“Noah.” Hannah put a hand to his arm.
He jerked his gaze back to her eyes. “I needed to see you.”
Her shoulders sagged as if they had borne a weight for too long. “I am glad. Though, I wasn’t expecting a visit so late. During the day was not sufficient?”
He shook his head. “No. I needed to talk to you about something that I don’t want an audience for.”
“Oh.” She hooked an arm behind her, bringing all of her hair over her shoulder.
Noah cleared his throat. “I also wasn’t sure if your mother would allow me to see you.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “That is a legitimate concern. She may not have.”
“And I cannot blame her for that.”
Hannah huffed a soft laugh, giving him a weak smile. “So why are you here, Noah.”
He swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts. “I needed to talk to my friend.”
Hannah dipped her head as she quickly blinked, pulling her lower lip in. She nodded. “You know that you will always be my friend, Noah. I am happy to listen.”
Even after all they had been through—his rejection of her, their fight, Noah’s foolish yearning for a woman who never even loved him.
“How can you say that, Hannah? After all that I’ve put you through?”
Dewy eyes came back to his. “You did not ask for your heart to be broken, nor did you ask for me to come into your life. But, regardless of anything that has happened, I know deep within me that we were meant to meet. You helped me see my worth. And I hope I’ve been able to help you see yours as well.” She took a slow breath. “Perhaps it was only for a season, but I would never wish it away.”
Eyes trailing over her face and hair, a strong need to hold her came over him. He looked down at the ground, unsure if he could bear looking into her eyes in case she gave him an undesirable answer. “I have to ask.” He chewed his lip. “Has Swinton proposed?”
She hesitated, and even in that brief moment of unsurety, his torment was severe.
“No.”
He jerked his head up. “No?” Hope bounded within him. A hope he hadn’t even allowed to find a voice in his mind. “Has he hinted at his intentions?”
When Hannah paused to swallow, he filled in the blanks for himself. Noah took a step forward, his throat tightening with emotion. “Say no.”
“What?” Her brow furrowed.
Noah took her hand, both of their fingers trembling. “Say no, Hannah.” He pulled her hand up until the back of it rested against his cheek. Turning his head, he pressed his lips against her skin, then held her soft fingers in his grasp. “If he asks to marry you, I beg of you to say no.”
“I don’t think you have the right—”
Noah used his free hand to reach up and gently toy with the ends of her hair. “I know I don’t.”
“Then why do you ask?” Her voice wavered.
Noah pulled nearer, his eyes raking across her face. “Because I do not want anyone else touching you as I am now.” He pushed his hand farther into her red locks, and her head tilted toward the touch as her eyes fluttered closed. “I want no one whispering into your ear,” he said, letting his breath caress her face. He pulled his hand from her hair and placed it against her cheek. A truth settled in his bones, so obvious, yet long hidden within his grief. His eyes fixed on her mouth and his thumb rebelled, tracing the supple skin on her lip. “Unless that person is me.”
Hannah opened her eyes as she lifted her head, and Noah slid his hand to the back of her neck.
He dipped his mouth down, and chills ran along his spine as he heard her soft inhale as their lips met. Everything within him seemed to fall into place. As if something had been wrong for weeks, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger upon it. Now Noah’s heart sang out the rightness of this moment while Hannah’s warm lips returned his kiss.
He moved his hands from her face, wrapping them about her waist until they clasped behind her back, his mouth pressing more firmly against hers. How had he not been kissing her like this all along? It was as if he was breathing for the first time in weeks. His mind practically burst as Hannah’s hands slid up his chest, her lips skimming over his, caressing and tasting.
Noah pulled back for air, his eyes fluttering shut as he pressed his brow to hers and placed a quick kiss to her lips. He ran his nose along her cheek as she held him close, gently stroking Hannah’s hair, kissing her brow, her cheek and the corner of her mouth. A tear slipped from Hannah’s eye and he reached up, swiping it away with a single brush of his thumb.
“Hannah?” He bent down until he could see directly into her eyes. “Are you all right?”
