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Melody huffed out a breath but didn’t deny it.
“And that’s what I want,” Hannah said. “That’s why I love this community. I love how its people take care of each other. But especially how the men watch out for the women and children. I want to feel protected, safe, loved.”
“And you don’t think Raid will ever give you that?” Carlie asked.
“Raid is gorgeous, wild, fun, crazy, kind, and completely out of my league.”
“Do you want a spanking?” Melody asked.
“Uhh . . .” Was she really asking her that? Because she kind of did. Just not from Melody. “No.”
“Then stop saying stupid shit like that,” Melody told her. “You’re fucking unbelievably gorgeous. And smart. And the kindest person I know. Whenever one of us needs something, you’re the first person to offer to help. And I’m so thankful that you’re in my life.”
“Wow. That’s really nice.”
“Any man would be lucky to have you, Hannah,” Josie added.
“Thanks, guys.” She knew they meant every word. But they were also her best friends and kind of biased. “I just . . . I don’t think he’s ‘the one’, you know?”
They all gave her looks filled with scepticism.
“I’ve been thinking that I do need to date, though,” she added quickly, hoping to distract them.
“Yeah?” Melody asked.
“Yeah, I was thinking about joining that BDSM dating website that Josie’s cousin used.”
Josie sat up straighter. “Oh yeah, Abbie met her new boyfriend on there.”
“Online dating for those into BDSM?” Carlie asked, looking worried.
“Yep,” she said cheerfully. “Maybe I’ll load my profile up and find my dream Dom.”
She hoped.
“I don’t know about this,” Melody said.
“Look, I’ve lived here for years. I’ve dated a few men, but nothing has ever worked out. I need to try something new. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life alone. So I think this is worth a try.”
“Just be safe, okay?” Carlie said, looking worried.
“I will. I’ll be fine. Really, what could go wrong?”
Hannah glanced down at her phone, noticing with some trepidation that she had several notifications from the BDSM dating site.
She’d only signed up last night.
Oh God. She really wasn’t sure about this. Maybe she’d made a mistake.
Turning into the next aisle, she came to a sudden stop.
There he was! What was he doing here?
Get out of here, Hannah.
She quickly dove backward, her feet nearly tangling each other up as she moved around the end of the aisle, then stopped to breathe.
Oh God!
Why the hell did she do that? She was an idiot! Instead of running away from him, she should have casually approached him and said hi. Been all cool.
Only problem is you aren’t cool, Hannah. You’re a giant dork.
God, she totally was.
Taking a deep breath, she shook off her nerves and peeked around the corner. He was gone.
Whew.
Dork status check: Yep, still intact.
Hopefully, he’d left the store.
Hannah walked down the cookie aisle, searching for Thin Mints.
Urgh. She stopped and glanced up.
Way up.
She really, really wanted a packet of Thin Mints. But they were right at the top and several inches back.
Shoot. She glanced up and down but didn’t see anyone who could help.
Ahh, well. There was only one thing to do, right?
Grabbing hold of a shelf above her, she put her foot on another shelf and heaved herself up. Then she reached up with her other hand.
Nearly there. Nearly there.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her around the waist and lifted her down.
“Hey! I was close!”
“Close to falling,” a gruff, disapproving voice said as she was placed on the ground.
She closed her eyes. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Why hadn’t she left? Why hadn’t she just walked out? Did she really need Thin Mints that much?
The answer to that was yes. Yes, she did.
He turned her around to face him.
“I wasn’t going to fall. I’ve done that before.” She opened her eyes to glare up at him. Then she remembered something. “Shit! You shouldn’t be lifting anything. You’ve got stitches.”
“My stitches are fine, darlin’. You shouldn’t be climbing shelves that weren’t made for climbing. You could have fallen and cracked your head open.”
Whoa. Okay, he really didn’t look happy right now.
“But I needed some Thin Mints,” she said quietly, pointing up at the aforementioned cookies. As if that would help explain what she’d done.
“And you couldn’t have found someone to ask to help you?” He placed his hands on the shelves on either side of her head.
Holy crap.
He was so close that she could feel the heat of him.
“Um, no. I was in a rush.”
He frowned. “Hannah, you shouldn’t–”
“Hey, Raid. Hi, Hannah.” They both glanced over to see Addy walking toward them.
Addy had moved to Haven recently after her husband died. She was lovely. However, she often had a sad, lonely look in her eyes. She could use someone to make her smile again.
Like Raid.
“Sorry, am I interrupting?” Addy bit her lip and took a step back.
