“Fuck,” I say, pulling back as I quickly reach for her t-shirt on the floor, practically throwing it at her.“Here, put this on, quick.”
Hannah doesn’t say anything, quickly pulling it over her head as the sound of two sets of feet on the hardwood floors make their way toward us.Before I have a chance to get my own shirt on, Olivia and Oscar burst into the kitchen, huffing and puffing as though they’ve run here.
“Hey, hi, welcome!”Olivia shouts as she throws her arms in the air.
Hannah looks from Olivia to her brother and then to me, her face flushed from everything we were just doing, even with the look of confusion she now gives me.
“I take it you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the infamous Oscar and Olivia yet?”I say, my hands on Oscar’s shoulders.
Her mouth drops open a little, her lips still swollen from the kisses we just shared.“This is Oscar and Olivia?”she asks.
“Uh huh,” I confirm, giving Oscar’s shoulders a little squeeze.“Word of advice, keep the front door shut so…” I trail off, my eyes widening a little as I give Hannah a look, as though she possibly needs the reminder of what we were just doing.
“Noted,” she says, forcing a smile as she glances down at Olivia.“And I’ve heard lots about you two, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
Olivia smiles up at her, all butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth sweetness, as she hands over a gift bag.“Here, it’s a housewarming gift.We just got home from school and Mom said we could bring it to you.”
Hannah’s eyes widen in surprise as she glances quickly at me before taking the bag Olivia is holding out to her.“Thank you, that’s really sweet of you.”
Olivia smiles, clearly pleased, while her brother tips his head back and glances up at me, seemingly registering my appearance for the first time.
“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”he asks, an accusatory tone in his voice.
I know this kid, he’s like Jack, doesn’t miss a fucking thing.“Because I was out running,” I tell him, letting go of his shoulders as I reach for my shirt on the floor.“I got hot.”
Oscar gives me a look that suggests he totally does not buy my excuse, but before I have a chance to change the subject, he casts a quick gaze over my torso and says, “What’s with all the tatts, man?”
Hannah lets out a soft laugh and when I look over, she’s shaking her head, trying not to smile.I try mouthing the word “help” at her, but it only makes her laugh again as she shakes her head in disbelief.
“Are you like in a gang or something?”Oscar now asks and this time, I can’t stop the laugh.
“A gang?”I ask, pulling my t-shirt back on and hiding most of the ink that covers my arms and part of my chest and ribs.“Where do you get this stuff, kid?”
“TV, Uncle Jack,” he says with a shrug.
I reach over and ruffle his hair, chuckling at the annoyed sigh he lets out as he pulls away.“Well, contrary to popular opinion, your Uncle Jack doesn’t always know what he’s talking about and a lot of what you see on TV is complete horseshit.”
Oscar and Olivia both giggle now and when I look over at Hannah again, I can tell she’s also trying not to laugh.
“Pretty sure that was a naughty word,” Hannah says, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
“I’ll give you naughty,” I say, my voice low.
“Promise?”she teases licking her lips and I swear to god, I don’t even care that these kids are here, I want this woman that badly.
“Okay seriously, what’s going on here?”Oscar asks, reminding me again that we are not alone and most definitely being watched by two ten-year-olds who don’t miss a damn thing, but who I also know have extremely big mouths and zero filter.
“What are you talking about?”I ask, feigning ignorance as I lean against the counter, my arms crossed over my chest.
Oscar looks from me to Hannah and back to me again, his brow narrowed in concentration.“I’m thinking that—”
“You’re overthinking things, kid,” I say, cutting him off.“And I think it’s time for us to go and leave Hannah in peace,” I add, even though I have every intention of revisiting what we were doing before we were interrupted and as soon as possible.
I shuffle the twins toward the front door, stalling a little as I trail after them, wanting a second to speak to Hannah alone before I have to make like I’m leaving too.When they finally reach the still open door, I stop, turning back to Hannah who’s close behind me.
“Have dinner with me?”I quickly ask.
Hannah smiles, crossing her arms over her chest.“You offering to cook for me?”
