Kyle cupped the back of her neck with both hands and looked into her eyes. “You okay?”

God, the way he touched her, the way he cradled her neck and head, got to her. She didn’t need that careful of a touch. She was feeling great. Endorphins for the win. And some of it was relief as well. Relief that she could have hot sex and her neck wouldn’t seize up. And just pure happiness over being with Kyle again.

But Kyle’s hands on her like that felt incredible. Just his hands on her neck. It wasn’t sexual, but it was as intimate a touch as any other. And it hit her that they hadn’t really taken care of one another before. They’d been partners in taking care of everyone else.

He’d helped her with chemistry and she’d helped him with geometry. He’d called her every night when she’d been sick with mono, but their conversations were mostly about the things he needed to do to take over the plans for the student council dinner she’d been putting together. She’d held his hand during his grandfather’s funeral, but he’d been more worried about his grandma and mom than himself. Hannah had ended up helping to clean the kitchen at Ruby’s house after the visitors all left while Kyle went through the sympathy cards with his family. And that’s how they’d both liked things. They liked being the caretakers and having the other to help them out.

But it had been rare that they’d focused their energy just on each other.

And now, in these few minutes, she already knew that if Kyle would make her one of the people he took care of, she’d never want to leave.

That wasn’t fair, of course. He’d fallen in love with her because she was a partner, someone who would be beside him, not because he needed anyone else to take care of. In fact, that was the last thing he needed.

She did wonder, though, who was taking care of him. He had lots of people who loved him and who would do anything for him. But she knew he didn’t ask them. Or let them. He was the doer.

So, it couldn’t last; it could only be a brief, stolen period of time where they both let go of their previous roles and ideas. But she was selfish enough to steal that period of time.

“Play hooky with me,” she said, grasping his wrists where he held on to her.

“What?”

“Play hooky with me,” she repeated. “Blow off the things you think you need to do today and just stay naked with me the rest of the day and night.”

His pupils dilated, but he said, “Your mom will be home at seven.”

“How do you know that?” Hannah asked. He was right, but she was surprised he knew.

“It’s the third week of the month,” he said with a shrug. “So she works seven to seven this week.”

Well, of course he would know that. She shook her head. “So we won’t stay here. Let’s go…to Omaha. We’ll get a fancy hotel room and room service.”

“I can’t go to Omaha,” he said. “I need to stay close.”

Damn. She should have expected that. She’d seriously consider kidnapping him to Hawaii or something, but she knew that would be a little too spontaneous. “Then let’s go camp out at the river,” she said. “We’ll have sex under the stars.”

He swallowed. “The windows.”

“They’ll still be dirty in a couple of days, we can do them then.”

She wasn’t sure why she felt so desperate that this had to happen now, but there was something here she wanted to grab on to. She wanted his full focus, his full attention. In the past, she’d been as guilty as he was of multitasking no matter what they were doing. Making to-do lists while watching a movie. Planning some big family barbecue while they were sitting on that swing in her grandmother’s backyard. They’d always been on the go.

Now she wanted…just him. She was jealous of all the things and people that got his attention and time and energy. She’d never felt that way before. She’d been giving all of hers away too. But now she needed him, with just her, for as long as she could have him. Which wouldn’t be long, she knew. It wouldn’t last. Couldn’t. That was who Kyle was, and as much as she wanted him to relax and have fun too, she knew he would never be able to fully let go of all of his responsibilities and schedules.

But maybe for one night. Tonight. Maybe she could have him all to herself.

“Please,” she said, moving in closer and contemplating for about one second if she was actually willing to use his concern for her to get her way. Then his gaze dropped to her mouth, and a ribbon of heat curled through her and she decided that yes, she was willing to do that. She could feel bad about it tomorrow while she was washing windows.

“I’m so relieved, so happy, that the sex worked,” she told him. “And now, I just want more. More of you. Everything you can give me.” Okay, there, she was giving him something to take care of. That would surely work. “We could just go back to your room at Ty’s, turn off our phones, and hide out together.”

He pulled in a deep breath and moved a hand to cup her cheek. “No.”

Her heart plummeted.

