Page 48 of Hidden While In Sight

“I felt lucky when she took me under her wing that first year of college. When she included me with her friends. I never imagined—” She frowned, her voice lowering. “I wasn’t even attracted to Colin. He was… intimidating. I was often tongue-tied around him. There was this one time when Bridget got drunk, and he stayed over. I tried to check on her, and he—” Her fingers tensed. “I ended up hiding in my room.”

Diego could imagine Ashford being an asshole easily enough. Someone like him, her being nervous and intimidated would have fed his ego.

“His behavior changed toward me after that. I decided Bridget had asked him to be nicer to me. I didn’t believe he liked me.” She shook her head, leaning back on the couch. “I was an idiot, fooling myself, even now. I picked up on exactly what he was doing, and I felt flattered.” She met Diego’s eyes. “I wanted it. His attention filled a part of me that was always empty.”

“We all want to be desired, Hannah,” Diego told her. “That’s not wrong.”

Her gaze slipped away from his, settling on Emma against his chest. “I don’t know why I’m even talking about this. You don’t want to hear it.”

“I want to hear anything you want to tell me, but what you say, and when, is up to you. You can stop at any time.”

A tremor worked its way through her body, and he knew she was remembering him saying something similar to her before. Right before he’d taken her for himself and flooded her with his cum.

It felt wrong to have that thought with her daughter in his arms.

Hannah turned back to the Bible, opened it to a random page, and began to read. She was done talking—or at least ready to distract herself.

He could picture the rest of her story already. Ashford had isolated and intimidated her, carving away her self-confidence as he went. If she’d fought it at all, that only would have increased his efforts. He’d been a predator, and she’d been his prey.

That didn’t mean she was weak. The more she’d become remote and focused on enduring, the more furious Ashford had likely become. She’d used the only weapons she had.

Diego didn’t want her to have to anymore.

When Emma stirred in his arms, making that disgruntled noise she always made at waking up, Hannah closed her book and crossed to him to take her.

There was drool all over his neck. He wiped at it, debating with himself.

“Hannah,” he called after her, his voice gruff again.

She paused, glancing back at him.

“I want you. I want the hell out of you.”

Her lips parted, and she sucked in a breath. “Why haven’t you—” Her teeth clicked as her mouth snapped shut.

“It’s not a lack of desire. If you want me to prove that to you, just let me know.”

It was impossible not to imagine her under him again, how it would feel pushing into her. Fucking her again would feel perfect, just like the first time had. His cock thickened down the leg of his sweatpants.

Hannah clutched Emma in her arms and scurried toward the kids’ room, where her son was waking up.

He would wait. Wait for that moment when the idea of being with him didn’t make her want to run. Then, he would show her again that she was his.

Chapter 22

There was nothing about moving houses that was easy when there were two small children involved. Being discreet was also harder. He was pretty sure everyone on the block had seen them when Emma started crying—loud, sobbing wails, like she had broken her arm or something.

Diego dropped the suitcases he was carrying and reached for the little girl, who was a little faker. Once she was in his arms, she happily bounced and looked around as he walked up the driveway with her.

Hannah was mortified, but Diego laughed. Emma was a such a manipulative imp. It made him wonder what Hannah had been like when she was Emma’s age.

He had a feeling she’d been more like Connor, who had stiffened and scrunched smaller at the sound of his sister’s cries, just like his mother had. It made Diego furious at Ashford all over again. He tickled Emma’s sides and listened to her sweet giggles, waiting for their fear to pass and his own roiling emotions to dissipate. He’d found that toddler laughs helped with all of that.

The idea that they’d been seen as a family stirred him up in ways that probably weren’t decent to feel in front of the kids. Besides, being seen that way was a different type of cover.

Who the hell brought kids to do illegal shit?

Well, him, but since it still boggled Ramiro’s mind, Diego doubted his latest targets would think too hard about their new neighbors.

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