Their Virgin Captive(69)

He’d tried to back off, give her time and space. But leaving things unresolved between them was eating at him. He had to see her. So after a few minutes that had felt like months, he’d made her a nice cup of the steaming brew. It would give him an excuse to walk into her room. He’d listened in earlier and heard the shower running.

Trying to maim a man with shot glasses was dirty business. He wouldn’t be surprised if Hannah was trying to unwind.

Maybe if he talked smoothly enough, he could coax her into resting her head on his shoulder.

It would be an easy move to put an arm around her and hold her. That was all he wanted.

Bullshit.

His inner voice was back, but there was a marked change in it. Gavin found a saucer for the teacup as his new inner voice spoke to him.

You want to ease her back and kiss her. You want to show her you can be as tender as you were rough earlier. You want to prove you can be everything she needs. You can love her and protect her. You can change for her.

It isn’t really change. It’s getting back to who you are.

Gavin liked his new inner voice. He was surprised to find it sounded an awful lot like his Hannah.

He picked up the cup and started down the hall. He wasn’t going to make love to Hannah right now, no matter how much he wanted to. He was going to hold her. The next time he made love to her, his brothers would be there. They would be a team, the way they were meant to be.

There was a distant ping, a sharp, familiar sound. Gavin had spent enough time in Alaska to know the sound of a gun firing. Hunters? They sounded awfully close to the house to be shooting big game.

There was a small room just off the kitchen that served as the housekeeper’s office. It housed a computer and all the keys to the various buildings. Everything electrical in the house could be monitored from the office, including the security cameras.

Gavin let the teacup clatter to the desk as he flicked through the cameras. They had various views of the grounds. Nothing, nothing… His heart nearly stopped when he came to the feed for camera number four. Hannah stood on the patio outside the master bedroom. She wore a robe and faced the camera. Her hand was on the belt, and she slowly unknotted it.

A memory of Nikki assaulted his brain. She would fight him like a mad cat. Then she would tease him.



Just like Hannah was teasing him now.

Her hands fumbled as she released the tie. Slowly, very slowly, she brought her hands up to the lapels of the robe. He couldn’t see her face clearly, but she seemed to be playing for the camera.

She took off her robe slowly, almost stiffly. To tease him even more? Her breasts came into view, nipples hard and pointed in the cool air. She looked beautiful…but then he noticed her tense expression, the terror in her eyes.

Gavin understood instantly. Hannah was nothing like Nikki. She hadn’t invented a reason to fight merely for the drama. If she wanted to make up, she would tell him so straight to his face.

Hannah wasn’t teasing him on camera; she was being forced.

The CB radio squawked, the sound jarring in the quiet room.

“Gavin. Gavin, this is Dex. Can you hear me? Please, God, hear me.” He picked up the radio, but he didn’t take his eyes off the monitor. Who was just outside the camera’s view? He prayed it was one of his brothers playing around with their soon-to-be wife.

“Dex, are you and Slade here on the grounds?” Please say yes. Make this all a fun, little joke.

I’ll run out there and play with Hannah, too.

“No, we’re in one of the sheriff’s cruisers,” Dex shouted. “We’re almost home, but you need to keep an eye on Hannah. Preston was murdered, and one of the techs is Hannah’s stalker. I think it’s Lyle. Slade noticed that he had scratches all over his arms. I have similar scratches from rescuing Mr. Snuggles. Is Hannah with you now?”

Gavin’s heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. “No, but I think someone else might be. Hurry.”

He tossed the radio down. He didn’t have time to explain. He needed to get to Hannah.

After pulling out the key that opened the small gun cabinet, he yanked out a shotgun and quickly loaded it. He wasn’t going to fail her.

Gavin ran down the hall and out of the house.





Chapter Fourteen



Gavin took a deep breath. The gun in his hand felt like an old friend. He silently thanked Marnie for teaching him how to use it years ago. She’d taken him and Slade hunting every summer when they were supposed to be learning accounting and how to work a rig. They’d learned those things, all right—but so much more. Most importantly, they had learned that they were brothers and could depend on one another, no matter what. Every time their father had tried to turn them into rivals, Gavin would remember bonding with Slade during those summers, teaching him the true importance of family for the first time. When Dex had come along, he’d become another brother to depend on, even if Gavin hadn’t always shown it.