“Not Ty’s,” he said. “But I know the perfect place.”

For a millisecond, she thought her heart had stopped, but then it kicked against her chest, and she took a huge breath. Oh my God, he’d said yes. He was going to escape the world with her for one night.

She stepped to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. One hand dropped to her ass and he pressed her close.

“Thank you,” she whispered against his mouth. “I just need you tonight.”

“I’m all yours,” he answered gruffly.

She pulled back to look into his eyes. “You promise?”

He nodded. “I do.”

She stepped back. “I get it’s a big deal to just disappear,” she told him. She did need him to know that she understood his effort here. “I’ll call Derek and give him my cell. If there are any emergencies, he’ll know and can get ahold of you.”

“I really have to turn my phone off?” Kyle looked a little panicked at the idea.

She smiled. “Only my grandmother, my parents, Kade, and now Derek have my number. So we know if it rings, it’s important. Whereas, if yours rings, it could be any one of about five hundred people.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“If there are any issues you need to be aware of, Derek or my family will let you know.”

He took a breath. “Okay.”

She kissed him one more time, then said, “I promise this will be good.”

He cupped her face. “I know it will.”

And her heart skittered again.

“But,” he added.

Crud, she didn’t want any buts tonight.

“Our clothes aren’t dry yet.”

“Oh.” She glanced at the dryer. “True.”

“So, how about this… I go do some of the windows while we wait for them to dry. When they’re done, we’ll head out. Then it’s you and me and no work for the rest of the night.”

Hannah shook her head. “I should have known you’d find a way to get some more work done first.” But she said it with affection. He was such a great guy. A great guy who needed to have more fun in his life, but definitely a great guy.

“You pack us a picnic, maybe grab some pillows and sleeping bags, and maybe some candles, okay?” he asked.

She liked the sound of all of that. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.” He gave her a grin, and it hit her hard that she would happily look at that grin for the rest of her life. Kyle wasn’t big into surprises—giving or getting—so this was a huge deal.

“Okay,” she said, returning his smile. “I’m game.”

“And do you think your dad has some shorts I could borrow?” he asked, looking down at the towel he wore.

She reached out and hooked a finger in the top of the towel and tugged. But he caught her wrist—and the towel—before she got it undone. “Don’t start something you can’t finish right now,” he told her huskily. “I’ll put you back up on this dryer.”

She wanted that. Even more than she would have expected. “I’m not arguing.”

“Well, now you’ve got this new idea in my head. I think I’d rather have you all to myself with no risk of interruption,” he told her. “Because I’d really rather you just stay naked until sometime tomorrow morning.” He leaned in and put his lips against hers. “Sometime late tomorrow morning.”

She was even going to get him to sleep in and go in late to work? She nodded. “Okay. Yes. Hurry with the windows.”

“I might not even clean every corner.”

She mock gasped. “You? Kyle Ames?”

“I know. This is what you do to me.”

She grinned, then pointed behind him. “There’s clean laundry right there. Probably some shorts of Dad’s in there.”

He dug through the laundry basket and pulled out a pair of workout shorts. “These will do.”

She didn’t even bother to try looking like she wasn’t watching as he dropped the towel and pulled the shorts on.

“Hannah,” he said, his voice low.

She let her eyes travel slowly up his torso to his face. “Yeah?”

“Do you think your mom has any chocolate syrup in the fridge?”

“Probably.”

“Be sure to pack that too.”

She lifted a brow. “Yeah?” They had never used chocolate or whipped cream or anything like that during sex before. And suddenly that seemed like a damned shame.

“Definitely.”

“Got it.”

She watched him turn and head out the back door to the garage where the window-washing supplies supposedly were. She didn’t feel bad putting the chore off. Her father had clearly made it up as an excuse to put her and Kyle together while he and Alice were out of town. And knowing Kyle, he’d sneak back over here in the night after she fell asleep and do it by flashlight.

Of course, that depended on where he was taking her. A little shiver of excitement danced through her, and she spun toward the kitchen. A romantic picnic, pillows and sleeping bags, and candles. Check, check, and check.

