Hooking Him - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,60

to the door when Calvin appears wearing black jeans with an open button-down shirt and holding a cup of coffee.

“I was coming to wake you, but it looks like he beat me to it.” His gaze roams my face and hair, and his expression warms with contentment, a look I like seeing from him.

“He did. I even got a kiss.” I pull the blanket up and tuck it under my arms as he comes toward me, holding out the cup of coffee. I take it from him, and he puts one knee on the bed and captures me behind the neck, angling my head before dropping his mouth to mine. “I like your good-morning kiss more.” I open my eyes and get lost in his.

“I hope so.” He smiles as he runs his fingers along my cheek before they fall to his hip.

I take a sip of coffee, then glance at the clock. “You’re up early.”

“I have to leave in thirty minutes. I’m taking Bane to training, then have an early meeting.”

“Oh.” I start to push back the covers. “I’ll get ready and leave when you do.”

He shakes his head and places his hand on my thigh to keep me where I am. “Stay. I’ll give you a key. You can just lock up when you go. And tonight when you get off work, just use it to let yourself in.”

“You’re not going to be here?” Dread at the idea of not having him with me tonight fills my chest, and I drop my eyes from his to my lap.

“I haven’t forgotten tonight is dinner with your parents, Anna.” His hand captures mine, and I lift my head when he squeezes my fingers. “I wouldn’t forget something as important as that. I’ll be home in time to take you.”

“Sorry. I should have known you wouldn’t forget. I . . . it’s just going to take me some time to trust this isn’t too good to be true, that you aren’t too good to be true.”

“I’m not perfect, baby, not by a long shot. And I don’t want you to think I am. Perfect is an impossible standard to live by.”

“You’re not like any man I’ve known.” I cover his lips with my finger when he starts to open his mouth to say something. “And I know you aren’t perfect, but in the short time we’ve known each other, you’ve taken more care with me than anyone I have ever known, and I appreciate that.”

“Fuck, I’m gonna be late.”

“What?” I ask.

And he suddenly takes the cup of coffee from me and places it on the side table before he uses his weight to push me back on the bed, which means I’m laughing when he kisses me.

I step out of the bakery and lock the door. After grabbing my cell out of my bag, I look at the screen and see a text from Edie asking if I can pick her up, along with giving me her location. I text her back, letting her know I’m on my way, and then head for my car, parked in the lot down the block. When I pull up in front of the painting place, I see Edie, Pearl, and Dixie outside on the sidewalk, laughing as they look at their paintings, which look like they’re mostly of naked men. I roll down the passenger window and shout, “Edie!” I get her attention, and she waves wildly.

“Anna, my beautiful, sweet girl,” Edie says loudly when she opens the door to my car and falls in with her canvas as Dixie and Pearl open the back door and attempt to get in at the same time.

I look among the three of them and shake my head. “Are you guys drunk?”

“A little,” Edie says as she fumbles with her seat belt and the two in the back seat finally get in and seated.

“I thought you were at a painting class?”

“We were,” Dixie replies, shoving her painting between the front seats so I can see it and narrowly missing hitting me in the face with it. “We had a live model today. Isn’t he handsome?”

I study the painting and press my lips together. The model might have been handsome, but his offset eyes, awkward smile, and overly square jaw make him look like something you’d see in a nightmare.

“It smells like you ladies drank a case of wine.”

“We had three bottles of wine, not a case,” Pearl corrects me. Then she adds, “That’s just one bottle each.”

“Thank