Page 26 of Mending Me
My eyes grew into saucers when I read his text and I flew out of my bed. Ophelia was already asleep with her door closed, so I tried to make it across the condo as quietly as I could. My hand reached for the door quickly, but before I pulled it open, I took a breath. I didn’t want him to think I was overly excited to see him, even though I was.
I wasveryexcited to see him.
When I pulled open the door, there he stood. Just over six feet, Hank was as handsome as they come. He was wearing black tailored sweats and a perfectly-fit white T-shirt, a staple in his wardrobe I had come to realize. It looked like he had just run his fingers through his hair because some of his curls were sticking out every which way. His shy smile made my heart race and I wanted nothing more than to press my lips to it.
“Hi,” I whispered, trying not to be too loud in the hallway.
“Hey, blondie,” he whispered back, leaning in with his hands behind his back. “I like your pj’s.”
I looked down and realized that I was wearing pajama shorts that had sleeping cats wearing Santa hats on them. They were my favorite sleep shorts, and in my excitement to see him, I didn’t even think about what I looked like before opening the door. Thankfully, I was also wearing an oversized, buttoned sleep shirt that covered up the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra. I crossed my arms over my chest reflexively.
“Oh you like those huh?”Play it cool girl. You don’t need to be embarrassed. Your ass looks great in these shorts.His eyes scanned me top to bottom and licked his lips.
“They’re very cute. I like the cats,” he softly laughed.
“Here, come inside.” I reached for his arm and pulled him in, before gently closing the front door. I pressed my finger to my lips and pointed towards the closed door across from my room. Once I had led him through the condo and into my bedroom, I closed the door behind us.
“Sorry for dropping in so late,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Don’t be. I was hoping I could see you again.” I crawled onto my bed and sat cross-legged. I watched hesitantly as he took in my room and suddenly felt self-conscious. I’d never had a boy in this room since moving in with Ophelia. Shit, I hadn’t been with a boy since that night two years ago. I wanted him here, but part of me was still uneasy having him here. I’d dated in the last two years, but hadn’t let it go any further than dinner or drinks.
You’re safe. Just breathe. He isn’t going to hurt you.
He walked over to my vanity and picked up the frame that sat on it. It held a photo of Ophelia and me on the night we’d met. We had become instant friends that night and had asked a stranger to take our photo. I never expected to be living with her now.
But life had dealt me a tough hand, and it was Ophelia who’d stepped up to help me play it.
“I like this photo,” he said, his calloused finger tracing around my photographed face, smiling, “It shows off your hundred-watt smile.”
Between the spicy book, this boy showing up at my door late at night because he wanted to see me, and his sweet words, I could feel my body starting to get keyed up. I smiled at him andsqueezed my thighs together, hoping he wouldn’t notice when I did.
“You think I have a hundred-watt smile?”
He looked at me and grinned from a few feet away. “It’s the first thing I noticed about you. Well, after I noticed that you read between sets while you workout.” He walked across the room and sat on my bed next to me.
“Oh yeah? What else did you notice about me?” Never in my life had a man complimented my smile, not to mention something about me other than what my body looked like. Most men only ever noticed your boobs or your ass. But not Hank. He’d noticed my smile and the fact that I read.
“Mmm…I noticed how kind you are to everyone around you so long as they’re kind to you. And how you aren’t afraid to stick up for yourself if you need to.” He turned so that he was facing me on the bed. His eyes flicked back and forth between my eyes and my lips.
“And I noticed how, when I took you to dinner, you paid attention when I was talking. You were interested in what I had to say and you asked questions. You were the same way last night, like you genuinely cared about what I was saying.” His voice was growing husky and he was leaning in closer to me. I leaned in right along with him.
“That’s because Idogenuinely care about what you say. I think you’re fascinating.” Our faces were inches from one another as he spoke again.
“And last night, I noticed how you wrapped your legs around me, and how, as soon as I put you down, I missed the way they felt. I missed the way you felt against me. I don’t know what it is about you, but when you’re not next to me, I feel like a piece of me is missing.”
I sucked in a breath.
“I hope that’s not too forward.” He dropped his head and I reached out my hand to frame the side of his face so he would look at me. For the first time, I noticed the deep brown color of his eyes, and how, when you looked closely, you could see flecks of ember dancing in them.
“It’s not too forward,” I pulled his face towards mine and closed the gap between us, “because when you’re not with me, I feel the exact same way. Like a piece of me is missing.”
I’d hardly gotten my words out when I felt his lips crash into mine.
And for the first time in almost two years, I let a man make me his.
16
HANK
