Her Other Secret

by Dimon, HelenKay

  “What?”

  This conversation made her smile. Cliff not wanting to answer. Hansen being annoyed at having to ask the questions more than once. She stayed in the middle, keeping them from trying to out-grumpy each other. She got a flash of an older Hansen, sitting on his porch, watching every move, and being annoyed twenty-four hours a day. She should have hated it, but no.

  Instead of dwelling on that, she flipped back to questioning mode. “Who was walking across your land? Maybe Ellis and Arianna?”

  Cliff snorted. “I would have heard their voices since they never shut up.”

  She couldn’t argue with that.

  “When?” Hansen asked.

  “A few nights ago. Saw a shadow and heard a crash when they ran into the trash cans.”

  Hansen stood up and went over to look around the side of the house. “The cans by the back door?”

  Cliff’s scowl deepened. “Where else would I keep the cans?”

  Hansen looked ready to snap, so she took over. “I think he was pointing out that the person, whoever it was, got close to your back door.”

  “I’m neighborly.” Cliff muttered something into his mug that she couldn’t hear. “They just needed to ask first.”

  Sure, neighborly. That was the word she’d use to describe Cliff.

  “Did you tell Ben?” Hansen asked.

  “He knows he’s welcome here.”

  Hansen made a strangled noise. “No, I mean—”

  The chuckling cut off the question. Cliff laughed for a good minute before responding this time. “You’re easy to rile. And I know what you meant. No, there was no need for the police. We handle our own.”

  She really needed him to explain that. “Meaning?”

  “If someone around here did some killing, there was a reason.”

  Hansen shook his head. “That’s not—”

  “I understand.” Cliff winked but had to use both eyes to do it. “Whatever you did to the unwanted stranger with the boat is fine with me, just be less sloppy next time.”

  WHEN HANSEN OPENED the front door to his cabin a few hours later, a familiar scent hit Tessa. The mix of shampoo and soap. Clean and inviting, it drew her in. She’d missed it on her one night away in the lodge, though she did have the live version with her.

  After all the chaos of the day, she wanted to fall into bed and sleep for a week. She blamed everyone on Whitaker for that. Talking to Cliff exhausted her. He switched directions every few seconds and delivered half answers. Kerrie, whom Tessa didn’t quite understand, was only a bit better. Then there were Ellis and Arianna, who were mysterious in the most irritating way.

  At least she’d realized one interesting bit of geographical information. Tessa decided to highlight it even though she knew Hansen had picked up on it. “The short distance between Cliff’s house and the Taylors might mean something.”

  She walked the whole way to the kitchen area before she realized she didn’t hear footsteps thumping behind her. When she turned around, she saw Hansen standing by the ladder to the loft, his expression unreadable.

  “Could we, maybe, for the next hour not talk about murder or Judson or try to dissect anything Cliff said?”

  His tone gave him away. Not tired or angry but definitely on edge. All rough and grumbly. Ready for something other than investigating.

  She drank him in, letting her gaze travel over him. Took in those broad shoulders and the formfitting zip-up pullover that hid a flat stomach outlined with the sexiest muscles she’d ever seen. It was like he lifted houses for exercise rather than worked in them.

  Her breathing grew uneven just from watching him. She inhaled, forcing her body to stay calm. Asked a question she hoped she already knew the answer to. “Tell me what you’d rather do.”

  He didn’t even move. His hands stayed balled into fists at his sides. “Get both of us naked and into bed.”

  “That’s a pretty clear response.” She moved out of the kitchen and toward him. “I have one teeny adjustment to your plan.”

  “Whatever it is, the answer is yes.”

  “This wall.” She leaned back against it. Ran her open hand over it in a slow motion that had his gaze snapping from her fingers, then back to her face. “We’ll get to the bed later, but I was thinking we should see how sturdy your wall is first.”

  “Yes.”

  So eager to please. “Try it fast, hot, dirty, and . . .”

  He visibly swallowed. “And?”

  “Now.”

