That thought had her glancing around, her arms crossed over herself. “Are your roommates here?”
Matt stepped closer to her, his hands going to her waist, pulling her against him. The action forced her to drop her arms, and they fell to his biceps. He held her loosely, but his intentions were undeniably clear. “Nope. They’re hanging out with some other friends tonight.”
Hannah nodded, still looking around, anywhere but at Matt’s face now inches from her own.
“Hannah.” His voice came out an amused rumble, and she forced herself to raise her eyes to his. “Yeah?”
He leaned down and kissed her. It was almost chaste, his lips soft and light against hers, but the way his fingers tightened on her hips made his kiss seem like a precursor to more. When he pulled back, his mouth still held the hint of a smile. “Are you okay?”
Now she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. “Yeah.”
His smile grew bigger. “You seem a little nervous.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, a little.” She waved a hand around. “I’m just not sure what to expect here. What this is. What you want, exactly.”
His fingers flexed on her hips again. “Just you. Just this. Us. Another chance.” His voice dropped lower. “I missed you.”
Hannah’s breath stopped in her throat at that declaration. At least Matt didn’t mince words. That hadn’t changed. He’d always been direct with her, especially about the fact that he wanted her, from the very beginning. But she pulled away and turned toward the couch, shaking her head. “You missed me, huh? Really?”
She turned back to him, arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed. The coffee table stood between them now, providing a needed barrier. His hands on her body and his lips on her skin short-circuited her brain. And that statement from the guy who’d just stopped talking to her was ridiculous.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets, his face serious. “Yeah. I did.”
She tilted her head, one eyebrow creeping up her forehead. “Since when? Yesterday? Friday? Or before?”
At least he had the grace to look sheepish at the last question. One hand came up to rub the back of his neck, and he dropped his gaze for a moment before looking her in the eyes again. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened before. About the way things ended.”
Hannah snorted. “Ended? You mean the way you left me hanging?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it was a dick move. I’m sorry. Really, I am. I was young and stupid, and I didn’t realize what I was giving up when I let you go like that.”
“You didn’t let me go, Matt. You ghosted me. At least if you’d had the balls to end things, I would’ve had some closure.”
He nodded again, his mouth twisted in a grimace, his blue eyes pained. “I know. Believe me, I’ve regretted it since I realized you’d stopped emailing me, and I didn’t know what to do about it or how to make it up to you, especially with you still in high school three hours away and planning on going to college on the other side of the state. I figured it was better for both of us to just let it go. It was shitty of me to treat you that way and not have the balls to have a hard conversation, and for that I’m so sorry.” He took a step around the coffee table so he could get close to her, but she moved away and held up a hand. “Please, Hannah. I am sorry. Do you want me to beg?”
She shook her head. “Just give me a second, okay?”
“Whatever you need. I can wait.” His hands went back in his pockets, but his eyes never left her face.
She thought over what he’d said for a minute, her chin tucked into her chest, her chin length bob swinging forward to hide her face. He’d apologized. Isn’t that what she wanted from him? Elena had been hounding her all weekend about what had happened Friday night. She gave in and told her about it Saturday night, and Elena had been a little disgusted with her that she’d let things get as far as she had without some kind of discussion about how things had ended before. “That boy needs to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness,” had been Elena’s exact words. Matt had basically offered to do just that. She didn’t want him on his knees begging, though. She didn’t get a thrill out of having that kind of power over a man. But she did appreciate the apology.
“You were young and stupid, huh?”
“I was.”
At least he didn’t deny that it had been a shitty way to treat her. He acknowledged the mistake and apologized. That had to count for something, right?
“And you’re older and wiser now?”
A crooked grin appeared on his face. “I like to think so.”
She smiled back. Really, it was a forgone conclusion. She couldn’t stay away from him now if she tried. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. I forgive you.”
Relief suffused his features. He started to take a step toward her again but stopped himself. “Can I touch you now?”
In answer, she stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his chest. His arms slid around her waist again, and he pulled her tightly against him, dropping his mouth to hers.
This kiss was anything but chaste. His tongue swept along her lower lip, and she opened for him. With one arm wound around her waist, keeping her body flush with his, he moved the other up to tangle in her hair, pulling her head back more so he could taste her at his leisure, just like he used to do. Heat gathered at her center, and her clothes felt stifling. When he broke the kiss, she was
