WindSwept Narrows: #8 Hannah Taylor

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  So there she stood.

  In the hallway of an inn in Idaho. Reciting vows with a man she was positive wouldn’t remember what he’d done in the morning. But it would be legal, her mind yelled triumphantly. She’d just get copies and start an attorney on unraveling her grandparents bequeath. Hannah felt her knees shaking, her fingers up in a delicate wave as the others went back to the lounge, promising her copies with her check out in the morning.

  “Oh god…what have I done?” She whispered, closing the door and leaning against it. Hannah shook her head, staring at the man now lying face down on the bed, snoring. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. She knew if she began the bubble of laughter inside her, it would turn to hysteria. So she shifted into practical mode, pulling his shoes and socks free and rolling him to the side so she could free the blankets for him.

  Hannah came out of the bathroom when his feet began kicking inside the blankets. He lay on his side facing her as she slid over the large surface and tried shaking him at first. He was mumbling, his head shaking slightly when his hand left the bed and gripped her wrist.

  “Oww…Noah!” She hissed, leaning down and using her free hand to shove him to his back. “Wake up!”

  He was trapped in the middle of the nightmare when her voice came through the red mist that always surrounded him. He knew what it was. He was smart enough to know the cause, the source. His lashes flew wide at the same time his other hand came up and gripped her waist. Her face came into view in the dim light of the room. Oval and soft with eyes the color of the sea that flowed over a white sandy beach. That’s where he wanted his dream to be. He opened his fingers around her wrist, his thumb massaging softly over her flesh.

  “Hannah…I’m sorry…”

  “It’s a nightmare, Noah…it’s okay…” Hannah realized she was half lying atop him. She felt the warmth of his palm on her waist, his hand moving to her back.

  “I need sleep…I know I need sleep, Hannah…” he carried her palm to his face. “I need you…you make the darkness go away…I feel it…”

  Hannah knew it was a bad idea but her palm moved over the rasping surface of his cheek. Fingers that shook a little touched his mouth before she brought her lips to gently caress his. She tasted orange juice, her tongue out to trace a soft line around his lower lip before she tugged gently with her teeth. Playing, fencing, enticing but most importantly, distracting.

  She wondered if you could become intoxicated from kissing, from the proximity involved with tasting and inhaling. Her tongue stroked his, building a fire like none she’d ever known before. He wanted freed from his nightmares, she wanted the sensations he was bringing to her, the sense of femininity that seemed to be missing lately.

  Noah’s head was spinning even as his body ached for her touch. He lay back on the bed in the semi-darkness, watching as she kissed over his chest, the buttons on his shirt opening, the sides spread wide. He groaned softly, somewhere in the back of his mind a voice told him to be quiet. She stretched out at his side, kisses traded hotly back and forth. He rolled to his side, his palms sliding down her back and pulling her hard against him. Hands that had been on her hips moved beneath her top, sliding it higher until it was out of the way, his mouth dropping hot kisses over her breasts, drawing one nipple into his mouth and teasing it to a taut, demanding little peak.

  Hannah clung to him, her fingers at the back of his head. She vaguely felt his palms pushed her pants down and off, warm, strong hands kneading and massaging everywhere he could reach. Soft curls beneath his palm felt like sweet fire, burning his fingers. He swallowed the soft mews, his body hardening with each erotic sound she made. One finger slid into the hot, moist opening, stroking the dew outward, over the swollen nub pressing against his palm. He knew what he wanted…and some part of him knew what she needed.

  The passion built, sweeping through her like it never had before. Her hips pushed against his palm, pressing that sensitive part into his hand even as he slid two fingers inside her, stroking and arousing until she was barely breathing. Noah put his hands on her waist after shoving his pants down his thighs. He lifted her over him, his fingers toying, stroking and bringing her back to that peak until he felt the ripples begin inside her. He guided his erection to the soft, hot opening, letting her pace them.

