A few times.
Maybe he could convince her to cancel the rest of her rental and crash with him until she returned home.
Right then, he realized he was screwed. No matter how much he pretended he didn’t want something real with Hannah, the thought of her returning to a life in Colorado made him sick to his stomach.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THE NEXT THREE days passed faster and with more bliss than Hannah could remember experiencing in the last decade. When they weren’t laughing, she and JP were at the very least smiling. Unless they were kissing. They shared many, many kisses. So many, her lips looked a little swollen.
JP claimed to love it. Any mark he left on her, whether it was the small hickey on her collarbone or the beard burn on her neck, he said he wished he could brand every part of her body. As insane as it sounded, the statement made her shiver in delight.
She’d left a few brands on him as well. That first morning, after he’d talked her into taking a shower with him, she’d nearly died when he climbed out of bed, and she saw the ten little bloody scratches she’d gouged into his backside. When she gaped at them in horror, he’d just laughed and shaken his butt around like being mauled by her was a trophy he’d proudly wear.
Okay, maybe she got it a little bit.
JP turned her into a woman she barely recognized. A woman who craved his touch, couldn’t get enough of his mouth, and looked forward to the nighttime more than any part of the day.
Not that the daylight hours weren’t amazing as well. They were. JP made everything fun, from brushing their teeth to feeding Kayla to grocery shopping. The time she spent with her niece was precious and filled her heart right alongside JP.
But the nights. Those blew her mind in a whole other way. Hours spent exploring each other culminating in earth-shaking orgasms—typically more than one for her.
She’d never been happier, and that was before she even thought about how much she loved his entire family and how they accepted her as one of their own despite her initial lies.
Only one black cloud hovered over her happy bubble and was the continued criticism from her parents. They wouldn’t budge on their stance against all things Benson and had even gone so far as to stop answering her phone calls. However, they weren’t above sending passive-aggressive texts all day every day about how she was breaking her mother’s heart, ripping the family apart, and dishonoring her sister’s memory.
Pre-JP, those texts would have sent her running home to fix every problem she could for her parents out of guilt, worry, and obligation. Now that she’d had a taste of true happiness and independence, she realized how toxic their relationship had become. Something needed to change before it dissolved completely.
All those worries were getting put on the back burner until tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. Whenever she could talk herself into dealing with it. Tonight, she and JP were headed out on a double date with Mickie and Keith.
Jagger and Ronnie offered to babysit Kayla, who had nothing more than a lingering sniffle at this point. A few moments ago, Mickie had kidnapped her under the guise of helping her get ready for their night out. She now sat on an enormous bed and waited while her friend searched for a dress she’d claimed would be perfect for Hannah to wear.
“Mickie, don’t go crazy looking for it. I can run to Target quickly and grab a dress or something.”
Behind her, Ronnie snorted.
“Ew! There is no way in hell I’m letting you wear something from Target,” Mickie called out as she rifled through one of her closets. One of her closets. The woman had more clothes than Nordstrom.
“Hannah, meet Mickie, the clothing snob,” Ronnie said with a snicker.
“I heard that, bitch!”
Hannah raised an eyebrow. This was a side of Mickie she’d yet to see.
“I meant for you to.” Ronnie yelled back. “And my whole outfit is from Target.”
“Yeah, well, you’re a lost cause. There’s still hope for Hannah.”
Frowning, Hannah glanced down at her lavender ribbed tank top and denim shorts. Her style wasn’t bad, but she certainly didn’t have the eye for fashion Mickie did. Or the budget to back it up.
“JP is going to flip his shit when he sees you in this outfit, lady. So you’re gonna suck it up and wear it. I just have to remember where I put it,” she muttered from out of sight.
“She’s not your dress-up doll, Mick,” Ronnie called back, but she was laughing. They teased each other as much as the guys did. “Better you than me, Hannah. She’s scary when she’s like this.”
“Ah-ha! Found it.” Three seconds later, Mickie emerged from the closet with a scrap of black material. “Put this on.” She thrust it at Hannah. “I only wore it once. It was too short, even for Scarlett, but it should work for you since you’re shorter.”