The next morning Hannah padded silently down the stairs to the kitchen for something to eat. The slice of pizza from last night had only whetted her appetite. She was also parched. She tried to walk through the house quietly so as not to wake Ben but she should have known that hope would be in vain. Ben was already standing in the kitchen in a sweat covered gray t-shirt and shorts with a bottle of water halfway to his mouth when he noticed her. Hannah tried not to gawk at the man before her. Sweat dripped down his face and disappeared under his shirt collar. She watched a few droplets fall before realizing she was staring at him.
"Morning," She said casually trying to recollect herself.
Ben continued to watch her while he took a few deep gulps of water. Hannah was trying not to steal sideways glances at him as she stood in his kitchen looking lost. His clothes swamped over her already frail body. Her hair was mussed and he longed to run his fingers through it and smooth it out. "Good morning," he said casually turning away from her so she didn’t see his growing erection. Why did she affect him this way? It didn’t make sense. He had had hundreds of women before and none had affected him like this. Because it’s Hannah and you’ve always wanted her. He went out on his usual run this morning hoping it would alleviate some tension. The twelve-mile run had helped. He felt exhausted and clear-headed, and all it took was one look at Hannah and it all came rushing back.
Last night's kiss had kept him up most of the night. She had tasted so good he swore he could still taste her now. If he thought her kiss was potent when they were teenagers it no way compared to last night. She had been so responsive to him then suddenly froze up. At first, he feared he had done something wrong but realized she must be feeling conflicted after being a hostage to those monsters then be attracted to him. He should have taken the hint and left her alone but she and the kiss haunted him. He knew he would regret it the rest of his life if he didn’t have her. She was not a conquest but every fiber of his body screamed mine. He had to claim her. To mark her. It was so Neanderthal but he couldn’t resist. He had to resist because it was Hannah he had to keep his distance. They were from two different worlds and Hannah would be going home soon and he would still be here doing missions. It wasn’t worth the gamble. The mission. The mission had to come first though. Someone had set them up and he wanted to know who. Someone had wanted to kill off two Delta Force teams and they would pay for that, but first things first.
"What do you say we go into town and we get you some clothes, maybe a haircut?"
Hannah's hazel eyes lit up and he vowed to himself in that moment he would do all he could to keep that look there.
"When can we leave?" Hannah asked all but jumping up and down in place.
"As soon as you're ready.” Ben grinned.
"Now?"
"Don't you want to eat first at least?"
Hannah opened her mouth at the same time as her stomach gave a rather loud audible grumble. She tried to place a hand over it to quiet it down but it wouldn't be ignored. She had only had two pieces of pizza last night and Ben had kicked his friends out before Hound could come back with more pizza. She was ravenous and not just for food.
"Well, I guess that answers that.” Ben put his water bottle down and headed for the fridge to pull out eggs and bacon. He hoped she liked those.
"Can I help?" Hannah asked next to his right side.
Ben tried to breathe slowly through his mouth when her honeysuckle scent wafted in his face. Any chance his boner would go away just died a swift death as blood went rushing back down. "No, I'm good." Ben groaned. "Why don't you get some juice or coffee for yourself while I whip this stuff up?” Anything to get her away from him.
Seeming oblivious to his inner turmoil Hannah went to the fridge to get the juice out.
"Cups?"
Without turning to look at her Ben nodded towards the cupboard to his left. She poured a glass of juice while Ben cooked the bacon.
“How do you like your eggs?” He asked still keeping his back towards her.
Hannah glared at his back and the separation he was trying to keep between him. She told herself she would keep their relationship platonic and Ben seemed to have the same idea but to see Ben avoiding her hurt. It shouldn’t. This was what she wanted. Hannah shook her head at herself and opened her mouth to tell him how she wanted her eggs but at the moment couldn’t remember. “Just surprise me.” She said sadly. Being a captive had robbed her of so much Hannah was realizing. She didn’t know what foods she liked or disliked anymore. It was like starting her life all over again. She would take it as a chance for a new beginning. She already decided she would move out of her parent’s house and get a job. Maybe her taste buds had changed. She had been living off of bread and water pretty much for the past year and a half who knew what she would like now.
Hannah used the time to sit at the dining room table and watch
