Chasing Rhodes (Rock Falls #1) (8 page)

I lean into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I bet you could, handsome, but my friends are going to think I’ve been kidnapped and a psycho is texting them from my phone if I don’t show up soon.”

He grabs me around the waist, pulling me into his lap, and touches his lips to mine. The kiss starts out slow, but when I whimper, he takes the opportunity to explore my mouth with his tongue. The kiss becomes hot and we’re quickly making out like teenagers. I’m almost about to say,
Screw it!
And tell him that I’ll stay as long as he wants me too, but he breaks our kiss and lays his forehead against mine. He’s breathing heavily and I can feel his hard cock under my ass.

“Okay, sweetheart. I’m not happy about it, but let’s take you home.”

An hour later, I’m dressed in a pair of Greyson’s sweatpants and an old City and Colour T-shirt, pulling up outside my house. When he told me to pick one from the drawer, I instantly chose this one. We had listened to the band on and off all weekend, and it reminded me of him. Although I am warm, I look downright hilarious; boy’s sweatpants, boy’s shirt, no shoes, massive parka, no makeup, and my hair was a disaster. All of this and I am clutching a skimpy dress and high heels.
Beth and Lennon are going to eat me alive!
I haven’t had to do many walks of shame during my twenty-four years, but this one is definitely going to top the charts.

He turns off his beast and goes to jump out of the truck when a thought occurs to me. “Does your truck have a name?”

He looks almost a little embarrassed and I start to think maybe that was a weird question to ask.
Not everyone has a thing for naming inanimate objects, Hannah!

I’m about to tell him never mind when he starts to answer.
“Bagheera,” he says, and I repeat it out loud. “Ya. Bagheera. Like the black panther from the Jungle Book.”

Well wrap me up and ship me off because I am a goner. Massive truck named after a children’s book character. I’ll be damned if that’s not cute as heck.
I’m still smiling to myself when he gets out to open my door. I’m debating how exactly I’m going to make it up the slippery driveway with no shoes, and I really don’t want to put on my high heels with sweatpants.
A girl has her limits.
Getting in at his place was no problem because the driveway was shoveled, but well… We are girls, so our driveway is not. I’m debating my best course of action when Greyson reaches in, scooping me up in his arms, catching me off guard.

“What exactly are you doing?” I say, laughing, wrapping my arms, heels and all, around his neck.

“You don’t have shoes on and it’s icy. I’m going to carry you.” He kicks the door shut with his heavy boot and starts up the driveway.

I start to giggle.
Yes, that’s a thing I do now. I giggle, apparently. He’s turned me into a giggler.
I’m still giggling when we reach the front door. The girls’ cars are in the driveway, so the door is unlocked. He carries me inside, and he is still holding me when my sister comes barreling into the room.

“Hannah, is that you?” she yells, but she stops dead the second she sees us. She looks mortified and gives me no time to answer before going off again. “Oh my God. No. How could you? Mom and Dad are going to be pissed. What is wrong with you? I didn’t think you were that drunk. I never would have let you leave with him if I thought you’d do this!” She waves her hands frantically in front of her.

“What are you talking about?” I gape at her.
On the plus side, at least he knows crazy runs in my family.

“You got married. You ran off and married some guy you barely know like this is Vegas or something! We live in CANADA! And I was supposed to be your maid of honor. How could you do this to me?” She is almost screaming at this point. “And now he’s carrying you over the threshold into our house. Oh my God. I think I’m going to be sick.” With that, she flops down on the couch, covering her face with her hands.

I know I should be jumping to explain, but I can’t help myself. I burst out laughing. I told you how much Beth loves juicy gossip… Well, she also loves to exaggerate—a lot. I’m laughing so hard that I’m crying and I can barely breathe. Greyson starts to laugh too and has to put me down so he can brace himself on the wall. It’s actually the most ridiculous thing in the entire world. I’m a cautious person by nature and would never do something like that—ever. I’m still trying to compose myself long enough to say something when Beth snaps.

“Jesus Christ, Hannah! This isn’t funny! You ruined your life!”
Oh, Beth
—
ever the flare for the dramatic!

“We’re…not…married,” I manage to gasp out in my hysteria.

“What?” Beth says.

I’m still laughing, so Greyson answers for me. “We didn’t get married. She had no shoes on. I was carrying her so she didn’t have to walk on the ice.”

My sister’s face is now absolutely priceless. Her mouth is gaping open and her face is starting to go red. I finally manage to talk so everyone can understand what I’m saying and don’t miss the opportunity to make fun of her.

“Beth, you lunatic! Did you sip some crazy with your coffee this morning?”

She is still just staring at us, her eyes bouncing back and forth between Greyson and me. Her mouth opens and closes. It looks like she’s trying to say something but can’t seem to find the words.

Greyson steps around from behind me and reaches out his hand. “Hi. I’m Greyson.” He’s nicer than I am because I was still planning to tease her about this…well, forever actually.

“Beth… Sorry,” my sister stutters and then shakes her head. “I mean, hi. I’m Beth. Hannah’s older sister. And I’m so, so sorry!”

He smiles at her and she blushes hard.
My sister just realized that, not only did she embarrass the shit out of herself, but she also did it in front of the sexiest guy alive.

“It’s all good, Beth, a pleasure to meet you.” He turns around, wrapping his arms around my waist, and lifts me so my feet are dangling in the air. “Dinner tomorrow?” he asks, and I put my hands on the back of his head.

