Hannah sighed as she snuggled into Chase’s chest, her muscles limp and her body well sated. It was Tuesday, and he’d shown up midway through her training session with Cammie, using the excuse that he needed to get in some training of his own.

All he’d done was distract her, though. She hadn’t been able to take her eyes away from him, especially once the ever-silent Jax had come in, and they’d started sparring. Cammie had gotten incredibly frustrated with her, but even that hadn’t been enough to make Hannah focus, and Cammie had quickly called a halt to her session.

Hannah knew Chase made excuses to be near her because he was worried about her. She did her best to reassure him, but it was hard to do in a text or a phone call.

She stretched against him, loving the delicious ache in her muscles. She thought she’d made it pretty clear she was okay in bed with him tonight.

And she really was. She felt so much better now that she’d made the decision to cut ties with her parents. They were toxic, and had done nothing but make her feel bad about herself. Nothing but make her doubt herself, and feed into her insecurities.

And that wasn’t even counting the outrageous demands they’d placed on her.

“Was that as good for you as it was for me?” he asked her with a smirk, interrupting her musings.

She chuckled and reached up to give him a lingering kiss. “Better, probably. I really needed that. Really needed to see you.”

She felt him hesitating, but he finally asked what she’d been expecting him to ask all night. “Are you okay? Really okay. You sounded off on the phone Sunday.”

“I just had some hard stuff to work through. Dinner with my parents was a disaster Sunday night. I really did have a headache, but it was one they caused.”

“What did you work out?”

“That I need to cut them out of my life,” she replied, opting for partial honesty. “They say demeaning things to me, and about me, every time I visit. I finally decided I’d had enough. I’m done.”

“And this is really what you want?” Chase asked her carefully.

“It really is,” she said with a serene smile.

“Thank God,” he said with heartfelt relief that surprised her. He noticed and smiled down at her. “From what you’ve told me, they’ve made you feel bad about yourself your whole life. You deserve better than that. I’m proud of you, baby.”

Hannah’s heart melted as she reached up to kiss him again. The way this man made her feel was almost unreal. She was falling in love with him. Hard, fast, and completely. And it scared the crap out of her. Despite how well he treated her, how he lifted her up and empowered her, she still sometimes felt like she was waiting on the other shoe to drop.

Like maybe he was still playing games and toying with her. That once he got his fill of her body, he’d drop her, and leave her reeling and alone again. That, even if he was sincere, he’d quickly grow bored with her because she couldn’t give him the smart, witty conversation he wanted, that he deserved.

That was her insecurities talking, though. Maybe. She hoped.

Only time would tell, and she was praying it went the way she wanted, for once. That she got what she yearned for.

She could be so happy with him. She was happy with him already. But she could feel like this for the rest of her life, and she wanted it more than anything.

“Are you looking forward to Friday night?” he asked.

“I am,” she said with a grin. “I haven’t been to Pete’s since… well, since Parker came back to town. My life has been pretty boring since I made the changes I wanted.”

“What happened with that?” he asked with curiosity. “Why suddenly make such a drastic change? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I’m just wondering what sparked it.”

“It wasn’t really a change. I mean, it was, but it was a change on the outside, not the inside.” She peeked up at him and saw his confusion. Might as well elaborate, though she was unsure of what his reaction might be. “I’ve always been uncomfortable with the way Wendy acts and the things she says. Even back in elementary school. I was friends with her because my parents said I had to be. Things changed as I got older, though. I craved acceptance from my parents, and when it finally became clear I wouldn’t get it, I started seeking it from Wendy.

“That meant acting like she did. Saying stuff I thought she’d say, being mean like I needed to be for her to approve. I hated it, though. I’d go home and cry myself to sleep over the way I acted. But I couldn’t stop. She gave me what I so desperately needed. And the nastier I was to others, the more acceptance I received. I wish I’d been stronger. Wish I could have had the courage to be who I really was, regardless of their approval, but I wasn’t strong enough.”

She paused for a moment, running her fingers up and down his abs, trying to assess how he was reacting. He was calm and attentive, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

“When I went to college, I did change. I didn’t want to be that person anymore, and away from Wendy’s influence, I was free to be myself. And it felt amazing. But then I moved back home and was immediately thrown back with her. And I went right back into old habits. But it wasn’t because I craved acceptance this time. It was because I knew how nasty she could be when she was crossed. How she could destroy with a few well aimed barbs. I’m not proud of it, but I was scared of her, and I didn’t have the courage to stand up to her.

“When Parker came back and Wendy started in on her, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I still didn’t want to make waves, so I just ignored her. Told her I was too busy to hang out with her. And then I ran into Parker one day. We were outside the grocery store, talking, and I apologized for how I’d acted, in the past and now. And then Wendy came upon us. Started running her mouth to Parker, and out of nowhere, Parker stood up to her. Told her off and then told her to get lost, and it was glorious. I was stunned. Wendy ordered me to leave with her, but I was frozen. I kept thinking, if Parker, with her severe social anxiety, could stand up to Wendy, by God, so could I.

“And I did. And it felt so good, Chase. I was nauseous for days after that, but I was so proud of myself. And I felt better, better than I ever had. I haven’t looked back. I’m living for me now, living my life and treating people the way I want to treat them. And it feels great.”

