Two Bar Mitzvahs
by Kat Bastion with Stone Bastion
formatted by
E.M. Tippetts Book Desgins
Highland Legends Series
(a holiday novella)
Born of Mist and Legend
(Winter 2014-2015)
Found in Flame and Moonlight
(Winter 2015-2016)
Romantic Poetry for Charity
Foreword by Sylvain Reynard
Books by Kat Bastion with Stone Bastion
No Weddings Series
Two Bar Mitzvahs
Three Christmases
(Nov. 2014)
For Valentine’s
(Jan. 2015)
To those who love with all that you are…
Bliss Interrupted
“Hannah…” I kissed her temple.
Our bodies were wrapped together. What an incredible way to wake up.
Her lips curved into a smile. “Cade…” She let out a low moan that turned into a purr right before she turned and snuggled her sexy ass back into me.
I groaned. My cock stiffened further, aching. And it had nothing to do with morning wood. But even though I wanted to bury myself balls deep back into Hannah, I only pulled her closer, held her tighter—grateful she was in my arms.
I’d been waiting five months for this moment.
Five
. For a guy like me, that’s a lifetime. A fucking monumental achievement. But it wasn’t just about the sex. We were great friends who’d wanted more, even with the risk. So we’d taken things slow. And I’d do it all over again. I sighed and tightened my arms again.
She wriggled, loosening my hold. “I have to pee.”
“No.” I pulled her back to me.
“Yes.” She smacked my hip. “Pee. Coffee. Work.”
I let out a low grunt. “Reality sucks. Bed all day better.” Sometime in the middle of our wild night, we’d stumbled out of the mosquito-netted tent in her backyard and made it into her house, knocked her mountain of throw pillows onto the floor, and tumbled into her bed.
She turned in my arms and smiled at me. “Bed all day sounds perfect.” Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders, the ends teasing her breasts. Bright light streamed through her windows, making her hazel eyes vivid green. Her gaze dropped to my mouth, and she bit her lower lip.
Growling, I launched up and tugged that lower lip away from her into my own mouth. I kissed her hard at first, then long and slow, until her body relaxed into my hold again. “So it’s settled, then.”
She smiled against my lips but pulled back. “No. I need to get into the bakery. Chloe and Daniel promised to open, but I have a business to run. So do you.” Chloe and Daniel were dedicated employees, but Hannah’s sense of responsibility was admirable. Her other point was dead on. I did have a business to run. And my commitment to everyone at Loading Zone, the bar I co-owned with my best friend Ben, was unshakable.
I gave her a hard nod, finally releasing her. “You’re right. Reality doesn’t suck that much.”
When she stood from the bed, the sheet drifted from her body. I swallowed hard, staring at her gorgeous backside.
“Oh? Why’s that?” She turned, giving me a half smile.
I let out a slow exhale. “Because you’re in it.”
The corner of her mouth kicked up in a smirk. “Good answer.”
A noise hummed. She leaned toward her nightstand, grabbed a lit up phone, and handed it to me. “Here. Your phone has been vibrating on and off all morning. Somebody wants you in an urgent way.” After another slow kiss, she left and walked around the bed toward the bathroom.
Irritated that I hadn’t turned the damned thing off and the noise had bothered Hannah, I pressed the control button to light up the screen again. Several alerts were stacked in a list. A couple of them (two missed calls and a voicemail) were from my oldest sister, Kristen, all from the last few hours this morning. One call and voicemail came from Ben. The third call was from an unknown number. That caller had also left a voicemail.
I pushed up, then sat on the edge of the bed as I listened to the voicemail from Kristen. Something about a messed up order with our family’s event-planning company, Invitation Only, but my brain was too hazy to follow all the details. Ben’s message was a reminder about Loading Zone’s quarterly meeting today. The third voicemail was from…a familiar, sultry voice.
Warning bells fired adrenaline into my veins. I jolted awake, heart racing, recognition hitting my body first. My brain lagged a few seconds behind.
“…shocked as hell to hear from me. I know we left on horrible terms. But I was hoping we could get together. Talk.”
I blew out a hard breath.
Madison.
My ex. The one who’d dumped me when I proposed to her two years ago, admitting she cheated on me repeatedly when we’d been together.
Pissed the fuck off, I shot up from the bed and threw the phone onto it. Of course, my ex would surface after so long, as if nothing had happened.
During a date with Hannah.
I caught Hannah staring at me from the entrance to her bathroom, her eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”
With concentration, I relaxed my scowl. “Nothing.” So
not
nothing. But fuck if I was going to ruin this date for Hannah too.
Her brows drew together, and she dropped her hands onto her hips. “Doesn’t look like nothing. You’re angry.”
I took a deep breath, willing my out-of-control head to calm the fuck down. I shoved the disturbing voicemail out of my mind, doing my damnedest to compartmentalize that shit. My past didn’t matter. It didn’t belong in this room. Only the most important person did—Hannah.
