Hannah stared at the steaming pile of food and didn’t know where to start. There were only two things on the plate but it might as well have been a banquet feast. She was thankful Ben hadn’t given her toast. She didn’t think she would want bread for a long time.
"Dig in," Ben told her as he shoveled food into his mouth.
Hannah didn’t waste another second. She stabbed her fork in the fluffy eggs and took a bite. Flavor burst on her tongue. If she thought the pizza was good last night it didn’t compare to this. Never had eggs tasted so good. Probably because it had been so long since she had eaten real food. Hannah ate quickly and all but licked the plate clean. She looked up at Ben and saw him watching her. She patted her face seeing if she still had egg on her. "What?" she asked puzzled.
"Nothing," Ben grabbed their plates and quickly rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher. "If you want a shower before we go you better hurry. I want to be out the door in fifteen minutes." Ben all but fled out the room leaving Hannah puzzled. What had that been about?
Hannah finished her juice and put it away before racing up the stairs. She couldn’t wait to get some real clothes on. She was almost to her room when she saw the door next to hers opened ajar. She peeked in and saw Ben strolling out of nowhere and stopped next to a dresser with a mirror wearing only a towel.
Oh, my.
She felt her nipples pebble and heat pool between her legs. He truly was sexy. Not an ounce of fat on him. A tattoo was on his ribs but she couldn't tell what. Her eyes devoured him. Hannah’s hands itched to touch him again. Last night in his arms had been amazing. She looked up at his face and saw his eyes looking back at hers through the mirror. Busted.
She should be embarrassed by being caught but she wasn’t. She liked looking at him. She always had. Back in Portland, he had never been afraid to shed his shirt when the weather was to warm or to use the excuse of going for a swim. She couldn’t blame him. He was a fine specimen of a man. And there was a lot to see. She looked down and saw a bulge behind his towel. It looked large.
Really large.
Hannah stepped back and fled to her room closing the door and locking it. She ran to the bathroom and threw up the eggs and bacon she had just consumed. Memories flooded her mind.
"No no, no." Not now. Hannah grabbed her head and shook it side to side. She could hear the laughing and the taunting. Suddenly two arms wrapped around her. "No," she screamed and started flailing.
"Hannah, it's Ben." He said in a soothing tone.
Her struggles ceased. "Ben, they were here. They came for me."
"Ssh," he smoothed the hair from her face. "No one is here. Just you and me. No one is ever going to hurt you again, baby girl."
Hannah burrowed into his chest and realized he was still bare chested. Was he still only in a towel? She peeked down and saw he had jeans on though the top button was undone. He probably threw them on in haste to get to her. She needed to get up so they could go to the store but she didn't want to leave his arms. "I'm sorry."
"Don't ever apologize. You okay now?"
"Yeah, it was seeing your..." she couldn't say penis without wanting to blush.
"And it scared you?" Ben supplied for her.
Hannah could only nod.
"Now it's my turn to apologize."
"No, Ben." Hannah turned in his arms so she could look at him. "I liked what I saw but memories overshadowed everything."
Ben's jaw clenched in anger. At her? She didn’t think so. "You okay now to go?" Ben asked her after a moment.
Hannah nodded.
“Good, in the future please don’t lock the door. It slows me down getting to you if you are in trouble. Close the door if you have to. I’ll respect your boundaries but please don’t lock the door.
Hannah could only nod. She hadn’t had a lock in so long she threw it without even thinking. Her only thought had been to get away. Get away from him and the memories. Memories she feared would never leave her. Hannah got up to wash out her mouth.
Shopping was quick and Hannah only got the basic essentials. Her mother would have shaken her head at Hannah and said a shopping trip requires at least two hours and then lunch afterward. Hannah didn’t get much because she wouldn’t be there long and she didn’t need more. Hannah had stayed close to Ben during shopping but never touched. After shopping, Ben took her to get her hair done then suggested they grab a bite to eat before meeting back up with the team. She still had to tell them what she knew and they had to unencrypt files from the flash drive Ben had uncovered. Ben continuously scanned their surroundings for any threat. They sat down at a booth in the back and Ben sat with his back to the wall to watch the front entrance.
"Do you always do that?" Hannah asked as she set her bags down and running her fingers through her now smooth and even hair. She felt like a new woman. "Scan the area and sit with your back against a wall?" She explained at his blank stare.
"Yes, someone tried to have my team killed." She knew there was more it than that but didn’t