Silence filled the room as Chase absorbed everything she told him. She couldn’t help worrying whether her being nasty to people because of someone else’s influence was worse than being horrible because that’s who she really was, in his eyes.

“Hannah, you’re remarkable.”

Hannah looked up at him, searching his eyes to see if he really meant that.

“I mean it,” he said, like he was reading her mind. “I always know when someone is telling me the truth. That’s how I knew you were sincere when you said you changed.” His whiskey eyes flashed yellow for a moment, there and gone so fast, she wasn’t sure if it happened or not. “I’m sorry you ever felt like you had to act like that for approval. If I’m being honest, I don’t like that it happened, and there were probably better ways of getting what you needed. But it took a lot of guts to stand up to that viper the way you did, especially knowing how she might react. I’m proud as hell of you, Hannah. You’re amazing.”

To her horror, Hannah felt tears welling up in her eyes. She dropped her gaze and lunged upward, fusing her mouth to his in an attempt to mask her tears. But it quickly turned to more, like it always did when their lips met. She nipped at his bottom lip and sucked it into her mouth, earning a deep groan from him she felt vibrating her chest.

The kiss felt like it went on forever, and though her body was already zinging with pleasure and she was melting on top of him in a boneless heap, his erection poking into her hip, she eventually had to come up for air.

Panting, she buried her face in his neck while she fought to regain her composure. Chase’s chest was heaving, and when they’d both calmed, he palmed her check and brought her face to his, searching her eyes.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Trepidation filled her, but she swallowed and nodded. “You can ask me anything.”

“Do you believe in the supernatural?”

The uneasiness fled in a heartbeat, and she stared at him for a moment before she burst out with a giggle. “You mean, like the TV show? Sure, I watch Supernatural all the time. Dean Winchester will always be my man. Sorry, Chase, but it’s true. You have competition.”

Chase smiled so tenderly at her that her breath caught, and he rubbed his thumb along her cheek. “No, I mean real stuff. You know, supernatural beings.”

“You mean like ghosts? No. When you die, you die, and that’s it. You don’t get to hang around and haunt people. What a shame, though. I know some people who could use a good haunting.”

“What about vampires and werewolves? Shit like that.”

Hannah mock shuddered. “Bloodsuckers, and men who turn into big, hairy, psychos every full moon? No thanks.” She thought she saw disappointment flit through his eyes, but like the flash of yellow in his eyes, it vanished so fast, she couldn’t be sure. More seriously, she replied, “No, Chase, I don’t think any of that is real. I think there are humans and animals and sea life, and that’s it. But,” she said thoughtfully, “anything is possible. I like to think I’d be open-minded if I ever saw one of those. I’d probably pee myself first, but I like to think I’d give them a chance.”

Chase gave her a beaming smile as he leaned back in and kissed the breath she’d just regained right back out of her body. Hannah moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, quickly forgetting everything they’d just discussed as her body caught fire again.

There was nothing in the world like being kissed by Chase.

Chase walked through the freshly planted fields, checking to make sure everything looked okay. The planting was done, thank God. He’d spent far too much time cooped up in the damn tractor. He checked the time on his watch and groaned. He was meeting Hannah at Pete’s tonight, and he was eager to see her again, but the day was crawling by.

He was going to tell her what he was tonight.

Exhaling heavily, stomach tight with nerves, Chase rubbed the back of his neck. He was praying like hell she could accept what he was, accept his wolf. He wondered if maybe it was too soon to let her in on his secret, but his wolf was a huge part of his life, and he didn’t want lies between them, even lies of omission.

She’d opened up to him and let him in. About her parents, Wendy, her ankle and broken dreams. She’d given him her past, even the parts that might make her look bad, and he could do no less. He had to take the risk.

He’d been so wrong about her. Yeah, she’d acted out in horrible ways, said nasty things in the past. But it had never been who she really was.

He was honest Tuesday night when she told him everything. He couldn’t understand craving acceptance so bad you’d do and say the things she had. And surely there were better ways she could have found what she was looking for.

He didn’t like how she’d gone about it. But knowing it wasn’t who she was, was a huge relief. The change in her had felt so abrupt, and even after he’d gotten to know her and come to realize she was serious about being a different person, he realized in the back of his mind, a part of him had been waiting on her to go back to how she acted before.

He understood now that the change wasn’t abrupt; this was the real her. And the real her was incredible.

Standing up to Wendy took guts, too. That woman was definitely a viper. As bad as Hannah had been in the past, it was nothing compared to Wendy. He didn’t fault Hannah at all for being scared to rock the boat where she was concerned. He’d seen Wendy destroy someone with a few pointed words, and a few well thought out whispers in the ears of others.

Fuck, he was proud of Hannah. Proud of her for not only becoming the woman she truly was, but proud of her finding her backbone and ending the toxic friendship she shared with Wendy.

They’d come a long way in such a short time. They’d shared their pasts, their bodies, and their dreams. But while she’d been totally honest, he still hadn’t shared his secrets, and tonight he was ready to give her the final piece of himself. It was time.

He looked at his watch again and groaned when he saw barely five minutes had passed. This was going to be the longest day of his life.