His full lips had been set in a grim line until they formed around his endearment for her. They’d curved slightly upward and her index finger itched to trace the soft pillows, to recommit the texture to memory so she could properly paint their perfection again. After all their time apart, she’d been afraid she’d almost lost the visual, but here he was, right in front of her again.
Hawk kicked the body to the side before towering over her again, giving her the distinct feeling he was shielding her from the rest of the fucked-up world. He ran his long, deft fingers over her body, searching for trauma.
You won’t find it there, she thought as she resisted the urge to massage the sudden ache in her chest.
His touch was foreign and familiar at the same time, and a shiver of pleasure rocked through her body despite her confusion. His thick, dark brows bunched in concern.
“Hannah, you’re shaking. Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?” His voice had gentled and caressed over her like a balm.
She wanted to answer him, but she couldn’t get her mind past one singular, prevailing thought.
“Y-you’re… alive?”
He stilled at her question and his eyes locked on hers. Emotions she felt intimately herself swirled in his gaze as he swallowed.
“Yeah, dove. I’m alive.”
Tears stung her eyes as she opened her mouth, only to close it again, still at a loss for what to say. Everything that had just happened couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, but looking into his gaze felt like forever.
It always had.
Just as she was trying to gather her wits about her again, yet another person barreled through her door. Her heart nearly clawed its way out of her chest as a tall, blond, straight-out-of-Iceland-looking Viking of a man barged in with his gun pointed.
“Mierd—”
“It’s okay, Han. You’re safe. Draco’s with me,” Hawk reassured her and looked at the man whose sunburned face looked undeniably pissed off.
“Gunshots weren’t the signal I had in mind, Hawk,” the guy—Draco—muttered under his breath as he examined the scene with fierce, Atlantic Ocean–blue eyes. “People were scared shitless when they realized it wasn’t music. The neighborhood’s been cleared, but that means the police won’t be far behind.”
“Copy that. Check the body for any identifying information. I’ll get her out of here.”
“You… I was told you were dead,” she insisted, waving her hands around. The words grated against her throat as she forced them out.
Hawk quickly disarmed her, removing the gun from her hand, making her realize she’d been pointing it around without regard.
“I’m not, Hannah. I swear I’m alive and real, and I swear we need to get the hell out of here before the cops show.” He stuffed her gun in the back of his waistband and tilted his head at the dead assassin.
“Who was this guy?” Hawk asked as Draco bent to pat the body down.
“I… I don’t know.” She shook her head and pointed at Hawk. “How are you here? And who are you?” she asked, shifting her accusing finger at Draco, who didn’t even bother to look at her as he kept going about his task. She glared at Hawk as her mind tried to connect the insane puzzle pieces she’d collected from the past ten minutes. “Are you guys withhim?”
“Withhim?” Hawk’s head jolted back as his thumb jerked toward the body on the ground. “You mean the guy I just helped you defend yourself from? The guy I shot?”
“No! I mean… yes. Wait.” She massaged her temple. A raging migraine was already pulsing under her fingers. “I have to go.Youhave to go.”
“What? Go where? We need to get you out of here—”
A whoop in the other room made all of them pause.
“Shit,” Hannah muttered.
Hawk stepped in front of her, his back to her chest as he crowded her into the corner of the cabinetry.
“Stay behind me,” he growled just as she heard the door of the second bedroom open down the hall.
“No, youhaveto leave. Now,” Hannah hissed as she extricated herself from behind Hawk. She rounded the counter to preemptively block the entrance to the kitchenette and yelled toward the bedroom. “Stay in your room!”
Her gaze darted around the kitchenette and behind the counter, making sure Draco and the body in the kitchen couldn’t be seen from the hallway. Hawk was suddenly inches away from her again, his gun still out.