She found a small cooler on the back porch and filled it with cheese and crackers, some sliced ham, fruit, and the chocolate sauce her dad no doubt used on ice cream. She’d have to replace that before he noticed—and hopefully he would be too full from dinner with Alice to want ice cream tonight—because she wasn’t going to explain why she’d taken that. She also added a couple of bottled waters, a couple of sodas, and two of her mother’s wine coolers. Her mom and dad weren’t fancy and didn’t have expensive tastes. They were salt-of-the-earth people and, frankly, when it came right down to it, it wasn’t the champagne that made a romantic evening romantic. She knew Kyle wouldn’t care at all that they had ham instead of caviar and the chocolate syrup was an off-brand. And she loved him for that.

Hannah froze with a wine cooler in hand.

She loved Kyle for being down-to-earth and appreciating the important things in life.

Her loving him wasn’t really a shock. She’d always loved him. But she realized in that moment that she’d been full of shit for about three years now.

She was not happier in Seattle, where she’d been exposed to new things and had to get out of her comfort zone. Sure, that was great. She’d grown up, learned some things, experienced some things that she would never forget and that she was grateful for. But she wanted to be in her comfort zone. Maybe that wasn’t liberated or evolved or worldly or whatever. But one of the things she’d learned was that comfort was valuable and easily taken for granted. And she wanted it in her life. She wanted things to be simple and straightforward. She wanted things to depend on. She wanted to know that, no matter what else happened, tomorrow and the next day and the day after that would be full of family dinners and laughing with neighbors and holiday celebrations and falling asleep in the arms of someone who loved her and would take care of her.

Hannah felt tears gathering, and she blinked rapidly as she stored the last bottle and shut the cooler.

The cooler that she would love to borrow again and again when she and Kyle made plans to head to the river or out on a road trip. They could, of course, buy their own cooler, but it would be fun to stop over and see her parents and have her mom insist they take stuff for sandwiches too. And then when they dropped the cooler off again, they could give her mom and dad a bunch of the extra stuff she and Kyle had picked up at the roadside produce stand they would find…

She heard a thump against the side of the house and it pulled her thoughts from that crazy daydream.

But this whole thing—doing laundry and washing windows and raiding the fridge at her mom and dad’s—just seemed so damned…awesome.

Okay, so maybe she was going to have a hard time going back to Seattle. Kyle would love that. That had been his goal all along. To make leaving the hardest thing she’d ever done.

But there was something in how he looked at her. And how he touched her. And how he was willing to run away with her tonight—at least a little—that made her think maybe she wasn’t the only one with a change of heart. Literally.

She needed to get that man to wherever their hideaway was.

Now.

* * *

Kyle looked over as the back door banged shut.

And dropped the hose.

Hannah had come out of the house to help. Apparently. And her clothes weren’t dry yet. Apparently. Or she was just trying to drive him crazy. And she’d been rummaging through the dresser in her old bedroom. Apparently.

“I didn’t know you actually had bikinis,” he told her, crossing the grass quickly.

“I only wore them to lay out in the backyard,” she said as he got close enough to practically stand on her toes. “Not really appropriate for river or pool parties.”

He didn’t touch her. Once he started, he wasn’t going to stop. But he definitely let his gaze roam over every inch. “We didn’t really go to river or pool parties.” He wasn’t sure why he said it, but he realized it was true.

Hannah nodded. “I know.”

“And we never really went to the Come Again,” he said. They hadn’t been old enough for most of the time they’d lived here, but they just hadn’t socialized the same way other people their age had. There had been bonfires at the river, and parties at people’s houses while their parents were away, and make-out sessions on Klein’s Hill and in the dark corners of the haunted house. They’d gone to school dances and some of the festival events, of course, but most of their time had been spent at home. One of their homes. Along with their families.

“Just that one New Year’s Eve when we were home from college,” Hannah agreed.

The first New Year’s Eve they’d both been twenty-one. He nodded. “Yeah. We weren’t really party people.”

“We were more home-and-family people,” she said.

Exactly. They really had been. He still was. Very much so. Which made tonight feel very…perfect. They were at her parents’ house doing some work while her dad took her grandmother out and her mom worked. And then he and Hannah were going to go home together.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

She glanced over at the garden hose that was still gushing water. She smiled. “Are you ready?”

