I stared into her green eyes. “Hanna, I love you, and I think I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you,” I said hotly. “You’re not like any other woman I’ve ever met, and I would never hurt you.”
Hanna’s chin crumpled and she burst into hot tears, burying her face in my neck. I could feel her sniffling and breathing wetly against my skin and I wrapped my arms around her small body, pulling her close.
“Then why did you hurt me,” Hanna whispered. “James, if you love me so much – why did you hurt me?”
I pulled away and grabbed her by the shoulders, staring into her bright green eyes until I felt myself begin to tear up.
“Don’t you get it?” I asked her quietly. “Hanna, I had to – I didn’t have a choice! As soon as I realized that creep – Jessie – was taking pictures of you, too, I knew I had to break up with you in order to keep you safe!”
Hanna stared at me in disbelief.
“It’s true,” I said. “I’ve been miserable, I’ve never felt so bad in my life. All I can do is think about you, Hanna, and how much I love you and how much I want to make things right. Please, please – forgive me. Or at least, give me the chance to prove how much I love you. Hanna, if you can do that, it would make me the happiest man on earth.”
A single tear rolled down Hanna’s cheek. This time, when I went to brush it away, she didn’t pull back.
“I mean it,” I said. “I swear to god, Hanna, I’ll never fuck up like that again. And I swear, no one will ever, ever hurt you.”
Hanna melted against my body. She put her arms around my neck and sighed softly, then stood up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to mine. Despite the freezing temperatures and Hanna’s dry lips, it was the best kiss I’d ever experienced. Love and passion swirled through my body as we stood there together on that Boston street, kissing as if we were the only two people left alive in the world.
I knew then, deep down, that no matter what happened between Hanna and me, everything would be okay. We’d been through so much together – from crazy, life-changing love, to horrifically scary incidents that most people would never have to deal with. But none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was the fact that Hanna and I were together, and we’d stay together for the rest of my life.
Hanna pulled away, licking her lips. She was still shivering, although her tears had dried and her eyes had regained some of her sparkle and strength.
“I love you,” I said softly, reaching for her hand and lacing my fingers with her own. “And I always will.”
“Oh, James,” Hanna said softly. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Hanna
Six Months Later
“Welcome home, Miss Hanna,” Anna said. She smiled. “And hello, Danielle – how nice to see you again!”
Danielle elbowed me in the ribs. “What,” she whispered. “I don’t get a ‘Miss’?”
I snorted. “Thank you, Anna,” I said kindly. “We’re just dropping a few things off. Is James home?”
Anna shook her head. “No, Mr. James called to say that he’ll be running late this afternoon,” she said. “He asked me to put together some dinner and leave it in the refrigerator for you, but I haven’t started yet. What are you in the mood for?”
I turned to Danielle. “Pizza?”
“Pizza,” Danielle confirmed, nodding her head.
“Thank you, Anna, but you don’t have to worry about putting anything together this evening,” I said. “I think Danielle and I are going to go out shopping, and we’ll bring some pizza back home with us.”
Anna nodded. “I see,” she said. “Would you like me to call Mr. James?”
I shook my head and grinned. “No,” I said. “I’ll surprise him later.”
I watched as the cheerful, portly housekeeper bustled around the large kitchen I now shared with James, tucking a few glasses into cabinets and removing her apron.
“It’s okay,” I told Danielle. “We can just put our stuff down and leave.” I yawned, rubbing both eyes with my hands. “I’m exhausted.”
“We don’t have to go out shopping,” Danielle said. “I mean, I’m fine with staying here.” She glanced enviously around my living room. “I swear, you guys have the comfiest couches I’ve ever sat on before.”
I laughed. “No, we should go – I want to surprise James.” I leaned in close. “It’s our six-month anniversary, and I think he probably forgot.”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “You guys,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re going to make me throw up – you’re too cute, I can’t stand it.”
“Wait just a second,” I called over my shoulder as I set my purse down on the couch. “I’ll be right out.”
Darting into the bedroom, I changed into a light spring dress that showed my still-pale legs. It was a warm summer, especially for Boston, and I wanted to make sure I was in something that made it easy to get in and out of my clothing. James had been so busy with work lately that I felt like I hadn’t really spent any decent time with him in weeks, and I was eager to surprise him with something silky, satiny, and very, very sexy.
“Come on,” I told Danielle once I was back in the living room. “We should really get going. I want to leave before James comes back.”
Danielle followed me out of the condo and waited patiently while I made sure the door was locked. We took the elevator downstairs and then began walking across the Boston Public Garden. The weather was sunny and bright, and the small pond was filled with tourists and locals alike, all smiling and laughing as they paddled swan boats across the water. Normally, I’d stop and watch for a few moments. Being so close to Boston Public Garden was one of the best things about living in James’s condo...aside from living with James, that is.
I stepped inside a luxury lingerie shop and glanced around at all of the intimidating pieces of underwear. There were panties and bras and corsets and things I couldn’t even recognize.
“I don’t know that I can do this,” I said under my breath. “This all seems kind of over the top, don’t you think?”
Danielle laughed. “Isn’t that the point, though?” She raised an eyebrow with me. “You want to surprise him…go all out!”
Before I could argue with her, Danielle shoved me into a dressing room with an armful of silky clothes – if you could even call them that. I reluctantly slipped out of my sundress and held a teal silk corset up to my naked body.
“I really don’t know about this,” I called. “It doesn’t feel like me!”
“Don’t be boring,” was Danielle’s reply. “Step out of your skin for once!”
Blushing furiously, I squirmed my way into the corset, as well as a matching garter belt and crotchless panties. I felt ridiculous wearing the panties over my regular cotton bikini briefs, and I wondered if somehow I’d feel even weirder without them. But when I looked in the mirror, I was astonished. I didn’t recognize Hanna Parker – instead, I looked like some kind of sexy temptress, or a girl on the cover of a pin-up calendar.
“Well?” Danielle yelled. “How’s it going?”