Josh and Hannah

by Lynda Chance

  “Thirty minutes ago, maybe? We were going to work on the boat at the school but I couldn’t make it. I just figured she’d be with you by now.”

  Josh knew all about their boat project and he hated the time Hannah spent with this kid, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it and he knew his jealousy would only get him into trouble if he didn’t learn to control it. “Was she at the school? In the pool room?”

  “Yeah.”

  “By herself?”

  “I think so.”

  A wave of cold fear slid down Josh’s spine. The sheriff wouldn’t have had time to pick Jesse up yet. Not wanting to take the time to pay for his drink, Josh slammed the Coke into Steven’s chest. “Put this back for me, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Josh got into his truck and slammed the door, only one thing on his mind. And that one thing was the most important thing in his world.

  ****

  Josh plugged his phone into the cigarette lighter and hoped it would have enough juice within five minutes, the time it would take him to drive to the school. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel and almost freaked when he saw a goddamn cow in the middle of the only street that led to the school. Yeah, they lived in a podunk town. He laid on his horn and finally, the cow lumbered off toward the field it had escaped from.

  Josh pulled up to the parking lot and saw Hannah’s car immediately. Fear congealed in his gut when he recognized Jesse’s vehicle not three spaces from hers on the almost-empty parking lot. He took a stabilizing breath and picked up his cell. Ten percent, enough to make a call. He pulled it from the lighter and dialed the sheriff as he slammed out of his vehicle and began sprinting toward the side of the building where the swimming pool was located. “It’s Josh Turner. Hannah’s alone in the swimming pool building at the school and I think Jesse has her cornered there. You better get here quick because I’m going to murder him otherwise.”

  “Slow down, son.”

  Josh opened the door that led to the gymnasium. “Not happening, sir. Get here quick.” He disconnected the call and pocketed the phone as he looked around. He came to a complete stop and tried to slow his raging heartbeat and use his brain for a minute. The last thing he wanted to do was stop, but he had to make the right move or he might put Hannah into more danger than she was already in.

  He pulled his phone out again and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail, and he knew that somehow, she’d been separated from her cell. He pocketed the phone again and walked on silent feet toward the door of the room where the indoor pool was located. He put his ear against it but didn’t hear anything. Edging it open slowly, he almost had a heart attack when he saw her being pushed against the wall by Jesse who was holding a knife in one hand. Jesse was talking to her, but Josh couldn’t hear what he was saying. The lunatic was pointing around with the knife as if he were trying to make a point, and Hannah was nodding her head, and it was obvious to Josh that she was trying to placate him by agreeing with whatever he said.

  But Josh could see the stark fear in her eyes and if it hadn’t been for that knife in Jesse’s hand, Josh would have already charged the other guy by now.

  Hannah glanced away from Jesse for just a moment and her eyes lit on Josh. A flash of relief showed within her gaze and Josh quickly raised his finger to his mouth in an indication that she remain silent. Her eyes silently agreed before glancing back to Jesse.

  Josh began to creep up behind Jesse with every intention of taking him down. He didn’t doubt for even a second that he could take Jesse, with or without the knife. His only fear was that Hannah might get hurt in the process, and he needed to be careful.

  With a silent tread, he closed the space between them and lunged for Jesse from behind, knocking him down and away from Hannah. She pulled back and got out of their way, and they fell to the floor, each trying to take an advantage. Jesse had the knife, and Josh had to be careful of that.

  Josh was just about to pin him underneath him when Jesse raised the knife to strike. It was coming down toward him when a gunshot rang out and Jesse fell back, dropping the knife from his hand.

  Josh looked first at Hannah to see if she was safe, and then at the door where Sheriff Thompson stood, with his gun still in his hand.

  Jesse was moaning on the floor, clutching his bloodied arm and spewing a string of obscenities.

  As the sheriff took a battered Jesse into custody, Josh stood to his feet and took Hannah into his arms. He wrapped his arms completely around her, and cradled her to him. “I love you,” he said, not caring who heard him.

  Her body trembled against his. “I love you, too.”

  The sheriff handcuffed Jesse. “Y’all going to be all right?”

  “Yes, sir,” Josh replied firmly.

  “You, too, Miss? He didn’t hurt you?”

  “I’m f-fine, thanks.”

  The sheriff nodded his head in satisfaction. “You’ll need to come in and make a statement. He’s going away, probably for life.”

  “She’ll be there, no problem.”

  The sheriff gave them a swift nod and dragged Jesse away.

  ****

  That night, after Hannah’s parents had been told what had happened and all the statements had been made, Josh and Hannah sat in the truck in front of Hannah’s house. Josh could see that her parents were still freaked out about what had happened, and he’d told them that they weren’t going anywhere that evening. He’d seen a relieved look on their faces, and now he held her hand with his while she was scrunched up next to him.

  “I can’t imagine how bad it must have been for Katie. I was so scared, Josh. He kept threatening all kinds of things and raving on and on about Rebecca breaking up with him.”

  “I told her not to speak to him again, but I guess she didn’t listen.”

  “I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, I know there will be a trial and everything, but with so many of us standing together and testifying against him, it should be a piece of cake, right?”