She stood there naked, hair rumpled with that sexy just-been-thoroughly-fucked look, skin flushed a beautiful pink. She was what I needed to focus on. “You’re all I need to calm down.” I crossed the room and gathered her in my arms.
She pressed her hands on my chest, pushing back from my hold. “Who called?”
Not giving up on it, then. I sighed. “A few people.”
“Like?”
“Ben. Reminding me of today’s meeting.”
“And?”
“Kristen. About some issue she’s dealing with.”
“And that made you mad?”
I released her and took a step back. “No.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why won’t you tell me? I thought we were past keeping things from each other.” Her eyes darkened.
I blew out a breath. “We are. Damn, Hannah. I didn’t want to ruin this morning for you. Our first morning waking up together should be free of shit from our past.”
Her brows raised. “Shit from your past called?”
I gave her a brief nod. “Selfish Bitch, to be exact.” Never ceased to amaze me how fitting the nickname was that Hannah had given my ex. Or how damn good it felt to say it. A benefit from the cleansing bonfire therapy a few months ago after I’d dubbed hers Dumbfuck.
Hannah gasped. “What did she say? What did she want?”
I shrugged. “Not much. She wants to get together to talk.”
A hurt expression crossed over her face. “And do you want to? Are you going to?”
Her pained look killed me. “No. I don’t. And I’m not. Now do you see why I didn’t want to tell you? I’ve ruined our first
real
date.”
She shook her head, the harsh lines in her forehead softening. “No, Cade. You didn’t ruin anything. But please, don’t keep things from me.” On a shaky inhale, she stepped into my arms again. “With the betrayal from my past, and with how you suffered from yours, we’re both damaged when it comes to trust.”
I brushed her hair out of her face. “I’m sorry.” My gut instinct had me wanting to deal with Madison on my own, protecting Hannah. “I know we’re fucked up with those issues. I hesitated because last night and this morning was amazing. I was angry that she’d called. That I hadn’t turned my damned phone off. That my reaction upset you. Ruined our morning, at the very least.”
She gave me a gentle smile. “No not ruined. Remember our
first
first date? The one I thought was a disaster? That I was convinced I’d ruined?”
“You didn’t ruin it. And it wasn’t a disaster.” Had she been a little nervous? Yeah. And
way
too much in her head about her ex—nothing a little on-the-spot fantasizing and a few sessions of professional therapy hadn’t been able solve.
“Semi-disaster,” she countered. “And you’re missing my point.”
“That I’ve only semi-ruined it?”
She slapped my chest. “No. What did you do to get me out of my head?”
“Got you to think of a happy place.”
“And what did I picture?”
I grinned. “A field of cupcakes. With me naked. Covered in icing.”
With slow steps, she walked backward. “Icing can be sticky. We’re sticky right now.”
“From mind-blowing sex.” I stalked after her, matching her step-by-step. I definitely liked the direction she was headed.
“So do you think maybe we can go to a happy place here in my bathroom? I’m sticky. You’re sticky. We both have to go into work clean, don’t we?” She bit her lip as she stepped into her shower and turned on the spray.
I growled low, following her in. “I
love
your idea of therapy.”
Hair slicked back, she stepped out from under the water and grabbed a shampoo bottle. “Good. Because therapy is about to get very hands on.”
I stepped under the spray and did my best to block out the negative vibe from my ex. Hannah caught my gaze and held it. Doubt reflected back at me for a split second, like she’d read my mind, could see my struggle to get settled back into us. But then she tilted her head, gave me another sexy smile, and wrapped a soapy hand around the tip of my cock.
I groaned, leaning into her hold as her hand slipped from tip to base. Her face tilted up as I closed my eyes. Soft lips pressed against mine.
I gave myself over to her touch, her kiss. Relief washed through me. Her medicine, her kind of therapy, helped to fade the image of the earlier look of hurt in her eyes. I didn’t want her to worry. I needed her trust. Needed her.
Caught Off Guard
After a shower that rivaled all others, we stood in Hannah’s kitchen. She tapped her fingers on the chrome coffee maker as it dripped into the carafe. Drawn to her, unable to keep my hands to myself, I pulled her into my arms. She smiled, and I bent down, kissing the top of her head. “Damn, you smell good.”
She gave out a soft laugh. “You smell like coconut mango too. Just…in a manly way.”
I grunted. “Tropical is never manly. I need to bring over guy shampoo.”
Over her head, I gazed out her windows. The sides of the white tent we’d left in her backyard rippled in the wind. “You okay with leaving that stuff out there for now?” Last night, my sisters pulled through for me in setting up the perfect date for us. Iced wine. Candles everywhere. A tent with a luxurious bed inside.
Hannah turned in my arms, following my gaze. “What’s that bright color by the corner of the tent?”
“Ahhh, yes.” I grabbed my coffee and pressed my hand to her back. “I’d forgotten. It was a surprise for you last night, but it was too dark to see.”