AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“All right,” I say. “May I come in?”
“You’re already in.”
We stare at each other in the slanting moonlight from outside. I’m close. So close to her, I could reach out and take her in my arms, walk her back and press her into the wall.
“Savage?” she murmurs, tipping her chin up so she can look me in the eye.
I’m aware that I’m an intimidating guy, and I like that Hannah never acts like she’s afraid of me. Even though she fucking should be.
I shut the door behind me, plunging us both into darkness. She makes a tiny noise, one of those delicious noises I want to swallow, and I reach over and flick on the lights in the living room.
Hannah stares at me, her one knee tipped in toward the other, the heel of her left foot lifted and even that’s fucking cute.
I step closer, and she’s barely breathing, her chest rising and falling so rapidly, she might hyperventilate.
And I want to make her lose her breath. I want it so bad, my fists ball up again.
I walk past her to the window where she was standing a couple of minutes ago and draw the curtains shut. “I told your brother I would be your bodyguard until you leave town.”
Hannah lets out a breath. “We’ve been over that whole fiasco already. But forgive me, I’d rather not be in the same apartment as you while I’m—” She shakes her head rapidly. “I’m not going there. Oh my God, this is so messed up. Look, Savage. Carter.”
I freeze. I haven’t been called Carter in years. Nobody calls me Carter. “Savage is fine,” I grunt.
“Savage,” she says. “I get that I made a total fool of myself with you, several times, and that you probably despise being around me, but I?—”
“I don’t despise being around you,” I say, before I can stop my idiot fool fucking mouth.
“You don’t?” She scratches her forehead.
I don’t blame her for being confused after what happened a couple of weeks ago, but I’m not going to set her straight, at least not completely. I told her we could never be together, and I never told her why. Because it would give her hope if she knew how much I wanted her, and how terrible it would be for both of us if I followed through.
“I don’t feel anything toward you,” I say, and bring myself to new level of self-loathing.
She claps her hands. “Right. Of course, you do. I mean, don’t.”
“And that is exactly why I’m equipped to make sure that you’re kept safe. I can remain impassive where your brother clearly can’t,” I say.
“You’re not wrong there.” Hannah gives a small smile.
“You don’t like this,” I say. “Neither do I. But it’s going to get your brother off your back, and it would be more comfortable for me to be on your couch than in my SUV.”
I tip my head to the side and trace my gaze down her body. My eyes haven’t caught the memo about not wanting her. Fuck, my entire body hasn’t. She’s tan and tall, her lean legs a temptation in those short pink cotton PJs.
Hannah clears her throat. “I don’t like to share my apartment with anyone.” She circles her couch and stands behind it, putting space between us.
“And if you don’t want to share it with your stalker, you should probably have someone around who can protect you.”
“I have pepper spray,” she says.
“Do you have your escape route planned out?” I ask.
“My what?”
“Your escape route. If you need to run, you have to plan it out, and know that route so well, you could run it in the dark.”
“I—”
“Let’s say you’re woken in the night by the sound of glass breaking. What are you going to do?”
