Page 15 of Sworn to Defend
When he left, he was going to call in some of the tech guys on base. He should’ve run a background check on her family members earlier. It might seem excessive, but he’d been up close and personal with the evil that shadowed the edges of society. And sometimes, that evil was the center of society.
Hannah had been quiet for several seconds, not that he minded. He was content to let her gather her thoughts while he enjoyed the feel of her snuggled on his lap. There were so many firsts he wanted to experience with her, and having her settled over him while they talked was one of them. His last relationship was an innocent elementary school crush. As he got older, his focus had been on doing what he could to support his parents while they battled his sister’s mental health crises, then when he enlisted, that focus had landed squarely on surviving BUD/S and making an impact on the Teams. There had been women, but they were few and far between, and only for a night. Less than, actually. If he hooked up with a woman, it was strictly physical. Hannah was different. She was everything.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, catching the pretty scent of her hair. She tensed, then relaxed.
“I’m worried about Vivienne. I took Wednesday and Thursday off today to pack and get ready. Now I’m wondering if I should’ve gone down earlier. Made sure she’s okay.”
“There’s always time to change the flight. If you want to go to down early, I’ll make it happen.”
Her brows were adorably scrunched as she contemplated the idea.
“It’s late, baby. Let’s get comfortable and you can think on it.” He toed off his shoes, then slid his hand over her smooth skin, just below her knee then down to her ankle. Fuck, had he ever noticed a woman’s ankles? He slipped off her right shoe and then reached down and took off her left. As he moved his hand up, he kept his palm in contact with her skin, right up to the frayed hem of those sexy-as-all-get-out shorts. The view of her legs dangling over his lap combined with touching her silken skin had the blood rushing to his pelvis. Before she could feel how hard he’d gotten, he’d shifted them both. They were nestled in, bodies angled together, heads side by side on the mountain of throw pillows that had been propped against the arm of the chair.
Right away, he realized he’d made a tactical error. Hannah was staring up at him, eyes wide, pupils so large and dark, the gold of her irises was a mere halo. She inadvertently licked her lips, and the zipper of his shorts dug into his hard flesh. Her hands were on his chest and those fingers curled in, clutching the material of his shirt.
“Wanna kiss you, Han.”
A sly little smirk lit her face and she tangled her leg in between his, brushing up against his erection. “I can tell,” she teased. Cute as hell.
With both arms still around her, it wasn’t difficult to get her right where he wanted. Flush against him. Fuck, he never wanted to let go. He pressed his lips to hers, so soft and warm a shiver coursed through him. He drew back only to kiss her again, this time nibbling at her bottom lip. He wasn’t sure who deepened the kiss, but suddenly they were moving, tongues sliding together. Neither stopping when their teeth bumped in a raring attempt to get closer. He couldn’t stifle the desperate groan ripping from deep inside. Their passion ignited and flared like a column of fire racing up an accelerant-soaked rope. She had goose bumps popping up on his skin. With every little sound that escaped her throat, he got more desperate.
She wiggled closer as his frantic hands roamed over her body. Her tank top had ridden up, and his fingers found her warm, bare stomach. He shifted, placing her slightly beneath him as he smoothed his hand up over her rib cage, cupping one full breast. He dragged the pad of his thumb over the sheer fabric of her bra and the swollen nipple straining beneath. She arched up, seeking his touch, and whimpered when he rolled the hard peak between his thumb and finger.
He heard a tumble of footsteps in the hall and they both stilled and drew in a breath. “Hooooly shit!” Collin’s animated voice had them jumping apart, Hannah pushing at his chest to break free. She righted her shirt as a full-body blush pigmented her skin.
“Collin, what are you doing up?” she squeaked. He placed his hand on her knee, trying to calm her, but she swatted it away.
“What are you doing?” he echoed. “What are you doing on the couch with Hunter Branch Green?” There was no anger in his voice, just surprise.
“We were, ah…” She trailed off, sending him a panicked side glance.
“Kissing!” he sang out, absently moving his fingers back and forth in front of his eyes. “Mom and Hunter kiss. Collin and Hunter make pizza.”
He didn’t think it was possible for Hannah to turn a deeper shade, but that comment did it.
“Yup. I like kissing your mom, and I like making pizza with you.” Hannah gaped as he rose and crossed the living room to Collin. “Come on, bud. You’re gonna be beat for school tomorrow if you don’t get some sleep. Say goodnight to your mom.”
Collin bounded across the room and gave Hannah a quick hug, then rapidly clapped as he shot past Hunter on the way to his room. He followed, kicking himself for not talking to Collin about his feelings for Hannah. Not ideal for him to catch them kissing before that conversation happened, but it had, and now he’d answer whatever questions came up. Collin was a teenager, but he wasn’t sure what the kid knew about dating and sex. He had a hard time believing Hannah would shy away from that conversation with him. She was protective and armed him with knowledge as much as she could. He’d witnessed that firsthand. Collin’s door was open, but he knocked anyway. “Can I come in?”
Collin was sitting up in bed, and he had a smile on his face. That was a good sign at least. “Yes.”
“Thanks.” He crossed the room and stopped a few feet from the bed. “Can I sit?” he said, pointing to the end of the mattress.
“Yes,” he said, seeming to sober a bit. He didn’t want Collin to think he’d done anything wrong by walking into the living room. It was his house after all, and he hadn’t intended on the kiss getting so heated. It had, though, fast. Hands down the best kiss of his life. “You saw me kissing your mom. How do you feel about that?”
Collin picked up a fidget toy from his dresser and began pushing in the rubber bumps. It reminded him of Bubble Wrap. “It’s not surprising news.” Collin practically sang the words.
He smiled. “Why is that?”
Collin glanced up from the toy, a puzzled look on his face. “Mom is in your blue circle. You can kiss her. If it’s okay with her and it’s okay with you, kissing and touching is A-okay.”
“What’s a blue circle?” Collin was very intelligent, but sometimes struggled putting words to his complex thoughts. Still, he was very confident in his answer, so he was intrigued about what these circles were.
“You’re in my blue circle, too. We can give big hugs, but no romantic kisses. That’s what you and Mom were doing. Having a romantic kiss.”
“Yes. I care about your mom a lot. I care about you, too, Collin. Nothing’s going to change that.”
“I know.” He yawned and rolled to his side. “You’re in my blue circle.”