  Hannah gasped and sat astride him, her knees holding her up, just high enough to feel the strength in him parting her. He was hot. Hard and teasing. Her head went back, eyes closed as her body exploded with pleasure. She rotated her hips, sinking along him, feeling him stretch her. Her muscles gripped him, pulled him inside and sent a new rush of excitement through her. She tried steadying herself with her palms on his chest and lost to the pulse that began to grow as he moved inside her. She felt his excitement as readily as she did her own, his hands holding tightly to her hips as his body thrust upward.

  Noah stared at the statuesque woman astride him, her head back, breathing soft and his name whispering from her lips seconds before they both collapsed in exhaustion and satisfaction. Steamy silence filled the room. His hands shook slightly when he let them roam over the slender back, fingers stroking gently over her face. He urged her mouth to his. So sweet, he heard in the back of his mind.

  “Noah…” Hannah gave herself over to the pleasure. A place she needed to be, if just for a night.

  “So sweet, Hannah…” he whispered against her mouth, his hands holding to her waist to keep them from shaking when she moved against him. Arousing, taut and magical, he felt his body wake to her renewed demands. She kissed him, stroked him and called his name when her body exploded, pulling him hungrily with her over the chasm.

  Hannah felt every muscle she had relax, her body sliding to the side. She cuddled against him, the feel of his shirt at her side. He held her close, needing her near. His palm stroked gently down her arm, his mouth brushing her forehead. The room around them cooled but there was a heat inside him that was wildly alive. He ignored the spinning in his head and rose enough to pull the blankets over her, her breathing soft against his chest where her head lay.

  He eased from her side an hour later, tossing his shirt on the chair and going into the bathroom. He drained the rest of the vodka he had brought into her room, a silent salute to his friend before dropping the empty bottle quietly into the trash. Noah left his slacks on the chair, his body alive as he moved back to the beautiful woman lying in his bed. He glanced quietly at the small child snuggled into the pillows of the other bed, his fingers up and brushing the bangs from Hannah’s forehead. He leaned on one elbow, watching the slow way her lashes rose.

  Hannah felt him moving beside her and lifted a palm to stroke lightly over his cheek. It took very little urging, the slightest pressure by her fingers and his mouth was on hers, hungry, willing and demanding. Hannah remembered the wild sensations, the coursing electricity and the harsh sound of her name on his lips as they lost themselves in the night.

  It was shortly before dawn that she rose and found her pajamas, moving around the room quietly and standing before the mirror in the bathroom and staring at a woman she didn’t know. She cleaned up quickly and found her clothes, dressing and waiting for signs of stirring from Lili. She lay on the bed with the little girl, dozing in the early hours of light outside in the first week of November. She could hear the steady, strong breathing behind her in the other bed, muscles that hadn’t been used in a very long time protesting when she stretched and fell back to sleep.

  Lili sat up slowly in the middle of the big bed. Little fists rubbed at her eyes, brushing pale red gold curls from her face.

  “Hi.”

  “Good morning, Miss Lili,” Noah sat against the headboard, a very large glass of orange colored liquid in his hand. He drained half and then finished it off, setting the empty glass on the nightstand.

  “Mama is sleeping,” she whispered, crawling carefully to the floor and toddling into the bathroom.

  Noah listened and waited, watching her come back into the room,
pajamas slightly askew. He grinned and crooked a finger at her, lifting her to stand on the bed. She giggled but let him adjust her clothes.

  “Are you having breakfast with us? I want pancakes,” she confided, dropping to sit cross legged and stare at him.

  “I think I’ll have more juice,” he said simply.

  “Mama says juice is good for you. I like apple juice,” Lili told him, carefully lowering her feet to the floor and climbing onto the other bed. “Mama?”

  Hannah felt the two little palms on her face and smiled. “Good morning, missy…”

  “I found the potty…and Noah fixed my pajamas for me,” she said proudly. “Can we have pancakes now?”

