Chapter 13
Rhys
W e sat around talking for another half-hour before they made their excuses to leave.
I knew Hannah was overwhelmed and was glad Devlin, Lucian, and James were leaving.
I wanted to talk to her to see how she was handling all the developments and possibly help her to connect some of the loose memories she was struggling to string together.
“When can I tell Stella and Hailey you’ll be coming to visit?” Lucian asked, and Hannah looked at me.
“Whenever you want to go, you just say the word,” I said as I tugged her closer to me.
“I’ll have to see about getting time off work,” I remarked, and Devlin smiled at her as James spoke.
“I’ve been looking into what you do for your company and I think we may have multiple positions with Callahan Cyber that you’d be perfect for. Better pay, work from home, and great benefits.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she replied, and James stepped closer.
“I never do anything with Callahan that’s not in the best interest of the company in the long run. We only hire the best and the brightest, and I think your talents are being wasted crashing websites for pennies.”
“I’ll . . . I’ll give it some thought.”
“Please do. And remember what we talked about,” James cryptically remarked as he glanced at me and back to Hannah.
She nodded her understanding, and he turned and walked out the front door, leaving us with Hannah’s newfound brothers. Uncertainty floated through the air as we stood silent in front of them.
Hannah, being the amazing person she is, stepped away from me and looked between her brothers as she asked, “Can I give you a hug?”
Devlin opened his arms, and she gave him a quick hug before she turned to Lucian.
He looked unsure as Hannah stepped up, wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him.
She whispered something to him, and he nodded before releasing his hold on her.
I wanted to ask what she said, but it wasn’t my business.
They needed to build trust and bonds that had nothing to do with me, but seeing her kindness show through after all the ugly secrets was a reassuring thing.
I was trying to take her at her word, that what she survived wasn’t the defining moment in her life, but I feared she was just masking her pain.
I’d seen some women who could put their attacks behind them but never really move past them, and I’d seen some who had become shells of their former selves.
Hannah was handling everything better than I could have imagined, but I still worried about her.
“Please think about coming up to visit soon,” Lucian said before he walked out to join James.
Devlin stayed behind, and I could tell he wanted to say something.
I gave him an almost unnoticeable nod, and he looked at Hannah.
“I know you feel like you’re on the outside, but you’re my sister, and I’ll do anything to protect you.
We’re family and we’re all trying to find our way in this world while dealing with the harsh realities of life.
You don’t have to do this alone. You’ve got Rhys, and he’s a good man, but you’ve also got a big family in Tennessee who’re ready to welcome you into the insanity. ”
“Thank you, Devlin. For everything,” Hannah responded, and he smiled at her before walking outside.
We stood in the doorway as she waved to them while they backed out of the driveway and pulled down the road.
Stepping inside, I locked the door and turned to face her.
She looked tired, so I carefully guided her to the couch.
She sat down, and I scooted in next to her before wrapping my arm around her shoulder and tugging her closer to me.
Her head rested on my shoulder, and I heard her sigh.
“What’s going through your mind?” I asked, and she shrugged. I waited for a minute and said, “You can say anything and it won’t change how I feel about you.”
She sat up and looked me directly in the eyes as she asked, “How do you feel about me?”
I wasn’t going to beat around the bush. She’d had a rough couple of days after a rough couple of months, so I wanted to be straight with her. Taking her hands into mine, I kissed the backs and whispered softly to her, hoping not to scare her away. “I love you, Hannah.”
“But you don’t know me. Not really.”
“I know enough to know you’re one of the most resilient people I’ve ever met.
You’re also kind, understanding, smart, beautiful, and one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, you’ll be all mine.
” I paused as her eyes softened before adding, “I don’t expect you to be on the same page as me, but I’ll wait as long as it takes until you’re ready. ”
She went to say something, but I placed my finger over her lips. “If you can’t say it yet, then you don’t need to apologize or try to avoid it. I just wanted you to know.”
She pressed up and brought her soft lips to mine as a response.
It wasn’t the beautiful words I wanted to hear, but the action spoke louder than words.
