Leave Me Breathless

Keen to put her mind at rest, I lean over the counter and take her hand in both of mine. ‘Last night was the best thing that’s happened to me since Alex came into my life.’ Bringing her hand to my mouth, I kiss her knuckles, and she deflates. Last night was earth moving, and I suspect it might be life changing for me, too. I want to see her again. But I already knew that before I took her to bed. Before I kissed her. Before I made love to her. Not once in my thirty-nine years have I ever thought that about a woman. There was always something missing. There were no game changers. No . . . eruptions in my chest. I inwardly smile. I want more of this feeling of sweet contentment.

Dropping Hannah’s hand, I round the counter, and she turns on her stool to face me. I put myself between her thighs and take her arms, directing them around my waist. She looks up at me as I slide my fingers into her hair, bringing my nose down to hers.

‘Stake your claim,’ I whisper. Her smile blinds me, and she uses the footrest to launch herself up my body, wrapping all her limbs around me and slamming her mouth against mine. Stake her claim she does, kissing me with a hardness and passion that I’ve never experienced before. I shift us so my arse rests against the counter, steadying me, as Hannah eats me alive and I try to keep up.

‘That’ll fucking do,’ I mumble, holding her close, and she giggles, the sound so damn sweet. I’m forced to take her hair and gently pull to get her attention. Withdrawing a little, she finds my eyes, and we spend the next few minutes just looking at each other, her hands slowly moving across my bare shoulders, mine through her hair.

This exquisite, sweet woman in my arms, no matter how happy she looks in this moment, is carrying pain. I saw it last night. Heard it in her words. She’s been hurt. I hope she lets me ease that pain. Maybe I already am.

‘I think nearly killing you could turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.’ Fucking hell, what has she done to me? A few encounters and one night with this woman have derailed everything. And I couldn’t care less, because here now, with her in my arms and a million memories from last night, I’ve never felt so sure about anything in my life. I have to see how this grows.

She nibbles on the end of my nose. ‘It’s definitely the best thing that’s happened to me.’

I’m glad we’re clear. ‘Your ice cream is melting.’ I tap her bottom to release her legs from around my waist, and I lower her to the stool, reaching to my neck to pry her hands away. Pulling my own plate over, I drag another stool across and sit beside her. ‘Eat,’ I order gently, spearing a piece of pancake and swirling it through some ice cream before holding it out to her. She opens her mouth and takes it, then mimics me, feeding me some of her breakfast. And that’s how we go until both of our plates are clean.

‘Your breakfast was very good,’ I say as I gather the crockery and load it into the dishwasher.

‘So was yours.’ She slips down off the stool and wanders to the open door, looking outside. ‘Is there much damage?’

‘Only a few fallen branches.’ I pass her and take the steps down to the lawn, collecting a few and throwing them onto the woodpile. When I look up, Hannah has found her way to the outside shower and is peeking over the top. She’s on her tippy-toes. My shirt has ridden up her arse. ‘Oh boy,’ I more or less groan, reaching for the front of my sweats to restrain my wayward dick. My eyes are glued to the cheeks of her bottom, my mind off on a tangent. She clearly wants to try the shower, and I really want to try her again.

Two birds, one stone, Ryan.

I slip my thumbs into the waistband of my sweats and push them down my legs, kicking them off. And then I’m moving toward her, eyeing that arse like it’s my prey. She stills when I reach her, lowering from her toes. The shirt drops. Her arse is gone. ‘Arms up,’ I order, and they immediately rise. I take the hem of my shirt and pull it up and off, discarding it on the floor. She turns around before I can command it. Hooking one arm around her waist, I lift her and walk us into the shower, flicking it on as I do. The water is freezing when it hits us, and she gasps, huddling closer. ‘Give it a few seconds and it’ll be hot,’ I say, nudging her face from my neck. I push her back into the wooden paneling and hold her in place with my front, pushing her arms up. ‘Until then, I get to keep you warm.’