  “With strawberries and whipped cream, just like I promised,” Hannah pushed her hands behind her and sat up, mostly to keep from showing how much she was shaking. “Good morning,” she said softly, meeting the intense amber gaze. “How do you feel? I have some…some things that would help. If your stomach or head are bothering you…” She moved off the bed and lifted the capsules she left on the dresser.

  Noah held his palm out to her without speaking, taking the capsules and downing them with a glass of water on the nightstand. He moved quickly, his fingers twining with hers. He carried her palm to his lips, making certain he had her attention.

  “Did I hurt you, Hannah?” He studied her expression, breathing a sigh of relief when her eyes held the answer to his question, her head shaking in denial. “I’d like to ride back with you, if I can, please.”

  “I’ll get Lili dressed and load the car. If…if you don’t want breakfast, you can wait for us there,” Hannah told him. “Is…did you leave anything in your room?”

  “Didn’t travel with anything. Just…” He held his arms out.

  “Alright…” Hannah was used to dressing Lili and had it accomplished quickly. She made a hasty sweep of the room, collecting a doll and small blanket before stuffing things into their large backpack and carrying it to the door. She had both key cards in her hand, watching Noah nervously as he pushed off the bed.

  “I’ll handle the check out,” he told her with a nod. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

  Hannah was going to ask if he was sure, but decided mourning and drinking probably left you with little dignity to begin with.

  Noah did a customary walk through the room, leaning down beside the bed and pulling a piece of pale silver and blue lace from the floor. He stuffed it into his overcoat pocket, polished off the large juice he’d left in the small fridge and went to the elevator.

  Noah didn’t feel the winds blowing the snow around his feet. He wasn’t feeling much of anything, he realized, spotting the redhead standing next to a mid-sized SUV. Sun glinted over the red hair, sparkling around her and Lili who was busy making a stack of small snow balls. He never did get around to asking what she was stock piling them for, but she was intently focused on her job.

  “Desk clerk said to give you these,” he held out a sealed envelope for her, sinking into the passenger seat and closing his eyes. “Enjoy your breakfast. I’ll be here.”

  Hannah didn’t figure there was anything to say to that and carefully closed the door. She slid with Lili through the snow, laughing as they made it to the entrance and went to the restaurant. She’d placed their order and had Lili busy with a new coloring page before she opened the envelope and peeked inside. Her hand shook a little as she stared at the paper declaring her now married to Noah James Madison. She hastily put the envelope into her purse and dragged in a long breath.

  She was still a little awed that she had gone through with it. A midnight wedding to a man she had just met. Lili was looking at the sleeping man sitting next to her mother as she was buckled into the safety seat.

  “Is Noah sick?”

  “Noah is sad, Lili…remember when guppy died?” She saw the little girl nod thoughtfully. “A friend of Noah’s died. And he’s feeling very sad.”

  “He needs some hugs,” Lili diagnosed, reaching into her pack for a book and settling back for the ride. Hannah had her little area in the back set up for their rides with a convenient cup of water, books, a few toys and even her little music player.

  “I think so, too,” Hannah agreed absently, beginning the ride over the mountains to Tacoma.

  It was almost one in the afternoon when she found the address he’d listed on their license.

  “Noah lives on a farm!” Lili whispered excitedly, peering around as they cruised along the driveway.

  Hannah had been staring as she wove along the cobble driveway. Almost in the center of the large slice of the wooded area outside of Gig Harbor, sat a large wooden and stone home. It was connected by a glass and redwood bridge to the double garage and was beautiful.

  She opened the door, aware of the child bouncing around to get free. A few minutes of running would be good for her, she decided and set Lili on the ground, taking the time to drop to her heels and look her in the eye.

  “Slow. This is new and we don’t know it, alright? I have to get Noah into the house,” Hannah accepted the nod and stood up, carefully opening the passenger door and making a face. She reached out slowly and patted his pockets, relief on her face when they jangled immediately. Her slim hand easily went into the pocket and came out with keys, her feet over the dry ground to the double front doors. “Lili…hold this door open for me, please…”

  “There’s chickens,” she exclaimed, running around the side of the house and standing obediently against the large door.

