Jake watched with a smile as she tossed out handful after handful. She reached into the bucket again, but this time her hand caught on the rim, and her handful of feed fell at her feet. The chickens swarmed.
“Ow!” Hannah yelped, hopping from leg to leg in an attempt to avoid them. She was trying desperately to back away but was surrounded. The birds were feverishly pecking at her shoes, fighting for every last bit. At first, she laughed, but Jake could tell the instant the amusement turned to fear.
He rushed in immediately, pushing the birds out of the way with his feet. He grabbed the bucket from Hannah and flung it, then scooped her up in his arms and walked away from the mayhem.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “I don’t know why they seem so desperate. We feed them every day. I promise.”
She tried to laugh it off, but he could tell it had rattled her.
He carried her to the front porch, well away from the chickens, before setting her down.
“You didn’t have to carry me all this way,” she said, turning pink.
“Had to make sure you were safe.” He smiled.
“My hero.” She kissed him on the cheek, and he froze. She pulled back a little, but left her face close to his. So close he could smell her flowery shampoo or hairspray or whatever it was making her hair smell like spring. Before he could decide what to do, she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly.
He put an arm around her waist and brought her close. “Are you sure about this?” he asked gruffly.
“Oh, yes.” She nodded, and he placed his lips on hers again. She stood one stair above him on the front steps, so they were almost eye to eye. Tilting her head to deepen the kiss, she parted her lips, and their tongues met. She tasted like the syrup they had on their pancakes that morning. Sweet and tempting.
His head was at odds with his heart and with another part of him farther south. This was a bad idea. She didn’t know the real him and what she was getting into. She didn’t know that she’d already been in this place and said no. He should tell her. Right now.
Instead, he kissed her until they were both breathless. They stumbled up a few steps, trying not to break the kiss while heading inside. He stopped on the porch and lifted her to the railing, so she was sitting on it. She glanced over her shoulder at the ground below and then at him.
“I won’t let you fall,” he promised. Moving in between her legs, he put his arms around her once more. Her head swayed to the side, and he started a trail of kisses down her throat. With one hand, he unzipped the borrowed jacket she was swimming in. He needed to get to her warmth, and she seemed just as eager for him to touch her. She was wearing a flannel shirt that buttoned up the front. Staring into her eyes, he undid the top button and then the next. He brushed her breast with the back of his hand, just to get a feel for whether she was really okay with this, and in response, she arched into him. He flipped his hand around and filled it with her perfect breast. She took over the unbuttoning of her shirt and unveiled a lacy, black bra with a little jewel thing dangling in the middle between her breasts. He reached around and unhooked it with a flick of his fingers.
“Sorry, my hands are cold,” he said, resting them on her waist, attempting to warm them before he touched her.
“It’s all right. Touch me, please.”
Her nipples were already hard from the cool air reaching them, and when he touched one, she nearly came out of her skin, sighing and leaning into his hand, silently begging for more. He rubbed her nipples until they were as hard as he was. Her hands were inside his jacket and under his shirt, gripping his waist. He went back to kissing her while rubbing the other breast. Finally, he couldn’t resist any longer, and he bent to take one taut bud into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue.
“Hm,” she said, arching her back, gripping his head.
He was letting this go too far. If he didn’t stop now, he’d have her naked and under him within the minute. And then all bets were off.
“Hannah.” He put his hands back on her waist and kissed her again. “We’ve got to stop now, or I won’t be able to.” He knew it was wrong to go as far as he had, but he’d hoped just making out couldn’t hurt. She might be pissed later, but it wasn’t like he was taking her to bed.
“Take me to bed, Jake,” she murmured.
Oh, shit.He pulled away so he could look at her. “Hannah, I would love to. Really, you have no idea how much I want to, but I don’t feel right about it now. We need to wait until you get your memories back before you make that kind of decision.”
He pulled her bra back down to cover her breasts and closed her shirt, buttoning just the button near her heart. She groaned in protest. His dick was not the least bit happy with him either, straining against his jeans, dying to be set free.
Color rose to her cheeks, and she turned away, unwilling to meet his gaze. “That’s fine. I’m sorry I pushed you into this.” She waved a hand between the two of them and jumped off the railing, attempting to flee. The hurt on her face said she thought he was rejecting her.
He reached for her hand and turned her around, taking the fingers of her casted hand in his. “It’s not that I don’t want this. I want you, Hannah. Don’t doubt that.” He put her hand on his rock-hard erection to prove it, and she smiled despite herself. He grabbed her hips to hold her in place. “You are a gorgeous, smart, amazing woman. Believe me, I’m just as anxious for you to get your memory back as you are. Mainly so you can decide whether you really do want to sleep with me. But until then, we should wait. I want you fully informed before getting on board this train.”
“You’re probably right.” She still wouldn’t look at him. “Thanks for saving me from the chickens,” she said before retreating into the house.
He cursed silently to himself. Damn, he’d gotten himself into a mess. Now what?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Hannah was a little standoffish at his perceived rejection. He tried to distract her by suggesting she get out her cell phone so they could see if there was any useful information on it. After she replied to a few texts from friends and classmates checking on her, they meticulously sifted through it, looking for any evidence of why someone would want to kill her. And for the whereabouts of her down payment money. They were unsuccessful at both endeavors, and after a frustrating hour, she retreated to her room to call her friend Holly, probably to grill her about life before the accident.
If she’d told Holly about Jake and why she didn’t want to date him, it was possible his jig might be up. Just as well, he was beginning to feel more like not telling her was outright lying rather than just withholding information. He heard her say goodbye as she was coming out of her room. Either Holly didn’t say anything or Hannah kept it to herself because she didn’t bring it up when she gave him the recap of what she’d discovered.
