Free Intimate Strangers by Laura Taylor Page B

the feelings she stirred within his weary heart, he knew he’d finally met his match. She fascinated, intrigued, amused, and aroused him to the point of physical anguish.
    He craved a steady diet of Hannah’s spirited and passionate nature, but he wouldn’t risk putting her in danger, even if that danger had diminished over the last several years. He already knew the toll taken by a heightened state of alertness against potential threats, because he’d lived his entire adult life in that manner.
    Had anyone ever cautioned him that a woman he hardly knew would touch him so deeply or make him ache with constant hunger, he would have denounced the possibility. But now, a part of him wondered what might have happened between them had he lived a less lethal life and become a different and far less wary man.
    Nicholas, suddenly tired of his conflicted thoughts and their verbal sparring, said, "I am nothing if not reasonable, provided you honor your promise."
    She sputtered with laughter. "Reasonable? In your dreams."
    He scowled at her.
    "I knew we could find a compromise," she said hurriedly.
    "No compromise. My turf, my rules. I’ll get your luggage out of your van."
    "I can help. There’s no need for you to…"
    He jerked her against his chest, cutting her off. "I told you, Hannah. My turf, my rules." He spoke over her when she opened her mouth to argue. "Stay put. I haven’t got the time or the patience to put up with much more static from you. Do you get the picture?"
    She nodded, unexpectedly subdued as he released her.
    "I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do the dishes or sweep the floor if you feel inclined to pull your own weight around here."
    "Neanderthal." Hannah smiled broadly as she said the word.
    Nicholas smiled, too, but only after he stepped past her and strode out of the kitchen. His pleasant expression soon faded, though, thanks to his awareness that he flirted with danger and seductive temptation as long as Hannah remained in his home.

5
    Hannah glanced up from her book as Nicholas walked into the living room. She watched as he sank down onto the couch, closed his eyes, and massaged the back of his neck.
    Although she thought he looked tired, she didn’t voice the observation. She felt reluctant to disturb the delicate thirty–six hour old truce they’d managed to forge, in spite of how much she longed to quiz him about Sean.
    He’d made his feelings about information sharing quite clear, limiting their time together to the silent meals they shared in the kitchen. Hannah disliked his deliberately aloof behavior, but she quelled the urge to comment on it.  She was a guest—an unwelcome guest—in his home.
    Drawn to Nicholas on a variety of levels, she recognized that he’d awakened emotions within her she’d never before experienced. She’d pondered her feelings at length during the hours she’d spent alone, finally and very reluctantly concluding that he wouldn’t welcome them. It wouldn’t matter that what she felt for him was both genuine and heart–felt.
    Hannah made herself behave with an out of character restraint against which she instinctively chafed. Nicholas was not a man willing to make himself emotionally vulnerable, especially not for a woman who’d intruded on his life and his privacy. She sighed, the sound very soft.
    Nicholas opened his eyes. Hannah lowered her book to her lap, tucked a bookmark into it, and switched on the lamp beside her chair.
    "Any word yet?"
    He shook his head. Flicking a glance at the cover of her book, he frowned and then gave her a probing look.
    Hannah straightened in her chair, her fingers curving protectively over the hardcover exterior of the book. "Is something wrong?"
    "Not a thing. Is that yours?" Nicholas asked.
    She smiled and nodded. "I noticed you have his entire collection, too. He’s one of my favorite authors." When Hannah noticed his surprise, she said, "He’s a wonderful writer. I think TENDER IS THE MERCY OF A LOVER is his best novel