Worth the Risk(39)

“Hannah. Have you ever had a man over for dinner?”

“No. I mean…my brothers come over a lot.”

“So if they found me here, they’d probably kill me, huh?”

Her eyes went wide at the thought. Probably because it was entirely possible, but he laughed. “Don’t worry. I can hold my own.” And then some. “Plus, it would be totally worth it.”

Their eyes caught and held until she moved to turn away. He made a grab for her hand and gently pulled her back. She blinked up at him as he brushed his thumb slowly along the inside of her wrist. She had no idea what her pressing her teeth into that sexy lip did to him. The way her quick breaths made her chest rise and fall. So many women worked to get his attention and this one didn’t even have to try, didn’t know what to do with it when she did.

Her eyes darted past him into the next room. “I’m just…I’m not sure…”

“What to do next? I’ll show you.” He pulled her over to the couch, sat, and snagged the remote. “Sit.” He patted the spot next to him and propped his feet on the table. “Come on. Trust me.”

She obeyed, leaving way too much space between them.

“Closer.”

She scooted. Still not close enough but he’d get there, though he’d never worked quite this hard. Much to the dismay of his dick, he kinda liked it. “There you go. Feet up. Now I put my arm around you and we cruise channels.”

“We watch TV?”

“Nah. This is just a ruse to sit close to you.” He sank down and got more comfortable. “I like this couch. It’s kind of a guy couch.”

“My brothers bought it.”

He would zero in on a girl with an army of brothers. He had a flash of himself and Andrew sitting in the back of his truck, waiting to warn off Lizzy’s dates. Payback was a bitch. “So where are your brothers tonight?”

“Nick’s working. He’s an FBI agent.”

It just got better and better.

“Zach’s on call at the fire station, and Luke…I’m not sure.”

“And the fourth brother?”

“Dallas. Zach’s twin, not that they look alike. He’s…we’re not really sure where he is.” She picked at a thread on her jeans.

“You’ve got a lot of people watching out for you.”

“Yeah,” she said with a wry smile. “Sometimes too many.”

No. They might be a pain in his ass, but he was glad for it. Glad she had people looking out for her. He had a flash of what it might be like if that was his job. If it was, he’d be on guard for men like himself.

He took her hand and played with her fingers, marveling at how small they were. Her nails short and unpainted, not girlie in a flashy way, but utterly feminine. It couldn’t have been easy growing up without a mother. God help Lizzy if she’d been raised by her brothers.

He flipped through the channels and they agreed on a college basketball game. They replayed impressive shots, argued bad calls. He’d forgotten about the quiet times with a woman. Not chasing or enjoying what he’d caught, but just being. It was easy and natural when it should have been neither.

“I saw Lola today,” she said after a while. “She asked about you.”

Stephen slid his arm closer around her shoulder and stroked his fingers over her hair. He loved the feel of it and of her body leaning into his.

“You know…” she began, then stopped.

“What?”

“I just…I noticed how great you were with her, and you seemed…different with your nieces and nephews.”

Had it been that obvious? He made a sound in his throat and nodded slowly.

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know.” He studied the remote in his hand. “I guess I don’t see them much.” Not like he used to. Which explained nothing, since he’d never met Lola. Except maybe that’s what had made it easier.

“Why don’t you see them?”

Because he wasn’t the same man they’d known before? Because he never would be. Because the kinds of things he imagined doing didn’t make him fit to be around children. Or Hannah. Though when he was with her, his dark side seemed to pale a bit.

She angled her head back to meet his eyes. “They’re all you have, you know.”

“Yeah.” He knew. And they’d been close before. Very close. But they weren’t all he had. He had Trace, and though he may not have her, sitting here with Hannah was definitely…something. That very thought should have him running. “So what are the plans for the more you mentioned that you wanted to do here?”