Page 10 of Saving Hanna
Chapter Eight
HANNA
I couldn’t believe how amazing Aiden’s home was. After we finished our meal and my slight breakdown, I was relieved that he offered to show me the rest of his home. Even though it was beautiful, it was over the top. It reminded me of one of the homes you would see on one of those fancy TV shows showing where the rich and famous live.
I was just about ready to thank him for the wonderful meal and the fantastic tour of his home when he suggested we sit on the back patio and finish what was left of the wine. I was a little hesitant, but then he said, “I would hate for a good bottle of wine to go to waste.”
I agreed with him. It was very tasty, and after all, there are starving children in Africa, as my father always said. He taught me that food should never be wasted. I’m sure he wasn’t referring to wine, but the concept was the same.
Agreeing to stay for a while longer, just long enough to finish the bottle of wine, I followed him out of the house and onto the patio. It was a beautiful night and I didn’t want to miss taking advantage of the great weather. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the most amazing view appeared before me. It was like looking at a garden from heaven. In front of me was the biggest waterfall I had ever seen. The water cascaded down a rock wall and into a pool that was bigger than the house I was currently renting. Flowers and foliage surrounded the waterfall and were lit up with little fairy lights that enhanced the water flowing down the rocks. It made me wonder what it would feel like to be in the pool, pretending to be in a tropical oasis.
Aiden took hold of my hand and led me down the sandstone steps and to a sitting area near the pool. As we sat down, Aiden placed two wine glasses on the table and began filling them with the opened bottle of wine. Handing me a glass, he said, “To new beginnings.”
He couldn’t have made a better toast. Soon it would be a new beginning for me. I would no longer be in the bad neighborhood I currently lived in, and my dream of living back on the farm would soon become a reality. I knew I wanted more than anything to be back in Danbury, I just didn’t know when I wanted that to happen. I felt the need to get to know this man better before I chose a night to spend with him. There was also the feeling that there was more involved in this deal than just one night in exchange for the farm.
Taking a large sip of my wine, I placed it on the table hoping that it gave me enough courage to find out more about this proposal. “I know that I agreed to one night with you, but I want to know what it entails.”
Giving me a smile, he placed his hand around the neck of the bottle and topped off my glass of wine. “Let’s just say, I would like to get to know you better. More intimately.”
“So, you want to have sex with me?” I asked, almost downing the glass of wine he just filled.
Chuckling, he replied, “It would be much more than that. I don’t want you to give me my one night until you are ready, Hanna.”
“I don’t understand. Why, of all the women in Houston, would you pick me? I am a nobody. And you clearly need someone that is more refined than I could ever be,” I confessed, waving my hand to remind him of his wealth.
“It is for that reason that I chose you, Hanna.”
As he moved from his chair to sit next to me, already my body was becoming overly warm. The wine was also beginning to make me feel fuzzy. Taking the empty glass from my hand, he placed it on the table. It could have been the wine, but all I wanted to do was kiss him. When his eyes met mine, there was nothing to stop me from doing just that. Wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, I pressed my lips to him in a forceful kiss in which I held nothing back. The best part was that he hadn’t pulled back. Instead he took me into his arms and tenderly kissed me back. I could taste the sweet wine on his lips as his tongue brushed my lips before it invaded my mouth with wet heat. The kiss, although drunken and sloppy, was one to be remembered.
I knew that with a kiss like this, it would lead to much more. Even though I was in no state of mind to refuse, I knew that I would regret it in the morning if I allowed it to continue. Breaking free before things got out of hand, I wiped my hand across my swollen lips and said, “I think it’s time that I left.”
As I stood to my feet, I could feel my surroundings begin to move in all directions. My body swayed back and forth as I tried desperately to hide the fact that I shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine. Holding me close to his body to steady me, Aiden lifted my chin. “I think it would be best if you stayed here tonight. I am in no condition to take you home and Albert has probably retired for the evening.”
Who was I to argue? His point was well made and I wouldn’t be able to afford a taxi to drive me home, nor was I going to take a handout. Nodding my head, I responded, careful not to slur my words. “Wouldn’t want to wake up Albert.”
Putting one foot in front of the other, I concentrated on my steps, careful not to sway too much as I walked toward the house. With one arm around me, Aiden helped me do just that. When we reached the foyer, I looked to the stairs, wondering if I would be tumbling down them in my condition. Walking on a flat surface was one thing, but climbing steps was another. Feeling my apprehension, Aiden scooped me up in his arms and carried me with ease up the stairs. I was beginning to think that he wasn’t as drunk as he implied.
I wasn’t sure where he was taking me since he hadn’t set me down when we reached the top of the stairs. I had faith that he would be a gentleman about this situation and he was. When he opened a door at the end of the hall, I knew that he was taking me to the guest bedroom that he had shown me earlier. Of all the rooms that were on this floor this had been my favorite. It was decorated with light colors of blues and greens and it was the most feminine of all the rooms on the floor.
Pulling back the covers, he placed me gently on the bed. For a moment I wanted him to stay, but knew that it would be a mistake. Settling in, the last thing I remembered before closing my eyes was a tender kiss he placed on my cheek.
~*~*~*~
My head had never hurt so bad. It was like firecrackers were going off with a big boom. All I wanted was for the pounding to stop. Using what little energy I had, I pushed myself from the bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Now I knew what it meant to have a hangover because I had one and mine was in full force. Making it to the faucet, I splashed cold water on my face. Already I was beginning to feel better, but I knew that I couldn’t spend the day throwing cold water on my face.
Looking in the mirror, I was a sight. Even though I wasn’t much on using make-up, what little mascara I had on ran down my cheek in a black streak. I looked as though I was a stand in for one of those low budget horror movies where the girl is running through the woods trying to escape the killer.
Stripping off my very wrinkled uniform, I decided that maybe a hot shower would make me feel better. It certainly couldn’t make me feel any worse. As the stream of water descended on my body, I thought back to what happened last night. The last thing I remembered was Aiden kissing me on the cheek. Since I was still fully dressed when I woke, I was pretty sure that nothing happened beyond that.
Now I knew why I tended to stay away from drinking. Not remembering what you did the night before was not a good thing. And after hearing about the parties that my classmates would go to: getting completely sloshed, not remembering anything, I vowed never to drink.
Wishing that I had something else to put on instead of my wrinkled uniform, I went ahead and got dressed. There wasn’t anything that I could do about my clothes, but at least I looked a lot better. Pulling my wet hair back, I took the spare hair tie I kept around my wrist and put my hair up in a messy bun. Even though I wasn’t one hundred percent, I needed to find Aiden to take me home. Luckily, it was my day off and I didn’t have to do anything except nurse myself back to health. It was going to be a wasted day, but it really didn’t matter since I had nothing of importance to do, anyway.
Looking a better than I felt, I opened the door and headed down the hall to the stairs All I wanted to do was find Aiden and get back to my home. Reaching the last step, it was strange to find that Albert was waiting at the bottom standing sideways with his hands resting against his backside.
Feeling the need to be polite, I said, “Good morning.”
His eyes remained fixated on the wall in front of him as he responded, “Good morning, Ms. Marsh. Mr. Drake is already in the dining room and awaiting your arrival.”
