Intimate Strangers

by Laura Taylor

  "Hannah?"

  She answered his question. "I lost my appetite. I’ve been worried about Mom."

  "I’ve spoken to her doctor. He’s given me a very thorough overview of her medical situation and her long–term prognosis. I’m very glad the surgery was so successful."

  "You’ve spoken to her doctor? How? When?" She pressed her fingertips to her temples. "Why do I suddenly feel as though I’m in another solar system right now?"

  "Please don’t ever change," he said as he chuckled. "May I see your mother for a few minutes?"

  "Of course, but you must be careful with her. I haven’t gone into any real detail about how much Sean’s changed since she last saw him. I didn’t want to risk the truth of his condition quite yet."

  His good humor disappeared. "Do you trust me to do what is best for everyone concerned?"

  "I trust you completely where Sean’s concerned, and I know you’d never hurt my mother."

  He drew her into his arms, enveloping her with his strength. She felt like crystal that could shatter at any moment, not to mention terrified that he might leave as abruptly as he’d arrived.

  Sliding her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his shoulder, she absorbed the tremor that rippled throughout his sturdy body.

  "But you don’t trust me to do what’s best for you?" he finally asked.

  She eased back in his embrace and looked up at him. "I want to."

  "Good girl. Now, will you wait here for me? I don’t need more than a few minutes with your mother."

  "I’ll wait but should you even be here?" she asked, too worried now about his safety to be subtle.

  He sobered. "I’m tired of hiding."

  She looked past him. "And those men? They’re… "

  He shrugged. "Old friends. I’m still cautious, but I’ve given up my paranoia. You’ve been a very good influence on me, Hannah Cassidy."

  She stood in the open doorway as he approached her mother, introduced himself, and then asked if she would listen to a letter written to her by her eldest son. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she heard the almost child–like tone of the letter Sean had written. Having seen her brother’s vulnerability firsthand, she understood what an incredible effort the short missive must have been for him. She also felt certain that Nicholas had helped him to write it.

  "Before I leave you so that you can get your rest, Mrs. Cassidy, I want you to know that Sean has expressed his hope that you’ll visit northern Nevada when your health improves. As I’m sure you can tell by his letter, he’s undergone many changes since you last saw him… changes that must be accommodated for his peace of mind."

  Nicholas leaned forward to listen to a comment from Jessica Cassidy. And although she couldn’t hear her mother’s words, Hannah heard his reply and the reassuring tone of his voice.

  "Sean’s body is healthy, Mrs. Cassidy, but his emotional state is fragile. He’s reluctant to leave his home or to travel long distances, but Hannah’s visit helped him to understand that he needs his family, more now than ever. When you’re ready to make the journey, I’ll send my private jet for you and you’ll be my guest during your stay. Sean and I have a close friend who is a physician, so you’ll have the best possible medical care available to you at all times. Hannah knows how to reach me when you’re ready."

  Nicholas wished Jessica Cassidy a speedy recovery and promised to visit her again. After exiting her cubicle, he silently led Hannah to a vacant hospital room some distance down the long hallway. He shut the door, only to turn toward her and find her backing away from him.

  She felt the risk to her already battered emotions escalate with every second they spent alone. She paused, forced to a stop when she felt the edge of an empty, unmade hospital bed dig into the backs of her thighs.

  Nicholas frowned at her as he loosened the knot of his tie, jerked the length of silk free of his collar, and stuffed it into his pocket. He opened the top two buttons of his shirt. "Talk to me, Hannah. What are you thinking right now?"

  "For God’s sake, who can think?" she demanded. "I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that you’re actually here or that Sean’s agreed to see Mom or that you’ve just talked her into visiting him in Nevada."

  "I’m actually here at Sean’s request and because I want to be here, inviting her to visit Nevada was his suggestion, and your Mom likes to travel. End of story, so the only relevant topic left is us." He shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it onto the bed behind her.

  "Quit undressing."

  "Come here, Hannah."

  She stayed put, her chin coming up as she studied him.

  "You cannot even begin to imagine how hungry I am for you or how much I need to feel you in my arms right now."

  She glared at him. "Nicholas, I’m starting to feel like a yo–yo, and I don’t like the feeling."

  He grinned at her, took a step closer, and jerked her into his arms. He seized her hips, bringing them into intimate contact with his hard loins and muscular thighs. "You feel just right to me."

  Hannah thought of a half dozen questions she wanted answered, but the feel of his powerful body rendered her mute. How, she wondered, could a man look dangerously sexy and jubilant at the same time?

  Nicholas claimed her mouth in a stunning display of carnal male dominance. She surrendered to the taste and heat of him as he ate at her lips and then plunged his tongue into her mouth. His behavior was so primal, she felt desire spill hotly into her bloodstream.

  He brought his hands forward, slid them beneath her sweater, and then filled them with her breasts. She trembled beneath his seductive assault, sighing into his mouth as he plucked her nipples to hard peaks of sensitivity.

  They both abandoned all pretense of restraint. A soul–deep need to touch, to reassure each other that they were really together, and to explore the primitive need exploding between them, sent them reeling into a world of sensation that threatened momentary detonation.

  Nicholas lowered one of his hands, traced a line down her abdomen with his fingertips, and cupped her mound. Hannah moaned as his long, narrow fingers curved possessively over her throbbing sex. She parted her jean covered legs, craving the intimacy of his caress.

  "I want you," she whispered. "I’ve missed you so much."

