Fisher blinked. “Do they even make those anymore?”
“I’m resourceful. I’ll find one.”
Fisher came back with some sort of smart-ass response, but Hannah had stopped listening because Sam cupped his hand under her chin and turned her face toward his.
“Wanna come upstairs with me now?” he asked quietly.
Her throat dried up like she’d eaten one of the desiccant bags that came inside the packaging of new electronics. She wasn’t sure she could form words, so all she did was nod her head.
“Good.” His white teeth blazed bright against the darkness of his beard. “Let’s go.”
Life was strange. For months her days had looked the same. A routine of work, hanging out with Cesar, and getting her jollies by reading alien romance series.
Now look at her. In the space of a few hours, she’d been framed for selling secrets to a mysterious group of black hat hackers, arrested by and escaped from the FBI, and now was on her way to pull off some truly heroic shit. But before that, she was going to get naked and sweaty with the one man on the planet she’d never dared to dream she’d ever be able to get naked and sweaty with.
What is it they say? What a difference a day makes?
Unaware of her swirling thoughts, Sam pulled her from her chair. His hand was so warm and wide inside hers. When she remembered exactly what he’d done with those fingers, her knees nearly buckled. But she somehow managed to follow him to the staircase.
Holy cannoli! I’m going upstairs to make love to Sam!
They were halfway up the treads when a thought occurred.Willheconsider it making love? Or will this simply be sex to him?
And hot on the heels of that worry came another.What does he think this is?
She’d assumed when he’d busted down the walls he’d built up against the idea of her having grownall the way upthat their natural affection for one another combined with their newfound physical connection would mean things would inevitably lead to that little town she liked to call Relationshipville. And then maybe, after the appropriate amount of time, they’d try their luck in Marriagetown. Which, of course, would be followed up with them establishing a permanent residence in Happily-Ever-After.
But there’s that old saw about assuming things, she reminded herself.
What if Sam thought they were simply scratching an itch? What if he thought that after they’d saved Texas and cleared her of any association in Red Square’s plot against Dominion they’d go back to the way things were before? What if all he wanted from her was a one-night stand?
Her steps faltered, causing him to turn back to her when they topped the landing. “Hannah?” His expression held concern. “Do you not wanna do this?”
God, he had a wonderful face.
If this was a one-night stand, if he didn’t want anythingbeyondthis one night, she might never be able to see his face again. Because she knew herself. Knew it’d be too hard to be around him and not touch him, notbewith him after she’d known what it was to do both.
Now was her chance to call it off. To stop things before they went too far. To go back to being his friend and his occasional emergency hacker contact.
But if she did that, she’d miss out on the opportunity to know what it was to fully give herself to the man who’d held her heart in his hands since before she’d even grown boobs. She’d give up her chance to know what it was to share her body with the one person on the planet whom she loved more than life.
What had she said to Cesar? It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all?
“Don’t be silly.” She went up on tiptoe, framed his face with her hands, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his warm mouth. “Of course I want to do this. I’ve been fantasizing about doing this since I was old enough to understand whatthisis.”
“Good.” He slid his palms down to her butt, pulling her against him so she could feel his hardness pressing into the curve of her lower belly. “Because I don’t think there’s a shower cold enough to take care of this thing.”
“Well then.” She arched a provocative eyebrow. “How about we see whatIcan do to help?”
20
Sam would’ve preferred to have the entire night to taste and touch and explore Hannah’s body. Learn all the things that made her pant and purr. Catalog all her different flavors and textures. But they only had an hour before they needed to start getting ready to leave for Texas.
Sixty glorious minutes to put out the fire they’d started down in the cold darkness of the Bat Cave.
Or maybe, this is the kind of blaze that never burns out. A chemical flame with an endless supply that just rages and rages.
As soon as the thought ran through his head, he paused because…