  He slipped his fingers into his back pocket and lifted out a condom. “I’m prepared.”

  She loved that he’d carried it around all day. She was half surprised he wasn’t already wearing it. “That’s why we’re dating.”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “You said the word easier this time.”

  “You should stop talking and get over here.”

  He moved in a blur. One minute he stood by the loft, looking all hot and ready. The next he had his palms slammed against the wall on either side of her head and his body pressing against hers.

  “Take off your shirt.” He stared at her as he delivered the order.

  His voice scraped across her senses. She felt the thin vibration unspool all the way through her. Her need for him spurred her on as she fumbled with the buttons. She looked down, but she could feel the heat of his stare on her hands. With each one she unfastened, his breathing kicked up. His chest moved up and down on rough intakes. She heard the soft gasps as they escaped his throat.

  So very eager. She slowed down, wanting to draw this out. Ratchet up the tension a bit more before diving in.

  He did not let her win this round.

  He wrapped his arm around her waist until she went up on tiptoes, then he pulled her off the ground. She grabbed on to his shoulders for balance, letting her shirt gape open. One lift and her body balanced between the wall and his hips. Her legs curled around him, one near his waist and the other slid down the back of his muscled thigh.

  She’d dreamed about this. Being covered by him. Letting loose and letting go. Seeing the swirl of emotions he kept banked behind that sturdy wall of control.

  Heat pounded between them. She heard a buzzing in her head and chalked it up to need. His lips caressing hers. His tongue tickling the roof of her mouth. A kiss that sent her stomach tumbling.

  She couldn’t move her hands fast enough. She ran her palms over his chest, grabbing handfuls of fabric and tugging until he gave in and helped her pull the top over his head. Next, his jeans. He’d skipped the belt and she almost missed it. Something about yanking it open and hearing the buckle clank as her fingers worked on him turned her on. She settled for the button. Flicked it open and pushed her hand inside. He was already hard and waiting.

  His breath blew across her ear and echoed through her. His lips trailed to her neck while his hand yanked at her pants. He had them open and shoved down before she could catch her breath.

  She gave as much as she received. No way would he be the only one granting pleasure tonight. Her hand slipped up and down his length. His traveled between her thighs. The touching took off in a frenzy of need and motion. Neither of them careful. There was nothing slow and sweet about this. Need burned through them. It wound around them.

  His finger plunged inside her and both of them moaned. She had no idea where he put the condom or how she folded his briefs down. He was in her hand, pulsing and warm. So hard as he bucked his hips against hers.

  “Hansen. Now.” She spit out the words, begging him to go even faster. To get inside her and cool the frenzy he had touched off.

  Her back knocked against the wall and she heard something fall. A crash off to the left that she ignored as he pressed a second finger inside her, readying her. She grew wet and impatient. Snaked her free hand between them to hold his hand tight against her. Pushed him tighter in the space she’d made for him between her legs.

  Mini waves of pleasure crashed through her. A somersaulting in her s
tomach that made her light-headed. She heard crinkling. He shifted his weight, balancing her legs higher on his waist. His hand left her, leaving her achy and wanting more. She groaned to get him to come back. Then she felt his tip. He ran it over her, back and forth, teasing her.

  “Now, Hansen.” She shouted this time. Her mind fuzzy and her control gone.

  He pressed inside her, slow and without stopping. Filled her. Her body betrayed her then, turning itself over to him as her head fell back. It thudded against the wall. With each thrust, she slid against the surface. He set the pace. Her body moved with his. Up and down, riding him and depending on the combination of his weight and the wall to keep her upright.

  She turned boneless as she clenched her tiny muscles against him. The move made him freeze, just for a second.

  “Fuck, yes.” He brushed his mouth over her cheek. “Do it again.”

  When she didn’t move, because she couldn’t, he slipped a hand between them. Touched that spot that made her breath leave her lungs. She came as she whispered his name. The pulses continued as he pumped inside her, not granting her any respite. The tightness inside her let go and the spinning in her head started. She felt relaxed and free. Her body, so sensitive, still jerked at his touch. The way he pumped into her milked the last of her need.

