by Amy Gamet
“Are you leaving?” he asked.
“I’m going to sleep with Brady.”
“Stay with me,” he said again.
“No.” Her voice broke and she hated that he could hear it. She pulled on her panties and her pants, scurrying from the room in the darkness.
31
The water receded. It took some time, but Hilton Head Island was slowly getting back to normal. The hospital reopened first, then the businesses and schools. Hannah bought a new car to replace the one she’d lost in the storm and made a new plan for her life.
A plan that didn’t include her son growing up without her.
She gave her notice at work after the initial crisis had passed and began looking for jobs in private practice. They wouldn’t pay as well as her surgical position at the hospital—at least for starters—but being in debt no longer seemed like much of a threat to her well-being.
Eventually Brady stopped asking about Noah and when they would see him again, though he’d given Mr. Bojangles a toy gun so the bear could help keep them safe. And as Hurricane Sylvester crossed the Caribbean and set its sights on the Carolina coast, Hannah was ready to weather the storm. It wasn’t forecasted to be a direct hit, but this time she was prepared for anything.
Or so she thought.
She sent Brady with his grandparents in the RV just to be safe, knowing the boy would have a good time, then stopped by the corner store for bread, milk, and ice cream before heading home alone.
That was the part that surprised her. With the storm coming, her mind was filled with Noah even more than it usually was, and she missed him acutely. Her life had been forever changed when a stranger with a bullet wound made her take him home and stitch him up, and she wanted him back in her life more than she would have thought possible.
The feelings hadn’t gone away as she’d predicted—if anything they’d gotten stronger. She ate her ice cream with the lights off, watching the rain hit the windows, thunder rumbling in the distance.
The last time there’d been a hurricane coming she should have left but had nowhere to go, and this time she could certainly stay but there was only one place in the world she wanted to be. She put down her bowl and grabbed her cell phone. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
Opening her browser, she searched for HERO Force.
A knock on the door made her start. “Coming.” She pulled it open.
Noah stood on the other side.
“I heard you were getting a hurricane,” he said.
She was dumbfounded that he was here, her eyes wide and her stomach suddenly in knots. “It’s going to miss us.”
“I know. I wanted to see you.”
She swallowed against the knot that had suddenly tightened in her throat. “I wanted to see you, too.”
He looked at her hungrily, his hair dripping into his eyes, then peered over her shoulder. “Is Brady here?”
“He’s with my in-laws. I know it’s not going to be that bad, but after the last time, it seemed like the right thing to do.” She stepped back, holding the door open for him to enter, his height and wide shoulders seeming to fill up the room.
He took off his wet jacket. “I didn’t come all this way because of the weather report.”
“You said that already,” she said stupidly, her toes curling into the rug.
“I came to tell you you were wrong.” He walked toward her, his eyes dark and dangerous, making her think of a predatory cat. “It wasn’t an illusion,” he said. “It’s real. As real as anything I’ve ever experienced. I love you, Hannah, and those feelings aren’t going to go away today or tomorrow or anytime soon.”
She smiled. “I know.”
“You do?”
She nodded. “I was just calling HERO Force to see if they’d give me your number.”
“You were?” He grinned wickedly. “Tell me why.”
The words were on the tip of her tongue but still she hesitated. Speaking them was the beginning of something new, but it also meant letting go of a piece of her past. Joe couldn’t be the only man in her heart anymore. “Because I love you, too.”
He reached for her, and she all but climbed him like a tree. Their mouths met in a hungry kiss, her arms wrapping around him, holding him to her.
“I can’t believe you came back here,” she said.
“I can’t believe I waited as long as I did.” He kept kissing her, his mouth barely leaving her lips to speak. “Were you really calling HERO Force just now?”
“Yes.”
He growled. “Take off your clothes.”
She pulled them off as quickly as she could, dropping them to the floor as Noah did the same.
He’d come back to her after all this time without him, and her heart swelled with joy. Life had already given her one man to love, and now it was giving her another. She couldn’t compare Joe to Noah and she knew she didn’t need to. Each love was its own, each man meeting her needs in a completely different way.
She took him into her bed and loved him with her body as she loved him in her heart, bringing him inside of her and showing him that joy. When their bodies were satisfied and tired, she snuggled in the crook of his arm and told him about the changes she was making in her life and the gun-toting stuffed bear. Brady would be so happy to see this man.
Noah rubbed her shoulder. “I was exonerated in Buchanan’s death, Hannah. I’m not going to prison.”
She kissed his chest. “I never believed you would.”
“I want to date you.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
“I live four hours away. Do you think I could stay here sometimes to see you?”
“You can stay here anytime you like.”
“Are you worried about Brady?”
“Only a little. I want to be with you and I don’t expect that to change. It’s not a bad thing for him to see his momma in love.”
“I love him, too, you know.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes, his chest hair tickling her cheek. “I’ll try my best to share him with you.”
Noah kissed her head. “I’ll keep him safe. I promise.”
She smiled against his skin, remembering every time Joe had said those words. “I believe you will.”
32
Dear Santa,
* * *
For Christmas I want a dog. My mom said I can have one and Noah said it’s okay with him. I don’t want anything else because I already got a bulletproof vest for Mr. Bojangles for my birthday so I’m all set. A big dog with spots who likes to play.
* * *
Thank you.
Brady
* * *
P.S.
I want dog treats too. And toys.
For the dog, not me.
* * *
P.S.2.
And a GI Joe for Noah.
Hawk and Olivia are ready to say “I Do.” He just needs to save her life first.
Buy Forever with the SEAL
* * *
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Amy Gamet
Kidnapped by the SEAL: HERO Force book seven