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She outlined the whole story, including how her mother hadn’t cared enough to want to see her after her father got out. The woman’s careless attitude made me unreasonably angry. At least my ex had removed herself from Ruby’s life from the beginning, so she’d never rejected her personally the way Hannah’s mother had done to her. I didn’t understand how any parent could do that.
“So,” she concluded, “You’ve got the wrong impression of me if you think I’m the type of flake who’s going to take off when things get hard, and I like to think I know more about single parenthood than most, even if I haven’t experienced it myself.”
I was at a loss for words. When I’d chased after her, I hadn’t imagined us having this conversation. Although, to be fair, I hadn’t known what I would say if I’d caught her.
“I misjudged you,” I said eventually. “Made a generalization. I’m sorry.” I winced. “I feel like I’m always apologizing to you. How about I try to stop doing things that require an apology?”
She laughed, the sound of it lightening my spirits. “That’s a solid plan.” To my surprise—and pleasure—she smiled. “So, where’s Ruby tonight?”
“Staying at a friend’s.”
“That’s great. She deserves a little fun.”
My heart squeezed. I loved that Hannah seemed to care about Ruby. Perhaps her big heart hadn’t been the thing that had initially drawn me to her in Wellington earlier in the year, but it certainly made it more challenging to resist her. But then, was there even any point in resisting her? She wanted me, I wanted her, and she’d made some good points tonight. Besides, we could see where this went without telling Ruby, and then share the truth if we decided to pursue a relationship seriously.
After hearing Hannah’s background, I trusted her not to do anything to hurt Ruby. After all, she’d once been in Ruby’s shoes. If she knew what it was like to be raised by a single dad, she’d be careful about not letting Ruby down. She’d also understand that I only had so much time to go around.
I smiled. We deserved to steal a little joy for ourselves.
“So do we,” I said, my nerves fizzing as I waited for her response. I moved closer to Hannah, inhaling her bubblegum scent. “Can you forgive me for being an ass?”
She placed her hands on my chest. She must have been able to feel how wildly my heart was hammering. “Only if you promise to talk to me any time you feel the urge to push me away. I know I’ve been a bit defensive, which hasn’t helped things, but we can talk our way through any problems.”
“Good.” I curved a hand around the back of her neck and rested the other on her hip. “Can I kiss you?”
She smirked, although the way her pupils dilated let me know she wasn’t immune to my nearness. “You’re asking permission this time?”
I flushed. “Yeah.”
“Good.” She grinned. “You might want to take us somewhere private. I feel like I’ve been waiting to get you naked again forever.”
I grinned. “You got it, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER6
Hannah
Warren took me to his place, because he wanted to be home in case Ruby needed him. When we arrived, I soaked up every bit of information I could glean from it. The house was a small weather board, similar to mine, but far homier inside. I didn’t see much of the living areas as we passed through, except to note that they were a little untidy and well lived in, and then Warren was leading me into his bedroom and shutting the door. I closed my eyes and inhaled. The room smelled of him, masculine with a hint of engine oil. Surprisingly, the bed was neat and there wasn’t any dirty laundry on the floor. From what I’d seen, it was the tidiest room in the house. Perhaps it was his refuge.
He turned after the door clicked shut and I pressed myself against his strong body, burying my face in his chest. It was as broad and strong as I remembered.
“Hannah,” he murmured, steering me back toward the bed. “Do you want me to make you scream again?”
I nodded eagerly, overcome by his nearness and gloriously male scent. “Yes.” My hands explored the planes of his chest and journeyed down to his waist. I grasped the bottom hem of his shirt and yanked it up. Eyes on mine, he pulled it over his head, exposing miles of sexy, tattooed skin, covered by a layer of body hair. I ran my fingers through the hair, loving how rough it felt against them. Everything about him appealed to me, from his wide shoulders to his tapered waist, the slight softness of his abdomen, and his thick thighs. I wanted to climb him like a tree. To rub myself against him shamelessly, and to roll around in his bed until I was covered in his unique scent.
I settled for pulling his head down to mine and claiming his lips. We kissed wetly. Hotly. All clashing tongues and gasped breaths. He continued to back me toward the bed, peeling his jacket off my shoulders and tossing it aside before pausing long enough to get my approval to strip off my shirt. My lips parted as he stared at my upper body in awe. His eyes were nearly black, with thin green rings around dilated pupils. I threw my shoulders back to give him a better look. My breasts were encased in a sheer pink bra, and his gaze lingered on them until my nipples formed peaks, then it dipped to follow the winding cherry blossom branches that started at the center of my torso and wrapped around my left hip.
“You are so sexy,” he muttered. “Even better than I remembered.”
While his eyes were on me, I undid the fly of my jeans and wriggled out of them, revealing the panties that matched my bra. I was a big believer in wearing things that made me feel good, and matching underwear fell into that category, regardless of whether I expected someone to see them or not. They were something I wore for myself.
Spurred into motion, Warren thrust his own jeans down. His erection tented his boxers, impressive in its length and girth. My mouth watered.
“See something you like?” he asked gruffly.
I raised my eyes to his. “You know I do.”
The smile that curved his lips was softer than I expected. “Always nice to be reminded. It’s not like I’ve seen much action since Ruby was born.”
