Boomer's Fall Read online

  In those ten minutes Raya had drifted off to sleep cradled against his large frame. She stood there frozen and watched as he pushed a curl away from her eye and tenderly kissed her forehead. Then he positioned himself on his knees next to her and gently lifted her from the floor and laid her on her bed.

  In a very smooth and skilled move he pulled her blankets down underneath her body and then back up to cover her. When he sat on the bed next to her and caressed her pale, freckled cheek with the back of his fingers Hannah lost her battle. The ache between her legs returned ten-fold.

  “I hope you don’t mind me tucking her in.”

  Hannah jolted. Had he known she was there the whole time? She cleared her throat and tried to speak as normally as possible. “No not at all.”

  When he stood and turned toward her she took a step back. The look of desire in his eyes turned the last bit of solid matter inside of her to Jell-O. It only took him three steps and he was there in front of her. The warmth emanating from his body enveloped her, dragged her closer to him. She couldn’t stop herself as her legs moved forward.

  There they stood, a mere inch separating their bodies, their gazes locked. Her hands jerked wanting to reach up and pull his face to hers. She fought the need, forcing them down to her side. God, if he didn’t stop looking at her like he wanted to eat her alive she’d lose her precious control and drag him to the floor.

  “I need my bandages changed.”

  His deep, thick, husky, sexy-as-hell voice slid over her like honey. All thoughts of telling him the truth evaporated like water vapor in dry, thirsty air. She was lost and at this moment wasn’t sure she wanted to find her way back.

  “Okay.” She could barely hear her own voice due to the blood coursing through her veins. “How did you know I was standing here?” Why she asked that was beyond her, it just came out before she could think.

  “I told you I was well trained.” The corner of his mouth lifted just a touch.

  “Yeah you did.” What would his lips taste like? Would he kiss her soft and gently or would he crush her lips with heat and force?

  He looked away from her abruptly and walked away. Hannah shivered from the loss of his body heat. His fast departure not only chilled her body but chilled her heart as well and left her confused.

  “What the hell?” she whispered. He couldn’t look at her like she was food to a starving man and then just walk away without an explanation. Her temper got the best of her and demanded she tell him so.

  Once again she stiffened her body, cocked her chin in the air and stormed into the living room. She was about to open her mouth and bite off a nasty comment when she saw his delicious, bare, muscle-bound chest. Her heart shuddered in her chest and her lungs seized. She bit down on her lip, closed her eyes and forced herself to walk toward him.

  She noticed he was doing his best to avoid looking at her. Instead of making an uncomfortable situation worse she said nothing and began pulling his bandage away from his flesh. Every time she touched him his skin tensed and then quivered.

  “Am I hurting you?” she asked softly.

  “No.”

  His answer was short and terse leaving her even more confused. Once the bandage was off, she left the room and returned with antiseptic, clean bandages and tape. Keeping it all business she cleaned him up and gave his wound a good once-over.

  “It looks really good, Ben. There’s hardly any redness to it at all. Does it hurt as badly as it did earlier?”

  “It’s tender but no it doesn’t hurt nearly as much.”

  “That’s good. I’ve never seen anyone heal as fast you.”

  “I have,” he muttered. Sam’s guide must have been helping him out.

  When he didn’t elaborate she decided not to ask. As before, every time she touched his skin it quivered. Not sure he was being truthful with her about the amount of pain she quickly bandaged him back up.

  “There, I think that should do it,” she said running her hand across the edges of the tape and across his naked skin.

  She jumped when he reached down, wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her against him. That look was back in his eyes only fringed with a fire burning so hot she could feel its heat boring right to her core.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hannah’s gaze darted around his face. His nostrils were flaring from his heavy breathing. His cheeks held a pink hue and his jaw clenched so hard she could see the muscle flexing.

  He was thinking, she could tell by the way his brow furrowed and his eyes crinkled at the edges. For the life of her she couldn’t form a coherent sentence. She simply stood there with her mouth agape.

  “Every time you touch me it gets harder and harder not to touch you back,” he growled.

  Hannah could feel the rumblings of his voice vibrate through her body. He might as well have been touching her the way electricity was firing throughout her system. She wanted to tell him it was okay, she wanted him to touch her but her brain and lips weren’t connecting.

  It didn’t matter. As the thought finished whisking through her brain he leaned forward and crushed his lips against hers. Fire sparked to life inside her and began raging out of control. Her momentary shock soon faded and she leaned into him pressing her lips against his and her hand against his chest.

  His force softened to a gentleness she’d never experienced before. His tongue parted her lips and slipped inside, caressing hers. The ache she felt earlier erupted into a pool of liquid between her legs. He released her wrist and cupped her face, rubbing the pad of his thumb across her cheek. She moaned into his kiss when his free hand slipped under her sweater and brushed her flaming skin around her waist.

  The world was melting away around them and she didn’t care. All she wanted was him and the wonderful feelings he was giving her. Her mind exploded when he pulled away from her mouth and trailed his tongue and lips down her neck. At the same time he cupped her breast and caressed her nipple into an aching peak.