When she shifted and straddled my lap as she brought her hands up to my shoulders, I willed my cock to stay down.
Her tongue licked the seam of my lips, and I opened my mouth to allow her entry.
The longer the kiss went on, the closer she got to my throbbing cock, and carefully, I held her hips and pushed. She broke the kiss and looked at me with a panged expression as she scooted back to the couch.
“Hannah, baby, I don’t want you to do something that you’ll regret later just because you’re upset or think you need to do this.”
“I was doing it because I wanted to, but I guess you don’t,” she said and stood from the couch.
I understood she was having a bad day and was probably reeling from all the information she’d learned, but I wouldn’t let her even begin to think I didn’t want every part of her.
Grabbing her wrist, I tugged her until she was in front of me before patting my lap.
Carefully, she sat on my thighs, and I gripped her hips and pulled her over my cock.
Stifling a groan, I looked at her and huskily asked, “Does this feel like I don’t want you?
” I lifted my hips and pressed up into her warm center.
“Do you feel how hard I am for you? But I’m using restraint because the first time I’m with you, I don’t want to be an animal.
You deserve romance and tenderness, and right now .
. .” I moved one hand to the back of her neck, and she moaned softly as I brought my lips to her ear.
“Right now, I’d fuck you into the mattress until we both passed out. ”
She pulled back and her icy eyes were almost glowing in the afternoon light as she whispered, “What if that’s what I want?”
I squeezed the back of her neck harder and replied, “Don’t push me, baby. I’m barely hanging on right now.”
She moved her hips, rubbing her crotch up and down my cock, and I slammed my lips against hers as I thrust up to match her movements.
Our tongues battled as she rocked back and forth with increasing speed.
If I could make her come like this, maybe it would be enough for now, but I knew hearing her moans grow in intensity was going to set my inner animal free.
I broke the kiss, and she tilted her head to the side as my tongue roamed down her slender neck. “Mmm,” she moaned, and I felt cum leaking from my cock as her sounds grew louder.
“Are you gonna come, baby?” I asked as I kissed under her ear, and she nodded as her hips moved up and down my denim-covered length.
I could feel her heat through both pair of jeans and could only imagine how perfect her pussy was going to be when I finally sank balls deep into her.
She shifted slightly, and I sat back and watched as her face filled with ecstasy while she came.
Her eyes were closed and her head was back as she buried her nails into my shoulders.
The pain triggered me to come as she continued to rock through the aftershocks.
I didn’t realize I’d closed my eyes at our perfect moment until she leaned over and kissed me softly.
Opening my eyes, I saw a smiling Hannah staring me in the eyes as we both shivered through the last moments of our shared release.
I’d made a mess of myself, but I didn’t care. For her, it was worth it.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I released the back of her neck and brushed a sweaty lock of brown hair from her cheek.
She blushed before answering, “That was really hot.”
I smiled as she chuckled in my lap. I’d been worried how she would react to anything sexual, and I admit I’d spoken with someone I trusted to see how to proceed carefully. What I didn’t expect was her to be the aggressor, or for something so basic that wasn’t sex to be so fucking hot.
She slipped to the side and rested her head on my chest as she said, “I’m not broken by what happened, so please don’t think I need special treatment. That’s what makes me feel broken. And I promise, if I get triggered, I’ll tell you.”
“Or we could have a safe word,” I suggested, and she looked up at me.
“I’m not letting you smack my ass, Rhys. That’s not my thing.”
Leaning over, I pecked her on the lips and began to tickle her, enjoying the joyous laughter as I asked, “What is your thing, huh? Tell me.”
I was half on top of her, tickling her sides, and she was shaking her head, trying to get away, when I heard my phone chime, making a very distinctive sound. I knew what the chime meant, and I needed to take care of it before I missed my window.
Sitting up, I offered her my hands and helped her up. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and read the coded message before closing the encrypted app. She was smiling at me as I turned to face her.
Taking her hands into mine, I explained, “I just got a notification about some business that I need to handle. I don’t want to, but I have to take care of it, and then I’ll be back to take you to dinner. Will you be okay while I’m gone?”