Page 47 of Desperation

I released him and pulled Charlie in for a hug. “Thank you for taking care of them.”

“It was my pleasure. It felt good to get in on the action again.” She gave me a crooked grin before stepping into Mark’s embrace.

“Well, looks like my hunting cabin is compromised. Guess I’ll have to buy a new one,” Mark announced with a sly grin. Charlie elbowed him in the stomach, and he let out an “oomph.”

“Not until we get that speed boat we’ve been eyeing.”

“What do you mean ‘we’? You’re the one who wants a damn boat.” Charlie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Mark turned to me but curled his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “This place is an active crime scene. You won’t be able to stay here tonight, but I’m sure they’ll let you guys grab a few things. Do you have somewhere to stay?”

The thought hadn’t yet crossed my mind, but he was right. We couldn’t stay at the cabin after what had happened, and I ventured to guess Hannah wouldn’t want to anyway.

“We’ll grab a hotel room in town. I’m not up for driving back tonight. I don’t think Hannah will be either.” There was also the issue of where Hannah would stay now. I knew my mom would welcome her and Jameson with open arms, but that would be awkward. Her only other immediate option was to go back to Drake’s temporarily, but neither of us would want that. There were too many memories in that house, and not all of them were good. We’d shelve that discussion for later. Tonight, I just wanted to hold her and know she was safe.

She returned to us, wrapping her sweater tighter around her shoulders. In all the commotion I hadn’t noticed how inadequately dressed she was for the weather. She wore cotton pajamas that weren’t nearly thick enough to ward against the cold and a heavy oversized sweater. Her feet were thankfully covered in warm, fleece-lined house shoes, the pair I’d brought her after feeling her icy cold toes against my leg one day. It felt like a corpse had touched me. I finally understood why she always curled her legs beneath her bottom and tucked blankets around them when she sat on the couch.

“All done,” she announced, folding her arms over her chest and rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

“Let’s see if they’ll allow us inside to grab some of our things, and then we’ll head out.” We stepped onto the porch as they snapped pictures of the living room. The electricity had been turned back on and the generator reconnected, so we could now see the full extent of the damage. Drake and I had fought, crashing into furniture and tumbling across the floor. Books were knocked off the shelf, and a lamp lay in pieces next to the couch. An officer was examining the lock on the back door that Hank picked to gain entrance into the cabin. Hannah let out a gasp as she peered in through the front door.

“Stay here. I’ll grab our things.” I skirted the area they were photographing and slipped into the bedroom, throwing a suitcase on the bed. Jameson’s diaper bag was on the dresser, so I filled it with diapers, wipes, and clothes. I grabbed a couple outfits for Hannah, along with undergarments and her sneakers. Hurrying to my room, I did the same for myself. A few toiletries and our toothbrushes were the last items needed. After I shoved them into a side pocket, I headed for the door. At the last minute, I changed direction and went to the kitchen, swiping a couple jars of baby food.

Hannah was mostly silent as we drove into town and found a hotel with a vacancy. She carefully removed Jameson’s car seat from its base and slipped him out of the backseat without making a sound. I grabbed our suitcase and his bag and led her to our room.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Hannah said from the bathroom door once we were settled for the night. Sadness filled her eyes, and my heart broke. I couldn’t imagine how scared she’d been. They’d flipped the breakers and disconnected the generator so it couldn’t kick on, plunging her into near total darkness. If it hadn’t been for the moonlight streaming in, I wouldn’t have been able to see her face. But I’d had a front row seat to the horror Drake was prepared to inflict on her, the terror on her face as he loomed over her, and it had scared the shit out of me. If I’d been a few minutes later, who knows what he would’ve done to her. I shuddered, imagining the possibilities.

The water turned on, and the pipes groaned in protest. I sat there with my head in my hands, yearning to go to her, to provide comfort. But I didn’t want to scare her. I didn’t want to impose on time she may need to herself.

After several long minutes, I finally decided to check on her. I cracked open the door, and steam billowed around me. Shutting it quietly, I approached the stark white shower curtain. I froze when I heard quiet sobs coming from the other side. Instinctively, I undressed and stepped inside, the water so hot it was almost unbearable.

“Hannah,” I whispered to let her know I was there. Slowly reaching for her, I rubbed my hand soothingly on her back. Her shoulders shook, and I squeezed my eyes shut to gain control over my emotions. She was hurting, and all I wanted to do was take away the pain. “I’m here for you if you need me,” I assured her, but she didn’t speak. “But if you want to be alone I can—”

She turned and crashed into me, burying her head in my chest. “Don’t go,” she rasped out. My arms came around her, cradling her slender frame.

“I won’t. I promise.”

I held her like that for a long time, letting her release her demons onto my shoulder. She finally looked up, and her eyes were bloodshot, but no more tears leaked from them. I helped her wash her back, ignoring how her naked body so near made mine react.

When the last of the suds slipped down the drain, I turned off the water and wrapped her in a towel. We dressed for bed, and she climbed under the covers before reaching for me. I let her pull me down to the bed and cover us with a blanket up to our chins. She snuggled into my chest, and I held her like that until she fell asleep.

A howling cry woke me sometime later. Hannah untangled her limbs from mine and rolled away from me. She flipped on the lamp on the bedside table and went to Jameson. I sat up in the bed and rubbed my bleary eyes. My phone showed it was just after three am.

Hannah spoke soothingly to him as she changed his diaper, promising to feed him soon as he continued to wail. He calmed down once he started to feed and was fast asleep after his belly was full. I opened my arms to Hannah when she came back to bed, and she rested her head against my shoulder. Her fingers traced lazy circles over my chest, and I pressed my lips to her forehead. Her touch ignited my lust, but I tried to clamp it down. Slowly, her hand dipped below the blanket, and I knew if she went much further, she’d discover exactly what those gentle caresses were doing to me. I gently grabbed her forearm to stop her.

“Hannah,” I warned, but my voice came out gravelly and full of lust. Shit.

“Devon.” Her voice lowered an octave when she spoke my name. She leaned up and brushed her mouth against mine, her tongue darting out to glide against my bottom lip. She didn’t wait for me to open. She didn’t ask what I wanted. She simply climbed onto my lap and straddled my hips, groaning when my hardened length connected with her thin cotton shorts. My hands gripped her thighs, stilling her as she started to rock against me.

“Hannah,” I repeated, “we’re not alone in here.” She chuckled and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my lips.

“If you can keep quiet, he’ll never know.” Her tone was playful but challenging, and it made me want her even more. I flipped her over, and she landed on her back with a soft thud. My body hovered above hers, eclipsing her entirely. She was so small and delicate, yet she was stronger and fiercer than anyone I’d ever known.

“Is this what you want?” I asked, flexing my hips.

“Yes,” she breathed as my erection pressed into her hot center.

Fuck, we were gonna do this here,now? I had my reservations considering our company, but damn, I wanted her.

“Can we at least take this to the bathroom? That sink looked sturdy.”

---