Page 9 of Opening Hearts

Chapter Four

Hannah fidgeted with her hair, trying to decide if she should wear it up or down.

“Aw, look at you. So cute, all nervous.”

Hannah whipped her head around, glaring at Elena where she sat on the bed eating a bowl of ice cream. “Shut up.”

Elena laughed. “Relax. He’s totally into you. You guys made out for like an hour last night.” Elena let her eyes roam up and down Hannah’s body, traveling over the pink knit tank dress she wore as a cover up over her favorite green bikini. “If you’d given him the go sign, I’m sure he’d have gladly taken your V-card too.”

Hannah blushed, turning away to stuff shorts, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt into a canvas tote bag. “Well, it’s not like that was possible on the beach with everyone still in sight. And your parents would’ve killed all of us if we hadn’t come back together.”

“You don’t have to worry about that tonight, though. Just text me after your ‘surf lesson,’” she raised one hand, her fingers making air quotes, “and let me know what you’re doing after. My parents are more relaxed than yours, but I think they feel like they have to keep tabs on you in case your mom calls to check in or something. As long as we know where you are and when to expect you, you’ll be fine.”

Hannah finally looked at her friend. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I mean, I’m supposed to be here with you, not going off with some guy.”

Elena waved that away. “Dude, you get out less than anyone I know. You deserve to have a good time with a hot college guy. Have fun.” She stood up and gave Hannah a hug, the cold porcelain of her ice cream bowl pressing into Hannah’s bare shoulder. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Hannah laughed and pulled away, shaking her head. “I’m not sure that’s a very long list.”

Elena gave her a wink, sinking back onto the bed, gathering a spoonful of rocky road ice cream. “You know it.”

Hannah turned back to her bag, deciding what else she might want. She was ostensibly getting together with Matt for a surf lesson, but she had no idea how long that would last, or what they might do afterward, and she wanted to be prepared. She grabbed her lip gloss and stuck it into a little makeup bag to toss into the tote as well.

Elena was right, though. Matt was obviously into her. Hannah’s breath caught in her chest and she felt all tingly and fluttery when she thought about the way he’d held her in his lap on the beach after the sun had set, kissing her—no, tasting her—relishing her like she was a gourmet meal. Being the focus of that kind of attention was heady and overwhelming for Hannah, whose experience was mostly limited to hand holding and chaste kisses. Only a few other times had she been able to be alone with a guy long enough for anything more, and it never got beyond some over-the-clothes groping.

With Matt it had been so much more. He’d gripped her hips, grinding her down on him, and she’d been shocked at how big and hard he’d felt between her thighs, grateful that the darkness had covered her blush. He’d slipped his hands under her sweatshirt and tank top, teasing his fingers over her bare skin at first, then growing more bold when she didn’t stop him, spanning her back, even going under the band of her bra. When she’d felt his fingers on the closure she’d stopped him, pulling back and shaking her head. “Please don’t,” she whispered.

He studied her face for a moment and nodded once before pulling her mouth back to his. He’d kept his hands mostly below the band of her bra after that, stroking over her ribs and around her hips, moving her against him some more. His hands had traveled up her front, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples through the fabric of her bra. She’d broken their kiss then, gasping at the sensation, arching into him.

And then Elena had ruined it, coming up and telling her it was time to get going. Matt had kissed her once more before sliding his hands out of her shirt and moving her off his lap. He stood and adjusted himself with his back to her and Elena before walking them back to the parking lot, his fingers tangled through hers. At the car he’d kissed her again. “I finish work at four tomorrow. Text me your address, and I’ll come pick you up for your first surf lesson.”

She’d nodded, unable to form words. He smiled, kissed her forehead, and opened the passenger side door for her. Now she’d get her first surf lesson from this guy, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Surfing seemed like fun, but she’d almost rather do more of what they’d done last night. Maybe she could do both?

