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“You mind if I watch the game, darlin’?” He switched the channel over.
“Is there always a game on?” she asked curiously.
“Yep.” He grinned and stood. “Beer?”
“I don’t have any beer.”
“Sure you do. It arrived with the sofa.” He moved into her small kitchen and returned with three bags of chips and two beers.
“It’s like magical fairies keep visiting,” she muttered as he put the chips down on the coffee table. He opened one beer and handed it to her.
She took a sip before he sat and opened a packet of chips. She ate a salty chip.
Yum.
They watched the game. Then heated some of the food that Renard had brought over before settling in for a movie.
She didn’t know how it happened. But the power of the sofa was too much for her and she grew sleepy.
Really. It was ridiculous how much she was sleeping. But she guessed her body was playing catch-up.
She blamed her tiredness for the fact that she kept letting Raid do what he liked, including staying here. As soon as she had more energy, she was going to kick him out.
It wasn’t until she felt herself moving in the air that she partially woke up.
“Raid?” she whispered.
“It’s all right, baby. I have you.”
She was placed in the bed and covers pulled over her. Just as she was drifting off again, she felt his lips against her forehead.
“I won’t ever let anyone hurt you again.”
17
“Hannah?”
She gaped at Raid on Monday morning as he walked into the apartment.
“Uh, Hannah?”
She couldn’t stop looking. Holy. Heck.
A grin crossed his face as he moved toward her. Reaching out slowly, he pressed on her chin to close her mouth. “Gonna catch flies with your mouth open like that.”
“Huh?”
“Can you get me a glass of water, darlin’? I need to take off my shoes.”
“Huh?”
His grin widened. “Gotta admit, I like this.”
“Huh?”
With a chuckle, he turned her around and lightly patted her ass to get her moving. “Please get me a glass of water.”
This time, it was said with definite command, and she stumbled her way into the kitchen to get him a glass of water. Then her entire face grew hot.
He’d patted her ass. Without her freaking out! Which, admittedly, she hadn’t been doing much in the last two days.
But this had taken him touching her to a whole other level.
She quickly got him his glass of water and turned.
Keep your gaze down.
Don’t look at his delicious, wide, tattooed, muscular chest.
Don’t look. Don’t look.
If she didn’t look at his bare chest, then she couldn’t act like a crazy person.
Well, hopefully.
Then she banged into something. Water splashed over the sides of the glass onto the floor.
“Oh rats! Sorry!”
“You’re all right, darlin’.” He took the glass from her and gulped the water down.
She couldn’t help but watch. It was like there was a force-field drawing her to him. When he put the glass down, she looked him over.
“I didn’t know cowboys went jogging.” But boy, was it a nice sight. Shorts that ended mid-thigh. The T-shirt that he’d started out wearing was now tucked into the back of those shorts. And the rest of his skin was on display.
Yum.
“Did you just say yum?” His eyes twinkled as he stared down at her.
“Nope.”
“I think you did.”
“And I think you’re delusional. I mean, I already knew you were. You have these delusions of grandeur.”
“Delusions of grandeur? Me? Darlin’, I’m a cowboy. I don’t have any delusions that I’m grand.”
But he was. He was more than grand. He was amazing, wonderful, fantastic.
“And cowboys need to keep up their cardio, too. For work and any extra-special curricular activities.” He winked at her.
Holy heck.
Her body went hot, then cold.
Then she realized how close he was . . . how big he was. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, it wasn’t Raid who was standing there, staring down at her.
It was Steven.
She let out a startled scream and scrambled backward, right onto the counter behind her. She flinched in pain, holding her hands out.
“No, no, no!”
“Hannah! Baby, it’s me. It’s Raid!”
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Raid was crouched over her, staring down at her in shock.
“Hannah? Are you all right?”
She was trembling, her breath coming in sharp pants as she attempted to figure out what the hell happened.
“He was here . . . standing right here. He was here.”
Raid’s face tightened. His anger was clear. But she wasn’t scared because she knew he wasn’t angry at her.
“Flashback. Baby, you need to tell me what that bastard did to you.”
“I can’t . . . not right now.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to throw up, scream, or punch something.
“But you will.”
It wasn’t a question. She was thinking that she would. However, part of her was still worried that Raid would think badly of her.
“It might change how you see me,” she warned, staring at her feet.
