“Okay.” I nodded and started to walk off.
He pulled me back. His thumb swiped underneath my eyes and he cradled my cheeks in his palms. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
“Hannah.”
I stared up at him and slowly shook my head. “No, not really. He scared me,” I whispered. “I don’t want him near me again.”
“He won’t be,” Christian promised. “I’ll make sure of that.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Christian
I bent my head and pressed my lips to her forehead. She leaned into me, soaking me in before she slowly pulled away. We got her quietly into the house before I thanked everyone and abruptly ended the party. Everything could be dealt with tomorrow. I wanted to get to her as quickly as possible.
When I slipped upstairs, I heard the shower running in the bathroom. I stripped off and joined her. She quickly took my arms and wrapped them around her as she leaned against me. We didn’t say a word, just took our time as I washed her hair and body.
Why didn’t I realize it before?
I’d been so hell-bent on keeping any sort of emotions out of our fun time that I hadn’t realized just how much I cared for her. Seeing her with Gabriel, knowing that he could have hurt her had sparked something in me. I would do anything for Hannah. She meant the world to me.
I turned the water off and stepped out to grab us towels. I threw one carelessly on around my waist, then I took my time drying her off bit by bit until her skin was rosy.
She glanced up at me as I stood up and brushed my fingers against her cheek.
“Better?” I asked.
Hannah nodded and I saw her real smile peeking through. “Yeah,” she answered. “Much better.”
I kissed her deeply and she gripped my arms tightly. I kissed her until her body relaxed in my arms. When we pulled back from each other, the muscles in her face and shoulder had softened too and I knew that she was finally beginning to shake off the traumatic incident, but it could still take a little while.
“Hannah, I will always protect you. No matter what,” I said quietly.
“I know you will,” she whispered.
My chest swelled with pride. As long as she knew I would take care of her, what more could I ask for? I wrapped the towel around her tightly and lifted her up into my arms. She leaned her head on my chest as I carried her into my bedroom. I didn’t plan on spending a single minute that night doing anything but comforting and pampering her.
“What’s this?” I asked as I pointed to a dark mark on her wrist.
“I think he bruised me,” she muttered.
I was pissed off all over again. “I should have kept hitting the bastard. Maybe it would have knocked some sense into his thick head.”
Hannah shook her head. “No, I don’t think violence is ever the answer. Although, I can’t say I really blame you. I wanted to poke him in the eye.” She reached up and stroked my cheek. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with him all this time. I can’t even imagine the hell that he’s put you through.”
My chest tightened. How could she be concerned about me right now? How could she be sad for me when she was the one who had been hurt? She was the one that had just been through an ordeal, not me. Yet, there she was still worrying about me, still caring about me in a way that no one else had.
Hannah wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before.
She saw so much and said just the right words to make everything okay again. I knew that’s why Annie loved her and I suppose that’s why I did too.
“Stop thinking about me,” I told her. “Think about yourself.”
“I like thinking about you,” she answered. “You need someone to look out for you too. No one does that.”
My chest swelled even more and it took everything not to climb on top of her and kiss her a million times until I could erase what Gabriel did to her. I planted a kiss on her head and smiled at her.
Hannah smiled softly when I did.
Damn, I knew there was definitely something more going on here.
I couldn’t deny it anymore.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hannah
I woke up the next morning in my own bed. Christian had insisted I sleep with him, but I couldn’t do it. Not with Annie prowling the house early in the mornings. As much as I adored him, and no matter how badly I’d wanted to stay wrapped up in his arms all night, I knew what things were between us, and Annie didn’t need to see any part of it. I didn’t want her to get her hopes up, or be upset.
Either way, it could end everything and I didn’t want that.