by Katie Knight
Clearly, she thought that was her cue to proceed because, moments later, she took the cube off his neck and replaced it with her lips. Her warm tongue licked the cool trail of water all the way down to his collarbone. He tensed some more, unsure whether to stop her before she went any farther or to give in and surrender to the moment.
With each second that passed, it was getting harder and harder to resist. Her soft, warm lips coupled with the hard, frigid ice left a tantalizing sensation on his skin, and it rocked him to his very core. Maybe it was her raging pregnancy hormones, or maybe she was just in desperate need of a release after the stress and danger they’d faced, but either way, she seemed determined to have her way with him right then and there. And who was he to deny her that? To deny them both the pleasure they found in exploring the other’s body?
So when she reached down to undo his fly, he grabbed her. With a husky growl, he lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Jake carried Hanna back to their room. She was still holding the bucket, and after he placed her gingerly on the bed, he put the ice on the dresser. Apparently she wasn’t about to let him take control, though, because as soon as he stepped away, she got up and told him to lie down instead.
“You want me to lay down?” Jake asked.
Hanna said nothing. She just nodded, a seductive smile on her lips as she grabbed another piece of ice.
Seeing no reason to object—and every reason to obey—Jake lay down on the bed, and Hanna wasted no time in straddling him.
She ran the ice down his neck and along his collarbone, then used her free hand to tug his shirt up and over his head. When the cold water started dribbling down his pecs, he shuddered. Hanna quickly leaned forward and licked it up with her warm tongue. Then she dragged the cube down his stomach, leaving a trail of cold water along his abs, and stopped when she had reached the waistband of his jeans.
Jake undid his fly and kicked off his pants. His throbbing erection had only grown harder since she’d first placed ice against his neck out in the hallway. He reached down to strip entirely, then paused.
“You know you’re supposed to catch up,” he said, eyeing her up and down.
Hanna laughed and popped what was left of the half-melted cube in her mouth. Then she tugged off her shirt and bra while Jake reached down and undid the fly on her jeans. When she hopped off him to peel off her pants, he kicked off his boxers. This time, when she straddled him, they were both completely naked. He noticed a blue heart-shaped tattoo on her left thigh, but he was too caught up in the moment to ask about it. Since it seemed like such a contrast to her personality, he made a note to ask about it later.
Hanna sucked on the ice for another minute, then started leaving a trail of kisses down his stomach. Now her lips and tongue felt cool against his skin. As she got closer to his cock with every kiss, his longing only grew. He tried to let her be in control, but his will was getting weaker with every second. And his desire to seize what he wanted so badly was only getting stronger.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Jake grabbed her hips as he sat up. Then he rolled them both over so she was lying on her back underneath him. She gazed up at him and bit her lip, as if she had to stop herself from begging. He stared in her eyes, needing to know that she consented, that she chose this. She nodded—and gave him a wink. That was all he needed to see.
He leaned down and kissed her neck while pushing inside her. She moaned as her body accepted his full length, and it drove him wild with an animalistic urge to make her moan again.
And again.
He pulsed inside her, slowly at first, so she could enjoy every inch of him sliding in and out. It wasn’t long before instinct took over, though. Her wetness enveloped him, and soon he was pounding her over and over, each thrust harder than the last. He started panting and she started sweating, but neither was ready to stop anytime soon.
Then Hanna wrapped her legs around his hips, which changed the angle entirely. He was able to push further inside her, and she murmured into his neck with every thrust.
“Oh god, Jake,” she breathed, clutching his back and pulling him even closer—and deeper.
He loved hearing his name on her lips. And he loved knowing he was the one responsible for the ecstasy she was feeling. The thought brought him right to the brink. Hanna let out another moan as he pushed even deeper inside her, and that was enough to push him off the edge entirely.
He pumped inside her as she gripped him tightly with her arms and legs, riding her own climax. When he had finished, they were both sweating.
He looked down at Hanna, his full length still buried inside her, and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks were flushed and her chest was moving rapidly up and down. He loved feeling her breasts against his bare skin and thought he could stay in that position forever.
Jake reveled in the moment for a few more seconds before realizing he was in serious trouble. He’d never felt about anyone the way he felt about Hanna.
And that thought scared him more than any gunmen ever could.
Chapter Thirteen
When Jake woke up the next morning, he glanced over to see Hanna sleeping peacefully next to him. After having sex, they had passed out in bed together. Although he wasn’t complaining—the grungy couch was less than appealing—he was mad at himself for giving in to his desire for her last night. He should have had more willpower and stopped things before they had even started.
It seemed the more time that passed, the more danger they were in, and now was not the time to fall victim to distractions, as enticing as they might be. Jake grabbed his toiletry kit from his go-bag and made his way to the bathroom. As he got ready for the day, he resolved not to let anything else happen between them. He was responsible for keeping both her and the baby safe, and until they were, he had to focus on the mission at hand. That meant figuring out who was after them. More immediately, though, it meant arranging for better accommodations. After he finished in the bathroom and got dressed, he repacked his toiletry bag and grabbed one of the burner phones. Hanna was still sleeping so he stepped outside to call some of his contacts and arrange for a safe house they could move into later that day.
