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“Come here, Hannah.” His tone was so soft. So sweet that tears entered her eyes.
She couldn’t. If she did, she was going to collapse.
“No.” It took everything in her to deny him.
“Hannah–”
“I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me to hate someone,” she said. “But I hate him. I hate him so much.” She was still shaking as she said it, her stomach rolling nauseously.
“Whatever he did to you . . . whatever happened . . . it wasn’t your fault.”
Wasn’t it? She wasn’t so sure. She thought it was very much her fault for being an idiot.
“Baby, come here.”
“I can’t.” She wanted to. So much.
But he must have had enough because he slowly moved toward her.
“Raid,” she said in a low voice. “Please don’t.”
“Why not? Because you fear me? My touch?”
“Yes.”
He froze, and a stricken look crossed his face before he backed up considerably.
Shit.
She’d just messed up.
“But not because you’ll hurt me physically. I just . . . the more you touch me, the more I want you, and I can’t ever give you normal, Raid. Not anymore.”
Understanding filled his gaze. “Baby, have you met me before?”
Huh?
“I’m not normal. My whole family is nuts. What makes you think I want normal?”
“I was normal before.” And he didn’t want her then. Did he consider her more interesting now?
“No, you weren’t.”
“What?” Her gaze shot to his. “Yes, I was.”
“Nope.”
She glared up at him. “I was normal.”
“Baby, first, no one in this town is normal. They’re all freaking nuts. It’s what makes Haven so great.”
Shoot. She couldn’t argue with that.
“I was the most normal of them all.”
“Nope. And anyway, as I told you, I made the decision to ask you out when I was in New Orleans. Remember?”
He was right. He’d wanted her back then . . . before she’d been broken.
“What sort of normal do you think I want?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. A girlfriend who doesn’t freak out and have weird flashbacks. Steven hasn’t even been in this apartment, so why would I see him here? What about a girlfriend who doesn’t have to sleep on the floor or with a baseball bat close at hand? Who doesn’t feel the need to protect herself by bringing out the ice queen and dressing in an armor of baggy clothes?”
She was heaving for breath by the time she was finished. She stared up at him.
To her shock, a smile was on his lips.
“What?” she snapped.
“You called yourself my girlfriend.”
She shook her head. “No. No, I meant . . . that’s what you want. That sort of girlfriend. Not me. I’m not your girlfriend.”
“We’ll see.”
Dear. Lord.
She was in trouble here.
“There’s something I need to know.”
“What is it?”
“Is he still out there? Are you in danger? Is there a possibility that he might turn up here?”
Shit. Fuck.
She shook her head. She didn’t want to answer. Because she didn’t want to think about it.
“Hannah, I need to know. If you are in any sort of danger, then I need to make moves to protect you. And Jake needs to know what is going on.”
“I’m not in danger,” she told him.
“Are you sure? You wouldn’t lie to me?”
She might have. But this time she wasn’t. Because he’d been caught. Or at least she thought he had.
“He . . . he’s not going to search me out. He’s not interested in finding me. I was a mark for him. Someone to target, use, then move on.”
“What?” He gave her a confused look.
“He never cared about me. It was all a ruse. A con.”
“To con you out of what?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’m feeling quite tired. Perhaps you should go home. Don’t you have to go to work?”
“Don’t change the subject, darlin’. You should know that I’m keeping a tally of your transgressions, and once Jenna gives the all-clear, it might just be time for a reckoning.”
“A reckoning? What sort of reckoning?”
“Well, it could be doing lines.” He eyed her.
Lines? Really? That was a deterrent?
“Perhaps a spanking.”
A spanking? She’d only ever had spankings for pleasure.
“Or perhaps not. Did he do that?”
“What? No, he didn’t. I’m not scared of being spanked.” And that was the truth. Steven hadn’t ever spanked her.
Not once.
In fact, after she’d moved away to be with him . . . he’d barely slept with her.
Just enough to string her along, she guessed.
“Yeah?” Interest filled Raid’s face.
“But that doesn’t mean you get to spank me,” she said hastily.
“Of course I do. I’m your guardian.”
She gave him an exasperated look. But he reached out and gently cupped the side of her face. “You’re certain you’re safe?”
“He won’t come looking for me. I promise.”
His look was filled with doubt. “Did he hurt you, baby? Hit you?”
She shuddered, and suddenly, she was drawn into a warm chest. She didn’t care that he was sweaty from his run. That he needed a shower.
