“Oh, God, Hannah. I missed you so much. I didn’t even realize it until I had you in my arms again. This feels so right. You have to feel it too.”
Without giving her a chance to answer, he released his hold on her hair and pressed her face into his shoulder, burying his face in her hair and kissing her scalp. She didn’t know what to say to that, and it seemed like he didn’t really want her to answer anyway. Was this for real? Was he for real? Was there a chance that she’d meant more to him than she’d thought all along?
That idea left her reeling and unbalanced, clinging to Matt for stability. He held her there for what seemed like a long time, and she relished the feel of him against her, his strong arms clasped around her body, his warmth, his solid muscles against her front and under her hands, so familiar, and so different from how things had been before.
He let go reluctantly when she pushed away, looking down into her eyes again. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She gave him a small smile. “I just want to take off my coat.”
He laughed. “Of course. Here, let me take it for you.”
She unbuttoned her gray pea coat and let him slide it down her arms. He placed it over the back of the recliner before moving back to her and taking her hands in his. “Last night I invited you over for dinner. Can you do that tonight? Or do you have too much homework again?”
She smiled, a full smile this time. “I brought my books with me just in case. I can stay for dinner. What did you have in mind?”
The smile he returned was radiant. He hadn’t looked this happy any time she’d seen him recently. It was fun to be able to cause someone so much pleasure with such a simple action as joining them for dinner.
“Chinese? Or would you rather have pizza?”
Chapter Eleven
Matt went to the kitchen and called his favorite Chinese place while Hannah got her things from her car. He heard the front door open and close just before he hung up and came out to the living room again. Hannah had a red backpack slung over one shoulder, her thumb hooked in the strap, her cheeks pink from being in the cold. She still looked nervous and uncertain, but he liked having her in his house. He never would’ve imagined this scenario in a million years.
She tugged on the strap. “I brought clothes. Is there somewhere I can change?”
Matt swallowed, all the saliva in his mouth gone at the thought of her stripping right here. Or him helping her out of her clothes. But that wasn’t what she asked. She barely let him touch her right now. Dinner first. Maybe he could see about getting her clothes off altogether later.
Clearing his throat, he stuffed his hands in his pockets again to hide his growing cock. “Sure. Yeah.” He nodded toward his room. “You can change in my room.”
He led the way, turning on the light, snagging a T-shirt and pair of boxers off the floor, and tossing them in the hamper in the corner. “Here you go.”
She slipped past him, looking around his room. He looked at it too, seeing the familiar surroundings with new eyes—a queen bed on a basic frame, the gray sheets and black comforter thrown back, a dresser and side table that held the detritus of his life—papers and mail, spare change, keys. A closet took up one wall, the door hanging open, a window opposite, the only decorations in the room the sketches Megan had drawn of him last semester.
Soon he’d have to stop thinking of his life in terms of semesters. Now he worked. No more semesters dividing time into neat blocks for him. It was all just one long slog from here on out, one month running into the next, maybe a vacation once a year to break it up. That thought depressed him more than he’d like to admit.
Hannah stepped up to one of the sketches on the wall over his dresser. “This is really good.”
“Megan did those for a class last semester. She decided I needed a couple of them.”
Her eyes drifted to him, looking him over before going back to the sketch. He remembered Megan drawing that one, sitting on the floor while he played Call of Duty. She’d captured the explosion on the screen, and the way his body lifted off the couch, his fist in the air in triumph.
“She’s really good. I guess agreeing to model for her won’t be that bad if this is what the results look like.” Hannah turned her head toward him again. “Will she have us pose together do you think? Or do you know?”
Matt shook his head. “I don’t know. She hasn’t told me what the plan is. Chris might know. If you’re still here when they get back, you can ask her.” He noticed that Hannah’s cheeks turned a little pink when he brought up his roommates. She must be thinking about Chris and Megan barging in on them Friday night. He couldn’t stop the smirk from tugging at his lips. When he thought about what they’d been doing, his blood rushed too, but not to his cheeks.
Hannah nodded. “Okay.” She stared at him, an expectant look on her face. After a moment, she dropped her eyes. “Um, I’d like to change now.”
He gave himself a mental shake. Stop ogling the girl in your room and get out of her way, jackass. But his smirk turned into a grin. “You want me to leave then?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes. Now.”
With a chuckle, he backed out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him. He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, banging his head lightly against the