Two phone calls later, he had secured them lodging about two hours north of their current location. He knew the accommodations would be far from luxurious, but the house was supposedly on the edge of a lake. In other words, it was already better than the motel, which was surrounded by a decrepit parking lot. He went back inside the room to wake up Hanna and tell her the plan, but she wasn’t in bed. He heard the sink running in the bathroom so he walked over and knocked on the door.
“Morning,” he said. “How’d you sleep?”
Hanna opened the door, then turned and looked at her profile in the mirror. She was holding up her shirt so she could see her bare belly from all sides. “I slept surprisingly well,” she said, still looking at herself in the mirror. “All things considered. How’d you sleep?”
“Fine.” Jake watched her for a moment. She continued looking at her body from various angles in the mirror. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was, and he had to remind himself yet again that she was off-limits. “What are you doing?” he finally asked.
“I’m looking for signs that there’s a baby in here,” she said, motioning to her belly. It was still fairly flat. She might not have had a six-pack because she loved sweets a little too much and exercise not quite enough, but Jake found her stomach—and the rest of her—utterly irresistible.
When Hanna turned and saw herself from a different angle, she frowned.
“What?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I just wonder if I’m ready to be a mother.”
Jake didn’t know how to reassure her. He wanted to tell her she was going to be an amazing mother—that, he was sure of—but this conversation felt a little too personal. Especially since he had just resolved to keep his distance once and for
all. He couldn’t afford any more distractions from here on out.
“I think you’re going to be a great mom,” he finally said. But he didn’t elaborate, and thankfully, she didn’t ask him to. He was safe, at least for the time being.
“So what’s the plan?” Hanna asked, finally pulling her shirt down and turning to look at him for the first time since she’d opened the door.
“I got us a safe house. It’s about two hours away, and it will be ready this afternoon.” Jake said.
“Did you get it through work?”
“Kind of. We have a network of trustworthy contacts that we can call upon as needed.”
“So when should we leave?”
He looked at his watch. “Soon. I’m gonna go call Tyler. I think he should know what’s going on. Why don’t you get dressed?”
“Are you gonna tell him about the baby?” Suddenly, Hanna looked panicked.
Jake shook his head. “I won’t tell anyone if you’re not ready to share that news,” he said. “But I am gonna tell him about Gordon and everything.”
Hanna breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay,” she said. “Tell him I said hi.”
“I will.”
Jake grabbed the burner phone and sat on the bed to call Tyler. Surprisingly, he picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, man,” Jake said. “You picked up awfully fast for someone who’s downrange.”
“I’ve kept my phone by me since we last talked,” Tyler said. “I wanted to make sure Hanna was okay.”
“She’s here with me, and she’s safe. But there are a few things going on that I think you should know about.”
Jake filled him in on all the Gordon drama. After he finished, there was silence on the other end.
“Wow,” Tyler finally said. “That’s insane. I’m so grateful you’re there. Please keep Hanna safe.” His voice cracked, as if he were about to cry.
“You know I’ll protect her with my life,” Jake said.
“I know, man. Can I talk to her?”
Jake handed the phone to Hanna.
“Hi, Tyler,” she said. Then she grimaced. “You know Jake called me that when I first saw him at the auction.”
Jake laughed. Apparently Tyler still called her “Hanna Banana.” He decided to give them some privacy—or at least some sense of privacy in the cramped motel room—so he got up and went to the bathroom. When he returned a few minutes later, Hanna was saying bye to Tyler.
“He has to go,” she said, holding out the phone. “But he wants to say goodbye.”
Jake took the phone.
“Be safe, bro,” Jake said. “And if you can’t be safe, be deadly.”
Tyler laughed. “Always. I guess I should say the same to you, eh? I know you’ll protect my little sister. You’re a good guy and a better SEAL. And one of the few people I’d trust with her life.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that.” Jake felt guilty that he was keeping the pregnancy a secret from Tyler, but he knew now was not the time to get into it. Not until both she and the baby were safe.
Chapter Fourteen
“So how does this safe house thing work?” Hanna asked after she’d gotten dressed and ready for the day. She sat on the couch across from Jake, who was lying on the bed flicking through the channels. Unsurprisingly, each one just had more static than the last.
He looked at his watch. “A contact is going to be here any minute,” he said. “He’ll give us directions to the house.”
“Is he a SEAL, too?”
“No.” He shook his head, but he didn’t elaborate. Yet another reason why starting a relationship with Hanna would be unfair to her. There were just too many things he couldn’t tell her. It’s not that he didn’t trust her. It was just the nature of his work. Operational security and all.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Jake instinctively reached for his pistol. It was concealed securely on his hip. Then he got up and looked through the peephole.
