Page 76 of Claim to Fame

“You talked to my mom,” she whispered, scratching her fingers through his beard.

“She seems nice,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“And she clearly liked you.”

“I’m nice too,” he said, nuzzling into her hair. “I can be very nice.”

She lifted his face to hers and kissed him, dissolving under the solid weight of him, the pressure of his thighs bracketing her hips, the scratch of his beard. She dug her hands into his hair and tugged the way she knew he liked, a giddy giggle bubbling up behind her lips when he groaned in response and moved a thigh between her legs, kissing her deeper. He dragged his teeth over her lower lip and pulled away, shooting her a sheepish grin.

“We should get on the road before it’s dark.”

“Just five more minutes,” she said, sliding her hands down his back.

“Five minutes isn’t enough.” He captured her hands and pressed kisses to each palm as he sat up, pulling her with him. She missed his weight instantly. “And we’ll have all night in that fancy hotel.”

Suddenly, the idea of being in a hotel with Ethan felt wrong, like taking a step backwards. She didn’t want more time with hotel-Ethan; she wanted more time with Aster Bay-Ethan.

“What if I don’t want to spend the night in a fancy hotel? What if I want another night here?”

He scratched his hand over the back of his neck, his eyes narrowing. “Your premiere is tomorrow.”

“I know,” she said, suddenly feeling like a petulant child. “I guess I’m not ready to say goodbye to this place.”

“Then don’t.”

“What?”

He took her hand between both of his, his thumbs skating over her wrist as he spoke. His eyes were soft and earnest in a way that tugged at her heart. “Come back with me after the premiere. You can film your audition tapes from here as easily as you can from New York.”

It wasn’t entirely true. In New York she had a favorite practice studio and she knew the exact right place to stand in her apartment to get the best lighting. But in Aster Bay she had a gorgeous man who loved nothing more than driving her crazy with his tongue between her legs, so it seemed like a fair trade off.

“I guess I don’t have anything Ineedto be in the City for right away,” she hedged. “And who knows how aggressive the press will be after the premiere.”

“Give them some more time to move on and stay here for a little longer.”

Hannah searched his eyes, the open, hopeful gleam making her wish she could stay forever. But that would be crazy. She had a career in New York, friends, a whole life. This time in Aster Bay was a beautiful intermission but, at some point, she’d have to return to her real life.

“Doesn’t that just prolong the inevitable?” she asked.

His lips pressed into a flat line, some of the hope fading in his eyes. “I’ll take every day I can get, Han.”

Her chest squeezed and for a moment she let herself imagine what it would be like if they had endless days. To wake each morning and fall asleep each night in his arms knowing there was no clock ticking down the hours until they’d have to admit their lives were not compatible. She didn’t need to ask him to know he’d never leave Aster Bay—his family was here—and since Rhode Island wasn’t exactly a commutable distance to Broadway, she would eventually have no choice but to leave.

But that was future-Hannah's problem.

“Okay. I’ll come back with you, as long as you promise to tell me the second you get sick of me and want me out of your hair.”

A smile split across his face and he kissed her, hard and fast. “Won’t be a problem, sweetheart, because I won’t be getting sick of you.”

Ethan climbed off the couch and disappeared around the corner into his bedroom again. Hannah flopped back and focused on the irregular pattern in the popcorn ceiling. “We should probably talk about how we’re going to introduce you,” she called.

“To who?” he shouted back from the other room.

“To the press.”

His head popped back into the living room. “Why would I need to be introduced?”

“When we walk the carpet, they’re going to ask who you are. Your name. Who we are to each other.”

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