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So, I did what I had to do.
Fortunately, it didn’t take Hanna even a full minute to get what she needed and return to the door. She stepped outside, locked up, and turned toward me. There was an expectant look on her face, and I knew, with just one look at it, precisely what she wanted.
It seemed I was going to have to exercise even more self-control while giving Hanna what she wanted. Truthfully, I wanted it, too, so I slipped my arm around her waist and tugged her toward me.
Her palms flew to my chest, as she tipped her head back to give me easier access to her mouth. I took advantage of that and dropped my mouth to hers. Even with the heels she was wearing, Hanna was still a couple of inches shorter than me. She could have been a whole foot shorter than me, and it wouldn’t have mattered. I’d have done anything for the opportunity to kiss her.
We kissed for a bit, but the minute Hanna moaned, I tore my mouth from hers. “We better go, or we’re not going to leave.”
Her entire expression changed, and I got a bit of the shy girl back. “Okay.”
Taking her by the hand, I led Hanna down the stairs and to my car. After opening her door for her and getting her safely inside, I rounded it and got in on mine. Then, we took off.
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot at the restaurant.
“The Ridge?” Hanna said.
I pulled into a space, parked, and glanced over at her. “Yep.”
“But this… this is extraordinary,” she noted.
Smiling at her, I insisted, “And so are you.”
Her lips parted in shock. She looked gorgeous, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss the surprise off her face.
But we had reservations, and I couldn’t guarantee that we’d make them if I leaned over to do that.
Since she remained silent, I spoke again. “I’m coming around to get you out.”
I didn’t wait for Hanna to confirm she’d heard me. I got out, made my way to her side, and helped her out. Then, I took her by the hand again and led her to the entrance of the restaurant.
Not even two minutes later, we were seated at our table, perusing the menus. Admittedly, I found it rather difficult to focus on the food I wanted to eat, because all I could manage to do was look at Hanna and think that I’d much rather have my mouth on her.
By some miracle, I managed to focus on the menu long enough to make a selection and have it ready when the waitress returned to take our order.
The moment she walked away, Hanna had my undivided attention. She seemed to be in awe.
“What’s that look for?” I asked, too curious to ignore it.
Shaking her head slightly, a smile on her face, she replied quietly, “I just feel really happy right now.”
That was good news. “I’m glad to hear that. Is there anything in particular that’s making you feel that way?”
If there was something I had done to give her that feeling, I wanted to know what it was, so I could be sure to do it over and over again.
Hanna hesitated briefly, and there was no missing the uncertainty in her expression. It worried me a bit, because it seemed my question had caused the change. If she was truly happy about something, I didn’t think that was the reaction I would have gotten.
Finally, she shared, “Well, there’s this, of course. It’s as I said to you when we arrived. This place is extraordinary. But there’s more. I don’t know. I guess I like that we’re here. Nothereas in the restaurant, buthereas in us being at a place where we’d wind up at a place like The Ridge.”
Some of the tension that had built in my body eased. “So, is it safe to assume you like where things are heading between us?”
She nodded. “It scares me, though.”
I hadn’t been expecting that, even if I probably should have, considering how timid she’d been from the very start. “Why is that?”
Shrugging, Hanna answered, “I don’t really want to get into the specifics of it, but I will say that I haven’t exactly had the best luck with good things happening to me. And something like what's happening with us or, at least, what I think is happening between us feels good. It makes me feel good.”
While I could appreciate Hanna’s need to not delve into things that she might have experienced before in her life, since they’d likely ruin the mood, I couldn’t say I wasn’t the least bit intrigued. Even still, I decided not to focus on that. Instead, I took in what she’d just shared and placed my attention on that.
