I nod, and he pours a generous amount of each into the cup, giving it a stir. He heads back over to me, handing me the warm mug of steaming coffee. He surprises me when instead of sitting down next to me, he first leans down, pressing a long kiss to my cheek.
“You look beautiful this morning.” He sits beside me, closer than I anticipated. I fight the urge to shift away.
I take a sip of my coffee, hoping that it helps explain the sudden heat coursing through my body instead of trying to blame it on his proximity to me. “Thanks,” I murmur, instead of telling him I surely look like a potato.
Arson snuggles into my side. “What are you going to do today?” I change the subject away from me.
“I figured we could head to the main house and get to know Ron and Dottie. I want to do some work for them while I’m here. Whether that be repairs, helping feed the animals, whatever, I want to make myself useful. I’m not great at sitting around.”
I nod along. What am I going to do? It’s not like I have any special skills to offer them while here, I mean unless someone gets injured, but it’s not like I want them to get hurt so that I have something to do.
“Would you want to join me?” His brows lift in question.
“Yeah, but I don’t have much to offer them.”
“Stop that,” Thomas says.
“What?”
“You offer a lot, even if you think you don’t. You’re so smart, Hannah.”
I shrink back into the couch a little, taking another sip of coffee to disguise the heat racing through my veins again.
We sit in silence as we finish our coffee.
“I’m going to get dressed. Should we plan to leave here soon?” Thomas asks as he stands up from the couch.
“That works,” I respond, drinking the last sip of my coffee. Hopefully this helps me wake up a bit. Thomas heads up the stairs, glancing back at Arson who has not moved from my side on the couch.
“Are you coming?”
Arson huffs, snuggling further into my side. I snicker as his fur tickles my arm. “I get it buddy. I want to stay and snuggle with her, too, but you got to snuggle her all night,” Thomas says.
My stomach swoops at the words.Hewants to snuggle with me? I clear my throat and shift. “Arson, go with your dad.” I gesture to Thomas standing on the stairs. Arson glances up at his dad, and huffs again, ignoring him.
I’m not going to lie, it feels good having Arson at my side, almost like he knows I’m anxious and need his protection. “He’s fine, if you’re okay with him staying.” I pet hissmooth fur.
“Of course,” Thomas responds. “I didn’t want him to be annoying you, that’s all.”
“Not at all. I like it.”
“Alright, then.” He continues up the stairs, and I hear the shuffling sounds of him rifling through his bags. “One unfortunate thing about not having our phones is not being able to check the weather at the drop of a hat. I don’t even know what the weather in Missouri is like,” he calls.
“I’m not sure, either.” I raise my voice a bit so he can hear me. “It looks sunny out. I can see if there’s a weather channel on TV or something.”
“Nah, we can live on the wild side for today.” A second later, he’s striding down the stairs in a pair of gym shorts and a shirt. The deep navy Ivy Ridge PD shirt clings to his chest, showcasing his broad shoulders, thick pectorals, and the softness of his stomach. The shorts broadcast his thick thighs, something I didn’t expect to be a turn on, but apparently, I have a thing for thick thighs. Noted.
A tingling feeling settles between my thighs, something new and unexpected. Thomas glances at me, and down to my hand. “Are you done? Can I take your cup?
I nod, my mouth dry and my brain unworking. I stand from the couch, Arson clambering down after me, and dart past Thomas throwing my thumb over my shoulder in a gesture toward the stairs. “I’ll go get changed.”
Arson dutifully follows me, and I almost feel bad that he’s following me so much, rather than hanging by Thomas. Without waiting for an answer, I rush up the stairs and scan the area for my suitcase. Thomas must have moved it last night so that it was on my side of the bed after I fell asleep the first time, as it’s in the far corner of the loft.
I grab a pair of comfortable jean shorts, change out of my pajama shorts into them, and exchange my top for asports bra and a band shirt from a concert Julia and I went to last year. I run a brush through my snarled hair, and grab a claw clip from my bag, twisting it up and off my neck. I slide on some socks and my tennis shoes before heading back downstairs. Arson plods beside me, his nails clacking on the wood stairs.
Thomas is sitting back on the couch, quite literally twiddling his thumbs. He stands when we reach the floor, and I gesture toward the bathroom. “I need to brush my teeth. I don’t think Ron and Dottie would appreciate my coffee and morning breath.”
“Eh, I’m sure that’s the least of their concerns.”
