“Oh, of course. Mitch is more than welcome to join us.”
Just what she needed, Hannah thought as she watched Mitch stride over at Ethan’s wave, her body sitting up and taking notice of his perspiration damp navy blue tee shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and hard as a rock chest and tight jeans that did nothing to disguise the strength in his muscled thighs when he walked. As if her fantasies about their one evening together weren’t enough to disturb her on a very basic level, she now had to sit across the table from him and act like they were just friendly neighbors with no intimate knowledge of each other. She doubted her ability to pull that off successfully. It went against her moral fiber to be deliberately deceitful, but more than that, if obsessing over that one encounter this past week without seeing him had left her flustered and unsure, what would being near him again do?
Ethan and Anna shared a knowing look as Hannah’s eyes clung to Mitch, her face reflecting chagrin as well as longing. Anna knew what she was thinking because it hadn’t been that long ago that she had the same reaction whenever she saw Donovan. She suspected Hannah was raging an inner war against what she had always believed was good and bad sexual behavior, a war she knew from experience wouldn’t be fought, and won, with one battle.
Chapter Five
Mitch’s first reaction at seeing Hannah again when he pulled into his drive had been a warm, pleasant feeling that eased the stress of his day followed swiftly by a surge of lust so powerful it fucking took his breath away. The hour he spent with her over dinner last week after they had sex, listening to her excitement over starting her photography business, studiously avoiding any mention of sex to help ease her discomfort, had been as hard as leaving her with a simple ‘good night’. Staying away from her all week had been difficult, but not nearly as difficult as trying to forget the way she looked when she climaxed for, unbelievably, the first time. Just the memory of the glazed look in her fey eyes as she stared up at him in shock followed so swiftly by stunned surprise at the profound pleasure sweeping through her could make him hard, make him sweat for want of her. But he had to remember, had to keep telling himself, it was a one-time thing. She had been curious about what she had been taught was forbidden, he had satisfied her curiosity, in spades, and now they needed to go back to being neighborly, if for no other reason than to preserve his fucking sanity. Because once had not been enough for him. One hour of vanilla sex with Hannah was like eating the cherry off the top of an ice cream sundae and leaving the decadent tastes of sweet caramel, warm fudge, salty nuts and cold, creamy ice cream for someone else to indulge in. A sweet appetizer that left him craving more. And when that analogy had him seeing red, he knew he was in deep shit.
When Ethan waved him over, he wasn’t happy about it. Instead of strapping on a tool belt and joining his crew after lunch today like he usually did, he spent the afternoon in his trailer office dealing with red tape on back logged orders and permits. He much preferred physical labor to desk work, but some things could only be handled by him. Instead of thinking about alleviating his irritation and edginess at the club this evening, he found himself walking next door with more anticipation than he usually got from planning out a scene.
He was pleased Anna had stopped by. He hoped the two of them would hit it off well enough to eventually become friends. With Mary and Patty gone for another two months, Hannah didn’t have anyone to talk to if she needed to vent or get advice on something personal she wasn’t accustomed to dealing with, like awesome orgasms that her husband had failed to give her for ten years. That one still boggled his mind, but not enough to pursue a relationship, even a temporary one, with someone who was so unsuitable for his desires. Ignoring the contradiction between that thought and his anticipation at seeing Hannah again, he smiled at the three of them before scratching Duke behind his ears.
“What’s going on?” He directed his question to the three of them, but his eyes stayed on Hannah. What the hell was it about her that had him so twisted up in knots at seeing her again? She stood there in another God awful skirt streaked with dirt and a garden stained white blouse, loose tendrils of hair that had once again escaped the tight confines of her plait clinging to her neck, her damp face smudged and those silvery/blue eyes devouring him and he wanted to strip her right here, pound into her wet heat over and over, staking his claim in front of Ethan and Anna. The primitive, uncharacteristic thought made him take a step back, as if physical distance could keep him from lusting after her. He knew coming over here was a bad idea.
“You’re just in time for dinner. Hannah says there’s enough if you want to join us.”
“Do you ever think of anything except food?” Mitch asked Ethan, reluctantly shifting his attention from Hannah to Ethan.
