Page 27 of The Perfect Secret
He was curious to see her apartment. Knowing she lived with her grandmother, he wanted to get a glimpse of Hannah, the granddaughter, even if the grandmother wasn’t home. Would it be an old-lady apartment that Hannah inhabited, or did Hannah leave her mark on it?
Neither talked much about their families. They both had pasts they kept close to the vest.
“Come on in.” Hannah unlocked the door. “Make yourselves at home. The bathroom is down the hall if anyone wants to freshen up.”
Dan nodded to Tess as she went in search of it. A green fuzzy-looking sofa, obviously from her grandmother’s era, was modernized with up-to-date geometric pillows in green, blue, and copper. Two comfortable-looking beige chairs sat on either side of an end table with a lamp that made him do a double-take—it was a woman’s leg in a black high-heeled pump with a black lace and bead lampshade. Obviously,hopefully, Hannah’s influence. A beige and black carpet was soft under his feet and lots of books and photos lined shelves and were scattered around the room. The photos interested him the most.
“Those are my parents on their honeymoon in Mexico.” Hannah rubbed his back. “Those are my brothers at my college graduation and those are my nieces and nephews last summer.”
She didn’t specify which brother was the drug addict and he didn’t ask. Not now, when Tess was coming down the hall.
“So what should we watch first? Your choice, Tess.” Hannah offered drinks and popcorn.
She handed the remote to Tess, who scrolled through the streaming services. “Oh, this one looks good.” She highlighted “Breakfast Club.”
Dan turned to Hannah. “Are you okay with it?”
Hannah nodded; they started the movie. Tess sprawled on the floor, phone in hand, leaving Dan and Hannah the couch. Dan sank into it and stifled a groan.
“Need anything?” Hannah asked, her voice low, as she sat next to him. “Tylenol? Ibuprofen?”
Need anything? So many, many things. He swallowed. What he wouldn’t give to accept painkillers, even over-the-counter ones. “Ice, if you have some.”
She stared at him for a moment, rose and went into the kitchen.
Damn, he should have said, “you.” But he wasn’t sure what she meant and he couldn’t take it back. She came back with an ice pack, and he waited for her to hand it to him.
“Where’s the best place to put it?” Her eyes twinkled and the constriction in his chest eased.
He guided her hand to right above his knee. His hand covered hers, rough over smooth, warm on top of cold.
“Is this better?” she asked, her voice a whisper.
With a nod, he leaned against the cushions, drawing her to him so she rested against his shoulder, her hand on his thigh, above the ice pack. His muscle twitched. He couldn’t tell if she touched him out of sympathy or a desire to heal him. Maybe she touched him because she liked him. And with Tess sitting six feet in front of them, he couldn’t ask.
When she stroked his leg, it was the first time in seven years he found it enjoyable. Probably due to the fact she didn’t wear a white coat or carry a stethoscope.
He liked touching her. For the past five minutes, his arm had been around her, his hand stroking her shoulder. He played with her hair, whose silkiness and array of color—various shades of reds, browns, and gold—delighted him. But she didn’t have an injury she tried to avoid discussing. And he would look like a foolif he assumed she touched him because she wanted to, and it turned out she pitied him.
He clenched his jaw. Dammit, he was too old to be this unsure of women.
“You two finished with your smexy times?” Tess half-turned to them, her hand over her eyes. Dan wasn’t sure who was more mortified, he or Hannah. Hannah was a deep shade of red, which he found adorable. A suspicious heat flooded his face.
“Focus on the movie.” He reached for Hannah. “We’re getting a drink of water.”
He hoped the movie continued for longer than its hour and a half run time as he led her down the hall, ignoring the kitchen. She opened a door and pulled him into a bedroom. Perching on the end of the bed, one hand clenched in a fist, she watched him.
He cleared his throat. “Would it be a stupid question for me to ask you why you were touching my bad leg?”
“People always say there’s no such thing as a stupid question. However, they obviously hang out with a different set of people than I do.”
He chuckled and sat next to her. “So is that a yes?”
“How about it’s a maybe, until you tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I think I don’t know if you’re touching me because you’re attracted to me or because you want to fix me.”
“I didn’t know you were broken.”