  One of her legs slid down the outside of his. She reached around and grabbed on to his ass. Pushed him tighter against her as his body began to buck. She rode the wave with him. Enjoyed every push and pull as his orgasm hit.

  After a few minutes their bodies stopped moving. The sound of their heavy breathing still floated in the air. She would have slid to the floor, but he held her up, stayed inside her.

  He rested his forehead on her bare shoulder. Kissed the spot where his mouth could reach. It took another few minutes for him to relax against her. The steady crush of his weight anchored her.

  “You get to decide where we do this from now on.”

  “Smart.” She smiled as she kissed the spot above his ear. His damp hair tickled her nose. “It’s about time you ceded control of your body to me.”

  He lifted his head then. “You can have any part of me you want.”

  She searched for amusement in his voice but didn’t hear any. “I like being your girlfriend.”

  “Good.” He managed a half smile but looked exhausted doing it.

  “And now I want to be your girlfriend upstairs.”

  Chapter 21

  The banging on the door started around one in the morning. Hansen turned over in bed, bringing Tessa with him. They’d just fallen asleep after a quick shower. She’d wrung every ounce of energy out of him and all he wanted was quiet and a few hours for his muscles to recharge.

  Thump. Thump.

  “What is that noise?” She shot up and the blanket fell down to her waist, revealing those amazing breasts he’d spent a good half hour worshipping with his tongue earlier. She pushed the hair out of her eyes and flicked on a light.

  “It’s the sound of someone who wants me to punch them.”

  She sat in the middle of the bed, naked with her legs curled under her. “The last time there was knocking, it was at my house and . . .”

  That woke him up. “Get some clothes on.”

  Adrenaline flowed through him as he threw the covers off and bounced out of bed. He jumped up and down on one foot as he struggled to pull on a pair of sweatpants in his exhausted state. Looked around for shoes and socks but gave up, opting for his worn Princeton T-shirt instead.

  When he started down the ladder, she scrambled to the side of the bed closest to him. “Please be careful.”

  He wanted to kiss her again, but they were too far apart. “Find something to wear just in case it’s Ben.”

  “Ben would have called.”

  Hansen ignored that truth as he climbed down. Being as quiet as possible, he walked across the floor. The only light downstairs came from a soft one over the stove and the reflection from the one on the front porch.

  He didn’t have a peephole. The guy who lived here before him believed even less in guests than Hansen did. But he looked out the narrow strip of glass next to the door, not sure what to expect.

  Not her.

  “Kerrie?” He reached for the lock.

  “Are you serious?” Tessa’s voice sounded right behind him.

  He did a quick check. She wore one of his shirts and a pair of boxers. He had no idea where she found them, but he gave her a nod before opening the door.

  Kerrie stood under the light wearing what looked like lounge clothes of some sort. They hung on her and she kept picking at the sleeve where it fell down her shoulder and tugging at the waistband of her pants. The clear dark night enveloped everything around her. “Hi.”

  Not the greeting he expected either. “Are you okay?”

  “I thought you’d be alone.”

  Tessa made a strange noise as she grabbed on to the back of his shirt and leaned over his shoulder. “Why would you think that?”

  Kerrie blinked a few times before focusing on Tessa. “You have a room at the lodge.”

  “So do you.” Not to state the obvious, but Hansen thought it sounded like the right call here. Especially since Tessa wound his shirt tighter in her fists. Seemed like she hated company even more than he did tonight.

  “I just couldn’t . . .” Kerrie rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She carried a small plastic bag with the hospital’s logo printed on it, but hadn’t worn a coat and he could see the goose bumps on her skin.

  He had no idea what was going on. “What?”

  “Be alone.” She glanced behind her before looking at Hansen again. “Until we figure out who hurt Judson, I don’t feel safe.”

  Letting her in struck him as a bad idea. Her being there could lead to trouble or confusion . . . or Tessa strangling him with his own shirt. “Other people live at the lodge.”