“Girl, I’m not sure I’ve ever been more ready for anything in my life.” Which should have maybe given him pause. He was ready to leave a job not yet done? He wasn’t sure he’d ever done that before.

But his answer made Hannah’s pupils dilate. “You didn’t get very far.”

“I ran over to Alice’s to get my truck,” he said, gesturing toward the driveway.

Hannah grinned and stepped closer. “You didn’t even start on the windows yet?”

“I needed to be sure that truck was ready to go the second those clothes were dry.”

“I don’t think they’re quite dry yet.”

“Well, it probably doesn’t matter they’re a little damp…we’re going to be taking them off soon anyway.”

She nodded. “Good point.”

Five minutes later, he had his not-quite-dry clothes on, Hannah had pulled a T-shirt on over her bikini, and the cooler and sleeping bags were in the truck. Unable to keep from touching her, Kyle reached across the seat for her hand as he pulled out of the driveway.

“I left Mom and Dad a note that we’re going out and to let Grandma know,” Hannah said.

Kyle nodded. “Don’t want her to worry.”

But neither of them mentioned how thrilled Alice would be, or that she would now absolutely have her hopes sky-high. Of course, Alice wasn’t the only one.

Kyle gripped the steering wheel tightly and worked to not squeeze Hannah’s hand just as hard. The sex had been…too good. As Derek would say, Kyle had now been seriously laid. He wasn’t sure there was any getting over it.

“I need to text Derek my number,” Hannah said.

“I already did.” Kyle didn’t mention the you sure you know what you’re doing? that he’d gotten in reply.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

Whether or not it was a good idea was another question.

It only took a right turn, a left, then another right for Hannah to figure out where they were going. She looked over, clearly excited. This was their spot. The place they’d first had sex. The place where they’d dreamed of their future home.

“Camping?” she asked. “You still have that blow-up mattress for your truck bed?”

He shook his head and brought her hand up to his lips, suddenly feeling emotional. This was either the biggest mistake he’d ever made—or the best decision.

“Better,” he finally told her.

“Better?” She glanced behind them as if the answer was in the truck bed now.

“Look up ahead.” He pulled onto what looked like a narrow dirt road but was, in fact, his driveway.

They bumped along for a few yards then crested a small rise, and Hannah got her first look at his house. The one he was building—or mostly having built, since he had no time to spend on it.

But as Hannah gave a little gasp and turned to look at him with wide eyes that looked a little shiny, Kyle realized that he hadn’t given up on working on the house because of time. It was because he wasn’t sure he wanted it.

It was supposed to have been his and Hannah’s house. They’d drawn the sketches, made the lists and plans together. He loved the land, the view of the river, the wraparound porch, the skylights—all of which they’d talked about, dreamed about, together.

But he wasn’t dying to get it done. Because he wasn’t sure he wanted to live here without her. That seemed obvious now as he pulled up in front of it and watched her get out, almost as if in a daze.

He shut the truck off and sat behind the wheel, just watching as she made her way up onto the porch, running her hand over the railing almost lovingly, then crossed to the swing he’d hung. He couldn’t even decide what kind of flooring to put in the bathrooms, but he’d hung a porch swing. He knew it was because they’d said they wanted a swing like the one that hung in Alice’s yard. But they hadn’t talked about bathroom floors.

He knew—and had done—the things like a fireplace with a stone hearth and a huge mantle big enough for photos and Christmas stockings. He knew the kitchen had to have an island and a double oven for when they had the family holidays at their place. But he had no idea what color the walls should be or what the cabinets should look like. Similarly, he knew they’d need a dining room big enough for an enormous dining room table for their family and friends to gather around. But he didn’t have a clue what light fixtures to choose. He’d even known they’d wanted five bedrooms—for the kids they’d wanted to have. But he didn’t know what type of tub to put in the master bathroom.

Because teenagers in love, dreaming in the backyard, only made big plans. Like porches and fireplaces and dining room tables. Not details like cupboard door handles or carpet colors. And they didn’t plan on things like one of them getting hurt and having to change their career and alter their lifestyle.

