Page 69 of Call Me Anytime
“You staying all night?”
He nods and I look back toward the house briefly before meeting his eyes again.
“Maybe you should keep an eye on things from inside?”
“Inside?” he questions.
“Yeah.” I reach out to gently squeeze his thick shoulder. “Inside.”
He doesn’t say a word, but his eyes lock on mine, searching, as if he’s trying to decipher exactly what I’m asking for. Maybe I don’t fully know the answer myself. But what I do know is this—I don’t want him out here alone all night. I want him closer. I want him with me.
26
Dominic
Sunday, May 19
12:30 a.m.
Hannah walks back to the house, taking slow enough strides that I have time to think.
Maybe you should keep an eye on things from inside?
One part of me, the one that’s still subconsciously busy with the shit Shane was saying at the station earlier, tells me this is crossing a line—a huge fucking line, at that. But the other part of me can’t find a single reason to say no.
I cut the engine, grab my phone out of the cup holder, and hop out of my car.
Hannah hovers by the door, her hands gripping the wood while her body gives me plenty of space to walk into the house. Once I’m in the entryway, the air between us thick with unspoken tension, she shuts the door with a soft but deliberate click of the lock, the sound hanging in the charged silence.
“Hungry?” she asks, and I shake my head, but my gaze betrays me, tracing her face, her curves—fueling an ache I can’t ignore.
Earlier today, I kissed her in this house. I slid my fingers into the soft and silky strands of her hair and gave in to the urge to press my mouth to hers.
And right now, more than anything, I want to do it again.
“Thirsty?” she questions, spinning on her heels to head in the direction of the kitchen.
I follow her lead. “No. I’m good.”
But when we’re both in the kitchen, her back resting against the large island in the center and my body directly in front of hers, silence stretches between us. The house is quiet as a mouse, and I can’t do anything but lock my gaze with hers as my mind races over what this all means.
Why did she ask me to come inside?
Why did Ichooseto come inside?
There are a million and one reasons I shouldn’t be thinking about the things I’m most definitely thinking about. And even more reasons I should take my ass right back out to my car.
But I just stand there, completely entranced by her. Completely fixatedon her.
She digs her teeth into the plush flesh of her bottom lip, and my mind reminds me again of the kiss this morning. It was impulsive and unexpected, but it stemmed from this deep, emotional connection to her that I’d have to be an outright liar to deny. When it comes to Hannah, everything inside me wants to protect her. To keep her safe.To have her. Toloveher.
“Okay, well ...” She pauses, and her eyes flit to the ground for the briefest of moments before moving back to my face again.
I don’t know what she’s thinking or feeling right now, and I wish to hell I could get a read on her. But it’s all so fucking complicated when I can’t even get a read on myself. I want her, that much is obvious, but the circumstances around why we know each other in the first place should equate to her being entirely off-limits.
Her eyes are hesitant as they search mine, and she opens her mouth as if she’s going to say something, but the instant she shuts her lips, she pivots and disappears into the hallway that I know leads to her bedroom.
It feels like she’s gone for an eternity, even though it might only be a minute, but when she comes back, I don’t miss the stack of pillows and blankets she carries in her arms.