  He rested his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged as he gentled his stroking fingers. "As much as I want you right now, I can’t take you here."

  "Come home with me."

  He shook his head. "I can’t."

  Hannah stiffened, her heart plummeting. "You’re leaving, aren’t you?"

  "I have to, but only…"

  She pulled free of him, turned away, and covered her face with her hands, trying to reclaim her composure.

  "I have an appointment, but I’ll be back later."

  Hannah lowered her hands to her sides, squared her shoulders, and walked to the door. "I’m not going anywhere."

  He caught her before she could open the door. Forcing her to turn around, Nicholas waited for her to look up at him. "Hannah, I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure, but relax, will you? Everything’s going to be fine, I promise. I’ll be back soon."

  I’ve heard those words before, she realized, not just that determined tone of voice. She glared at him then, her mind darting around like a moth attacking a light fixture on a hot summer night. How dare he look so pleased with himself, especially when she felt nearly disabled at the prospect of his impending departure?

  Nicholas shrugged into his suit jacket. "Walk me to the elevator, why don’t you?"

  She nodded, suddenly furious with his apparent calm, but too distracted by the passage from St. Gregory’s book that started to skip through her mind to put up much of a fight. She heard Nicholas speak each phrase in her head even as he pulled open the hospital room door and they made their way down the long corridor. She kept hearing his voice as he repeated one particular phrase over and over again.

  Hannah stopped dead in her track
s, the puzzle in his mind finally coming together. Nicholas Benteen and Edmond St. Gregory had to be the same man. There was no other rational explanation for the similarities between Nicholas and the hero of the book.

  Nicholas paused in mid–stride and looked at her, concern and confusion in his eyes as she stared up in shock at him. "Hannah?"

  Somehow, she found the courage she needed, the courage to repeat the phrase that echoed repeatedly in her head. "’Tender is the mercy of a lover, for she will liberate my soul and heal my heart.’"

  He paled.

  "Let me be that lover, Nicholas."

  He took her by the shoulders and gently backed her against the nearest wall. Towering over her, he said quietly, "You are, Hannah."

  Tears filled her eyes.

  He smoothed his hands over her shoulders, down her arms, and back up again. His gaze narrowed, and his expression grew more vulnerable than she’d ever seen it during their time together. "You are that lover, Hannah. You’ve already liberated my soul and healed my heart. That’s why I’m here. I thought you realized that."

  She gripped the lapels of his suit jacket. "You’ve been to hell. I refuse to allow you to go back."

  He smiled at her. "I don’t plan to, especially since you’ve taken me to heaven. You’re stuck with me, little girl."

  "You’re Edmond St. Gregory."

  He winced. "Guilty."

  "Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you trust me with the truth?"

  "We were a little busy with other things, but I intended to tell you when the time was right." He glanced at his watch.

  "Where are you going now?"

  "I have an appointment with a realtor."

  "Why are you really here?"

  He looked dumbfounded by her question. "You really have to ask?"

  "Answer me," she whispered.

  "I’m making some major changes in my life. Buying property, that sort of thing. Think about it, Hannah."

  "Why a realtor? You can stay with me whenever you want to visit St. Louis."

  Obviously surprised, he said, "We’ll have different requirements once we’re married. Your condo’s too small. We need more space. We’ll have a security team when we aren’t in Nevada, but they won’t bother us."

  She felt light headed. "Was that a proposal?"

  "I guess it was." He brought his hands up and gently cupped her head. "I love you, Hannah Elaine Cassidy. When a man finds a woman who is capable of accepting him for himself, he’d be a fool to let her get away. When a man discovers a woman who believes in him and who is strong enough to understand and forgive his past, he’s finally able to stop wrestling with his conscience and his self–doubt. He welcomes that woman into his life and his heart, and he thanks God that they found each other in time to make a life together. And when a man loves a woman who’s that unique, he damn well marries her."

  "You make it sound so… simple," she said.

  "I don’t want to live my life without you," he said with heartfelt sincerity before he dropped a hard kiss on her parted lips. "It won’t be simple or easy. Your safety means everything to me, so we’ll need to be careful. I’ll have to travel back and forth between Nevada and St. Louis, since I wouldn’t ask you to give up your teaching or your work as a child advocate. And perhaps someday you’ll decide to work with children in Nevada. I want you to be happy, Hannah, and I want a life with you. We’ll find a way to make it work if you’ll take a chance on us."

  She trembled, too overwhelmed by her love for Nicholas and the emotions going wild inside her to do anything but stare up at him.

  "I hoped you’d approve of the changes I’ve already begun to make. I want to be whole, Hannah, not continue this half–life I’ve been living for so long. But most of all, I want you, and I don’t intend to live in fear of the unknown or allow threats from obscure Third World adversaries from my past to stand in the way of our happiness."

  "You’re making me a little crazy."

  He laughed. "I thought I’d make you into something else."

  "What?"

  All of the humor left his face. "My wife, if you’ll have me, Hannah. You haven’t said you’ll marry me."

  "I’ll have you!" Hannah exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Of course, I’ll marry you. I love you so much."

  He brought her even closer, embracing her with the tenderness and warmth she’d always known were essential parts of his personality. "I adore you, Hannah Cassidy."

  Nicholas kissed her then, a searching, scintillating kiss that drew a whistle from Sarah, applause from the people waiting for the elevator, and broad smiles from his two armed bodyguards.

  –End–