Matt had just pulled out his phone to text Hannah that he was in the parking lot, when he saw her step out of the door of her condo. He’d snagged a spot in view of her door, so he opened the door to his truck and stepped out, waving. She waved back and hurried toward him. He walked around to the passenger door, pulling it open for her.

She gave him a shy smile. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He grinned back, holding out his hand for the bag on her shoulder, enjoying the way the offshore breeze plastered her dress against her body. It was crappy wind for surfing, so their surf lesson would have to be postponed, but he was okay with that. She looked ready for the beach, and that was fine. They could still go play in the water if she wanted, or maybe they could do something else.

She passed him the bag, and he tucked it behind the seat in the cab of his pickup. Then he took her hand, pulling her close enough so he could kiss her. He held back, knowing that making out with her in the parking lot in full view of who-knew-how-many people was not cool. But he couldn’t stop himself from feeling her against him again.

When he pulled back he smiled down at her, enjoying the hitch in her breath and the pink that tinged her cheeks and where her chest peeked out from the neckline of her dress. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He stepped back, holding her hand as she climbed up into his truck, an older, beat-up blue Ford.

He climbed into the driver’s side, buckling up. “The weather’s not good for surfing today, so we can’t do that after all.” Glancing over at her, he couldn’t decipher the look on her face.

“Okay.”

“We can still go to the beach if you want, or we can go get some dinner, or … I’m not sure. Is that okay? I know we said surf lessons, but I thought you might still like to hang out even if we can’t do that. Or we can just reschedule if you’d rather.” God, he was rambling. What the hell was wrong with him?

A small smile curled her pink lips. Lips that he wanted to kiss some more. And then see what else might be that shade of pink. He squeezed his hands on the steering wheel, trying to put a lid on those thoughts. For now.

She shook her head. “The beach or dinner sounds good. I’m easy.”

He sucked in a breath. Oh, God. “No, I don’t think you are.” It came out before he could stop himself, his voice low and growly.

Her cheeks turned pink again. “No, I mean—“ She slapped her hands over her cheeks like she was trying to hide her blush and shook her head. “I mean, I don’t care what we do. Either of those things sounds good to me.”

He chuckled, glancing at her as he put the truck in reverse. “I know what you meant.” He smiled, hoping to put her at ease. It was cute when she blushed like that, but he wanted her to be comfortable with him, not jumpy and scared of anything he might say or do. And God, the things he wanted to do. He’d been so hard last night after their make out session on the beach that he thought his dick was going to bust out of his shorts. After walking her to her car with her friend and the little brother, he’d gone straight to his truck and gone home. He couldn’t get her out of his head—her feel, her taste, the breathless sounds she made when he teased her nipples or ran her up and down the length of his cock, enjoying the feeling even through their clothes. God, what would it be like without the fabric barrier in their way? He couldn’t wait.

But now was not the time to think about that. He didn’t need to walk around with a tent in his board shorts. “Let’s get some food first. We can go to the beach after if you still want to.” Lunch had been a while ago, and he was hungry. Plus, it seemed safer to be somewhere clothed, easier to keep control of himself.

“Sure.” She fidgeted with the shoulder belt, looking down at her dress. “Do I need to change, or is this okay?”

His eyes widened. “You have a change of clothes?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure what all you might want to do today, so I figured it would be a good idea to have something to change into.”

Matt had to suppress a groan at the thought of her going along with whatever he wanted. She had no idea how those innocent little statements were killing him, and he had no intention of letting her know, at least not right now. He had to clear his throat a couple of times before he could get out the words, and they still came out hoarse. “No, you’re fine. I mean, we won’t go anywhere fancy. It’s a beach town. People eat in swimwear and cover ups all the time this time of year.”

She nodded, content with his answer. He needed to get a handle on himself, though. If he didn’t, he knew he’d come on too strong and scare off the little high school senior that was obviously not very experienced. He figured she’d been with maybe one other guy. Maybe. The thought of being her first filled him with dread and excitement at the same time. Because despite her obvious innocence, she welcomed all of his advances. With enough time, he was sure they could be great together. Maybe not today, but soon.

---