Seeing the consternation and discomfort on Hannah’s face, Olivia quickly fanned herself, grinning as she said, “Oh, man. I remember the first time Mast….uh, my first husband had me do that. I came so fast, so hard I’m surprised I didn’t bounce off the bed. Just one of the benefits of being restrained.”
Hannah relaxed when Olivia made light of shaving, but at her mention of being tied, she remembered Mitch tying her hands above her head on the lounge. At the time, the first of several body consuming climaxes had diverted her attention, which left no room for panic. By the time she had recovered part of her senses, he had already freed her. Before she could question him or fret, he was tossing her in the pool then joining her. She realized now that he had kept her mentally and physically occupied in an effort to keep her from thinking about his actions too hard. Now she wondered if part of making her quick, split decision to adopt Roxy had been because she needed the diversion. She was slowly learning it didn’t pay to think too hard or too long over her escalating relationship with Mitch and her acceptance of his demands.
“Thanks, Olivia. I’d say I’ll have to pull up my big girl panties before going out tomorrow, but I won’t be wearing any!”
The three of them laughed and it felt good to Hannah. She might still have reservations about what else Mitch might expect from her tomorrow night, but she reminded herself that he hasn’t done anything yet that she hasn’t liked and responded wholeheartedly to. By the time their food arrived, the subject had switched to clothes and she was asking them where to shop for a skirt and top for her date.
“He wants me to wear a skirt,” Hannah told them. “But the only ones I have are long and plain. I don’t want him to be sorry he asked me out,” she admitted self-consciously. Mitch had never said anything about her plain dress, seemed to like her just the way she was, but if she was going to be living permanently in the modern world now, it was time she dressed accordingly.
“I think shopping for you is going to require including the big gun.” Anna sent a small, secret smile toward Olivia.
Olivia blanched, asking ruefully, “Are you sure she’s ready for that?”
Intrigued, Hannah demanded, “Ready for what? What’s the big gun?”
“Not ‘what’, but ‘who’,” Anna replied. “Brett’s wife, Kayla. Oh, there’s Donovan. My truck’s in the shop so I gotta run. He was nice enough to take time to come into town and give me a lift here so I better not keep him waiting. If Kayla’s free, why don’t we come pick you up in the morning?”
Hannah quickly agreed as the three of them walked out together. After the incident in the parking lot the last time she was here, she was glad Olivia had parked out back also. She watched as Anna jumped into the truck and her husband pulled her across the seat for a deep, prolonged kiss that darn near turned her on. “Wow,” she sighed as she and Olivia turned and headed to the rear parking lot.
“Yeah,” Olivia agreed. “Our guys, and that includes Mitch, are pretty damn potent.”
That was the second time Olivia had referred to Mitch in a possessive way making her wonder if she knew about Mitch’s potency from firsthand experience and then quickly decided there were some things she was better off not knowing.
“Who’s that?” Donovan asked as he pulled away from the curb.
“Mitch’s downfall,” Anna smirked.
“Care to elaborate?” he drawled.
“No.”
Ethan was just pulling up the next day when Hannah returned home from her shopping trip. Arms laden with packages, she struggled out of the car until he grabbed a few of them. “Thanks. How are you? I’m sorry I missed you Monday.”
“That’s okay. That storm over the weekend put me behind on a lot of my chores. I sure missed my free meal though,” he teased her with a hopeful look.
“That look is just like the one Roxy gives me when I’m getting her food ready. Don’t worry; I’ll have something for you later even though I won’t be able to join you.” Hannah dropped her bags on the sofa, Roxy’s anxious barking making her eager to get her out of her crate.
“You have a dog?” Ethan asked as he followed her down the hall to her office.
“No, I have a little demon,” Hannah snapped when she saw the way Roxy had chewed the small blanket in her crate to shreds, a piece still hanging out of her mouth as she pawed frantically at the bars. “Just a minute, baby,” she crooned despite her irritation. Opening the door, she quickly scooped her up and rushed past Ethan. “I have to get her out before I have another mess to clean up.”
Ethan followed her, grinning at the way she cuddled the puppy. “Why won’t you be here when I’m done? Do you have a hot date?” he asked in jest.
Setting Roxy down in the back yard, she returned his cheeky grin. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
Surprised, Ethan just now noticed she was wearing jeans, which made him remember all the packages. “With Mitch?” he asked, hoping he was wrong. Hannah was a nice woman and if Mitch wanted her, he should accept her as she is without trying to change her. Besides that, she wasn’t suited for Mitch for the long term and he didn’t like the idea of Mitch changing her only to dump her in a few weeks. He had found Mitch’s attraction to Hannah amusing at first, thinking a night or two of sex was what Hannah needed. But he never thought a few one-night stands would go anywhere or lead to an emotional attachment for either of them. The excitement that Hannah couldn’t contain was clearly a sign he had been wrong.
“Yes. He’s taking me out for dinner, but I’ll have a casserole for you and I’ve already made strawberry shortcake.” Hannah wondered at his frown and the way the teasing glint in his hazel eyes had turned frosty. “Something wrong?”
“No, sorry. I just didn’t think Mitch was free to go out tonight.”
Hannah refused to let his comment ruin her evening. She had wondered too, after Mitch called her a short while ago and told her he’d have to pick her up earlier because a friend needed his help later tonight. She hadn’t thought anything about his explanation until now. “He did change the time to earlier so he could go help a friend when we’re done.”
“That’s probably Colin. He owns a club called Casey’s and is occasionally shorthanded. Mitch will fill in behind the bar.” At least, he hoped that was what Mitch had to do later. If he was two-timing Hannah by leaving her bed then going to their private club above the bar, Ethan was going to have a few words to say about it. “Is that why you bought out the mall? He wanted you to wear something other than your usual clothes?”
The disapproving edge in his tone gave Hannah a warm feeling. She’s never had someone get angry on her behalf, but she couldn’t let Ethan think the change in her wardrobe was at Mitch’s insistence. “On the contrary, Ethan. He wants me t
o wear a skirt, but he never said a word about not wearing one of my usual skirts. The new clothes are my idea. Well,” she admitted dryly as she watched Roxy chase a butterfly, “mine and your sisters-in-law, especially Kayla.” Some of the things Kayla had wanted her to try on still made her cringe. Short, tight skirts in bright colors looked good on someone like Kayla who was petite and whose vibrant, outgoing personality matched her bright wardrobe and accessories. Her one concession had been the silk skirt in a geometric pattern of navy blue, canary yellow, white and black that she intended to wear tonight. That one had felt too good against her skin to resist.