Kyle ran a hand through his hair. Yeah, they’d made a solid Plan A. Not so much a Plan B. Neither of them had ever needed a Plan B before.

He finally got out of the truck and followed her onto the porch. He pulled out the key and unlocked the door. He pushed it open without a word and stood back to let her pass. But she stopped in front of him.

“Are you sure you want me here?”

Kyle looked down at her. So she realized that once they spent the night here together, he’d always think of her here. But he nodded. He had to. “You’re the only one I want here.”

No other woman would feel right here, and now he knew that if Hannah went back to Seattle, he’d have to sell this place.

Hannah gave him a nod and started to step through the doorway, but Kyle grabbed her at the last second, pulled her around, and kissed her.

When he let her go, he said, “It’s kind of…not put together very well.”

She laid her hand against his face and smiled. “Not put together very well is my new normal.”

Yeah, maybe. And it looked beautiful on her. He nodded and let her go. “See what you think.”

“I love it already.”

Before he could respond, she stepped through the door. Kyle followed. He led her through the rooms. There wasn’t much to explain. Most of it was still just big, open rooms with nothing in them but tools and sawhorses.

Mitch and Andi were working on it for him part-time, but he was holding them up with his inability to make decisions.

He and Hannah ended the tour in the kitchen.

“It’s amazing,” she said. She seemed a little choked up.

“You okay?” he asked, moving close.

“Yeah, I’m—” She nodded. “Yeah.” But her voice was thick.

And Kyle made a decision. The idea all along had been to make it harder than hell for her to leave. It had been about revenge in the beginning, or at least about him being right that she should want to be here instead of Seattle. But now, he really wanted leaving to be—impossible for her.

He put a hand on the back of her neck and brought her in, touching his forehead to hers. “This is about as far as I could get without you,” he confessed. “We never talked about what kind of countertops we wanted.”

Hannah sucked in a quick breath then sniffed. “I know I shouldn’t say this but…”

“Please say it,” he said softly when she trailed off. He had to hear what it was.

“I was thinking back at Mom and Dad’s how I’ve been considering Seattle good because it’s out of my comfort zone. But now it’s hit me since being home—just like Grandma said—that I want to be in my comfort zone. And this—this house, with you, all of this—this is my comfort zone come to life.”

Kyle absorbed all of that. Then he took a big, shuddering breath, and covered her lips with his. He kissed her possessively, pouring his relief, his happiness, and yeah, the love he hadn’t let himself admit until now, into the kiss.

And she returned every bit of it.

Finally, he bent, swung her up into his arms, and said, “Which room do we christen first?”

And when he expected her to say “right here, right now” or even “the master bedroom of course”, she surprised him by saying, “the family room.” Which was the perfect answer.

He carried her into the room off the kitchen at the back of the house. This room had the fireplace and the huge windows that overlooked the backyard where kids and dogs would play. It was the room where the Christmas tree with the homemade ornaments would be, the room where family movie night would happen, the room where people would gather to laugh and chat while final meal prep went on in the kitchen only a few yards away.

Kyle put her down, kissed her hard, and said, “Do not move.” He’d set the sleeping bags and pillows down on the porch, and he grabbed them quickly, jogging back to Hannah. But she hadn’t listened. She’d moved. Enough to take all of her clothes off.

The sun was sinking and the warm orange glow from the windows behind her made her look like she’d been dipped in gold. He quickly unrolled the sleeping bags, tossed the pillows in that general direction, then toed off his shoes while reaching to grab a handful of shirt between his shoulder blades, pulling it over his head. He’d barely tossed it away when Hannah was in front of him, her fingers undoing his fly. He helped her push his jeans and boxers off, but instead of straightening, Hannah knelt. She took his already aching cock in hand.

“Hannah.” He cupped the back of her head. Just having her on her knees in front of him was hotter than anything any other woman had ever done. Because this was sweet, good-girl Hannah McIntire, willing to be naughty—and very nice—just for him. She hadn’t done any of this with any other man. Kyle couldn’t begin to describe how hot and possessive and fucking happy that made him.