“It’s a date,” I say, and he grins, resting his forehead on mine.

“You bet your ass it is, sweetheart.” He crashes his lips into mine and I kiss him back just as hard.

I’m not sure how long we stand there for, but it’s long enough for someone to clear their throat.
Beth.

He pulls away, setting me back down on my feet and kisses my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Hannah,” he says and turns to wave goodbye to Beth before he’s back out the door.

“Holy shit! I think I just got pregnant watching you that was so hot,” Beth says, fanning herself with her hands.

“Nice try, crazy train.” I laugh at her. “There is no way I’m letting you get off that easy changing the subject.” She groans. “That was blackmail material right there. I wouldn’t be a good sister if I didn’t get my money’s worth teasing you about it.” I punch her lightly in the shoulder and take off for my room.

W
E SETTLE QUICKLY
into a pattern over the next two months. When Greyson was working his four days on, I tried to keep busy with work and the girls. When he was on his four days off, we spent as much time together as humanly possible. I stayed at his place almost every night during those days, and the sex only got hotter. Despite his initial miscommunication with Beth, he gets along great with her and Lennon. He even promised to take them for a ride along in his ambulance one day, and the girls were so excited that they hugged him so hard that I thought he was going to pass out. He isn’t overly fond of my close friendship with Jami, but he’s working on it, and I do my best to keep the two separate from each other.

To say that I am pleasantly surprised by the turn of events would be the understatement of the century. When I woke up in his bedroom that first morning and realized who he was, I never expected in a million years that we’d end up where we are now. I smile to myself in the mirror as I realize that I’ve gotten lost in my head thinking about Greyson again.
I’m such a sucker for reminiscing.
I look at the time and quickly finish putting on my makeup.

Today, is my twenty-fifth birthday, and thus far, it has been fantastic! I had breakfast with my parents, Beth, and Lennon. Work was easy, the girls surprised me with lunch, and now I am getting ready to go out with my boyfriend.
My boyfriend.
Gosh, that seems surreal. He started calling me his girlfriend in the last three weeks, and I was more than eager to go with the flow. I have no idea what we are doing tonight. He wouldn’t tell me anything. I woke up to two dozen red roses and a note that said:

I don’t think I’ve ever swooned that hard in my entire life. It is a wonder I got anything done today after that.
Yours. Gah.
I am literally walking on sunshine today. I’ve been deflecting any and all negativity with my happiness shield.
Pew. Pew. Pew.
That was me mentally deflecting anything bad coming my way.

I dressed in blue jeans, which I tucked into Sorrels, a wool sweater, and my favorite army-green jacket with the fur-lined hood. I was just grabbing my toque and mittens when I heard him come inside the front door. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait. I ran out of the bedroom and threw myself into his arms.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he says, kissing me softly. “Are you ready to go?”

Am I ever! I’ve been excited about it ever since I got the note.

“You bet,” I say, kissing him back and smiling. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what we’re doing?”

“For the one hundredth time and as you and Beth would say, ‘
No
way, Jose
!’” He kisses me on the nose, setting my feet back down on the ground.

I pout and bat my eyelashes at him, hoping I’m giving off a cute puppy-dog look and not a bug eyed squirrel or something. He leans forward and sticks his tongue out, licking across the seam of my lips.

“No pouting, Hannah, or I’ll have to spank you.” His words set my skin on fire, and I’m suddenly wishing his note had said, “Wear no clothes.”

We make our way out to the truck and he helps me up, buckling me safely inside. “Ever the gentleman, Mr. Holt,” I tease, tossing out a line from one of our first mornings together.

“Only for you, sweetheart. Only for you,” he says shutting the door and running around the front of Bagheera to get inside.

It’s been snowing hard, even for late March, and Rock Falls looks even more beautiful. We don’t drive far, only two minutes maybe, before I realize he’s driving to the lake I live on.
That’s odd. We could have just accessed it by my place,
I think to myself.

He’s winding Bagheera down a short road that I know leads to the old boat launch. No one uses it anymore, even in the summer, but it’s secluded and private, so some people go down there to swim or have picnics. We’re close to turning the last corner when he slows to a stop and reaches into his pocket, pulling out what looks like a tie.

“Put this over your eyes. No peeking,” he says, and I’m so curious about what we’re doing that I practically rip it from his hands, tying it around my head.

Once I have the blindfold on, he starts driving again, and in less than a minute, he’s parking. He tells me not to move, and I hear him get out of the truck. A moment later, my door opens and he reaches in to unbuckle my seatbelt before lifting me out of the truck, standing me up on the ground. I’m nervous and excited, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

“Keep your eyes closed. I’m going to take off the blindfold now, but I want you to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. Okay?” I nod and close my eyes. I feel his arms wrap around my body and his cold nose touch my cheek as he whispers into my ear, “Happy birthday, sweetheart. Open your eyes.”

My eyelids spring open and the air leaves my lungs completely. Bagheera is parked as close to the edge of the frozen lake as possible, her headlights shining out onto the ice. Ten feet in is a wool blanket and pillows surrounded by at least three dozen large candles. I spin around quickly in his arms and stand up on the toes of my boots, fighting back tears.

“It’s beautiful, Greyson. Thank you.” I kiss him slowly and passionately, hoping I can portray all of my feelings into this kiss. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”