“I don’t like being ordered around,” she informed him firmly. “Ask me, Rick. Speak to me reasonably. Don’t order me.”
He frowned down at her before grimacing in regret, though his gaze never lost that commanding glitter. “You’ll be safer with me, Hannah.” He seemed to grit out the words. “Stay with me.”
The command was softer, but it was still there. She felt a grin tug at her lips as she shook her head at him in a gesture of helpless amusement.
“You’re definitely not used to asking for anything,” she told him, relaxing just enough so that he also relaxed a little.
“It’s not something I do often,” he agreed. “Let’s get you a bag packed. Whoever seems to want to get to you won’t be expecting the security system I have in place. We’ll catch him.”
He was taking over her protection, but she was smart enough to know that someone had to. She sure as hell had no idea what to do at this point.
“Fine,” she breathed out roughly as she turned and stared around her little house. “I’ll stay with you. For a while.”
No commitment yet. She wasn’t going to rush this. She wasn’t going to do anything to make him feel as though she were trying to.
They were lovers, that was enough for now, she told herself.
He followed her upstairs as she packed her bag, then accompanied her to her car.
“I need to stop by the office for a few minutes.” He leaned down to the window as she rolled it down. “Follow me there and you can visit with Mae until I’m done.”
Evidently he had no intention of letting her out of his sight. The thought of that sent a ray of hope winging through her.
She was already falling in love with him. She knew it, felt it inside her. He fascinated her as no man ever had. Pleasured her as she had never known pleasure in her life.
The chance to be with him, to know him, to love him, just for a little while was more than she had hoped for before now.
He kissed her quickly before striding to his truck, giving her another little edge of hope. As she followed him back to the sheriff’s office, she forced herself to pull back, not to make plans for a future that might not be. Enjoy the present, she warned herself. Enjoy what she had now.
It was more than she had expected.
Parking next to his truck at the sheriff’s office, she smiled as she locked her car, feeling him behind her.
His hand rode low on her back as they walked to his office and entered Mae Livingston’s domain.
“Mae, Hannah’s going to visit with you for a bit,” he told the other woman as he headed to his office door.
“I’ll make sure she’s taken care of, Rick.” Mae’s smile was welcoming and warm as Rick kissed Hannah, on the cheek this time, and disappeared into his office.
“My my my.” Mae lifted her brows as Hannah felt a light flush suffuse her face. “Now this is a development.”
“You’re no more surprised than I am,” Hannah told her with a light laugh.
“But happy as hell,” Mae mused, her gray eyes thoughtful as she stared back at Hannah. “And I do believe I saw our sheriff smile. Do you know how long it’s been since he smiled, Hannah?”
She shook her head, her heart racing in her chest at the next small reason to hope.
“I’d guess it’s been way too long.” Mae sighed. “Even years before Sienna’s death. They didn’t get along well at all in the last years before she was kidnapped.”
Hannah lowered her head before glancing at Rick’s office door.
“Yeah, he’d be pissed if he caught me talking about it.” Mae agreed with Hannah’s unspoken thought, her voice sober. “But it’s good to see him smile. And it’s nice to know he’s with you, Hannah. Sienna didn’t do much to make that man happy, no matter how faithful he was to her.” She shook her head sadly. “She was a strange one.”
“The detective on the case believes he’s the reason someone targeted me,” she told the secretary. “Because of Sienna or something she was involved in.”
Mae frowned at that. “There are a lot of rumors going around,” she finally said. “You know how crazy some people can be.”
“Unfortunately, I do,” Hannah admitted.