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My arms wrap themselves around his shoulders, pulling him closer against my chest. Being near him, finally feeling his lips on mine, almost makes me forget about the fact that just a few hours ago, I was kicked in the ribs before getting backhanded across the face. The second his arms wrap themselves around my middle, I yelp, causing Cash’s lips to break from mine as he steps back, his eyes full of concern.
“What happened?” he asks as I hold back the tears that are threatening to fall.
I open my mouth to reassure him, but all I can do is gulp in the air as the jolt of pain, worse than anything I have ever experienced before, rages through my body.
“Fuck, baby, what did I do?”
I close my eyes, basking in the endearment that just slipped from his lips but hating the pain I heard behind it.
“It’s nothing,” I choke through short breaths. “I guess I bruised my ribs and didn’t even know it until you grabbed me.”
All the color leaves his face as he falls back against the counter, his fingers grasping at the granite for dear life.
“Fuck,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry, Hannah, I didn’t even think…” His voice trails off, his eyes glazing over and I know the moment is gone. That hunch is reinforced when he leans in, kissing me lightly on the forehead before he walks out of the kitchen, telling me he’s tired and that he’ll see me in the morning.
Even five years later, Steven is still getting between Cash and me.
It’s been days. Days of dreaming about what his lips felt like whispering over my skin, what his fingers felt like grazing over me and causing the best sexual dreams I have ever had in my life. Every morning I wake up in a cold sweat, wanting nothing more than to burst into Cash’s bedroom and attack him, needing some kind of release. But he’s avoiding me… at least that’s what I assume is happening since I only see him in passing and haven’t really spoken a word to him since the night of our kiss.
For the millionth time over the past few days, I wonder if I should just get a hotel, stay there until I can figure something out. Obviously, he regrets what happened between us, maybe he even realized that he loved the old Hannah and the new and improved version just isn’t what he wants anymore. I take a deep breath and resolve myself to the fact that I will be on my own, and that’s okay. I pack my bags, lug them down the stairs, and just when I have them all situated, I hear the garage door open and I mutter a curse to myself, hating that he’s home. This would have been so much easier if I could have just avoided him and snuck out as I planned.
“Where are you going?” Cash asks, a murderous look crossing his face. “You are not going back to that fucktard, I won’t allow it.”
I shake my head, fighting the smile that crosses my face when he says “fucktard.”
“No, I’m not going back. I’m getting a hotel room for a few weeks until I can find a place to stay.”
“Why the hell would you need to find somewhere else to stay? I told you, you can stay here.”
I stare blankly at the man standing before me because he can’t be serious right now.
“Really? Because it seems to me that you’re avoiding me at all costs. I’m sorry you regret the kiss, Cash, but at least be honest with me instead of avoiding me. I deserve more than that.”
Cash says nothing, standing stock-still, saying nothing.
“After that kiss…” I start, wondering if I should even say it, but I push my shoulders back and do it anyway. “It’s been really hard being around you after that, so I think it’s best if I leave.”
I expect him to ask what I mean. I expect him to pace like he usually does when he’s anxious but what I don’t expect is for him to close the distance between us, crowding me against the front door, his body flush with mine.
“Why is it so hard, baby?” he whispers, his head dipping as his lips trail up my neck until he hits the shell of my ear. “Tell me.”
I shake my head, not wanting to admit it when I already feel vulnerable, knowing I couldn’t take the rejection.
“Hannah, do you want to know why I’ve been avoiding you these past few days?”
I nod, not having the words to respond.
“Because kissing you was everything I ever wanted in this life. I’ve been dreaming about it for over a decade and the reality of what you tasted like on my tongue is something I wasn’t prepared for.” His words are hushed, one hand resting against the door next to my head and the other spans my lower back as he pulls me closer.
“What?” I whisper, my head hitting the door as his lips give me a light kiss on the neck.
“I wanted you so fucking bad, still do. But baby, you just got out of an abusive relationship. I won’t be the rebound. I won’t let you regret it because it would break me.”
I shake my head, hating that he’s been pulling away from me for my own protection.
“You’ve been tempting me since that day at the beach when we were sixteen and you wore that sexy as fuck white bikini that showed way too much, but was the start of every one of my wet dreams.”
I take a breath, my fingers skimming his chest as his eyes close, basking in my touch.
