The Deal(75)

But apparently there’s only one person with honorable intentions in this bed tonight.

My pulse speeds up when soft lips latch onto my shoulder.

“Hannah…” I say warily.

There’s a beat of silence. A part of me prays that she’s asleep, but Hannah shoots down that hope by murmuring, “Uh-huh?” Her voice is throaty, and sexy as f*ck.

“What are you doing?” I whisper.

Her lips meander from my shoulder to my neck, and then she sucks on my suddenly feverish flesh, finding a sweet spot that sends a zing of heat straight to my balls. Jesus. My cock might not be working properly right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of feeling arousal. And holy hell, there’s no word to describe how aroused I am as Hannah’s greedy mouth explores my neck like she’s sampling a damn buffet.

I smother a groan, touching her shoulder to still her. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Nuh-uh. You’re wrong. I totally do.”

The groan I’ve been holding rumbles out as she climbs on top of me. Her firm thighs straddle mine. Her hair tickles my collarbone as she leans forward.

My heart takes off in a fast, pounding gallop.

“Stop being difficult,” she tells me.

Then she kisses me.

Oh hell.

I should stop her. I really, really should. But she’s warm and soft and she smells so good I can’t f*cking think straight. Her mouth moves eagerly over mine, and I kiss her back hungrily, wrapping my arms around her and stroking her lower back as our lips mold together. She tastes like pi?a coladas, and she makes the sexiest sounds I’ve ever heard as she takes deep pulls on my tongue like she can’t get enough.

“Hannah,” I mumble against her eager lips. “We can’t.”

She licks my bottom lip, then bites it hard enough to summon a growl from my throat. Fuck. Fuck, f*ck, f*ck. I need to derail this lust train before it hurtles to the point of no return.

“I love your chest,” she breathes, and holy hell, now she’s rubbing her breasts against my pecs and I can feel her nipples poking right through her shirt.

I want to rip that f*cking shirt off. I want to draw those puckered nipples deep into my mouth and suck. But I can’t. I won’t.

“No.” I thrust my hand in her hair and bunch it between my fingers. “We can’t do this. Not tonight.”

“But I want to,” she whispers. “I want you so bad.”

She’s just uttered the words every guy wants to hear—I want you so bad—but damn it, she’s drunk and I can’t let her do this.

Her tongue circles my earlobe and my hips shoot off the bed. Oh Jesus. I want to be inside her.

It takes superhuman strength on my part to push her off my body. She whimpers in protest, but when I gently touch her cheek, the whimper turns into a happy sigh.

“We can’t do this,” I say gruffly. “You trusted me to look out for you, remember? Well, this is me looking out for you.”

I can’t see her expression in the dark, but she sounds surprised as she says, “Oh.” Then she nestles closer and I instantly tense. I’m prepared to lay down the law again, but she simply snuggles against my body and rests her head on my chest. “Okay. Goodnight.”

Okay? Goodnight?

Does she actually think I’ll be able to sleep after what just happened?

But she’s not thinking at all. Nope, she’s out like a light again, and as her steady breathing tickles my nipple, I swallow another groan and close my eyes, doing my best to ignore the hot lust pulsating in my groin.

It’s a long, long time before I fall asleep.





22




Hannah


I wake up in Garrett Graham’s arms for the second time in two weeks. Except this time…I want to be there.

Last night turned out to be a series of eye-opening experiences. I drank in public without having a panic attack. I was forced to accept that the rape screwed me up a lot more than I let myself admit.

And I decided that Garrett is the answer to all my problems.

My seduction attempt might have failed, but it wasn’t because of a lack of desire on Garrett’s part. I know exactly what was going through his mind—Hannah’s drunk and not thinking clearly.

But he’s wrong.

My brain was sharp as a tack last night. I kissed Garrett because I wanted to. I would’ve slept with him because I wanted to.