  “Chickens, huh…” Hannah exhaled thickly and turned his knees to the outside of the car, placing his feet on the ground. “I can’t do this alone, Noah…” She jumped when his eyes opened, peering at her with a curious frown. “Come on…up…into the house…” She took both his hands in hers and pulled steadily until he was standing, leaning against the open door.

  “I’m home,” he announced to no one inparticular, gazing through a pair of lenses in need of a serious cleaning.

  “Now to get you inside,” Hannah slid beneath his arm and held his waist tightly, moving them over the flat ground and into the house. Hardwood floors echoed beneath their feet. “Bedroom, Noah…where is the bedroom? Thank god it’s all one level…”

  He began walking toward the right, down the hall beside the kitchen. The master suite was spread out facing the Sound, a view of the mountains and water sparkling off the windows that reached high into the loft ceiling. He plopped down on the edge of the large bed, staring as she pulled his shoes free and reached to take his overcoat off.

  Hannah was about to speak when he simply fell back on the bed, eyes closed and breathing level. She went to the other side and pulled on his arms until she had him more on the bed than off, tossed some blankets over him and went in search of Lili. The little girl was standing next to the fence, staring at the chickens in the enclosed pen.

  “I think they have eggs,” she decided, taking Hannah’s hand and walking to the car. “Can we visit Noah again?”

  “Maybe,” Hannah answered quietly. She wasn’t sure he would even remember them. But Lili would adjust. She drove quietly to the apartment in the dorms on the resort, unloading their things and settling them both into the normal routine that had become their lives.

  Chapter Three

  Noah Madison opened his eyes a long time later. He was grateful the ceiling wasn’t moving. He discovered most of his muscles were still in tact when he pushed his elbows behind him and slowly lifted himself up.

  Again, he considered himself fortunate that all the things in the room stayed in their place. He had a vague memory of what the room at the inn looked like, and this wasn’t it he thought with a frown.

  He lay leaning on his elbows for a few minutes. He was still fully dressed, minus shoes. He was in his own house. He saw his overcoat laying on the chair, the fading light outside and the clock on the nightstand telling him it was shortly after four in the afternoon. He tilted his wrist toward his face.

  On Saturd
ay. So he had another day to recover. Noah figured a few minutes of stability were a good sign and pushed against the bed until he was sitting upright. Granted he was lying sideways on the large bed, but still, at least he was in the bed.

  Noah looked down at himself. Tie, belt…fly was up, another good sign. He slid over the bed and pushed his feet to the floor, standing up and stretching. Considering, he decided he felt pretty damned good. Two hands rubbed over his face with a wince. He’d traveled without luggage, which meant no shaving. He shrugged out of the suit jacket, the papers in the inner pocket catching his attention. He pulled them free and felt the first twinge that something wasn’t quite right.

  He stared at the return boarding pass. It hadn’t been used. He tossed it to the dresser on the way to the bathroom. So how did he get home? He was prepared to believe he wandered to the bed on his own feet from a taxi. But to get all the way home from Idaho? That would take some thought. But not until after a shower, a shave and some serious food.

  ****

  Hannah wasn’t sure how many days she had been holding her breath. It was Wednesday when she decided the alcohol he’d drunk had completely cleared his memory of the weekend. She’d spoken to Kate Fletcher Grant and she was checking into getting her inheritance released to her.

  Noah was visiting the day care later Wednesday afternoon, talking to Eve about one of the children when a tiny redhead walked past him.

  “Hi, Noah,” Liliana said with a jaunty wave of her hand, very similar to that her mother used. She didn’t see Noah freeze and suddenly lose his place in their conversation.

  “Who was that?” He asked with a slight frown, looking from Eve to the little girl now digging through a toy box.