“No, I had no one. Except Evie. I told her a couple of weeks later. And I asked her if her offer was still good.” A teary laugh escapes. “She pulled that envelope right out of her locker, Micah. She had it there waiting for me. She’d even added more to it. We made a plan together. I knew Brent had a double shift coming up. It coincided with one of my volunteer shifts. After he left for work, I packed a backpack and any jewelry I had, which wasn’t much admittedly, and headed to the hospital. Evie was there. She had the money, of course, $650, and she also packed me a bag of food. She drove me to a pawn shop to pawn my jewelry, then she took me to the bus station where I made the first phone call.”
“Say the word, Holly, and I’ll get you in touch with her. Fuck, I’d like to thank her. More than thank her, kiss her feet. She helped save your life, love. It would take Declan minutes to learn everything about her and get you her phone number.”
Her lip trembles. “I thought about calling her so many times over the last two years. And I am worried about her. I knew Brent wouldn’t give up, and with the resources he had access to through the police station, well, I was afraid he’d be able to track me too easily.”
“Call… Declan?”
She considers it, then slowly shakes her head. “Thank you, but maybe soon? I could ask him myself maybe, when I’m ready.”
“Okay,” I say, content to give her a bit of time on this. Now that she’s here with me, she can take all the time she needs. But if I have anything to do with it, Evie’s going to be set for life.
“What happened after you ran?”
“It was a blur honestly, moving from house to house, then motel room to motel room and then finally I got to a shelter. Along the way, I managed to get my new ID. I got to pick my name,” she says with a smile. “I’ve always loved the name Holly. It always seemed happy and reminded me of Christmas. I never want to go back to Hannah. I don’t want to be Hannah anymore.”
I don’t like the way she says her old name. The hint of destain in her voice.“I’m positive Hannah was equally wonderful. You’re you.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Hannah was a doormat. She let people hurt her.”
I narrow my eyes back. “Bullshit.” I say with a growl. “Hannah got away from her shitty parents. Hannah learned sign and made an incredible friendship. Hannah volunteered at the hospital, and Hannah escaped. She’s a fucking badass. No way am I going to let you talk bad about her. You want to stay Holly, that’s fine, but don’t you dare put down Hannah. I think she’s pretty incredible, and I’m a fucking great judge of character.”
Her wide eyes are searching mine for a hint of deception, maybe? She won’t find it. I mean every fucking word. She swallows heavily. “Micah…” Chills run up my back at the grit in her voice. The rasp. I lock on her mouth as she licks her lips. “Micah,” she says again, “what would happen if I…kissed you?”
I freeze, licking my suddenly parched lips. “Anything…you…want.”
Her head tilts adorably as her eyes lose focus. “What if I don’t want you to touch me?”
“Ok,” I squeak, fucking squeak, and shove my arms behind me, locking my hands together. My eagerness makes her giggle adorably. With her still on my lap, our lips are almost lined up. She braces those tiny hands on my shoulders, and I have a moment of epic self doubt. She’s so fucking small, so delicate.
And I’m just…not.
I’m big, I’ve solved most problems in my past with my fists, I’m scarred and damaged. I should let her walk away, find someone who can handle her gently. Because right now, I’m a man on the fucking verge.
“I…” she whispers as she hovers her lips above mine. “I just want to try.”
I nod, but as she comes closer I pull back, suddenly flipping the fuck out. “Kiss…back…scare?”
She bites that lush lower lip again. “Can you…just stay still for now? I…I’ve never kissed anyone but Brent. I just want to…taste you.”
I’m not even a little bit ashamed of the groan that escapes me. I fucking dare you to have a woman as hot as Holly tell you she wants to taste you, and keep your cool. No straight man with a pulse could.
“Ok,” I choke out.
She leans in again, before pulling back. I almost whine. “Can you tell me if I do something wrong?” she asks anxiously.
I scowl and I have to draw my hands forward so we can get this perfectly clear. “I’m going to spell this out, so you don’t have any doubt where I stand. I told you I was yours, and I meant it. Anything you want to do to me is going to feel fucking fantastic. You couldn’t do anything wrong.”
“That’s not true. What if I used my teeth and hurt you or…”
I bark out a laugh. “Baby,I’m about ready to come in my pants just from your hands on my shoulders. I mean it when I say anything you do will feel good to me. If you want to experiment, you tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. I’ll lay down and let you do whatever you want to me. I’ll even have my fucking brothers come and tie me down for you, so you know you’re in total control. Whatever it takes.”
She shifts restlessly, pressing her legs together and I have to slam my eyes shut, trying to pull the threads of my control back together.
They slit open when her delicate fingers trace over my face. I watch her as she explores me, floored by the want on her face. She’s not hiding anything from me. She looks drunk off the simple touches, and I can’t stop myself from imagining what she’ll look like splayed out on my bed, letting me drive her higher and higher.
She slowly brings her lips back to mine, and I hold my breath, not wanting anything to distract from the moment her lips first touch mine.
It’s better than anything I’ve ever felt in my life.
