Chasing Rhodes (Rock Falls #1) (21 page)

I shouldn’t let myself get upset. I know that I didn’t tell him I was coming home and that Beth said that she was going to pick me up. It is ridiculous to think that he’d be here, but regardless, I can’t help but feel disappointed anyway. I guess that kind of shit really does only happen in movies and romance novels.

I move past the stream of people greeting their loved ones and look for Beth. I can’t see her anywhere.
Maybe she’s waiting outside?
I think.
The airport in Rock Falls is pretty small, and sometimes, parking can be a bitch. Often, we’d just drop off or pick people up right outside instead of trying to find parking in the overpriced parkade.

After waiting for a little while longer, I figure that must be what she’s doing. I roll my suitcase towards the exit, digging through my purse to find my Aviators. I walk out of the sliding double doors, still not having found my sunglasses, and lift my head to look for Beth. I suck in a breath and immediately start running.

Parked on the curb outside the airport is the biggest black truck I’ve ever seen, and leaning against it with his arms crossed is
my
Hunnam. I get about halfway to him before I drop everything I am carrying and break into a full sprint. He is walking towards me, and as we reach each other, I fling myself into his arms, nearly tackling him to the ground. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, crashing my lips onto his. I kiss him with every emotion I’ve felt in the last weeks—anger, loss, regret, longing, and confusion. But most of all, I kiss him with every ounce of love I have inside me. His fingers push into my hair and he licks the seam of my lips. I open them for him and he thrusts his tongue inside. When I finally pull away, I am out of breath.

He lays his forehead to mine and gives me another soft kiss on my lips before speaking. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I fucked up royally. The last thing I ever wanted in this world was to hurt you. I love you. Please forgive me,” he lets out in one long breath. I can feel his heart pounding in his chest.
He’s nervous.

“I never should have left,” I say, running my fingers through his hair. “I got scared and I ran. I should have stayed and fought for us, but I’m fighting now.” I pull his mouth down to mine and kiss him with all the love I have in my heart. “I came home, Greyson. I came home for you. I love you too.” Tears are running down my cheeks now, and he reaches up to wipe them away with the pads of his thumbs.

“I missed you so much my heart fucking hurt,” he whispers softly.

I cup his face in my hands. “Me too.”

“I’m so happy you came home, sweetheart,” he says, running his hands through my hair.

“You are my home, Greyson. I’ll always come home to you,” I whisper back.

He laughs nervously. “Well I was kind of hoping you’d say that,” he says, setting me back down onto the pavement and reaching into his pocket. “Close your eyes, sweetheart. I have another surprise for you.”

My heart is beating wildly in my chest as I close my eyes. A moment later, I feel him slip something around my neck before he kisses me on the lips.

“Open your eyes, Hannah.”

I open my eyes and look down, seeing a silver key on a long chain lying on my chest. I pick it up, laying it in the palm of my hand, and stare at him confused.
Uhm… This is a weird surprise.
I’m trying to find a way to say thank you for the strange gift when he starts to chuckle again and my heart constricts at the sound.
I missed that laugh.

“It’s not a necklace, sweetheart. Well, it can be if you want it to be.” He smiles nervously again. “It’s a key to my—I mean, our—house,” he stutters before straightening his spine and looking me in the eyes. “I never want to spend another night without you in my arms. Hannah Lynn Rhodes, will you move in with me?”

I throw my arms back around his neck and he lifts me off the ground. “Yes, Hunnam, I’ll move in with you.” I giggle and we kiss again.

He pulls away. All nervousness has left him, and he gives me his best panty-melting smile. “I’m not sure what I would have done if you said no.” I cock an eyebrow and him and he laughs. “I already moved all your things in while you were gone.”

I toss my head back and laugh.
My bossy alpha.
“Take me home, Hunnam.”

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

I
T’S DECEMBER, A
little over three months since Greyson and I moved in together. Or should I say since he moved all my stuff in for me. He’s still going to counseling and making great progress. He has some days that are harder than others, but it’s on those days that I am even prouder of him. Lennon bought me out of my half of the condo, and Peyton, a girl she works with who we’ve all grown close to, moved into my old room a little over a month ago. There is at least a few feet of snow on the ground outside, and we’ve just gotten home from picking out our Christmas tree at the lot.
Rhodeses don’t do fake trees.
Greyson just finished setting it up in the living room and we’re going to decorate it before everyone comes over for dinner. Since I moved out, we’ve all been getting together once a month for dinner. The holidays are always busy, and this way, we don’t miss out on seeing our friends.

I was pulling out the rest of the boxes when Greyson stands behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I told you not to go into the attic to get those, sweetheart. I could have done it when I’d finished with the tree,” he says, nipping at my ear.

“I’m not useless, Greyson. I can climb up a ladder and pull down some boxes.” I sigh, shaking my head. He is so overprotective of me sometimes.

“I’m well aware you aren’t useless, Hannah,” he says, moving my hair out of the way so he can kiss my neck. “In fact, I know just how useful you are.” He moves one of his hands up to cup my breast and I moan. He undoes the button on my jeans and slips his other hand down the front, cupping my pussy.

“Please,” I whimper as he slides two fingers inside me.

“You’re soaked, Hannah,” he says, nipping at my neck. “I love that you’re always ready for me.”