“Sure. I think about sex a whole lot more, but since my chances of eating are a lot higher than getting laid right now, that’s where my focus is. You did make a pie, didn’t you?” Ethan asked Hannah as if he just now thought about dessert.
“Of course. A deal is a deal. Ethan set up my website last week and I already have two jobs from it,” she told Anna and Mitch.
“What do you do?” Anna asked her.
“I’m attempting my hand at photography. Between Aunt Mary using her social networking skills and Ethan’s excellent job at setting me up online, I’m off to a good start.” Seeing Mitch again, all Hannah could think about was how his body felt moving inside hers and the pleasure those calculated moves gave her. Needing a few minutes to compose herself and steer her thoughts toward being a good hostess instead of pondering ways she could find out if Mitch would be willing to come upstairs with her again tonight, she stated, “Come in when you’re ready. I’ll wash up and get dinner on the table.”
As soon as Hannah entered the house, Anna turned a knowing grin up at Mitch. “Mitch, what on earth are you thinking? That woman is
so
not your type. And don’t even try to tell me nothing’s going on because I won’t believe it. The air was practically sizzling between you two.”
“I’ve helped her out a few times, like Mary asked me to. That’s it. Don’t read more into it, Anna,” he warned, reluctant to discuss anything else about Hannah with her. If she knew he already had sex with Hannah, the first thing she’d do is tell Olivia and Kayla and when those three get together, there was no telling what plotting they’ll do. Like Anna said, his neighbor was not his type.
Anna lightly patted his rock solid chest, her grey eyes warm as she replied, “If you say so,
Master
Mitch. I’ll go see if she needs any help.”
Mitch glared at her back as Anna trotted up the four steps to the front door and let herself in. As if he wasn’t having enough trouble struggling to do the right thing by keeping his distance from Hannah, now he had others meddling and more likely than not, handing out more unwanted advice like, ‘she’s not your type’. As if he didn’t already know that.
While mowing, Ethan noticed the way Hannah had kept glancing towards Mitch’s house as if she was hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Remembering Mitch’s attitude last week concerning his neighbor, he struggled to hold back a grin. If Hannah, with her innocent flair and boring, sexless clothes, has already snared his attention, then he had it bad. “You’ve already banged her, haven’t you?” Ethan blurted then took a hasty step back when Mitch turned a glacial look on him. Holding his hands up, he quickly said, “No offense, man! She’s a nice lady. Hell, you could do a lot worse.”
“Ethan, shut up.”
“This is a beautiful kitchen,” Anna said when she stepped inside, her curiosity about the woman who put that look on Mitch’s face itching to be appeased.
“Mitch remodeled the entire house, but most of the big changes were made on this floor. The kitchen is now twice the size as it was when I lived here fourteen years ago.” After giving Anna a smile, Hannah turned back to the sink and drained the potatoes, her mind and body still struggling with chaotic confusion after seeing Mitch again. She thought there must be something seriously wrong with her for her to react so strongly to a man she barely knew despite having had sex with him. It couldn’t be right to want someone so much, to desire him above what common sense told her was normal. She hoped this meal wasn’t as awkward for her as last weeks. Even though Mitch had done his best to make that brief hour after coming downstairs easier for her, she had still been so tense with the ‘time after’ uncertainty and questions, she barely tasted her food or could recall if they talked about anything besides their work.
“Can I set the table?” Anna asked, indicating the plates and utensils sitting on the counter.
“Yes, thank you. Have you known Ethan and Mitch long?” Hannah asked her, eager for any information on the man whom she was obsessing over.
“Only about seven months, but I can tell you they’re both great guys. I met Mitch through Donovan, who I married five months ago.” She could still vividly recall the one time Donovan had shared her with Mitch. Mitch had instinctively known how uneasy she had been thinking Donovan didn’t want her and did everything he could to make the experience not only highly erotic, but made her feel as if she was the only woman he wanted at that moment. The look he gave Hannah reflected that same intense desire, only exponentially higher. Lucky woman if she was smart enough to grab onto him. “So, this isn’t the first time you’ve left your Amish community?”
