truth was, Hanna wasafraid.She knew it, too. She could sniff out fear like a bloodhound, and she wasn’t in the habit of lying to herself. What if she let herself fall for Tucker—a thought that made her remember she’d barely known him for a month—only to be let down again?
She shook herself, and went back to watching him interact with the kids. He’d slowly been walking through instructions with them, letting each group of four work together to make the snack mix. It was an incredibly easy recipe—it required M&Ms, pretzels, animal crackers, and various other snacks that kids love to make a little mix. And the best part was it required zero cooking supplies, other than a few bowls and spoons.
Hanna went back to her desk and sat down, checking her email for any final things before the day ended. With Thanksgiving coming up, she was eager to get out of work and have some much-needed time off.
“Ms. Taylor,” Morgan approached her desk bashfully, almost whispering Hanna’s name.
Morgan was like a sour patch—sweet on the inside, but you had to get through the outside sourness first.
“What’s going on, Morgan? Don’t you want to finish your recipe?” Hanna asked, feeling her brow furrow.
“I’m sorry for being bad.” Morgan’s eyes were downcast.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay. You aren’t bad, you just said some not nice words to your classmate. It’s not me you owe an apology to; it’s Ethan.”
Morgan sighed. “Yes ma’am.”
Hanna bit back a smile. Those Alabama manners always came out with such sass from most of her class, but especially Morgan.
“Can you at least tell me if he’s your boyfriend? I bet Ali all my kiddie crunch that he was.”
Hanna dropped her head in her hands, torn between a groan of frustration and a laugh. Hell if she knew if Tucker was her boyfriend, and now she had to deal with the kids betting their food over her dating life.
“Morgan, I’m gonna tell you a secret,” Tucker’s whisper brought Hanna out of her stupor, and she looked up at him with shock. “I am Hanna’s boyfriend. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Hanna pressed her lips together as her heart pitter-pattered in her chest, thrumming against her skin. Morgan squealed in delight as she ran back to her desk.
“Told you!” She shrieked at Ali, followed by a maniacal laugh.
Hanna shook her head, pursing her lips as she brought her gaze back to Tucker.
“Boyfriend, huh?”
“I only bring girlfriends home for Thanksgiving,” he said with a wink before getting back to the kids.
Hanna jolted with panic, remembering she’d agreed to spend Thanksgiving with his family. To say she was nervous was anunderstatement. She wanted to throw up every time she thought about it.
She wasn’t the kind of girl who usually got taken home to meet the family. Usually, she wasn’t even the type of girl to make it past a first or second date.
Hanna was torn. On one hand, she desperately wanted Tucker’s family to like her—to embrace her quirks the way he had. On the other hand, part of her felt like there was no way they’d like her, so she might as well prepare for disappointment now.
She glanced at Tucker, and he beamed at her.
Her stomach dipped and she bit her lip. Damn, she was in trouble.
11
Hanna felt warm. And sated. And a tiny bit sore.
She’d brought Tucker home to her place last night after joining him for drinks at the restaurant, and he’d kept her up late with an insatiable desire to know every nook and cranny of her body.
Hanna wasn’t complaining. She stretched, taking note of small bruises scattered across her breasts, and grinned.