Page 62 of Unhinged

She’d fallen into a deep sleep as soon as she curled against his side, and he’d lain there for the last three hours, alternately dozing and watching her until she woke up, not wanting to abandon her.

He’d spent the time enjoying the feel of her next to him and thinking—about the past, about the future, the things he wanted to do, the places he wanted to see… the things he couldn’t live without. Hannah was slowly making her way into that last category, and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.

He’d only known her for a couple of weeks, but there was something about her that called to him—more than protectiveness, stronger than just simple attraction. Some inexplicable force had pushed Hannah into his path, and he’d be a fool to ignore the signs. The more he was around her, the more he liked her, the more he wanted her to become a permanent part of his life.

He wanted to know all about her, wanted to be the person she turned to, not just for help, but for everything—comfort, passion, reassurance, and everything in between. He wanted to sit across the table from her each evening and talk about everything and nothing, and he wanted her to fall asleep in his arms every night.

The Hannah in his bed was a far cry from the Ice Queen he’d met that first day at the health center. He loved the way she’d come out of her shell, and he wanted to learn everything about her.

“Do you have stuff to do today?” he asked.

“Not particularly. I wanted to go see Audrey, but other than that…” She trailed off with a small shrug. “What did you have in mind?”

“For starters…” His eyes strayed over her body, and a grin split his face. “I want you to get your butt back over here.”

He ripped the sheet away from her, and she let out a soft cry of distress. “Hey!”

He rose up on all fours, and she held up a hand as he crawled across the bed toward her.

“Luke…” She let out a shriek of laughter as he rolled her under him, peppering her face with kisses. “Stop, please!”

He braced himself over her with a grin. “Give me one good reason.”

“I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s hardly a good reason.”

“It is! Did you know that poor dental hygiene can lead to all kinds of things, including heart disease? It’s even been linked to erectile dysfunction.”

His brows drew together, and he relaxed his stance, leaning backward to rest on his heels. “Is that true?”

“I don’t know, but it sounded good!” Hannah rolled away with a spurt of laughter and raced to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

He couldn’t believe he’d fallen for that. With a grin, he heaved himself off the bed and padded across the hallway to the bathroom.

“I was hoping you might show me around a bit today if you have some free time,” he called.

The door cracked open, and she peeked out. “Really?”

“I thought you could show me some of your favorite spots. We’ll grab lunch and just… relax.”

Preferably in bed—after they’d made love again—but she’d figure that out soon enough.

She studied him for a moment. “I was going to stop by Audrey’s house today to check on her. Do you want to come with me?”

“Of course. I’d like to see how she’s doing anyway.”

The sweetest smile lit her face, and she stared at him as if he’d hung the moon. He just barely refrained from barging in and sweeping her off her feet, taking her back to bed.

“I’d love to.”

“Perfect.” He grasped her chin and kissed her once, hard. “We’ll stop by your house real quick so you can change, then we’ll head out.”

Just under an hour later, they stepped through the front door of Hannah’s house. She turned automatically to disarm the system, but silence hung heavily in the air.

“That’s strange,” she murmured.

“Is something wrong?” He automatically glanced around, but nothing jumped out at him.