  “Ben,” she whimpered.

  “Tell me to stop,” he breathed against her neck. “You have to tell me to stop or I won’t be able to.”

  She couldn’t think while he was devouring her flesh but oh God, she could feel and she loved what she was feeling. He was giving her an out, the question was did she want it. He nipped her skin with his teeth sending shock waves through her body.

  “We hardly know each other,” he said tugging her sweater further up to feel more of her skin.

  “I know.” Hannah pressed herself closer to him and felt his erection straining against his jeans. She moaned again and pressed harder against it. “I don’t know.” It was all she could manage to say. “I don’t know,” she repeated lowering her hand and cupping his hardness.

  “Oh, God,” he groaned pressing himself into her hand. “Make a decision babe, please. I don’t know if I can wait.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him yes, yes, she wanted him, when a bang on her front door interrupted the moment. They both tried to ignore it and continued touching and tasting.

  “Hannah I know you’re in there,” a male voice shouted through the door followed by another hard bang.

  Hannah stiffened and gripped Boomer’s arms tightly. When his head popped up she tightened her grip further. She looked into his face and was shocked at how fast he went into protection mode.

  “Open the damn door, Hannah, or I’ll break it down,” the voice shouted.

  “Go away,” she shouted back.

  Boomer pulled away from her and headed toward the door. Panic shook her brain into action. “No Ben, don’t open the door,” she yelled.

  He turned and gave her a quick glare before continuing forward. She ran toward him and gripped his thick arm. He yanked it away and reached for the doorknob. She prayed silently the person on the other side was gone, prayed that some kind of intelligence was buried deep within him telling him to leave.

  Boomer jerked the door open and stared into an empty dim hallway. When he pressed his
body against the doorjamb and eased out to take a look she held her breath. Her prayers were answered. The hall was empty. She pressed her hands to her swollen quivering lips and pushed back the tears that threatened to spill.

  “You wanna tell me what that was all about?” Boomer growled as he slammed the door.

  “It was nothing. Just an old boyfriend who makes an appearance once in a while.”

  “Why?” he demanded.

  “Why?”

  “Yeah, why? Why does he come back here if you’re through?”

  She thought fast. “He shows up when he runs short on cash or needs something.”

  “How often does he show up?”

  “I don’t know damn it,” she huffed tossing her arms up in the air. “Once every couple of months.” She turned her back on him and covered her lying face.

  When his hand tenderly dropped on her shoulder and his arm wrapped around her middle she leaned back into him. The tears began to spill, not because she was frightened, because she hated lying to him.

  “Come on, sit down,” he told her as he pushed her toward the couch.

  She didn’t want to sit down, she wanted to run. She looked toward the room where Raya slept peacefully. If Ben hadn’t been here tonight what would have happened?

  Boomer gave a gentle shove and she dropped down on the couch. He sat next to her and draped his arm around her shoulder. She felt so safe with him and it made her angry. She had never needed a man to feel safe. She always took care of herself and that wasn’t the half of it. She still wanted him to take her, throw her down on the floor, rip her clothes off and make her come.

  What the hell was wrong with her? In two days’ time this man had turned her into someone she didn’t recognize. Even with her biggest fear pounding on her door and her daughter’s life in danger she still couldn’t keep her mind off his soft lips and masculine yet sensitive personality.

  “So how long did you see this guy?”

  Hannah thought about just telling him the truth and getting it over with but she was didn’t want to, not yet. “Not long. Once I figured out who he really was, I walked.” That was the truth at least.

  “Did he ever hurt you?”

  “No I didn’t give him a chance. One time he thought about taking a swing at me and I picked up the nearest thing I could grab and told him he’d have one shot so he better make it a good one.”

  “What was it you picked up to defend yourself?”

  “A cast-iron frying pan. I knew if I was lucky enough to make a direct hit he’d go down. It did the trick, he never tried again. Of course I didn’t stick around to give him the chance.”

  She heard him snicker and looked at him.

  “Sorry but it just makes a really good picture.”

  “You doubt I could do it?”

  “Nope, no doubt at all. That’s one of the things I like about you, your spunk and determination.”

  Oh now why did he have to go and say that, she thought to herself. The one thing that turned everyone else off was a turn on to him. She was getting in deeper by the second.

  When he reached out and began toying with her fingers she allowed it and leaned against him. Neither spoke for several minutes. They just sat, holding hands and relaxing against each other.

  “I’m sorry I pressured you earlier.” Boomer said and then kissed the side of her head. “You aren’t ready to take that step yet and I should’ve seen that. You aren’t the type of woman who leaps before she looks.”

  “That’s not entirely true, Ben.” She wanted to tell him how she really felt but thought better of it. Instead she sat and waited for him to question her.

  “So what’s on the agenda tomorrow?” he asked instead.

  “I don’t know. What would you like to do? You’re the guest.”

  “I’d like to do something with you and Raya. Does she have a favorite place to go?”

  “She likes the zoo.”

  “Then the zoo it is. What about you? What do you like to do?”

