Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
He left with a wave, and I wandered down the hall. Hannah was unpacking a box, and I grinned at how different the room already looked with her furniture in place and a throw rug on the floor beside her bed. When it had been my room, I’d had a bed, a dresser, and a side table. That was it. I rubbed my chin. That was how my room still looked. I had just moved what I had into the bigger bedroom, not really caring. But seeing Hannah’s space made me want to fix up mine too.
I rapped on the doorframe, and she looked up.
“Hey.”
“The room looks really nice.” I complimented her.
She looked around, pleased. “It does. Once I hang a few pictures and some curtains, it’ll be great.”
“And your mom is coming this weekend?”
“If that’s okay.”
“Of course. I’ll be at the garage until noon or so, then I’ll come home and help. Dom will too.”
“Great. Mom and I will tape and get the room ready. With four of us, the room will go fast.”
I grinned. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Maxx or Stefano showed up either. Or Charly and Gabby.”
She looked delighted. “They are all so awesome. You’re so lucky to have them, Chase.”
“You have them too, now.”
She hugged my arm. “Then I’m lucky too.”
She had another nightmare. I heard her from my room, and I hurried next to her bed, finding her in the same curled-up position as the night before. Tonight, I saw tears on her face, but her whimpers and distress eased when I stroked her head and murmured quiet words to her that seemed to soothe her.
“I’m here, Hannah. Right here, baby. You’re safe.”
I worried about her all the next day, but she seemed fine when I got home. I grilled some burgers, and she tossed a salad. It was easy and comfortable. After dinner, she made me look at the paint swatches she had taped to the wall in the living room, asking my opinion.
“Um, they all look…fine?” I offered.
She tapped one. “Too green, I think.” Another tap. “And this one is more purple. I wanted a nice coffee-mocha. My sofa is taupe, yours is chocolate leather. We want it to complement both.”
I narrowed my eyes and studied them. I touched the end one. “I like this.”
She hummed in agreement. “Yes. The perfect blend. You have a good eye.”
I chuckled. “Working with the upholstery side of restorations has helped. Customers are very particular about the colors.”
“Okay, we’ll look at that one and this one in the light tomorrow and decide. I’ll pick up the paint after my last shift.” She stood close, the heat of her soaking into my skin. “I get a weekend off. That doesn’t happen much.” She looped her arm around my waist, leaning her head on my shoulder. “I love this house, Chase. I’m so happy to be here.” She paused. “With you.”
I pressed a kiss to her head. “I like having you here.”
She looked up, her eyes wide and shining. “Yeah?”
I turned, facing her fully. I pulled her closer. “Yeah.”
I wanted to kiss her with everything in me. Know what it felt like to have her lips move with mine. Taste her. I’d been fantasizing about that since I’d first met her.
I began to lower my head when my phone rang. It startled us both, and we pulled apart. We stared, realizing what had been about to happen. Her breathing was fast. My pulse raced. My phone rang again, and I pulled it from my pocket, answering it.
“Charly,” I almost growled into the phone.
“Chase. I hear there is painting this weekend.”
I stepped back, running a hand through my hair, trying not to sound upset. “Yes, we’re painting.”
“I’m coming. So is Gabby. The boys have the kids. They both suck at painting. I excel. We can do the living room and your room. Get it all done.”
“Um.” I was about to protest when I saw the happiness on Hannah’s face. She picked up a pile of samples, pulling out the one I had mentioned I liked and waving it. I had to smile.
“Sure, Charly. Many hands and all that.”
“Awesome. We’ll talk tomorrow!”
I hung up and shrugged. “I guess it’s turning into a party.”
“Great!”
For a moment, neither of us said anything. She smiled sadly and lifted a shoulder as if silently acknowledging the lost moment. “I’m going to head to bed.”
I nodded. “Night, Hannah.”
“Night, Chase.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Chase
I stayed in my room in the morning, listening to Hannah move around and get ready for work. She was quiet, the sounds muffled. I smelled the scent of coffee and heard the front door click locked behind her. She’d had another nightmare in the night, and I’d gone in and soothed her again. I wanted to ask her about them, except she didn’t seem to recall having them in the morning or the fact that I’d gone into her room to comfort her. I wasn’t sure how she was going to feel about that. Our almost-kiss troubled me. I wanted to kiss her, and I was certain if I had last night, she would have kissed me back. How far things would have gone, I had no idea, but in the dull light of the morning without lust or her scent in my nose, I wondered if it was a good idea to pursue a different relationship with her. We were close in age, her twenty-eight compared to my thirty. But she was a cop, and I had a record. How would she feel about that? I knew I had to tell her, but I was worried. I would hate to lose her as a friend and roommate. It hadn’t been a long time yet, but still, I felt different when I walked in the door. If she left, I would go back to being alone, and the thought didn’t sit well. If we were just friends and I was her landlord, I didn’t have to divulge my past.