# Chapter 27: Baby Steps, Breakthroughs, and a Lasagna Worth Staying For
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 27 of "The Deal: Off Campus." This is the chapter where the slow burn finally catches fire—then turns into something softer, funnier, and far more vulnerable than either Hannah or Garrett expected.
The ride to Garrett's townhouse is a blur. Hannah doesn't remember the conversation, the scenery, or even breathing like a normal person. All she knows is want. The second they stumble into his bedroom, she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him, her hands already fumbling for his belt. She doesn't want baby steps. She wants him too badly.
But Garrett stops her with a husky laugh. "Baby steps, Wellsy." Hannah protests, and they fall into their usual banter—tough cookies, grandmothers, Nana swearing like a sailor at Christmas dinner. Then Garrett's gray eyes go molten, and he tells her to get on the bed so he can make her come. She scrambles onto the mattress so fast it makes him laugh.
Last night's nerves are gone. Her whole body is trembling with need. She worries, somewhere in the back of her mind, that maybe it won't happen again—but she's dying to find out.
Garrett is rougher than any guy she's been with. Devon treated her like she might shatter. Garrett doesn't. He pulls her hair, bites her lip, and makes her feel like she's just Hannah—not fragile china. She loves how excited he gets. She explores his chest, tastes his skin, and when she teases him, he growls and flips her onto her back.
He cups her breast, murmurs that her skin feels like silk. She cracks a joke about Hallmark cards. He places her hand over his crotch, then quickly removes it, admitting he's not ready for things to end yet. She teases him about being quick on the trigger. He shuts her up with a blistering kiss, then bends his head to her breast. Pleasure blasts through her, and when he sucks her nipple deep into his mouth, she sees stars.
Then he begins kissing his way south. Hannah's anxiety spikes. She remembers Devon doing the same thing, spending so much time between her legs when intercourse didn't seem to work. But she banishes her ex from her mind. Garrett's breath tickles her belly. His fingers tremble as he undoes her jeans. She likes knowing he might be nervous too—or at least as excited as she is.
"Is this okay?" he whispers. She says yes. The first brush of his tongue is like electricity shooting up her spine. She moans too loudly, and he lifts his head with a grin. "Tuck's home. So I suggest we use our indoor voices."
What follows is slow, deliberate, and devastating. He circles her clit, licks in soft strokes, builds her pleasure until she's begging. Unlike Sean, Garrett needs no training. He makes her crazy, makes her beg, then asks if she thinks she can come like this. She nods. He sucks hard and pushes one finger inside her—and Hannah goes off like a rocket launcher.
The orgasm is a thousand times more intense than anything she's given herself, maybe because her body knows she wasn't the one who made it happen. Garrett did. When the waves finally fade, she feels warm and peaceful—and then, to her total embarrassment, she starts to cry.
Garrett climbs up her body in a heartbeat, panicked. "Did I hurt you?" She shakes her head through tears. "I'm crying because I'm happy." His features relax, and he looks like he's trying not to laugh. Then he demands she say it: "Garrett Graham, you are a sex god. You have achieved what no other man ever has..." She punches him in the shoulder and refuses. He smirks and promises she'll shout it from the rooftops eventually. They trade insults, laugh, and then she squeezes his package, making him hiss.
Suddenly she doesn't want to tease anymore. She wants to see him come apart. She undresses him like he's a shiny gift and admires the prize—his long, sleek body, golden skin, rock-hard abs. She traces the flames tattooed on his arm and asks why flames. He shrugs. "I like fire. And I think flames look cool." She's impressed he doesn't give her some fake deep meaning. He jokes about a tribal tattoo on his shin that means "eternal optimist." She laughs, kisses the flames, and kisses her way down his chest.
When her mouth reaches the tip of his penis, Garrett's entire body goes rigid. He tells her she doesn't have to. She tells him she wants to. She licks and sucks, using her hand at the base, alternating slow teasing with fast urgency. His breathing grows ragged, his groans desperate. When he finally climaxes, his spine arches, and his face is mesmerizing—lips parted, cheeks taut, eyes a hazy gray storm. She wipes him up, and he yanks her down for a hard kiss. "That was incredible."
She asks if they can have sex now. He says no. Baby steps, remember? She pouts, then reluctantly recites the sex god line with "insert more glowing reviews here." He still says absolutely not—then hops off the bed and gets dressed. Practice in thirty minutes. Tucker pounds on the door and yells for him to move.
Garrett invites her to stay until they get back. She hesitates, but the idea of a home-cooked dinner instead of the dining hall is tempting. She agrees. He makes her promise not to watch Breaking Bad without him, kisses her quickly, and then he's gone.
Alone in Garrett Graham's bedroom, Hannah feels surreal. She never even spoke to him before midterms, and now she's sitting naked on his bed. She gets dressed, decides against a nap because she feels oddly energized, and goes downstairs for a drink. But inspiration strikes. Garrett and his teammates will be exhausted. Why let Tucker cook when she's already in the kitchen?
A quick exploration reveals the kitchen is fully stocked. The only recipe she knows by heart is her grandmother's three-cheese lasagna. She gathers the ingredients, then calls her mom. Her mother picks up on the first ring, and they talk about snow, global warming, and Dad driving her to work because her car is in the shop. Then Hannah asks about Nana's lasagna recipe. It serves ten, her mom says. Hannah calculates four hockey players with the appetites of twenty people and decides to double it.
Her mom pauses. "Why exactly are you cooking lasagna for twenty people?" Hannah says she's feeding four hockey players. Her mom asks if one of them is special. "You can just ask me if he's my boyfriend, Mom." "Fine. Is he your boyfriend?" Hannah says no—they're kinda seeing each other, but friends more than anything. The annoying voice in her head whispers, *Friends who make each other come.* She silences it, gets the recipe, hangs up, and starts preparing dinner for the guy who made her come today.
## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is a turning point, and it's one of the most satisfying in the book. It's funny, tender, and deeply vulnerable all at once. Hannah's tears after her orgasm aren't just about pleasure—they're about release. Eight months with Devon made her feel broken. One afternoon with Garrett proves she isn't. Garrett's insistence on "baby steps" isn't rejection; it's care. He wants her to trust him, and he doesn't rush the moment. The banter keeps everything light, but underneath it, both characters are revealing more than they realize. And the lasagna? That's Hannah's heart quietly saying she wants to belong in his world.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars
## Next Chapter Prediction
When Garrett and the team return, they're going to walk into the smell of homemade lasagna—and the sight of Hannah in Garrett's kitchen. The guys will absolutely tease them, especially Tucker. Garrett will try to play it cool, but he'll love seeing Hannah comfortable with his teammates. After dinner, he'll drive her home, and the conversation in the car will get real: what are they, exactly? I predict the "baby steps" finally lead to a bigger leap—either their first full sexual encounter or a moment where Garrett admits he wants more than a fake relationship. There may also be a hint of jealousy or protectiveness when one of the guys gets too friendly. Either way, this lasagna dinner is going to change the game.
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