Free HannasHaven by Lorna Jean Roberts

increasingly alarmed, he stalked toward where he’d
left her.
    “I’ll be out in a minute,” she called.
    Marcus didn’t like the quaver in her voice. Stepping into
the glade, he found her lying facedown, naked, her pale skin gleaming in the
sun.
    “Hanna?” Alarmed, he crouched beside her. Her heart beat too
fast. She was panting, exhausted.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing,” she cried. “Leave me alone to dress.”
    “Right. You can’t even move, and you think I’m going to just
leave you lying here? Tell me what’s wrong.”
    “Nothing. I’m tired.”
    He ran his hand over her back, trying to ignore her pert
little bottom or how silky her skin felt.
    “You’re freezing.” Not a good sign. Werewolves tended to run
hot. “Are you sick?”
    “No. Just tired. Please, I need a bit longer and I’ll be
fine.”
    “Has this happened before? Does this happen every time you
change?” Unsettled, he reached over to grab her t-shirt.
    “Not always this bad. It’s why I don’t change much. It takes
so long to recover.”
    “Which is why you didn’t want to go for a run, and why you
didn’t want to come back. What were you going to do? Stay as a wolf forever?”
Concern sharpened the edge of his tongue. He grasped her gently to turn her
over.
    “No! Leave me. I’ll put my own clothes on.”
    “Hanna,” he sighed. “You’re a werewolf. I’ve seen plenty of
my packmates naked after a run. You’ve got nothing I haven’t seen before.”
    Liar.
    She whimpered but allowed him to roll her over and slip the
t-shirt over her head. The back of his hand brushed against her breast,
eliciting a soft gasp from her. Whether his touch had been deliberate or not,
even he wasn’t sure.
    He reached for her panties, but she weakly slapped at his
hand. “I’ll do it. Turn your back.”
    Growling inwardly, he turned his head but didn’t move away.
When she was done, he gathered her up into his arms, ignoring her protests.
    Marcus carried her inside to the bathroom, setting her down
on the cabinet. He turned on the taps and sprinkled some scented stuff Laney
had brought for Hanna into the water.
    “What are you doing?” Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
    “Running you a bath.”
    “Why?”
    He stared at her. She looked back at him, confused. Then her
face blushed.
    “Oh, do I smell? Sorry.”
    “You don’t stink,” he muttered. “No more than I do. You’re
freezing, Hanna. You need warming up. Cold Hanna equals warm bath, not rocket
science. Now do you need help undressing or can you do it yourself?”
    “I can do it,” she squealed.
    “Good,” he grunted, turning off the taps before leaving.
     
    Hanna slid off the counter and stripped with slow, sluggish
movements, cursing her quivering hands. She was so tired of being weak. She’d
always been smaller than everyone else.
    Getting into the bath took far more effort than it should
have. But she managed to get herself in without slipping and splashing water
everywhere. The hot water soothed her muscles and eased her shivering. She
dropped her head back, shutting her eyes and letting the calm scent of lavender
relax her. What the hell was wrong with her?
    But she lusted after Marcus. No one had ever affected her
like this. She hadn’t let them. Yet she let Marcus touch her. She more than
enjoyed his touch. Warmth pooled in her belly. Caused entirely by the brusque
werewolf who took care of her in his own rough way.
    “Hanna.” Marcus banged on the door. “Get out, your dinner’s
getting cold.”
    Had he always been so blunt and bad-tempered?
    He was arrogant, bossy, at times talkative, and other times
she couldn’t get him to do more than grunt. Yet she always knew where she stood
with him. Whatever he said, he meant, and whatever he promised, he did.
    And that was worth more than any soft words or gentle
gestures.
    It also helped that he was the sexiest man she’d ever met.
    * * * * *
    Hanna dressed in her thickest pajamas, sweating slightly.