“Can I help you?” he called through the door.
“I’m here to fix the chrome faucet.”
Since that was the phrase he’d been waiting to hear, he unlocked the chain and deadbolt. After opening the door, he ushered the man inside and locked it quickly behind him.
Considering the situation, there was no need for introductions. Instead, the man merely handed him a pair of keys and a map.
Jake reached into his pocket and grabbed his own keys, handing them over. “Take good care of her,” he said. “She’s been through hell and back.”
“I will. And the flash drive?”
Jake turned to Hanna. “Do you have the drive?”
She had been watching the entire exchange in silence, and clearly it took a moment for her to realize Jake was addressing her. “Oh right,” she finally said, putting the pieces together. “The drive.”
Hanna got up and walked over to the dresser, where her laptop was charging.
“Did all the files copy over successfully?” Jake asked.
Hanna checked the contents of the drive against the new folder on her desktop.
“Looks like it,” she said.
Good. That meant if anything happened to the actual drive, she and Jake had a backup.
After ejecting the drive, she handed it to the man. “Here you go,” she said.
The man slipped the drive into his pocket and nodded at both of them before turning to leave. After he drove away, Jake turned to Hanna.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Great. Then let’s go.”
The new car was a small blue SUV, not unlike the one that had been tailing them.
“Damn,” Jake said after he started the ignition.
“What?” Hanna asked.
“We’re gonna have to stop for gas.”
“Good. That means we can get some snacks.”
Jake laughed. “It also means there will be another opportunity for someone to catch up to us.” Then, not wanting to worry Hanna any more than she already was, he added, “But we’ll be fine. Those guys have no idea where we are or where we’re going. Plus I’m sure there are some disguises in the glove compartment for pit stops.”
“Disguises?”
Jake nodded toward the dashboard in front of Hanna. “Nothing too crazy,” he said. “But there are probably sunglasses and hats in there if we want them.”
Hanna opened the glove box and, sure enough, two baseball caps fell out. There were also two pairs of aviator-style sunglasses tucked in the back. She donned the Raiders hat and handed the 49ers one to Jake.
They stayed on the highway for about thirty miles before pulling off at a nondescript gas station.
“I’m gonna go in and get some candy,” Hanna said as she unbuckled her seat belt. “Do you want anything?”
Jake was wary of letting her go in alone, but he also didn’t want her to think there was a reason to be scared. They were already in a highly stressful situation, and he didn’t want to pile it on. Considering the fact that the little store had massive windows lining the entire wall, he decided it was okay. He could easily see inside and would make sure to keep an eye on her while she shopped.
“Make sure you pay in cash,” he said. “Just in case they’re tracking your accounts.”
“What about your accounts?”
He pulled a prepaid debit card out of his wallet. “One step ahead of you, babe,” he said.
Hanna laughed and shook her head. “You’re crazy. You really are prepared for all scenarios, huh?”
Jake shrugged and then climbed out of the car. “Stay close,” he instructed before she walked away.
He kept an eye on the convenience store as he pumped gas. He watched Hanna grab some more toothpaste in the little toiletry section and then stride over to the freezers. When he realized she was trying to decide between ice cream flavors, he shook his head and laughed. She really did have an insatiable sweet tooth.
When the gas tank was
full, he pulled out the nozzle and screwed the cap back on. His eyes couldn’t have been diverted for more than twenty seconds, but when he looked back through the windows of the convenience store, he could no longer see Hanna anywhere.
He glanced around the SUV. Could she have already left? Was she walking across the parking lot?
But she was nowhere to be found.
“Hanna?” he called, circling the SUV. “Hanna?”
His heart started racing. She had been out of his line of sight for less than half a minute. Was that all it took for someone to kidnap her? Thanks to his line of work, he knew the answer was yes.
With every second that passed, he grew more frantic. Virtually no cars had passed them since they pulled into the gas station, though, so he was almost certain she was still nearby. And he definitely hadn’t seen a vehicle peel out of the parking lot while flooring the gas. If someone had kidnapped Hanna, that’s undoubtedly what they would have done.
Jake continued making wider circles around the SUV, until the back of the convenience store came into view. There, he saw Hanna kneeling beside a flat tire, an elderly couple watching her.
He jogged over, eyeing the couple as he approached.
“Hey,” he said when he reached them. “What are you doing?”
Hanna looked up, clearly oblivious to the fact that she had almost given him a heart attack.
“They got a flat tire,” she said matter-of-factly. “I was just helping them change it.”
Jake kneeled down next to her. “You shouldn’t be doing this kind of stuff with a baby on the way,” he whispered.
Hanna shrugged. “It’s not that physically demanding.”
“Still,” he said. “We don’t know what you can and can’t do yet. You need to go to a doctor first to make sure everything’s okay.”
She sighed and stood, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Jake finished popping the tire off with ease and then went around to the trunk to grab the spare.
The elderly couple just stood there smiling. Once in a while, they would murmur something to each other.