She looked up at him through her lashes and flicked out her tongue, running it over the tip of his cock. “Yes, Kyle?” she asked, innocently.

All thoughts evaporated from his mind. “Make sure I don’t hurt you,” he rasped.

“Hurt me?”

He tightened his fingers in her hair and tipped her head back slightly. “If you’re going to make me crazy like that, you gotta promise to let me know if I get carried away.”

“Oh. I want you carried away,” she said huskily.

“Promise me,” he repeated, looking into her eyes.

She licked her lips and he groaned. And she smiled.

“Hannah,” he said firmly. “Promise.”

“I promise.”

Without another second of hesitation, he took his cock in hand and rubbed the tip over her lips. He wasn’t going to pretend he didn’t want her mouth on him. He wanted every intimacy there was. He intended to have his mouth in lots of places on her too. He wanted to mark her, claim her, make sure she had everything she needed sexually. And in every other way.

He couldn’t fix her neck or make that all okay, but he sure as hell could ensure she had no sexual urge or fantasy that went unfulfilled.

* * *

Hannah didn’t remember blowjobs being so hot. For her. She’d done it, she’d loved making Kyle feel good. But now she had to do it. She’d gone to her knees with every intention of bringing Kyle to his.

She opened her mouth and he slid inside. She loved his hands in her hair, loved the way he cupped her neck, as if protecting her, and the way he’d made her promise to communicate. She also loved the hot, thick feel of him against her tongue.

She felt that vixen thing again and it gave her a rush. She felt like she was willing to do just about anything to and with this man. And where did that come from?

Her sexual experiences certainly hadn’t been expanded or varied since they’d been together. She’d practically been a nun. But she knew what it was—it was again that soul-deep desire to grab whatever good she could. Pleasure and happiness and yeah, dammit, orgasms. Because there were no guarantees for tomorrow.

She took Kyle in her hand and slid him deeper into her mouth. She licked and sucked and stroked, wanting more and more of his groans, the Hannahs he kept breathing, the feel of him holding her to take him and yet seemingly to protect her too. She felt him thrust a few times as she moved her head up and down, and then suddenly—faster than she could register what was happening—he pulled back and tipped her over onto the sleeping bags. He came down with her, bracing himself on his hands.

He stared into her eyes. “You good?”

“Very, very, very.”

“Then I need to be inside you.”

Heat flooded her system. “Can I be on top?” She wanted to take care of him this time.

He groaned. “That’s not something you ask, honey. You just say, ‘I’m going to be on top now.’ I’ll never say no.”

“Good to know.” She put a hand on his chest and pushed, rolling with him as he turned onto his back.

She swung a leg over and climbed on. She didn’t need any further prep. The blowjob had made her hot and wet and ready, and she immediately moved to position him, then sank down on his steely shaft.

“God, Hannah,” he groaned. “You’re so damned tight. Be careful.”

She laughed. “I’m really good right now.” She wiggled her hips and flexed her inner muscles, dragging another groan from him. “You sound like the one that’s not feeling well,” she teased.

“I feel like I might die,” he said. “But,” he gripped her hips and moved her up and down, eliciting a grown from her, “death by pussy seems like a great way to go.”

Hannah felt her pelvic muscles squeezing hearing him say pussy. She did love that Kyle had turned into a dirty talker.

She lifted and lowered herself slowly, her hands going to her breasts, cupping them, trying to relieve some of the fullness and tingling. Kyle gave a growl of approval at the sight, lifting a hand to help. He teased one nipple, tugging gently.

“Yesss,” she hissed, that pressure exactly what she needed.

He did it again and her clit throbbed. She continued to move on him, putting a finger to her clit, where she circled as she rocked against Kyle.

“Holy hell, this is the best position,” he praised through gritted teeth.

Hannah hadn’t realized how much she’d like him just watching her. She circled faster, and, when he pinched her nipple, the electric bolt went straight to her clit, and she rocketed into her orgasm.

Kyle squeezed her hips, thrusting up into her, and within minutes was growling her name as he came.

