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Then, to her surprise, she boldly stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his chest.

She didn’t say anything else, just hugged him, offering comfort and empathy without a sound.

Slowly, she felt him move, his hands sliding across her back until his arms were looped around her waist, holding her against his body.

Hannah closed her eyes, concentrating on the feel of the hard wall of his chest under her cheek, to the thump of his heartbeat steadily drumming. He smelled of spicy cologne and the musk of sweat beneath, something that should have been unpleasant but instead was actually very sexy.

Suddenly, she wanted to snuggle deeper. To chase away his pain and bring back that smile that turned her knees to mush.

Stroking her hands over his back, she turned slightly and, before she lost her nerve, kissed his chest.

They both froze, and it took Hannah a minute or two to work up the courage to look him in the eye. When she did, he was staring at her intensely, his hazel eyes blazing.

And then he kissed her.

BLAKE WISHED HE could call it a mistake, but the minute his lips touched Hannah’s, it felt too good to pull back. Her mouth softened automatically, and the kiss was a mix of salty and sweet as their tongues brushed together.

It had been so long since he’d been touched, let alone held, that when she’d put her arms around him so lovingly, he hadn’t been sure what to do.

And then she’d kissed his chest, a comforting gesture that had been his undoing.

The moment she’d looked up at him, he knew he was going to kiss her. He might regret it later, but there was no way to resist her after that.

Blake’s hands came up to cradle her face, and he slanted his head to deepen the kiss. Shocks of desire raced from his mouth down his body, settling into his groin. The whole time he’d been training her in self-defense, he’d been aware of her. Of his reaction to her, and it was finally too much. He needed to feel that sliver of happiness that only came in her presence since . . .

Jenny’s face surfaced, shattering the moment like a hammer against a mirror.

What am I doing?

He pulled away, nearly stumbling back to put some distance between them.

“Blake?” The way she said his name, husky and dazed, was so fucking hot he tried to push back his qualms, to tell himself that Jenny was gone and he could kiss Hannah without feeling any guilt.

But as he stared at Hannah, Jenny’s blue eyes swam through his mind.

Two years was really all Jenny meant to me? God, I’m an asshole.

“Blake? Are you okay?”

Blake blinked at Hannah, clearing his vision, and realized that he wasn’t at all okay. That he had no right to drag Hannah into his fucked-up crazy life and kiss her until they were both gasping for breath. His chest was still heaving, partly from panic, but mostly from Hannah and his reaction to her.

Which made her dangerous to his heart and his peace of mind. Hannah was beautiful, kind, and funny. She deserved someone who wasn’t still dreaming of his dead wife. She needed someone without bag

gage.

“I am so sorry I did that.”

Blake wasn’t prepared for the way her face fell, for the excitement to drain from her eyes and be replaced by hurt and confusion.

“Okay.”

Hannah didn’t say anything more, just went over to where her sweatshirt was and pulled it over her arms.

“Hannah, wait, it has nothing to do with you—”

“Please don’t give me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech.” The snap in her tone surprised him, and he took a step back as she spun around to face him. Shy, sweet Hannah had been replaced by a firecracker whose expression said she was ready to give him a piece of her mind. “You can regret doing something, but don’t insult my intelligence by kissing me and then saying it was a mistake, that it has nothing to do with me, because it is bull. Kissing someone implies that you wanted to kiss them, but for whatever reason, you changed your mind, so you stopped. That is all it is. You don’t have to lie or make up some excuse about why it’s not my fault that you don’t find me attractive—”

“I do find you attractive. That’s the problem.”