Hannah left the bathroom feeling a bit more relaxed. She’d showered and finally taken that darn plug out. She’d likely get in trouble for removing it, but she seriously doubted that Dex or Slade had intended that she wear it all day.
Besides, she wouldn’t really mind the spanking she would get. In fact, she might actually like it.
Hannah Craig liked spankings. Bye bye, good girl.
But maybe enjoying a good spanking didn’t make her a bad girl. Maybe it just made her honest with herself. She’d spent so much of her life trying to be what everyone around her expected that she’d forgotten to just be her.
As hard as she might try, Hannah couldn’t see anything really wrong with loving three men.
They weren’t hurting anyone. Why did there have to be a boundary on love?
She didn’t bother to close the curtains as she walked into the bedroom suite. Someone had left them wide open, and the big bay windows offered an amazing view of the mountains. Alaska was stunning. It was such a change from the big city and encroaching summer heat of Texas.
Everything seemed lush and vibrant in air so fresh and crisp that it was a joy to breathe.
She felt truly alive for the first time in her life. Being in Alaska helped that feeling, but it was more about her men. Was she really going to let that feeling go because she was mad at Gavin?
Yes, he’d said some ugly things. But the Lord above knew that she’d said some things in the past that she’d regretted. She didn’t think Gavin would hurt her again. And if he did, Dex and Slade would kick him back in line.
The sun streamed through the windows, and Hannah opened the French doors that led to the patio with a smile. She was only dressed in her robe, but there wasn’t anyone around to see her.
It was nice to be alone for a minute. If those boys had their way, it wouldn’t last for long.
She breathed in the slightly chilly air and thought seriously about dropping the robe to feel the breeze on her skin. If she did, the brothers would find her that way, lounging naked on the patio, reveling in her newfound sensuality. Dex would be the first to attack her, and Slade would follow, their hands, lips, and tongues roaming her body feverishly.
She would look up, and Gavin would be watching, waiting to see if she would let him in.
Making love with him would be a nice way to let him know she was willing to talk. Well, maybe not to talk, but she was willing to try. She couldn’t let her fear rule her. If Gavin walked out again, then she would deal with it. That was a risk every woman took.
Her hand grasped the tie of her robe. She was just about to let it drop when she heard a voice.
“Hannah?”
She looked up—and realized that she wasn’t so safe here after all.
Chapter Thirteen
“Scott?” Hannah blinked, unable to believe he’d come here and found his way to the patio beside her bedroom. Why would he do that? He’d been desperately trying to see her the day the James Gang had dragged her off to Alaska. She could only think of one reason he’d come now.
He was her stalker.
Hannah took a step back, panic flooding her system. She was brutally aware that she was alone. The quiet of the afternoon, once so peaceful, now felt ominous. She glanced over her shoulder, past her bedroom, to the empty hallway. Where was Gavin?
“I’m so glad I found you.” Scott sighed. “I feel like I walked miles to get to you. But I couldn’t stop. I had to see you. Hannah, I need to talk to you.” Scott’s face was bunched up, some unnamed emotion animating him. He looked young and slightly vulnerable standing there with the early evening light lighting up his pale hair like a halo. But it was all an illusion.
“If you wanted to talk to me, you should have given me a call.” Of course, it wasn’t as if she and Scott were best friends. A phone call would have been suspicious. If he had, that likely would have tipped her off. Or if she hadn’t grasped his guilt right away, one of her hovering men would have.
She wished those men were here now. Slade and Dex were back in River Run investigating Preston’s suicide. Or had his death been suicide at all? Hannah nibbled nervously on her bottom lip as all kinds of possibilities rolled over her. Had Scott killed Preston? How far was he willing to go to take her?
Would Gavin be able to hear her if she screamed?
“I tried to call. I can’t get cell service.” Scott’s gaze bounced all over, clearly skittish. “I think he’s blocking it. There are several ways to block local signals. He’s way smarter and more devious than I gave him credit for.”
Hannah looked back to the French doors. Could she make it through them and into her bedroom before he caught her?
If she hadn’t been so damn stubborn, she would have been with Gavin, talking through their problems.
“Where’s Mr. Townsend? I tried the front door, but no one answered. I really need to talk to him, or Mr. James. Hannah there’s something you need to know.” Hannah stopped and let his words sink in. “You tried the front door?” Scott nodded. “Yeah. I knocked. I didn’t, like, open it or anything. This is a rich folks’ place.