Chapter 5

Hannah 

The house is massive inside, with a big central living and dining area that has all windows on the back wall, and a dramatic floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the centre of the room. Luke leads me down a stairwell to the lower floor, which is above-grade at the rear of the house and looks out over miles of forest. He shows me to a room with sliding glass doors that open to the backyard, and I can see they have a pool and a hot tub.

“This is really nice,” I gush, taking in my surroundings. I lived in an expensive townhouse with Dane, but this is something else entirely. The forest, the privacy, and the sprawling size of the home—it’s actually what my dream home would look like.

The room is furnished with the basics, a double bed, a tall dresser, and a worn-out antique armchair, but there’s no artwork, no finishing touches… and no curtains on the patio doors. I know beggars can’t be choosers, but I’m not sure I’m going to like sleeping completely exposed in a house with three men.

Luke grins at me, asking,

“You like it?” and suddenly I don’t care how exposed I am.

“I think it’s amazing,” I say sincerely.

“Thank you so much for everything you’re doing for me.”

“It’s no problem.” He gives me a heated look, and I feel a rush of excitement at whatever’s developing between us.

It’s been so long since I had an orgasm, I almost don’t even remember when it was. If Dane had ever caught me masturbating, when I could have been sexually servicing him instead, there would have been hell to pay. 

And Lord knows there were never any orgasms with Dane—who actually seemed to hate having sex with me and yet insisted we do it every night.

For almost an hour I would lie under him while he thrust himself in and out of me emotionlessly, eyes sometimes screwed shut as he, no doubt, pictured the pornographic scenes he needed to get off.

If I showed any signs of arousal his dick would go soft, so I soon learned to lie there, feeling nothing, just hoping it would end sooner than later. Nine times out of ten it ended with him declaring that it wasn’t working for him, and he would leave the room to watch p**n on his own, leaving me to finally fall into blessed sleep. By then, I never wanted to get myself off. I was always so tired.

Sex had become a burden with Dane, but now, out here in my new life, I can’t wait to see what it will be like with another man.

And the one standing in front of me right now, looking down at me with those soulful brown eyes… Well, I really hope he’ll be the one to help me find out.

He smiles at me and takes my hand again, only instead of pulling me towards him, which I find myself wishing he would do, he leads me over to the other side of the room and opens a door, showing me an en-suite bathroom.

“Feel free to shower and freshen up, if you want,” he offers.

I’m disappointed, but obviously we’re not going to fuck right here, right now, in this room. We literally met an hour ago and he just found out my name.

“Sounds great,” I say.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind changing my clothes.”

“Oh, but I like that dress. Don’t cover up too much, okay?” He gives me a flirtatious wink before he steps out of the room, closing the door behind him.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

I take a long, hot shower, realizing how tired I really am. I didn’t sleep at all last night—on purpose, as I waited first for Dane to fall into a deep sleep, and then for myself to have enough courage to start the car.

I didn’t even know if I would make it down the driveway, and now here I am already with a place to stay and three new… friends? I guess?

When I get out of the shower, I towel dry my hair and get dressed in a black tank top and cut-offjean shorts, remembering Luke’s request that I not cover up too much with a smile. Just for the sake of feeling like myself again, I take some time to do my makeup, lining my eyes with the dark eyeliner I usually wear and applying some plum stain to my lips. I smack my lips together and step back, taking in my reflection in the mirror.

I look young, I know I do, but with the eye makeup on I manage to look a bit older. Still not old enough to have lived the kind of life I’ve already lived, though: on the run from a savage alcoholic and drug addict, and now essentially homeless. My dark hair is damp but doesn’t require much styling, as it’s so straight. I have my mother’s full mouth and scattering of freckles across my nose, and my father’s slight build. I wipe a smudge of eyeliner from under my eye and then add mascara.

I like what I see. Someone a little bit tough, but not broken—not yet.

Heading upstairs, I walk through the house in my socks, turning my head around corners and into doorways, trying to take in what I can without actually snooping. It’s spacious, and really nice, but there’s no doubt three bachelors live here. Little attempt has been made to decorate, and a glance at the kitchen reveals a pile of dishes in the sink and rows of empty bottles collected by the back door.

There’s no pretense here. It’s not like Dane’s place, where minute attention was given to the decor. Dane wanted everything about him to advertise wealth and taste, yet I wasn’t allowed to have an opinion on any of it. This space isn’t decorated to impress anyone, it’s purely functional for the men who live here.

Although, I note, swiping a finger along the top of the dramatic fireplace, it could use a little dusting.

I slip into my high-heeled boots at the door. Unfortunately, I didn’t pack any other shoes. When you have to narrow all your possessions down to what will fit into one suitcase, let me tell you—it gets hard to choose. None of my shoes made the cut. I don’t even have as much clothing as I need. My suitcase is mainly filled with sentimental tchotchkes and books.

From the front porch, I can see the three men in the garage, each holding a bottle of beer, and the sight of them is breathtaking… and a little intimidating. When I got into Micah’s truck, I told myself that if I could escape Dane, I could escape anybody. 

But looking at the hulking figures gathered around the Porsche, I start to wonder if that’s true. These are big guys. Micah’s the tallest, but Luke and Sean are built like brick shithouses. There’s no way I could get away from any of these men individually… and there are three of them.

Oh well. I took the risk and I don’t feel unsafe around them. If anything, I actually feel safer. Luke and Micah got me and the car off the road when I needed them, and now their dad’s given me a place to sleep for the night. I’m showered, dressed, and feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time.

Micah looks up first as I approach the open garage door, and eyes me emotionlessly, his blue eyes flicking over my body. I have to admit that, of the three of them, he’s probably the scariest. There’s a cold edge to his stare. When he looks at me I feel like a rabbit being eyed by a fox.

I don’t flinch as I return his gaze and walk into the garage with straight shoulders. Both Luke and Sean’s eyes shift immediately to my legs, up my body, taking in my short shorts, running their eyes over my tank top, and I’m struck once again by how similar they are. 

Like father, like son, I think to myself. When their eyes finally reach my face, Luke smiles, like he’s genuinely pleased to see me, and Sean furrows his brow, like he’s troubled by me, or mad that I’m there.

“This is a really nice car,” he says, narrowing his eyes like he’s trying to gauge my reaction.

I nod.

“I know.” What else is there to say? A really nice car that got me away from Dane and landed me here. But now what?