Page 91 of Erik's Redemption
She pulled back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
“I’m okay. AndI’mso damn sorry that I didn’t see the signs. That I let him get close to you.”
She cupped his cheek. “No. I’m sorry that he got close toyoubecause of me. He was good at playing his role.”
“He was.” Henry’s eyes shifted between hers. “Are you all right?”
She swallowed and stepped back, Erik’s arm immediately sliding around her waist again. “Physically, yes. But my head’s a mess.”
Henry’s brows tugged together. “So, he was your foster father’s nephew? The foster father who attacked you when you were sixteen?”
She hated not telling him the entire truth. “Yeah. And he blamed me for his uncle’s disappearance after he got let out on bail.”
Henry scowled. “The scumbag.”
That seemed too kind a word for ClarenceandOden.
When the police came over to ask more questions, the little energy Hannah had fizzled out, and she leaned heavily on Erik.
His chest rumbled as he tugged her into him. “That’s enough. She needs rest. You have more questions, you can call us tomorrow. We’re going home.”
She opened her mouth to say it was okay, but before the words could come out, Erik lifted her against his chest and carried her toward his car, Henry not far behind.
And then Hannah just…couldn’t. His heart beating against her cheek felt too good.
This was just one of the reasons she loved him so much. Because he was, and forever would be, her greatest protector.
CHAPTER 32
Erik stroked a hand down Hannah’s back as she slept. He should get up. But even though days had passed since the attack, he still felt physically sick at the very thought of being away from her. How could he not? He’d been in the same damn place, at the samehouse, and yet she’dstillbeen attacked and could have been seriously hurt…or worse.
His gut coiled, and he tightened his arm around her as if he needed the closeness to remind himself that she was here with him and safe.
The only thing keeping him sane was the fact that the asshole was dead.
She still wasn’t back to herself. She’d been quieter. Smiled less. But then, ofcourseshe had. She’d almost been killed by a person she’d trusted.
There was also something else. Every so often, he caught her staring at him in a way he’d never seen before. In those moments, she looked nervous. But that didn’t make sense.
He stroked a finger down her arm.
He needed to get to the bottom of that, and soon, because he wanted nothing between them. He wanted all of her, and that included all of her secrets.
When her thumb grazed his chest, his skin tingled. How was it that still, months after meeting her, her touch affected him so damn much? He had no clue, but he knew it was something that would continue to happen, no matterhowlong they were together.
A low, feminine hum sounded from her throat before she lifted her head, and her gaze collided with his. The slow smile that spread across her lips gutted him. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was more than that. Magnificent in every way.
Her head tilted. “When you look at me like that, I want to hide from you.”
“There is nowhere you could hide that I wouldn’t find you.”
“Well, look too long, and you’ll see every flaw.”
“Someone once told me that the flaws are what make us beautiful. That they should be celebrated.”
Emotion crept over her face. “It’s true…when it comes to you. Mine, on the other hand—”
He rolled them and kissed her before she could finish that sentence. When he lifted his head, he brushed some hair from her face. “Your flaws are as beautiful as you are.”
