Chapter Twenty-seven

Nate assessed the situation in the space of a single heartbeat.

Hanna was running from Jack who looked like he'd kill her if he got his hands on her.

Over Nate's dead body.

He pushed Hanna behind him just as the big man reached him. His eyes were red and puffy, and he was blinking so fast that Nate doubted the man could see very well.

He balled up his fist and slammed it into Jack's jaw. The force and surprise of the blow knocked the man back into the doorway, onto his ass.

Nate probably should have stopped there, but he couldn't. This fucker had terrorized Hanna, and the penalty for that was far more than one little punch.

Nate pulled back his foot and planted one hard kick right under Jack's chin. His teeth slammed together and his head swung back until he was lying flat on the kitchen floor, unconscious.

As much as Nate wanted to inflict more damage on the waste of human skin before him, he suppressed the urge and went to Hanna.

She was shaking, staring with wide eyes filled with shock. He pulled her into his arms and held her while she settled, crooning soft words of comfort. "You're okay now. I've got you."

After a few seconds, she pulled away enough to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" he asked. "I'm fine. What about you? Did he hurt you?"

She gave an unconvincing shake of her head. "I think he wanted to."

There wasn't a single doubt in Nate's mind that if he hadn't shown up, Jack would have done more than merely hurt her. But all he said was, "Want me to kick him again? Or do you want the honor?"

She was still tense, but her shaking had eased. "You made that look disgustingly easy."

"He didn't see me coming."

She went silent, and her expression clouded with shame. "I tried to fight him. I tried to run. He was so strong and fast."

Nate wanted to stomp on Jack's head all over again.

"I'm sure you would have managed on your own if I hadn't come along."

She shook her head. "No. I wouldn't have." Then she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

A hard lump formed in Nate's throat and he had no idea how to dislodge it. It wasn't her thanks that had rattled him, it was her certainty that she wouldn't have been able to get away from Jack on her own.

Nate had saved her, and in doing so, he knew he'd just killed something precious and vital in his sweet Hanna.

***

Hanna couldn't save herself.

When it was all said and done, the lights and sirens were gone, the sheriff had toted Jack off to jail and she was alone with Nate, that was the thought that stuck with Hanna.

Nate had saved her. And while she was deeply grateful to him, she wished she'd been strong enough to do the job on her own.

Nate was an amazing man and deserved a strong, capable woman, not a hot mess who was always in need of something from him.

Hell, she couldn't even shower without his help. What kind of a loser couldn't even figure out how to keep a few stitches dry on her own?

She didn't know. Couldn't think. Her head was buzzing and filled with thick cobwebs no clear thoughts could penetrate.

Nate pushed a mug of steaming liquid in front of her. Only then did she realize she was sitting at the little kitchen table, staring at nothing.

"You don't have to stay here," he said, his voice low and quiet, like he thought a loud word might break her. "You can come sleep at my place."

She shook her head without needing time to decide. "I'm fine."

She wasn't yet, but she would be. A little time to absorb the shock, a little sleep, a hot shower to wash away Jack's touch and she'd be fine.

"Conlan promised that Jack would stay locked up at least until tomorrow. You don't have to worry about him coming back tonight."

She didn't want to think about Jack. She couldn't deal with worries over where he was and what charges might be leveled against him.

Nate took her chilly fingers and wrapped them around the steaming mug. "Drink a little. I read somewhere that sugar is good for when you're in shock."

Was that what she was suffering? She honestly didn't know, but if a hot drink helped her get past this clogged, hazy numbness, then she'd drink.

The tea was sweet. She felt the heat of it slid all the way down to her stomach.

She didn't seem any more settled, but Nate appeared relieved. At least that was something.

"I'll stay here with you tonight," he said.

Again she shook her head without thought. "No. I'd rather be alone."

Was that true, or was she just giving him an out? She tried to answer the question, but all she got was static.

"Sorry, honey. This isn't up for debate. I'm staying."

It was his property. If he wanted to stay, she couldn't stop him.

"I need to shower." Even to her own ears, her voice sounded robotic.

"Okay. Let me cover your stitches."

Hanna didn't argue with him. She sat still like a well-behaved child, letting him do what he wanted.

When she finally got under the spray of hot water, and looked down, she saw the thin, angry red scratch that the window sill had left on her.

In that instant, all the mental cobwebs busted loose. The pain and fear of the night flooded back and choked the breath from her body.

Hard, ragged sobs spilled out of her, and she was powerless to stop or even stifle them. They echoed in the small room like a haunting, discordant tune she couldn't get out of her head.

In the back of her mind she wondered if she'd ever stop crying.

***

Hanna's deep, wrenching sobs broke Nate's heart, but at least she was reacting to what had happened to her tonight.

She'd been so still and silent, so distant in her shock, he wondered if she didn't need to go to a hospital or something.

His grandad had been like that for days after Grandma had passed, and Mom kept saying that once he started grieving for her, he'd start healing. That numb place was safe, but no one could stay there forever.

Now Hanna had left the safety of numbness to deal with what she'd faced tonight, but Nate couldn't let her deal with it alone.

He went into the bathroom, needing to help her.

"Hanna?" He slid the plastic curtain open just enough to check on her.

The beautiful curves of her body would normally have grabbed and held his attention, but tonight, all he could see was her pain.

She was bent under the water, her shoulders shaking with the power of her pain.

Nate kicked off his shoes and stepped into the tub behind her. He pulled her against his chest and simply held her while she cried. After a few minutes, her sobbing subsided, but she was limp and exhausted, swaying on her feet.

"You're going to be okay," he told her, and one way or another, he was going to make sure it was true. "Tonight sucks, but tomorrow will be better."

She gave him a slight nod, but that was all.

Nate washed her while she stood there, making sure that every inch of her body had been cleaned of any traces that Jack had left. He couldn't wash away her memories, but at least he could do this.

When she was clean, he turned off the water, stripped out of his wet clothes, dried them both and wrapped her hair in a towel. Then he led her to bed where he covered her up and crawled in to cradle her body.

He woke up just before dawn to the feel of her hand sliding over his cock as she rolled a condom on him. He was hard, thanks to the soft press of her naked body against his, and though he'd had no intention of doing anything about it, the wayward appendage had a mind of its own.

So did Hanna.

He opened his mouth to tell her to stop, that she needed her rest, but she covered his lips with a finger and shook her head.

She straddled his body and slid down, impaling herself on his erection.

Hot. Slick. Tight.

Somewhere in his mind he told himself that if she was mentally ready for sex, she was going to be okay, but that thought disappeared the moment her pace sped.

He wanted to roll her over and pin her soft body under his while he took her, but she was so beautiful like this. She rode him, her eyes closed, her hips moving like a dancer, and her bottom lip clenched between her teeth.

Nate levered up enough to suckle her nipples, and the sexy sounds that came from her throat vibrated against his tongue.

She moved faster until he had to use every trick he knew not to come. She wasn't done with him yet, and until she was, he was going to stay strong.

He felt the tightening ripple of her pussy a second before she threw her head back and cried out as she came. Nate let go and gave into the power of his orgasm, riding right on the heels of hers.

When it was over, she slumped down over him and fell asleep in seconds.

Nate rolled her over carefully and took care of the condom. When he came back to bed, he simply watched her for a while, soaking in the way she looked all peaceful and relaxed in the moonlight.

He knew then that he loved her. He didn't want to. After all, she was leaving and there was nowhere for their relationship to go.

But people didn't always get to pick who they loved.

He only wished that he'd been lucky enough for her to love him back. It would have been nice to know what it felt like to be loved by a woman as amazing as Hanna Lowrey.