THE DOOR CREAKED OPEN, and with it came a rush of warmer air from the hallway and Will. Hannah finished her Chaturanga, transitioning into an imperfect Upward-Facing Dog. She smiled at her absentee partner in crime. His eyes were alert with post-run high, but there were bags where there hadn’t been before. A snarky remark about how he’d left her to the wolves died on her lips.
“How was your run?” she asked instead, pushing back into Downward-Facing Dog.
“It ended up being more of an errand. As I was heading out, Dad asked me to pick up some stuff at the farmers market. It’s only about two miles away, down by the beach.” He stripped off his shirt, revealing a nearly flat stomach and speckles of chest hair. Hannah’s insides stirred. Will shirtless wasn’t a new sight, but this was a new Will—a manlier Will, with those defined hip bones sticking out of his too-short running shorts. Her husband was hot.
She stood up from her pose and adjusted her cami, wrapping her arms around her waist to stop from running her hand down Will’s chest. The yoga had cleared her head, but it had also brought on a fabulous or terrible idea. She hadn’t decided until he entered. Jonathan was going to do anything he could to pick apart their relationship. Will had told her as much, but she hadn’t understood before. They needed to be better. They needed to be believable. They needed to be in love.
“Well, are we at least having something yummy for whatever this midafternoon meal is?” she asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“Everything Renata makes is yummy,” he said, looking up from the pile of clothes he was digging through.
She gave him a dubious look.
“Everything besides the coffee.” He sat down next to her, the brush of his bare arm once again causing the hair on hers to stand up. “Are you okay? You seem a little weird,” he said, balling a clean shirt in his hands.
There was her opening, but Hannah still didn’t have the words. She wasn’t even sure what she was asking. She straightened her shoulders and rested her hand on Will’s chest.
He went rigid at her touch.
After another moment, she ran her hand up over his shoulder and down his arm, finally linking their fingers. “We need to do a better job of convincing everyone we’re in love.”
“We have the papers.” His voice was breathy but steady. He didn’t look directly at her. “No one can dispute our marriage.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s no doubt that we’re legally married. But we’re supposed to be madly in love, so much so that we got married in less than three months.” She scooted closer to him. Their knees touched. Everything touched. “Kiss me.”
Will leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers for a brief moment. It was nice enough, like the kisses they had shared lately, but that kiss wasn’t going to convince anyone. It barely convinced Hannah.
“Kiss me like I’m someone you actually want to have sex with.”
“That might be difficult.” An amused and yet wary expression played across his features.
“Just do it.” Hannah put both her hands against his chest. His heart beat a steady course under her touch. She leaned in when he didn’t move, parting his lips with her own. Will deepened the kiss almost immediately, his tongue greeting hers. Hannah’s body lit up as his hands found the soft skin between her waistband and her cami. She pushed herself closer to him, her hands climbing up his torso, over his shoulders, and wrapping around him. His muscles tightened as her hands passed over them, Will’s kiss becoming more urgent with each caress.
This was exactly how she imagined Will’s kiss to be. Their chemistry was not going to be an issue. She started to retreat, her mind winning over her body. They needed to take this slow. It had only been two out of fifty-two weeks. But Will pulled her back in, his hand coming around her neck and tangling her hair. She breathed him in. Hot and a good kisser. Did she want to sleep with Will? Yes, yes she did.
Will broke away, and Hannah scooted back. Her heart pounded. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. He was too good at following directions. Will’s eyes bored into her, questioning, wanting.
“Yeah, that’s what we need to show people,” she said, still breathless.
Will shook his head, his mouth quirking at the corners. “We can’t do that in polite company.”
“You know what I mean,” Hannah said, shoving his shoulder playfully.
“Maybe we should start by sharing a bed when we get back to the city. You know, before we complicate things.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He was trying so hard to be a gentleman, which was adorable. “Are we going to complicate things?”
His cheeks pinkened. “Maybe... eventually.”
She giggled, feeling the kiss in every part of her body. She would have dreams about that kiss—dirty, sweaty dreams. “Okay, hubs, let’s share a bed.”
Chapter 23Hannah
Hannah’s hand tingled as she pulled open the door of the physical therapy office. It was really happening—PT, the doctors, all of it. Daniel had booked her an appointment with a coveted orthopedic surgeon. That wasn’t until January, but after waiting over a year, two months seemed like nothing. And it meant she got to give physical therapy a try with Madison. She hadn’t pegged Madison as a PT, but aside from being a future Thorne, she also came highly recommended.
There was no receptionist when Hannah walked in. The sign on the door had indicated it was after-hours, but Madison had definitely said six o’clock. She pulled out her phone to check her calendar but instead found a text from Kate.
Come on, you have to let me put Father Thorne on the podcast. He handed you freakin’ annulment papers. Who does that? No one, Hannah. No. One.
Kate was seriously low on material if she was asking to put Will and Hannah’s Hamptons adventure on Bitching about Boyfriends. Hannah sent back a pair of emojis, the eye roll and the raised hand.
“There you are,” Madison said, stepping into the lobby. She wrapped Hannah in a hug. “I was just getting set up.”
Hannah followed Madison back into the main room. Bikes lined one wall, exam benches another. Exercise equipment was scattered throughout the space. Madison handed Hannah some paperwork before taking a seat on top of a balance ball.
Hannah sat on the mat in front of Madison and rummaged through her wallet until she found her newly printed insurance card. “Your boss doesn’t mind our session being after hours?”
“Nah, I cleared it with her. She’s a hard-ass, but I told her you were family.” Madison grinned. “It was close enough to the truth, at least.”
Hannah felt herself relax as she filled out the forms, writing in the drab details. There was no primer with Madison. She’d jumped right in, happy to accept Hannah since that first morning coffee run. A week later, Madison texted Hannah more than Kate.
“You know, I met Jon here,” Madison said. She rolled almost off the ball and held a tricep dip.
“Really?” Hannah asked, transcribing her ID number.