  “Yeah, it won’t be a problem. We’ll all get through it.”

  Hannah let out a deep breath and rested her head against his chest. Her fingers made circles over the hand that held hers. “I’m sorry about that stupid kiss. “

  “Nothing like that will ever happen again, right?”

  She released a sigh of agreement. “No, never.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “No. Why would you even ask that? I just felt so sorry for him, and I was so surprised it was even happening, you know?”

  “It wasn’t the same as kissing me?”

  “Oh my God, not even close.”

  “That’s good.”

  “It’s kind of good it happened, you know?”

  “How so?”

  “I don’t know anybody who has ended up with the only person they’ve ever kissed.”

  Josh remembered that was exactly what Ty had said. “So that’s good?”

  “Yeah, I think so. I mean, it will be one thing that you’ll be the only one I’ll ever sleep with, you know?”

  His arm clenched tightly around her. “I know.”

  “So, I’m sorry about the money, too.”

  “It’s not your fault. It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I’m such a douche.”

  “You’re not a douche.”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “You’re my douche,” she said softly.

  “Yeah. And I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” She lifted her head and looked up at him. “So, we’re good?”

  He puffed out a hint of laughter. “Yeah, we’re good.”

  Her sigh sounded like utter satisfaction to him and he couldn’t deny that he loved it.

  ****

  A couple of months slid by and to the relief of everyone, a speedy trial took place. The case against Jesse was cut and dry. He was convicted to life in prison by a jury of his peers and parole was highly doubtful because of the knife he’d pulled on Hannah. It was
a deadly weapon and had upped the counts against him.

  After the trial, Hannah bounced back pretty quickly. Jesse hadn’t had enough time alone with her to cause any permanent damage because Josh had gotten to her so fast. Her parents were justifiably upset and sat beside her through the entire ordeal of the trial. Josh knew that Zachary was in the Middle East doing deals, and he didn’t even know if Hannah’s brother knew what had gone down.

  Josh continued to worry about Katie. His aunt and uncle had been heart-broken when they’d learned of the rape, and that she’d kept it from them. When they put two and two together and figured out why Katie was suddenly staying at home all the time, they tried to get her to agree to go to counseling, but she wouldn’t.

  Other than that, life slowly got back to normal.

  Josh finished his online courses and received his associate’s degree and all he had to do was wait for his twenty-first birthday and he’d officially become part of the law enforcement in Redwood Falls. Hannah was happy and excited for him, and that pleased him.

  Katie was at least settled at UT Arlington and seemed to be doing well. She continued to come home and visit every few weekends. Josh seriously doubted she was dating yet, and he continued to worry that his cousin would never heal completely.

  Ty took off to North Dakota and the oilfields there that had created a recent boomtown. He was sure he could make some big money quickly.

  Ethan and Ava. As Josh thought about Ethan and Ava, he couldn’t help but feel for them. They’d been through so much. They’d endured so much that Josh didn’t know how that relationship survived from one day to the next.

  But he and Hannah were good. Her senior year had started, and Josh knew that she couldn’t wait for it to be over. She seemed to mark the days on the calendar, and he knew that she was just as anxious for their future to begin as he was.

  ****

  Hannah’s eighteenth birthday fell on a Saturday and Josh was so glad it did. With her eighteenth birthday, her parents had lifted her curfew completely, with the stipulation that she continued to be responsible and didn’t take advantage of the fact.

  Josh was through fighting the urge for Hannah. He’d been fighting it for over two years now. But now the waiting was over; he wasn’t going to fight it anymore. He couldn’t. And he knew she wouldn’t want to wait anymore either.

  He pulled his truck in front of her house to pick her up and was about to get out and go get her, but she beat him to it and came outside before he could even get his door open. He sat and waited, studying her as she walked down the path toward him.

  It was utterly amazing what a difference two years could make. She had been so pretty before, like a delicate little fairy angel that he wanted to hold and taste. Now, two years later, she was stunning. She was still tiny, still delicate, but her features had a new dimension that transformed her from pretty to beautiful. The roundness had left her face, her cheekbones had become more defined, and her lips were fuller and beyond tempting.

  He slid from the truck and held his door open for her, and as she stepped up, he put his hand on her butt and lifted her. His fingers sank into her flesh, only momentarily, but it was enough to set him on fire.

  He got in beside her and drove off. When they reached the mailbox about half a mile away, and beyond any eyes that could possibly see them, he braked and turned to her. “Happy birthday.”

  Her eyes flared at what she read in his, and she smiled, almost shyly, the way she used to when they’d first gotten together. An ache formed in the region of his heart.

  “Thanks.”

  He leaned in and stole a quick kiss, and then drove to their place, the washout underneath the wooden bridge. Night had already fallen, but there was a full moon, and the moonlight illuminated the interior of the vehicle enough that they were able to see each other.

  Josh killed the engine and turned to Hannah, and took her in his arms. He kissed her the way he’d been dying to all day long. Her arms went around his neck and she kissed him back, their tongues dueling. He kissed her until he couldn’t stand it anymore, and then tried to put her away from him to take in oxygen. They’d talked about it often enough; they both knew they were going to start making love when she was eighteen. But Josh really didn’t want their first time to be in his beat-up old pick-up truck.

