Page 69 of Whenever You Call

I couldn’t keep drawing her closer, comforting her, and being the one she leaned on if she didn’t know the truth about me. The truth about my connection to Cole.

The truth about how I hadn’t stumbled into her life that very first day by accident, but I’d followed her until I stepped into it, whether she’d wanted me there or not.

I felt her breaths fall into a slow rhythm, while mine only grew wilder as the realization of what I finally had to do hit me.

I’d give her tonight. I’d let her take whatever she needed.

But tomorrow, I’d tell her the truth, and whatever she chose to do with that was up to her, even if it killed me to let her go.

Giving in, I curled my arm tighter around her, pulling her close to me before I moved my lips to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet smell of coconut shampoo and the irresistible freshness that had always been her.

“Sleep tight, Hannah Moore,” I whispered. “Make it count.”

I felt her smile grow against me. “I will.”

When I wokethe next morning, Hannah wasn’t there. I rolled over, able to smell the scent of her lingering in the sheets and on my chest, causing my already hard dick to harden even more. I had to force myself out of the bed, only to find clean towels and a new toothbrush positioned on a lounge chair next to the bed, along with a small note that read:

Take as much time as you need.

And thank you for last night.

Her thank you poked at that ever-present guilt, reminding me I didn’t deserve any thanks for anything. It was up to me to tell her the truth now. I refused to be someone who continued to let her down.

She wasn’t in the kitchen, nor was she in the main living room when I went downstairs, and I hadn’t ventured into any other of the rooms down there, so I made my way outside rather than investigating the rest of her home, already knowing I’d find her in her favorite spot under the canopy, out in the backyard.

When I stepped outside and saw her, that sharp stab of desire hit me in the chest all over again.

She was fucking beautiful.

Her eyes were closed, her face tilted toward the early morning sun as she nursed a cup of coffee in both hands, resting it against her chest. Eventually, Hannah’s eyes fluttered open, and she turned to me as if she could feel my presence, a soft smile on her face that gutted me the moment I saw it. She was a total contrast to the swollen-eyed, heartbroken, panicked woman of the night before, and now I had to break her all over again.

“Hey,” she said, her voice light.

“Hey.” I cleared my throat and moved around the patio furniture toward the couch opposite her, my knees cracking when I tugged on the thighs of my pants and took a seat, resting my ass on the edge, my forearms dropping to my parted legs.

The knowledge of us having slept in the same bed hung between us, a secret I wasn’t sure if she treasured or found dirty as she looked at me.

“Sleep well?” she asked.

“Like a log. You?”

“Better than I have in a while. Would you like some coffee? I just made some.”

I shook my head, my gut too twisted to put anything in it until I’d said what I needed to say. “No, thanks, I’m good.”

Her smile dropped, her brows rising. “You don’t like coffee?”

“Love the stuff. Just don’t want any now I’ve brushed my teeth. Mixing shit like that together makes me nauseous.”

She laid a look on me. “I’m not sure I can trust anyone who doesn’t need a coffee as soon as they wake up.”

I forced a smile to my strained mouth, knowing now would be a good time to tell her exactly why she shouldn’t trust me, even if she had been joking, but it tore me up to see her so relaxed, knowing what I had to say to her.

“There’s something wrong,” she said calmly. “You’re upset about last night.”

I opened my mouth to say something, only for Hannah to cut me off before I’d even begun.

“I’m sorry, Logan. I took it too far, didn’t I? I abused your kindness. I didn’t give you a choice.”

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