When the shudders had stopped shaking him and he’d pulled in a deep breath, Kyle pulled her in to lie on top of him. She lay with her cheek on his chest, his hand stroking her hair. The position was a little tight for her neck, but the endorphin high was definitely a real thing—she felt boneless. And totally happy. And like this was exactly where she wanted to be. For good.

And she wondered how to break it to Kyle that she was considering messing up another of his plans—the one that sent her back to Seattle.

* * *

Hannah awoke with her head on Kyle’s chest, her legs tangled with his on top of the rumpled sleeping bags. And she knew instantly she’d made a mistake.

Her neck was screaming at her.

Sleeping on the floor, after having sex three times on that floor, with her head propped up on the very nice and firm, but hardly orthopedically sound chest of Kyle Ames? Yeah, she was going to pay for this.

And that pissed her off. She couldn’t have a spontaneously romantic night in the house that she and Kyle had dreamed up together, including rock-her-world sex, without regretting it the next day?

Dammit.

She started to sit up, but a big, hot hand squeezed her ass, keeping her in place. And she didn’t want to move. Really, ever. Because up against Kyle in the middle of what should be their family room seemed like exactly where she should be.

And because as sore as her neck was now, it was likely to be worse once she tried to move it.

“Morning,” he said, his voice rumbling through his chest in her ear.

She didn’t look up at him—because she couldn’t. She trailed a finger over his chest though as she said, “Morning.”

He palmed her butt, pressing her against his hip. “I could get used to this.”

Hannah had to force herself not to crank her neck to see into his face. That sounded like a lot more than just a quickie because they couldn’t help it. And it definitely didn’t sound like he regretted it.

Or if he did, he was ready to regret it even more, because the next moment, he rolled, pinning her underneath him and looking into her eyes.

God, he looked good like this. His hair was mussed, his jaw sported morning stubble; his eyes were soft and sleeping, and he exuded a relaxed, happy air that she didn’t see very often. Happy, yes. But happy in a driven-and-rewarded kind of way, not happy just because.

In this position, she could look at him without protest from her neck. She was still dreading getting upright and trying to move, but this was great for right now. She threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled up at him. “I could get used to this too,” she said honestly.

Was this all incredibly complicated? Yep.

Had she been hoping to avoid complicated? Yep.

Had she really thought that was possible? No way.

Kyle lowered his head and kissed her deeply, and she was soon shifting her legs against him, his hot erection pressing into her belly and the deep rumbles of desire from his chest ratcheting up her own need. She spread her knees and he settled in between them as if made to be there. A few minutes later, when he slid into her, she wrapped her legs around him and held tight. He moved against her slow and easy, a much lazier pace than any of the times the night before, and she relished the feel of him against her.

“God, Hannah,” he said against her lips. “I can’t let you go again.”

She stiffened in his arms. Had he meant to say that? Was this just the sex and pleasure? Or was it more?

“Need you,” he muttered, as he picked up the pace.

Hannah didn’t know if it was the deeper thrusts or the words or the way he was looking at her, but her body tightened around his, and the next moment she was shooting through the orgasm ether and never wanting to float back to earth.

He was right behind her, pumping deep, and saying, “God, yes,” in her ear in a deep, gravelly voice that made her inner muscles squeeze again.

She didn’t know how long they lay there tangled up in the sleeping bags and each other before her phone rang. But she knew immediately that their little escape was over.

She groaned and reached for her purse. She had to stretch for it, and as she did, she felt Kyle’s hand skim down her side and his mouth on her nipple.

Heat pulsed through her and just like that, she was ready for him again. Good Lord, she’d never considered herself insatiable.

“I have to answer,” she told him, arching closer to his mouth.

He licked and sucked. “You sure?”

“God, I don’t want to. It’s probably for you.”

He paused, and then huffed out a breath. “Damn. You’re probably right.”

He was the doctor in a small town. He was the go-to guy. She knew that, and if she had even the vaguest thought of staying and being with him, she knew she’d have to share him. He’d be leaving her—naked and needy—from time to time. Period.

And—holy crap—it was already noon. They’d been up on and off through the night, but she’d had no idea they’d slept so late.

