Page 22 of Sworn to Defend
“Shit. I must be killing you.” He’d been collapsed over Hannah’s tiny frame for far too long.
“Nope. That’s what you did ten minutes ago.” She ran her hand through his hair and kissed the bridge of his nose. No one had ever given him that sweetness after sex. Wasn’t sure if he would’ve liked it if they had, but when the gesture came from Hannah? Something cracked and expanded. His heart seemed to grow inside his chest.
“I have to take care of the condom. Be right back.” He kissed her hard on the mouth and slipped out of bed. Immediately he felt a sense of loss and she was only on the other side of the room. He disposed of the condom and quickly got back into bed with Hannah, pulling her warm body snug into his. He smiled as she sighed contentedly and rested her face on his chest. The conversation he’d had with his team came roaring back, blindsiding him. He’d meant to talk to her about Russell’s uncle but when they’d started kissing, he’d lost every coherent thought. Fuck.
Hannah shifted, pulling away. “What is it?”
“There’s something that we need to talk about, but it’s not a conversation I want to have in bed.”
“Okay.” He could feel her emotional barriers slam shut, even before she physically moved away from him.
“Don’t.” As far as she’d come with trusting him, she still expected him to let her down. That was a blow. Like being a flesh-and-bone target for a bunch of assault rifles before falling from a rope.
“Don’t what?” There was an edge to her voice. One that was covering up a whole lot of hurt and fear. He couldn’t have that. Couldn’t let her think what they needed to talk about was something about their relationship.
He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her back into bed, shifting so she was partially beneath him. “I’m not letting you leave this bed thinking I’m going to do something that’s gonna hurt you. The news I have to share sucks, might be confusing, but I will not let you go into a situation that could put you and Collin at risk without you having all the facts. You just blew my mind in this bed, Hannah. Every day I fall a little deeper. I’m the one who should be afraid in this relationship. You deserve more than I can give. Someone who isn’t going to leave you for weeks, months at a time, but there’s no way I’m letting you go.”
She was silent for a few moments. “I’m sorry.” The hand she placed on his chest soothed the hurt. “I…” She exhaled. “I’m falling, too, Hunter.” She reached up and traced the lines of his face, and his pulse ticked up at her honesty. “And I’m scared. That’s what I do when I think I’m going to lose something, when I’m hurt or afraid. I shut down and expect the worst. It’s not right. Not directed at you. You’ve never let me down, and I just second-guessed everything you’ve shown to be true. Don’t let me push you away.”
“So brave.” He kissed her lips, then her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, and I misinterpreted your reaction. You keep opening yourself to me, keep proving to me that you trust me, but just like I might startle at a loud noise, you might shut down when you think your heart’s on the line. That’s self-preservation, not mistrust, and I will never be upset by you protecting yourself.” He lowered his head, meeting her lips. She immediately opened for him. Her hands began to roam over his body, and that was all it took for him to stiffen, ready to push inside and claim her again and again. It took every ounce of willpower he had left to pull back.
“This is why I don’t want to have this conversation in bed. This is the place we love each other. Where there’s pleasure or comfort or both. I never want to bring anything bad into this space. Nothing that will taint what we’ve shared here.”
Her eyes went to the bedside clock, then back to him. His cock throbbed when he realized why she was checking the time.
“We have an hour and a half. Maybe just—”
“Don’t say it, baby. I’m already struggling not to flip you onto your hands and knees.”
Her pupils swelled and her nipples hardened against his chest. “Fuck,” he growled. “I see you like that idea, and you’ll get it. Straight up anything you want, but not when we’re walking into a potentially hazardous situation. Up and out, you little fiend.” He pushed back onto his knees and brought her up with him. She gave him a cute pout, and reluctantly stood and started searching for her discarded clothes.
“I put your clothes in the wash and transferred them into the dryer this morning. They should be done.” He stood up and walked into the hall.
“Not fair,” she called, and he grinned. He could still feel her eyes on his bare ass. Sex still on his mind, he went two doors down. Whoever had designed the second-floor laundry room had his gratitude. He retrieved her clothes and went back into the bedroom.
“That looks like it’s going to be a problem. Are you sure you don’t—”
“Killing me.” He swatted her bottom and she shrieked playfully, running into the bathroom.
When he heard the faucet start to run all of the blood went straight to his dick. He glanced at the clock, then at the closed bathroom door. “Fuck it,” he muttered and stalked into the bathroom, a smile on his face.
*
A half hour later, Hannah sat boneless in his lap. He’d made the right decision going into the bathroom. He’d never had someone drive him to the edge by lathering him up with soap. Then she’d dropped to her knees under the spray and proceeded to once again strip him of brain cells. When he could no longer take the torture he’d lifted her to her feet and taken her against the tile wall. He’d held off the conversation as long as possible, but she had to know before they boarded their red-eye that her family might be keeping a terrible secret.
“What do you know about Russell’s uncle?” He felt her brace and regret filled him.
“An okay guy.” She shrugged, a wary look in her eyes. “Struggled quite a bit. Why do you ask?”
“After Russell’s death, he went to law enforcement claiming your family had something to hide. That they were at fault for the accident.” He held on as her body went rigid in his arms. The color leached from her face.
“And you think it’s true?” Her voice was breathless.
“I’m not sure, but what I do know is that Russell’s uncle dropped the charges. He sold his home in Texas and moved to an oceanside estate in Florida. Then the state police got a new fleet of cruisers with a large grant gifted by a company your father had purchased.” All the breath whooshed from her lungs and she jumped off his lap.
“I have to move.” She paced the living room, one arm crossed over her stomach like she might double over, the other in a fist over her mouth. “What else?”
“That’s all we have right now. The team has contacts digging. Trying to see if there are other explanations for Russell’s uncle’s sudden wealth or if the grant money was something planned before your father bought up that company.” He was used to being in control of a situation. Of lightening even the most seemingly hopeless scenarios. Right now, though? He was utterly helpless. Hannah wasn’t one to be coddled. Pulling her down into his lap to comfort her wouldn’t help right now, not with agitation rolling off of her in torrents.