  Of course, he was prepared if anything got out of hand, but that wasn’t anything new. He’d been prepared from the moment they’d first started dating. Hannah’s health, her happiness, her future, weren’t things he was prepared to risk if he found himself in a situation where he lost control.

  So he was always prepared.

  He took a steadying breath. “You think you could get away next weekend?”

  “Away? Away, where? Why?”

  “I don’t know where yet, just somewhere we can have some privacy, and a bed. A hotel or something.”

  Her expression was calm as her fingers went to the top of his short-sleeve button down and began unfastening it, efficiently and quickly. When she got to the bottom, she separated the material and pushed it aside, and sank her hands, palms flat, on his chest. “We have privacy here.”

  “But we need a bed, Hannah.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s your first time, and you deserve it.”

  Her teeth sank over his nipple and as she tugged it between her teeth, his erection thickened and he groaned. Her tongue licked over his nipple, once, and then twice. “That’s sweet, Josh,” she breathed out as her hands went to his jeans and she began tugging on his zipper.

  “Jesus, Hannah. Stop doing that. I won’t be able to find the control to stop.”

  “You always stop.”

  He brushed at her hands but they came right back and pulled his zipper all the way down. “I mean it. Quit it. It’s like… now that you’re eighteen, there’s nothing inside of me that’s making me stop. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop,” he reiterated.

  “You don’t have to stop, I don’t want you to stop.” She pushed at his jeans and he lifted his hips, just enough, and he reached down and helped her drag them down a few inches, until his erection was freed and pulsed between them.

  Her hot little hand wrapped around him and as she caressed him, she put her mouth over his again. They both began panting hotly, and her lips lifted enough to say, “I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to wait for a hotel room. This is our place, and this is the memory that I want to have, forever.”

  Shit.

  Well, that about did it.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and held her face captive in his hands as he studied her. “Are you sure?” he asked in a deep, raspy voice.

  “Yes. I’ve been sure for a long time.” Any hesitation was gone and she answered quickly. “I love you.”

  “God, I love you, too.” His fingers tightened. “So much.” Hannah was a craving that wouldn’t go away, and he knew it wouldn’t go away even after he’d had her. Which he intended on doing, tonight. She had a magnetism that drew him to her. He couldn’t fight against it. She had cast a spell on him over two years before, and he felt the aggression rise in his blood as he realized he was about to satisfy his deepest craving.

  Hannah was feeling somewhat apprehensive, but mainly she was happy and excited. That she was about to dive off a precipice into full adulthood, she didn’t even consider. All she knew was that she craved Josh Turner, and she was going to have him. She had no interest in other guys, and it was time. It was past time. She desperately wanted him take her virginity, and she was only glad that it was about to happen.

  Their hips met and their bodies jarred together from the rough impact. Josh’s dark head lowered to her blonde one, and his arms encircled her. They kissed for several long moments and then he lifted his head.

  “Hannah, we don’t have to do this. It’s enough for me just to get to hold you. Jesus. I want to hold you forever.” He lowered his mouth to hers again and gave her no time for a response.

&n
bsp; In the direct opposite of what he had just offered, he reached down and lifted Hannah’s t-shirt over her head. He pulled his own off and started pushing her down on the bench seat.

  The emotional upheaval that was encompassing Hannah was sending her heartbeat escalating and her nerves soaring. She broke her mouth away and tried to catch her breath. Her slender body was pliant in his arms, and she took several sustaining breaths of oxygen as Josh moved down her body and clamped his mouth to the slight swell of her breast above her bra.

  As he began to suck on the softness above the lace, his hand slid to her other breast and pulled the cup of her bra down. His palm encircled her warm flesh, and his fingers found her pink nipple. A deep vibration came from the back of his throat, and his body clenched as his hands tightened on her and his voice rasped out, “Ah, Jesus Christ, you’re beautiful. You’re always so beautiful.”

  When Josh touched her nipple, Hannah’s heart went haywire and she felt a surge of desire that felt somehow different now because she knew this would end differently. Wonderfully. Her breathing became labored and blended with his deep inhalations as the excitement built between them.

  Josh lifted his head and moved his hand to unsnap the front closure of Hannah’s bra. When her perfect, small round breasts were completely naked, he gritted his teeth and raised his eyes to hers.

  He cleared his throat so he could speak. His words were rough as his nostrils flared. “Just for the record, you want to do this, right?” His body was clenched over hers, tension filling him, while he waited for her answer.

  “Yes.”

  Intense satisfaction filled his features and he held her gaze as he rubbed his thumb over the hard pebble of her pink nipple. The flames licking Hannah’s insides from the touch of his skin on her nipples was about to make her mind explode. She felt an arrow of excitement that connected from her breast to the place between her legs. She moved her body, trying to find some relief. She wrapped her hands around his biceps and answered his question again. “Yes.”

  Josh closed his eyes briefly and then opened them, his intense green gaze on her. His mouth fastened on hers, and Hannah was inundated with feelings that she couldn’t control. All she wanted was him. She had wanted him for so long. So long.