We’ve almost been together a year now—one more month—and the sex between us has only gotten hotter. He knows exactly what I like and I know exactly what he likes. I still get hot just looking at him most of the time.

“Oh God, Greyson. Please.” I’m wiggling my ass against his cock. I can feel how hard it is.

“Tell me what you want, sweetheart.” He still loves to make me beg and I still fucking love it.

I reach behind me, turning my head, and crash my mouth onto his, licking and sucking. I moan into his mouth as he starts to bang me harder. “Fuck me, Greyson,” I plead. “I want to feel your cock inside me.”

He growls, pulling his hand from my jeans before hooking his fingers in my belt loops and shoving them to the floor. He grabs my panties in his fist and they practically disintegrate when he rips them off.
I started buying less expensive underwear when I realized how often he was ruining them—not that I was complaining.

He bends me over the couch, and before I have time to brace myself, he’s slamming into me all the way to the hilt of his beautiful cock. We are both still entirely clothed and it makes me feel like we’re being naughty. I love when we are both so hot for each other that we can’t even manage to get undressed. He’s fucking me so hard that I can hear his balls slapping on my ass.

“Is this what you wanted, Hannah?” he says, smacking my ass. I clench my pussy walls around him and he groans.

“Harder, Greyson,” I moan, bending farther onto the couch and pushing my ass up in the air.

“You love it when I spank you, don’t you, sweetheart?” He rubs his hand over my bare ass. “Look at you shoving that beautiful ass up in the air. I should punish you for being such a naughty girl,” he says before his palm comes down on me again.

I’m so wet that I can feel it leaking out of me. His dirty talk alone could get me off. He reaches around and starts rubbing my clit.

“Oh God. I’m going to come!” I say, and he pinches down on my clit. I scream out his name. He never stop his unrelenting pace, and it makes the aftershocks of my orgasm last even longer.

“You’re dripping, Hannah,” he growls, and I look over my shoulder to see him watching where are bodies are joined. “I need to taste that sweet pussy before I come inside you,” he says before dropping to his knees and spreading my ass cheeks with his hands. He dips two fingers inside me, and I can feel him circle them around inside me. “Absolutely fucking soaked,” he groans before his tongue starts its assault on me.

I’m shamelessly grinding onto his face as I can feel myself getting closer and closer to falling off the edge into another orgasm. When he adds another finger inside me, I come all over his mouth.

He stands up, smacking me playfully on the ass before sitting down on the couch. “Come here, sweetheart. I want you to ride me.”

I kick my pants off the rest of the way and straddle him. Then I place the tip of his cock at my entrance and sink down on it. He pulls down the front of my shirt and sucks one of my nipples into his mouth. I put my hands on his shoulders for leverage and start to ride him fast and hard. He grips my ass in his hands and screams out my name when he comes.

I lay my head down on his chest and we both try to catch our breath. He’s still inside me as he wraps his arms around me, softly stroking my back.

“That was fucking amazing,” he says, and I laugh because it always is. “I love you, Hannah.”

I lay my head over his lion heart and smile. “I love you too, Greyson.”

I don’t know what love feels like for other people. But for me, when I look at him, it feels like coming home.

The End

To start off, this book would not have been possible without the love, support and encouragement of my amazingly talented friends Kristi Webster and Heather Dahlgren. I could not be more grateful to have you in my life, I cherish our friendships deeply. Thank you for answering all my thousands (Okay, let’s be honest... More like millions!) of questions and never once allowing me to give up or lose faith in myself. Thank you for the countless hours filled with laughter and Kristi, thank you for the endless stream of hilarious Facebook stickers. You both inspire me daily. I respect you. I love you, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

A massive thank you to my beta readers and friends, both new and old: Larni Phipps, Mcartney Frederickson, Kirstin Sware, Ashlea Wallace, Wendy Colby, Nikki Mccrae, Alexandra Godfrey, Jackie Lynch, Elizabeth Thiele and Dena Nannoshi. God bless each and every one of you for putting up with me during this process! Thank you for your honesty, and for helping me make this book the best it could be. I could not have done this without you! You have all helped instill a confidence in me that I cannot thank you enough for. You all have such beautiful hearts and I never would have made it here without your positivity. I love each and every one of you!

Thank you to my editor, Anna Coy. You were a wealth of knowledge and helped me with so many things; most of which had absolutely nothing to do with the book, but you helped me every single time and never seemed bothered with all my questions.

Thank you to my editor, Mickey Reed. You are an absolute sweetheart and this book would not be here without you! I look forward to our poolside margaritas and football games!

Thank you to my brilliant formatter Stacey Blake from Champagne Formats. Thank you for making my words look so beautiful. The work you do is phenomenal and I am so grateful you took me on as a client.

If I could thank this man hundreds of times, I would. Heartfelt thanks to Cro Alen for providing the perfect photo for the cover of this book. Your excitement to be a part of this journey, and your kindness meant so much to me. I wish you great success, you deserve it! You are as handsome on the inside as you are on the outside and I am beyond thrilled to have you as my Greyson.

Melissa Gill at MG Book Covers you deserve a standing ovation for the stunning book cover you designed. It is gorgeous and I am absolutely in love with it. A million times thank you! Working with you has been amazing and I am already excited for our next cover together.