  “Me? I don’t know. It’s been so long since anyone’s asked me that. I’m usually so busy with her or working that I guess I just forgot about things I like to do.”

  “Okay. Tell you what. You sleep on it and then tell me tomorrow. Anything you want to do, the world is your amusement park and I’m your ticket to ride,” he joked.

  “I should let you get some rest if we’re going to be running around. The doctor would have my head if he knew you weren’t in a bed all day. And Raya will be up with the sun.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to sleep.”

  “Are you okay? Do you have pain? I’ve got some aspirin.”

  “No that’s not it. I’m still buzzing from earlier.”

  “Oh.” She understood that. Hell she was feeling the same way. There was no doubt in her mind she’d be tossing and turning half the night.

  “You go ahead and turn in. I’ll check the door again and then go to bed myself.”

  “I have an air mattress you can use. This couch isn’t nearly big enough. I’ll go get it while you check the door.”

  When she returned with the mattress Boomer was also checking the small windows in the living room. She plopped it down on the floor and hooked up the pump that filled it. They both quietly stood watching.

  “I never asked what it is you do for a living,” he asked trying to make conversation.

  “I’m a waitress at a semi-fancy restaurant. It doesn’t pay much but the tips are excellent. They pay the bills.”

  “I bet you make good tips.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked.

  He shrugged his large shoulders and smiled. “You’re a beautiful woman. Men like being waited on by beautiful woman. I know you go out of your way to make sure everyone has what they need so it would stand to reason you make good tips.”

  She felt her face warm. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  The mattress finished filling so she put a set of sheets on it and spread out a blanket. When she was finished she looked up at Boomer. “Will you be warm enough?”

  “I’ll be fine. Stop worrying.”

  “Okay then, I guess I’ll just go to bed.” She tried to move her legs but they wouldn’t budge. He was looking at her with that same hungry look and it was mesmerizing.

  Even when he stepped toward her she couldn’t look away or even move. He reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand and then leaned forward. Anticipation swelled in her belly. Would they pick up where they had left off?

  His lips touched hers with a gentleness that made her ache. The kiss was brief but no less passionate. She could get used to being kissed like that.

  “Good night,” he whispered against her mouth and then pulled away.

  “Good night,” she echoed and then turned and walked to her bedroom in a fog. It was amazing how he could destroy her sense of reasoning with just a kiss. She wondered if she had the same affect on him.

  Morning didn’t come fast enough. She figured in all she slept about four hours. The rest of the time she tossed and turned, even toyed with the idea of getting up and crawling in bed with him. She was sure he wouldn’t object but the more she thought about it the more she was sure it wasn’t a good idea. Instead she buried her face in her pillow and reminded herself of the problems that would eventually tear them apart.

  By seven o’clock she’d had enough of being a prisoner in her room. Rubbing her tired eyes she crawled from bed and made her way into the hall. As she approached the bathroom door it opened. Boomer stepped out freshly showered and wearing nothing but a towel.

  She couldn’t stop herself. Her gaze focused on the towel hanging from his hips, dipping low in the front revealing a patch of light brown hair. She clenched her hands to keep from reaching out and ripping it away.

  “I didn’t wake you did I?”

  “Hunh, no. No you didn’t wake me up.” She noticed his bandage was missing and
his wound looked even better than it did last night. “Give me a minute and I’ll put a fresh bandage on for you.” She couldn’t look away. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t pull her attention away from his sexy, muscular body.

  “Take your time,” he said slipping his finger under her chin and lifting it.

  When their eyes met he winked at her and walked away. She nearly panted as she watched the towel hug his perfectly shaped ass with every step he took. When he was out of sight she darted into the bathroom shutting and locking the door.

  With her back pressed against the door she covered her face with her hands. “Oh my God I’m not going to survive this.” She took several deep breaths hoping the fire raging inside her would dim. When it didn’t she walked to the sink and splashed cold water in her face and stared at her reflection.

  That’s when she realized how bad she looked. While he stood in front of her with his hard muscles gleaming with droplets of water she looked like a wreck. Her hair resembled a badly formed bird’s nest, her eyes had dark circles under them and she wore a ratty, faded, oversized pink t-shirt that hung just below her butt cheeks.

  “Great,” she grumbled out loud. “Sex symbol of the year you aren’t.”

  The damage was already done. If he could get past her early morning freakish looks he really was a hero. Disgusted with herself for allowing him to see her like that she turned on the shower and dived in. She kept the water on cool trying to douse the flames still flickering inside her.

  Boomer stepped into his boxers and chuckled. The look on her face when she saw him standing there was priceless. The fact that she couldn’t take her eyes off his towel was flattering. Even though he hadn’t slept worth a damn last night and stepped into the shower in the worst mood of his life, he felt pretty good right now.

  As he pulled his jeans up his hips he replayed the vision she made. She was even more beautiful in the morning with her hair all mussed, pillow creases on her cheeks and that sexy nightshirt that barely covered her essentials. Of course he couldn’t help noticing how her nipples jutted out calling attention to her plump, round breasts. It was a struggle not to pull her to him and feel them pressed against his chest.