  Suddenly the pulling and tugging stopped, and Tessa stepped up beside him. She edged him back and made room for Kerrie. “Come in.”

  “Thanks.” Kerrie walked over to the couch but didn’t sit down. She brushed her fingertips over the top of the cushions and bent down to fluff up a pillow.

  “So that I understand this. You came here thinking Hansen would be alone?”

  Kerrie exhaled as she lifted her head and met Tessa’s gaze. “He’s proven he’s very protective. That means more to me than anything else right now.”

  Hansen stood there, not sure what to say. The right answer was to put her in the car, call Ben, and figure out how to get her protection that was not him. The tension between Tessa and Kerrie didn’t help to resolve the situation. Tessa continued to be friendly and concerned but she studied Kerrie when she wasn’t looking, and Hansen understood. Kerrie had been forced to get the court order by Judson but that didn’t make him any less wary of what being near her could mean for his future.

  After a few seconds Tessa seemed to snap out of it. She pointed toward the kitchen. “Do you want some water?”

  “I could curl up on your couch.” Kerrie wrapped her arms tighter around her middle. “Sleep here, but I don’t want to bother you.”

  Jesus, no. This was his nightmare. Hers, too. He got that, but he’d watched all those months ago as she’d begged the judge to keep him away from her. She’d been through hell, but she’d also helped to unleash a hurricane through the center of his life. Every time compassion and sympathy hit him, a wave of wariness crashed over him right after. He feared getting too close or trusting too much.

  But Tessa nodded. “Take the bed upstairs.”

  He rested a hand against her lower back and leaned in. Didn’t exactly whisper but tried not to be too obvious about the shock running through him. “What are you saying?”

  Tessa touched a hand to his cheek, then dropped it again. “We can sleep down here.”

  “Forget I bothered you.” Kerrie knocked into the table as she rounded the couch in a rush to leave. A table wobbled and the lamp moved bac
k and forth but didn’t fall. “I can head back to the lodge.”

  Tessa glared at him before smiling at Kerrie again. “Absolutely not.”

  Now he felt like shit. “How did you get to my cabin in the first place?”

  Kerrie reached out to steady the lamp. “A man named Paul gave me a ride.”

  “He still drives?” Tessa sounded horrified at the thought. “Isn’t he ninety?”

  “Eighty.” And last Hansen checked, Paul drove a golf cart.

  “Oh, that’s better.” She snorted. “And what is he doing out this late?”

  Kerrie sat on the armrest of the couch. “He was in the dining room at the lodge. Said he couldn’t sleep with all the excitement and Ruthie calling him every few seconds about things the board needed to handle.”

  He thought back to Tessa’s news from the lodge earlier. “Do you know Ruthie?”

  “No.”

  He was about to ask a follow-up when Tessa jumped in to help. “You should change the sheets upstairs and bring some fresh ones down for us.”

  He wasn’t even sure where he kept the sofa bed sheets. “Uh . . .”

  “This is so nice of you.” Kerrie slid from the armrest onto the sofa cushion. “I am sorry about the trouble. Any other time I would be fine, but . . .”

  And he’d lost the argument. He felt it, saw it, and heard it. “I’ll go find those sheets.”

  He glared at Tessa as he started up the ladder. She glared back. All that did was make him move faster. Something about leaving Tessa and Kerrie alone together for too long made anxiety pump through him.

  TESSA WAITED UNTIL Hansen disappeared to turn back to face Kerrie. She was fiddling with the tassel on one of the pillows and tugging at the drawstring holding up her pants. Then there was the lie about Ruthie. Tessa didn’t know what to do with that piece, so she filed it away for later.

  Kerrie looked lost and uncomfortable and Tessa felt a punch of guilt. “Did you really feel unsafe at the lodge?”

  Kerrie’s chest lifted on a deep breath as she looked up. “I didn’t want to be alone.”

  “That makes sense.” Not sure what else to do, Tessa went to the kitchen and got Kerrie that bottle of water. “The bathroom is through there and—”