Hannah wasn’t surprised she knew about her background. If her plain attire didn’t hint at it, she was sure Ethan had mentioned it. She explained how she came to live with her Aunt Mary for a year at Caleb’s insistence, then said, “When my grandparents started insisting I give serious thought to accepting another man’s proposal, a widower in his late forties with three children in their early teens, I knew it was time for me to leave, make my own way for a while until I knew exactly what I wanted. Aunt Mary’s invitation to housesit for her and Patty was a Godsend.”
“It’s hard, isn’t it, to leave all you’ve known, to want something different that might go against what you were raised to believe was right?” Turning from the small table under the four paned window that looked out on the newly cut backyard, Anna smiled at Hannah’s surprised look.
Hannah’s hands tightened on the beaters. “Either you’re very astute or you’re a mind reader.”
Laughing, she assured her, “I’m definitely not a mind reader. I know little about the Amish other than they are very devout people who live simply. My father was a preacher for a small, tight knit, very judgmental congregation.” Not sure how much to reveal, Anna kept her comparisons simple. “I made the mistake of marrying my first husband to please my parents. My father’s deceased now, but neither he nor my mother would approve of Donovan or some of the things we do, yet I’ve never been happier, emotionally, physically or spiritually.”
“Marrying Caleb wasn’t a mistake,” Hannah returned defensively. Regardless of their differences, she had loved Caleb and didn’t regret the years she had with him.
“I’m glad. It’s difficult to live with a mistake such as mine, to know the tragedy that befell both of us could have been prevented if I had as much strength as you to seek out what I really wanted.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Hannah turned back to the counter and started mashing potatoes, adding milk and butter as she blinked back tears. Other than her aunt, no one has given her such a compliment concerning her decision to leave Ohio. Such a simple statement to have such a profound effect on her, but sometimes that is all that is needed.
“Hannah.” Anna laid a hand on her tense shoulder and squeezed encouragingly as she heard Ethan and Mitch come in. “I’ll leave you my number in case you’d like to go to lunch sometime.”
Turning to look at her, Hannah replied, “I’d like that,” keeping it as simple as Anna was.
By the time she was cutting the still warm berry pie, Hannah was more relaxed and more comfortable with both Anna and Mitch. She remained mostly silent during dinner, listening to the three of them banter back and forth. Anna made her laugh at the animal antics from her patients, Ethan pulled at her heartstrings when he admitted to being dumped by his girlfriend of two months this past week and Mitch made her feel uncomfortably damp between her legs just from listening to his deep voice as he spoke of his frustrating day dealing with paperwork while looking at her across the table with smoldering dark eyes. At least with Ethan and Anna present, her arousal wasn’t threatening her composure or her sanity. Instead, enjoying the company, it simmered warmly rather than burning hotly, and gave her a pleasant, mellow feeling. Duke lay between her and Ethan and sneaking food down to him helped divert her attention.
“This is awesome, Hannah,” Ethan mumbled with his mouth full. Casting a worried look at the three other servings, he asked, “Is there going to be enough for me to take some home?”
“Your brothers need to teach you some manners,” Mitch drawled. The pie was good, but that didn’t excuse the kid’s rudeness.
“I always keep my promises, Ethan. Of course you’ll get some to take with you.” Smiling at Mitch, Hannah added, “There’ll be enough for you also, if you want it.”
“Thank you. It’ll taste great with a cup of coffee in the morning.”
Both women wrinkled their noses in distaste then Anna rose, picking up her empty plate to take to the sink. “Thank you so much, Hannah. I hate driving that county road after dark, so I really need to get going.”
“And I’m meeting the guys at Casey’s, so I’ll follow you, Anna. What’re your plans, Mitch?”
Mitch glared at Ethan, not amused by him. Ethan was well aware he spent Saturday nights in the private club above Casey’s just as he had a good idea what went on upstairs. “I thought I’d help Hannah with the dishes. Other than that, I haven’t decided.” Where the hell did that idea come from? The last thing he needed was to spend alone time with Hannah, especially right before he went to the club.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Mitch.” Flustered at the thought of being alone with him again, Hannah quickly picked up the other plates and joined Anna at the sink. “It won’t take me any time at all.”