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“Is he hot?” Hannah asked.
“Hey!” He swatted her ass, then pulled her into his arms, pressing her back to his front. Her ass nestled into his crotch, nearly making him groan. How fast could they get rid of Ronnie?
Giggling, she shrugged then glanced up at him. “What? It’s a valid question.”
With a snort, he wrapped his arms around her to keep her from moving. If he couldn’t get her naked, at least he could hold her. They had to get their own place. It was hard enough with Kayla around to get as much skin time with Hannah as he’d like. Throw in a sister and brother living in the same house and another across the street, and spontaneity went out the window. The few times he’d tried to get her naked in this very kitchen, they’d been interrupted within minutes.
Damned annoying siblings.
Still, they’d been able to save a ton of money, and with him working and taking classes, having so much family in the house made life a million times easier. Even if privacy was almost nonexistent.
“Hot doesn’t begin to describe him,” Ronnie said around a bit of cupcake. “Which makes it more annoying. It’s like he knows just how gorgeous he is and just how good a chef he is. And he knows we’d be lucky to have him.” With a low growl, she shook her head. “This is going to turn into him interviewing me, not me interviewing him. I just know it.”
“Yeah, you might not be the best one for that task, sis,” JP said. He dodged a chunk of flying cupcake as Hannah laughed. “What? You’re not exactly shy and demure. I’m more worried about you ripping off his balls if he pisses you off than whether or not he gets the job. Why don’t you have Mickie do it?”
“Ugh.” Ronnie’s head fell back on her shoulders. “She can’t. She and Keith are heading to Boston for the weekend for a buying trip.”
“Sorry, sis. Sucks for you. Now, if you’ll excuse us. Kayla is asleep, I finished my course work for the day, and both Hannah and I are awake. That means we should be fucking.”
“Seriously?” Ronnie threw her hands in the air. “Isn’t it about time you two get your own place so you can do your rabbit imitation whenever you want, and I don’t have to hear about it? Or hear it.”
With a playful growl, JP bit the side of Hannah’s neck. Her knees wobbled, making her sag in his arms. “Good idea, Veronica. But for now, I’m taking my woman downstairs. Grab your noise-canceling headphones.”
“JP!” Hannah said, but the reprimand sounded way too needy to be scolding.
He scooped her up damsel-in-distress style and ran them through the house, down the stairs, and into his bedroom, where he tossed her on the bed.
She landed with a bounce and a smile. “You’re crazy.”
“Crazy about you.”
“Cheesy, too.”
He winked as he tugged his shirt up and off his head. “Get naked, babe. You iced a batch of cupcakes this morning. What happened to those?”
“Um.” Her eyes fell to his chest as she wiggled out of her sleep pants.
Last month he’d added to his ink. A compass now resided over his heart. Instead of an N in the north position, an H had been inked in its place with the arrow pointing to it.
“Let me see it,” he said, breathless.
Her smile turned sly, and she ever so slowly pulled her T-shirt up. A matching tattoo had been inked above her left hip with a J for her north. The perfect symbol for their relationship. No matter what had happened over the months they’d been together, parental drama, job changes, teething, and various other stressors, they were guided to each other through it all.
Stronger and better together.
“So,” he said with a wink. “About those cupcakes?”
“Oh, um, they didn’t look right. I gave them to a neighbor.”
Sighing, he braced himself on his arms, hovering above her. “Baby, you’re going to worry yourself sick over this visit. I can promise you they don’t give a shit if the cupcakes are perfect. Or if the pillows on the couch match the curtains. Or if the house is spotless.”
She shifted her gaze away, but this time he wasn’t having it.
“Hannah, honey, look at me.”
When she met his eye, hers were shiny with unshed tears.
“Talk to me, babe.”
“I-I just want this visit to go well. I want them to be better. I want them to know you and Kayla. I want my family back.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes down to the pillow beneath her head.
It killed him that he couldn’t guarantee a positive outcome for her. But there were a few promises he could make to ease her mind before he worked the tension out of her body. “Hannah, they’ve been working their assess off to get healthy since I gave them the ultimatum. They’re dying to see you and Kayla. Their therapists have told us they feel this is the right time for a visit. Right?”
