Page 60 of Safe With Me
Yeah, well, you elbowed me like five times. I exhaled hard, not sure if the nerves jerking in my gut were reaction to her touching me or toI love yourattling around in my brain. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey.” She lifted to an elbow beside me and cradled my jaw with her fingers. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I dropped my hands and turned to look at her. Concern dimmed the gold in her eyes. “I’m good.”
Mouth pursed and with a little pensive frown between her brows, she traced a heart on my belly. “I’m glad you stayed.”
I couldn't breathe. “Me, too.”
She leaned in to kiss me then rolled away. “I need coffee.”
Pushing up on my elbows, I watched her slip a silky robe over that pretty body. Something was wrong with me, that I’d woken up naked with the sweetest, most gorgeous woman, and I couldn’t get my head straight. Freaking trauma because I bet normal guys didn’t struggle like this. I needed to ask Trace what that was like. Fuck, it made me sad because it made me wonder who I would have been if Mama and Daddy hadn’t gone. Maybe that guy would have recognized Hannah for who she was at the beginning. He’d have cherished her and not fucked up everything. Maybe he wouldn’t be a gutless coward, scared to feel everything real for her.
She needed coffee, and I needed time and space to think.
My phone buzzed somewhere on the floor, and I swung my feet over the side of the bed to grab my jeans. Pulling it out of my pocket, I squinted at Jase’s text.
Skipping church this morning. Let’s have breakfast
I shot a glance toward the hall, the sounds of Hannah puttering about in the kitchen and the aroma of fresh coffee flowing back to the bedroom. Dropping the phone on the bed, I tugged on my jeans, swept up my shirt and other shit. Phone in hand, I stalked to the kitchen to hover in the doorway.
“Hey.” I clutched the door frame with my free hand. “You care if I go have breakfast with Jase?”
Hannah half-turned to frown at me over the rim of her mug. “Why would I care? I don’t own you.”
Ouch. Well, yeah, she did, even if she didn’t want to. “You know what I mean.”
It was possible she wanted me around. I’d worked all day yesterday, and it was Sunday. She wasn’t going to church, but we’d spent last Sunday together.
“You know what I mean, too.” She rolled her eyes and took another sip, pleasure suffusing her face. “Just because we’re . . .whatever we are . . . doesn’t mean we have to be joined at the hip.”
“I get that, but I should check, right?”
Her expression softened. “I appreciate you checking. Now go hang out with Jase.”
I tugged my shirt over my head and stepped in to kiss her. “I’ll text you later.”
“Great.” Planting her hand in the middle of my chest, she pushed me toward the front door. “Go.”
Torn between relief and affront, I tugged on my shoes and headed for my truck even though the diner was close enough I could have walked. Jase had beaten me there – he had to have texted me from the diner itself.
“You didn’t drive here from the farm,” he said as I approached. “Not that fast.”
“You’re a sneaky dog.” I dropped into the booth across from him. “We had lunch twice last week and you never said a word about her.”
“Wasn’t sure she would come with me with a group.” He shrugged. “Didn’t want to jinx it.”
I jerked a nod as Meg swanned up to fill our coffee cups. She fixed us with her normal no-nonsense expression and waved the carafe between us. “Your usual, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grabbed the menu in front of Jase, layered it with mine, and tucked them behind the napkin holder.
Jase scowled as she walked away. “What if I wanted something different?”
“Yeah, right.” I scoffed while he stirred a teaspoon of sugar into his coffee. “What the hell, man? When did she get on your radar?”
“Seen her a couple of times at the Ford place when I took my truck in for servicing. We, um, we hooked up after I ran into her at the Cue Club.” He shrugged, a sheepish grin playing about his mouth. “I like her.”
“That’s good.” And it was.
