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‘What?’ she replies throatily.
‘If you ever wanted to share something with me, I would listen.’ I kiss my way to her jaw, and she closes her eyes, her body trying to arch. ‘I wouldn’t judge.’ I make it to her nose, kissing the tiny bump. ‘And it would make no difference to how I feel about you.’ I reach her eyes and kiss each closed lid before pecking my way to her cheek.
She moans, the sound so sweet, and turns her face into me, finding my mouth without needing to open her eyes. I let her at me, giving a little, hoping to take more. ‘I’ll remember that,’ she says, her voice rough. ‘If I ever want to share something with you.’
For fuck’s sake. I breathe out my impatience, letting my head fall limply back into her neck. I’m surprised when I feel her hand cup the back of my head, holding me to her. It’s as if she’s trying to comfort me while I deal with defeat. I love the gesture but hate the possible trigger. She’s a closed book. Will she ever let me in?
‘What’s the matter?’ Hannah asks, sounding sincerely muddled by my frustration. I’m astounded. Is she being ignorant? Or is she being strategic? Or am I being paranoid? Reading too much into this? God damn, is my sixth sense failing me? Do I have this all wrong? Propping myself up on my forearms, I rest my chin on her tummy. ‘I saw you in Grange this morning,’ I say, watching to gauge her reaction. Her face remains straight and her body remains soft.
‘And?’ she asks.
‘And . . . what were you doing there?’
‘Buying flowers for my mother.’
A breakthrough. She has a mother. ‘Why from Grange? The town shop sells flowers.’
‘Have you seen them?’ Hannah laughs. I can’t argue with that. The selection isn’t exactly wide, and unless you buy them on the day of the weekly delivery, they’re not going to last very long.
Moving on. ‘Where’s your mother?’
‘She died.’
I wince and kick my sorry arse all over the cabin. ‘I’m sorry.’
Her smile is small, but not without emotion. ‘Why? It’s not your fault.’
I suddenly feel like a prize chump. I’m not only sorry for her loss, I’m sorry for prying, too. For pressing. For being like a dog with a bone. ‘You want some Chunky Monkey?’
Her hands land on my arse, her fingernails digging in. ‘If you’ve finished wringing me for information, then I’d love some.’
‘Mockery won’t get you anything except—’
‘What?’
I look down at her exposed breasts. Smirk. Lick my lips. And dip quickly, taking a bite.
‘Ouch!’ she shrieks, kicking out her legs and smacking at my back. ‘Bloody hell!’
I suck her nipple hard, swirl my tongue a few times, have another nibble, and eventually release it with a satisfactory pop. She immediately gives me a good whack on the arm. I chuckle like an idiot and jump to my feet, leaving Hannah to rub some life back into her breast.
‘Ryan,’ she calls, stalling me at the freezer. I look back as I pull open the door. She’s on her front now, and that arse is looking mighty tasty, too.
‘Yeah?’ I say, blindly reaching for the ice cream, my stare glued to her peachy bottom.
‘This is me,’ she replies, rising to her feet, taking the vision of her arse from me. Not that it matters. Now I have her face. And those words. Motioning down her naked form, prompting my eyes to follow, as if I need a reminder of her perfection, Hannah repeats herself, this time clearer, louder, and with a firmness in her voice that I’ve never heard before. ‘This is me, Ryan. There is nothing else for me to give you, just this. Isn’t it enough?’
I find myself smiling almost immediately, her message received loud and clear. It is more than enough. I stalk forward, determined not to waste any more of our night playing silly mind games. I seize her with one arm, hauling her body close to mine. ‘This is enough. You are more than enough. And for the record, I wouldn’t change one tiny thing about you.’
Her smile blows my world in two.
God, this woman. Whatever’s hurt her in the past is gone. I’m here. In her present. Right now, it’s me and her and an empty cabin. I need to make the most of it. ‘How d’you feel about ice stimulation?’ I ask.
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about. What is it?’
‘I made it up.’ I grin wickedly and rest the tub of ice cream on her back, firming up my hold of her, ready for it.
Her eyes widen, her boobs thrusting forward as she bends her back to try to escape the cold. ‘Oh my God,’ she says on an inhale. ‘Ryan!’
I laugh, thoroughly amused with myself, and pace to the bedroom, keeping the tub exactly where it is. She bucks and yells the whole way, thumping my shoulders with deranged fists. ‘You arse!’
