Chapter Five
Hannah could hear the brothers talking in the bedroom but couldn’t decipher the actual words. The fact that her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was slightly louder than usual didn’t help. Twice she heard one of the men laugh, and she wanted to open the door and demand they tell her what they found so damn funny.
With a sigh, she pulled off Ryker’s t-shirt and steadfastly refused to acknowledge how feminine it had made her feel. She was also going to ignore the fact that she took it off slowly and held the fabric under her nose for a moment to inhale the masculine scent that lingered in the fabric. Nope, she was definitely not going to admit that.
She grimaced at the colorful array of bruises that crossed over her torso thanks to the seatbelt that had probably saved her life. She took a deep breath and felt the tight pinch of the bruise as her chest expanded. She lifted her hair back from the side of her face and winced at the bruise that bloomed close to her hairline. It spread out from the edges of a bandage, and she remembered the feeling of blood sliding thickly down that side of her face.
She leaned across the sink to the bench she had laid her clothes on and almost groaned at the move. What in the hell was it with bruises and sores? You don’t feel a damn thing until you see them and then, every movement hurts. Biting her lip to keep from moaning, she carefully drew her clothes on. Hannah took one look at the bra she had grabbed and quickly dismissed it. Despite the fact it might not press too hard on the bruise across her chest, the thought of wrestling the damn thing on almost brought her to tears.
As soon as she was dressed, she freshened up and walked to the bathroom door. Hannah stood for a moment, listening for movement and sound on the other side. When there was nothing, she sighed in relief. This time she was ignoring the pitiful pang of disappointment that reared its unwelcome head and opened the door.Stupid emotions.
Hannah had only taken two steps out into the empty bedroom when a knock sounded on the door that opened into the hallway. “Come in.”
Bastian walked in with a tentative smile. “Hey, you feeling okay?”
She nodded as she moved over to her belongings. “Yeah, I am. Just a little sore from the bruising, but the wrist feels fine.” She held up the cast.
Bastian smiled. “That’s good to hear, baby. That crash most definitely left its mark on you.”
Hannah nodded and bent to pick up her bag, but Bastian beat her to it. “I’ll take that for you. I don’t like to see you in pain.”
Hannah tilted her head and looked at him quizzically. “So, the whole bear thing comes with enhanced speed, huh?”
Bastian grinned at her and nodded. “Yep. Shifters are not only blessed with their animals, but we enjoy a few added physical benefits, too. We are faster and stronger than other men, and we have better hearing and eyesight, too.”
“Huh, that would come in handy.” Hannah reached for her purse and followed Bastian out of the door. The room opened into the central living area of a large house. The furniture was huge and masculine but looked comfortable, and there was a massive flat screen TV on the wall across from her. There was a huge kitchen that gleamed with an impressive array of expensive kitchen equipment, but what held Hannah’s gaze more than anything else in the room was the floor to ceiling bookcase on one side.
Hannah loved to read. She didn’t just read books, she consumed them. Her to-be-read pile was almost as large as her read pile, and she found authors almost on a daily basis that she added to the list. The room was at least two stories high, and there was a ladder that slid on rails across the room so that all the books on the upper shelves could be accessed.
“You like books,” Bastian said, and despite it being more a statement than anything else Hannah nodded. “Ryker reads more than me, but we both enjoy the library we’ve acquired over the years. When we built the house that wall was one of the first things we asked the architect to incorporate.”
“It’s gorgeous.” Hannah sighed as her eyes went to the large, free-standing fireplace to the left of the bookcase, and imagined a huge comfy day bed right there for her to lie in. Shaking her head to clear the daydream, she went to step past Bastian but stopped when he failed to move out of her way.
“Hannah, I know that everything has been confusing as hell, but you were in a fairly serious car accident yesterday,” Bastian said in a quiet voice. “Let me drive you over to the garage, but I think when we get there, you’ll see that you may have to wait a couple of days before you can move in.”
Hannah frowned. “Why’s that?”
Bastian winced. “Let’s just say that Karl wasn’t exactly known for his domestic skills. In fact, I think he used the small apartment above the garage as equipment storage and slept on a cot in his office.”
“Well, that sounds positively—” Hannah paused as she thought of the right word, “horrible! That poor man. Well, either way, that’s my home now. I’ll have to make it work.” Hannah stepped around Bastian and headed down the hall to what looked like the front door. “I don’t really have another alternative.”
Bastian reached around her to open the door for her, but paused with his hand on the door handle, effectively blocking her in against the door. He didn’t press in too close, but Hannah could still feel the heat of his body behind her, and it had her breath locking in her throat.
“You do have a couple of alternatives, baby,” Bastian said in a voice that had her shivering. “There’s one option that I think is best, but I don’t think it’s one you’re ready to accept, and that’s returning here.” When Hannah went to launch into her objections, Bastian pressed a kiss to her neck and shocked her into silence. It was nothing more than a slight pressure of his lips against her, but it was enough to bring her thought processes screaming to a halt.
“As I said, that option is too much for you, and it sure as hell is too soon. I get that. Ryker and I want the opportunity to get to know you and for you to get to know us. It’s important to us, and we just hope that you can give us the chance. The second option would be for you to stay with Lucas, Tomas, and Lauren. They have plenty of room at their place, and it’s not too far from here. But if you would like, I am sure that they would be happy to have you with them.”
Hannah swallowed hard. “I’m sure it will be fine at the garage. I think we should just get over there and see what I am dealing with. I can make a decision then.”
Bastian waited for a moment, pausing like he had more to say, before nodding, then opening the door. The two of them walked out of the charming cabin-like house and headed for a large red truck in the drive. Bastian helped her up into the cab and placed her luggage in the back before sliding behind the wheel. As they drove down the driveway, Hannah felt a wave of anxiousness roll over her.
“You both want the opportunity to get to know me?” Hannah asked in the quiet of the cab, and Bastian shot her a warm look.
“Yeah, baby, we do. We think that you're special and could be someone that could complete us. Is it unconventional? Well, maybe to you and the majority of people in this world, but to us, it’s normal. Hell, it’s something we have been looking for and longing for, for a long time.”
"What?" Hannah found herself asking. "What have you been looking for?"
Bastian looked over at her, and Hannah almost drowned in the emotions she saw swirling in his eyes. "Our mate. The one woman the fates have deemed us worthy of. As soon as we met you, we sensed that you were that woman. For Ryker and me, the recognition was instantaneous. There is no coming back from that for us."
