Chapter Fifteen
Hannah
Leading Jeremy by the hand, I hang my keys on the hook by the door and guide him towards the kitchen. In the kitchen, I push him onto a stool by the island bench and begin searching the cupboards for the first aid kit.
“Hannah, this is unnecessary,” he says, repeating himself for what feels like the thousandth time. Neither of us knew what to say during the Uber ride home, so we didn’t speak much. I spent most of the car ride trying to calm down.
I dump the first aid kit unceremoniously beside him on the bench. My shock has clearly faded, leaving me angry about the entire situation. Jeremy decides against continuing the argument and swallows his words.
“Did you get hurt anywhere else?” I ask. “Apart from your lip and ribs?”
“I, uhh…don’t think anywhere else is bleeding. The cement only grazed my ribs, so it’s really just my lip.”
I distance myself from him and start digging around in the freezer for a bag of peas or some frozen vegetable to use as an ice pack. I spot the bag of mixed vegetables and quickly grab it, taking it back to the bench.
My voice is hoarse as I say, “You shouldn’t have fought him.”
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “I didn’t mean to frighten or upset you.”
“It was a mistake to hint that we were together; it just made him even more irate,” I say. I start looking for gauze and antiseptic liquid in the first aid kit.
“I’m sorry if I made the situation worse between you two.” His words surprise me so much that I drop the antiseptic bottle, but Jeremy catches it effortlessly and puts it down gently on the bench.
“That doesn’t bother me,” I say, reaching for the bottle and uncapping it, the intense scent of alcohol hitting me. “I have zero interest in Clae’s opinion of me. My decision to never get back together with him is final, and tonight only makes me hate him more.”
After a moment of silence, Jeremy says, “But you do care.” The words are so faint that I almost miss them. He winces as I dab antiseptic on his cut lip, avoiding eye contact.
I could have been more gentle in my application. “Sorry, I should’ve mentioned that this might sting,” I say, proceeding to carefully clean the dried blood. “What do you mean when you say that I do care?”
He holds my free hand, urging me to listen as he says, “You don’t care what Clae or others think, but you care about your own opinion of yourself.”
I choose to say nothing and continue dabbing at his lip, mulling over his words. The blood has mostly disappeared, allowing me to see the cut clearly. It doesn’t seem as bad as I initially thought. I clean up the rest of the blood on his chin and throat, then place the bag of frozen vegetables gently on his lip to reduce swelling.
Jeremy pulls my hand with the frozen vegetables away so that he can speak. “I’m sorry for scaring you tonight,” he repeats quietly. “I’m sorry you’ve never had a guy acknowledge your worth. But mostly, I’m sorry that you’ve been made to feel worthless and undeserving of love and respect.” Shaking his head, he adds, “Hannah, you deserve far better than that.”
As I try to swallow, my hand reaches for the frozen vegetables once more, but he seizes it, holding on and compelling me to meet his gaze. As he pulls me toward him, I’m sure he can hear my heart thudding in my chest.
While trying to fix a stray lock of hair behind my ear, his hand remains on my cheek, his touch radiating warmth. His throat bobs as he swallows and draws me closer to him, his lips grazing the corner of my lips, as if allowing me the chance to pull away if I don’t want this.
But I do want this.
I knew I wanted him from the first time he defended me against a stranger, outside a bar, all those months ago.
His kiss is slow and hesitant, as if waiting for me to pull away. Instantly, my mouth opens for him, inviting him in, and our kiss transforms from cautious to ravenous.
He lifts me onto his lap, hands on my waist without breaking our kiss, and my arms encircle his neck as my fingers tangle in his curls, causing me to drop the bag of frozen vegetables. His hands glide up my waist and hips, leaving scorching marks in their path.
I start grabbing his shirt, desperate to experience every bit of him. He aids me in removing it, discarding it on the floor as I gaze at his well-defined chest.
With hesitation, he timidly reaches for the hem of my dress and whispers, “Just say the word, and I’ll stop.”
“Don’t stop,” I say softly, leaning down to kiss him again while his fingertips glide along my dress, lifting it off.
“Do you want this?” he softly whispers against my lips, then kisses the hollow of my neck and trails kisses along my chest.
“I don’t want this to stop,” I moan, pleading with Jeremy to keep going. I wish this moment would never end.
He continues to kiss me and effortlessly lifts me up, carrying me towards my bedroom with my legs wrapped tightly around his waist.