Mistletoe in Paradise (Wildstone #5.5) - Jill Shalvis Page 0,20

her neck and throat while his lips nuzzled the other side. Then he began to move, a slow, torturous grind, head back, eyes closed, sheer undiluted pleasure in every line of his face. When he opened his eyes and whispered her name, she lost herself in him, completely.

Just as when she was with him like this, she also felt . . . found.

Chapter 9

James opened his eyes, and in spite of the fact that Hannah had just blown his mind and melted all his bones, he managed to lift his head and run a finger along her temple, tucking a stray strand of hair from her eyes so he could see into them. “Hey,” he murmured.

She smiled lazily, looking so sated it boosted his ego. “Hey,” she murmured back.

He smiled. “Wish I could go back and tell teenage James that being with you is even better than I imagined. And trust me, I imagined a lot.”

That won him a laugh, which with Hannah felt like a huge victory. He knew there wasn’t much light in her world, and if he couldn’t change that, he could at least make her feel as good as he possibly could. To that goal, he nibbled his way to her mouth, and was kissing her and loving the little breathy whimpers for more when a sudden knock had her nearly leaping right out of his arms. “Shh,” he murmured, running his hands up and down her back. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” she whispered back, eyes wide. “You know who that probably is!”

And indeed, Harry’s voice came through the door. “See you at dawn for fishing, yeah?”

“Yep,” James called out, trying not to laugh because Hannah had dived beneath the covers. “First thing.”

“Okay then. Night, James.” He paused. “Night, Smalls.”

Hannah tugged the blanket off her face, grimaced, then called out, “Night, Dad.”

After her dad’s footsteps had faded away, she sat up. “Oh my god. If our moms were here, they’d already be planning our wedding.”

James snorted because that was true.

“This isn’t funny. He’s going to think we’re a we now.”

“Probably.” James kissed his way down her throat. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Right this moment?” she asked breathlessly, moaning when he added his hands to the fray. “Absolutely nothing.”

Later, they dozed, wrapped up in each other. At some point, James awoke with a smile on his face and couldn’t remember ever feeling so relaxed and happy. At the odd movement next to him, he cracked open an eye and found Hannah sitting up beside him, working on her phone. Stretching, he slid an arm across her and tucked her into him.

She didn’t even look over, just kept typing while also giving a huge, jaw-cracking yawn.

Huh. Guess he was alone in that relaxed and happy state. “How long have you been up?”

“Oh, I haven’t gone to sleep yet.” She yawned again, looking completely done in.

“I could’ve sworn you fell asleep after that last orgasm.”

She smiled. “Yeah, and thanks for those, by the way. It’s been a while. Sorry if I was rusty.”

“You were perfect.” He kissed her shoulder. “You really haven’t slept?”

“No, I waited for you to fall asleep so I wouldn’t bug you.”

He lifted his head and met her gaze. “That wouldn’t bug me. What does is your working in the middle of the night when you’re exhausted and could use some rest.”

“I’m not exhausted—” She broke off for yet another yawn and then flushed. “Okay, so I’m a little tired.”

“You mean dead on your feet.”

She smiled ruefully. “I’ve got to do this. These are a few new cases I’m getting preliminary info together for that I’ll need right after the New Year.”

He nodded, starting to catch on. It’d taken him long enough. “There’s always going to be another patient, isn’t there?”

“Well, yeah,” she said, sparing him a quick glance. “It’s the nature of the job, which is what I love about it.”

“Because it allows you to bury yourself in work and never really live for yourself?”

Again she looked up, this time with a small frown. “I thought you understood.”

“Because of what happened to Jason?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, but then slowly shook his head. “No. Jason had regrets, Hannah—so many regrets. In the end, he was angry at himself for not living his life for anything beyond the job. I’d hate that for you.”

“I don’t have regrets.” She paused and let her phone fall into her lap. “Look, I know it’s a holiday week and most people are off from work, but today’s going to be busy and my boss