She pushed herself into sitting and immediately winced as her neck reminded her that she’d abused it. She didn’t have her special pillow. Any of the three of them. She hadn’t stretched before going to bed. She hadn’t meditated. In fact, she’d slept on a hard floor with her body up against an almost-as-hard man. And there had been thrusting. And even a little pounding.

Even as heat infused her, she lifted a hand to her neck, rubbing as she put her phone to her ear to listen to the voice message.

“You okay?”

She looked over to find Kyle watching her massage her neck with a concerned frown.

She shrugged. “I, um…usually use a special pillow.” That sounded stupid even to her own ears.

“Why didn’t you say so? We could have picked it up.”

She couldn’t deny that made her heart melt a little. “That kind of takes away from the spontaneity,” she said, not hearing the words the person leaving the message was saying in her ear. She so wanted to be able to be spontaneous with and for Kyle. He needed some of that. If she was the only one who could really get him to take time off and temporarily blow off some responsibilities, then she had to be able to be there with him.

“But I want you to feel good.” He got onto his knees, completely naked, and moved behind her, putting his big hands on her shoulders.

She tried to relax. And ignore the naked part. Which was very difficult with him pressing his front to her back. She swallowed as he started rubbing.

“Who called?” he asked, his strong thumbs digging into the muscles along her spine.

She shifted slightly. “Little less pressure?” she asked.

He let up. “Sorry.”

“It’s good now.” She didn’t want him to stop, and she knew that she needed to tell him more about her pain management. She’d love to coach him through it. She’d even thought about introducing him to acupuncture. She’d taught Kade enough to help her with it during flare-ups, and Kyle would be an excellent student. He knew the anatomy and physiology. She just had to get him to buy into the whole practice in the first place. She sighed and replayed the voice message. “It’s Derek,” she reported a second later. “Oh…crap.”

“What it is?” Kyle immediately stopped rubbing.

“Um, Butch and—”

“Aw, dammit! Fishing.” Kyle was suddenly scrambling for his clothes.

Yeah, the fishing trip that Kyle was going on so that Butch would go and feel safe.

“I can’t believe I blew that off!” He pulled on his boxers, jeans and shirt, and Hannah felt a moment of sadness at losing the view. “I’ve got to go,” he said, tossing her clothes to her.

“Oh, right.” She pulled her clothes on as well, as Kyle began gathering up their bedding. “Crap, I’ll just leave this for now. Your parents won’t miss them?” he asked.

“No, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Okay, great.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. Kyle turned his phone on as she slipped into her shoes. “Crap,” he muttered again, looking through his missed calls and texts.

“I told Derek how to get ahold of you,” Hannah said. He looked upset.

“Well, Butch didn’t know. He probably didn’t go to Derek until he was worried about me.”

Okay, now she felt bad too. Obviously teaching Kyle about acupuncture was going to have to wait. A few things were going to have to wait.

“You ready?” Kyle asked, glancing up. “I need to go find Butch and make it up to him. I can’t believe I forgot about fishing.”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

He took her hand as they headed out to the truck, but he was clearly distracted as he ran his thumb over his screen, scrolling through his texts. He drove her to Alice’s and pulled up in front. He shifted into park. “You okay if I don’t walk you up to the door?”

“Um, yeah.” She reached for the handle.

Then, just as she pushed the door open, Kyle grabbed her wrist. “Hey.”

She looked back. “Yeah?”

“Last night was amazing.” He leaned over and kissed her. “And I know exactly how I blew Butch off.”

She gave him a smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ll tell Butch where I was instead of with him and he’ll be thrilled.”

“What? Kyle—”

He leaned in and kissed her again. “Kidding. Well, kind of. I might hint at what I was doing. But no details.”

“I don’t know…”

“I have to get him to forgive me,” Kyle said with a grin. “A hot, naked girl might be the only hope I have.”

Hannah laughed and couldn’t resist kissing him once more. “Yeah, okay.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

She slid out of the truck but just before she closed the door, she said, “Last night really was amazing.”

“There’s more where that came from.”

She gave him a wink and slammed the truck door before she could say something like “sign me up for forever”.