Page 102 of Square Deal

Texas was too short, and she enforced the celibacy clause of our deal—er—relationship.

That took some getting used to.

It didn’t take much convincing for her to let me sleep over, though.

I fired off a text to DeRossi and told him to keep his wife occupied while I did the walk of shame the next morning. Waking up next to Hannah was incomparable. Even with her late night, she was up and at ‘em when the rooster crowed.

Yeah. An actual fucking rooster. Because for some reason, people felt it necessary to put a resort on a ranch resort.

Nothing was relaxing about waking up to the sound of pickup trucks and ATVs before the sun came up.

Maddie and Luca’s house was decked out in garland and Christmas lights. Wreaths hung from all the windows, and fake candles flickered in front of the panes of glass. It looked like a postcard; Christmas in the sand.

If only it was warm. The frigid gusts of wind pummeled me as I got out of the car and told the driver that I’d give him a call when I was ready to go.

Luca offered their guest room to me, but I hoped Hannah had enough southern hospitality saved up for a surprise house guest. I didn’t plan on flying all the way to Beaufort, North Carolina, and not sleeping beside my girl.

Damn. That managed to bring a smile to my face.

Hannah Jane Hayes wasmy girl.Some billionaires owned tigers. Some collected art. I had a one-of-a-kind masterpiece on my arm. She was priceless.

Maddie answered the door. Instead of hugging me like she usually did, she plucked the bottle of Scotch out of my hand. It was Luca’s favorite. Whatever he had summoned me for, a collector’s bottle was sure to smooth it over.

“Hi! Luca said you were coming over tonight,” she said, ushering me to come inside, out of the cold.

I shrugged off my coat and hung it by the door. I didn’t know what the hell I was walking into, so I opted for dark jeans, a V-neck sweater in hunter green, and a heavy coat. Spenser assured me the outfit was festive.

I adjusted my wristwatch and followed her deeper into the house.

“Everyone’s already downstairs,” she said with a devilish gleam in her eye.

“Everyone?” I raised my eyebrows and ran a hand back through my artfully messy blond hair. I’d found more silver strands this morning and cursed the stress I’d been under.And the serious lack oforgasms.Never in my life had I gone this long without sinking my cock deep into some willing pussy.

Hannah Jane was worth it.

“Yeah,” Maddie said, jogging down the stairs in shorts that barely covered her ass. How was she not freezing? “It’s poker night. We decided to invite you.”

The warm aroma of tomato and garlic wafted through the air.God, I hoped Luca was cooking. I was starving.

A few of their friends I recognized from the wedding were piled up on the round couch. Steve Pelham and Erica, his fiancé, were cuddled up on a loveseat. There was a beer in his hand, and a mountain of baby paraphernalia piled up beside them.

And there was Hannah. She looked like a dream, dressed in a pair of wide-legged pants made of flowing white fabric that tied in a giant bow around her waist.

Her fitted sweater was dark crimson. Her back was to me, but she looked like a Christmas present I couldn’t wait to open. She was in a pair of high heels so tall that I hoped she wasn’t drinking. She’d tip over with the slightest buzz.

Hannah turned around and her eyes locked with mine. It was evident that she had no idea I was going to be here. Shock was written all over her face, and it gutted me.

She averted her gaze back to the baby in her arms and started to bounce when the tiny little human whimpered. Hannah held that baby like it was the most natural thing in the world.

There was a sharp stab in my gut.

Sweat beaded my forehead. My palms were clammy, and my breath came in short pants. Was this a stroke or a heart attack? Maybe it was an aneurysm or a pulmonary embolism.

Was this what nurses meant when they described a patient having an “impending sense of doom?” Whatever the hell was going on inside of me scared me shitless.

Steve, Luca, and Chase stood side-by-side, looking at me skeptically.Hannah was shell-shocked, and the rest of the girls looked like they were waiting on pins and needles.

Erica was the first to break the freeze-frame. She looked giddy as she eased off of the couch and scooped the baby out of Hannah’s arms. “Yes! I vote yes! I’m so excited! I finally get to vote someone in!” She looked at Steve. “Did I do it right? My vote’s yes.”

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