Chapter 39

I looked at Hana. She was stunning in her red dress which hugged her curves and showed the top of the soft curves of her breasts. I did my best not to let my gaze linger there too long. Her black hair had been styled into soft waves that rolled down her back and her blue eyes sparkled as she looked back at me.

“Simon,” I offered. “He’s my son.”

“He’s my ex-husband,” she said.

“Are you okay with that?” I asked. She was right, we needed to talk about this. Maybe it wasn’t a conversation to be had on a first date, but then our relationship was further along than that.

“That he is my ex husband?” she joked. “Sorry, I’ll be serious,” she then said. I chuckled. I loved how her mind worked. “It does pose a bit of a challenge,” she told me honestly. I nodded. I could see it from her point of view. I knew Simon hadn’t treated her like she deserved. If he had, he would have worshipped her like the goddess she was and I wouldn’t have a chance to take her out on this date. But I knew Hana and I knew what a big heart she had. She would avoid telling me things about Simon to spare my feelings. It would be things she would have told other men that were courting her to let them know her limits, her triggers and let them get to know her. It killed me she felt like she had to hold that part of her back.

“I can see why. But please believe me when I say that I have no illusions about who my son is,” I told her. She gave me a weak smile.

“There is a difference in thinking you know, and hearing it described,” she told me. She was right. I thought I knew what Simon was capable of, I could draw my own conclusions from what I had seen. But I had no idea of what he had done to Hana, or to other women.

“You are right. And I don’t think it’s something that will be easy to hear. But I believe in facing reality head on. Simon is my son, in a way I will always love him. That does not mean I can’t see him for who he is and it does not mean I like who he has become,” I tried to explain. She nodded.

“So Simon is a subject we can talk about?” she asked.

“Yes. And you do not need to paint him in a better light to spare my feelings. How do you feel about it? Do you want me to avoid talking about him?” I had other type of memories of my son. The happy times we spent together when he was growing up and I was state side. Not to mention the inspiration and motivation he had been in my life.

“No. He’s your son. You should not have to avoid talking about him. I understand what a big part of your life he has been. It would be unfair for you not to be able to talk about him, and I wouldn’t get to know all of you. But I can’t promise it will be easy,” Hana said.

“I understand. How about we decide that it’s okay to talk about him, but that we are open with each other if it gets to much?” I asked and rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand. She looked up at me and gave me a genuine smile.

“I like that,” she agreed. Our starters were served and I reluctantly let go of her hand. As we ate we talked about neutral topics. It surprised me how much there was to talk about. I wanted to get to know everything about Hana and it seemed she wanted to get to know me as well. I wanted the night to last, but too soon the last spoon of the shared dessert was eaten. I paid the check and tried to think of an excuse to prolong the evening. I couldn’t find any so I drove us home. When I had parked the car and helped Hana out of it, I took her hand. She didn’t object and we kept holding hands as we rode up to the apartment. I stopped her when we got inside the apartment.

“I have had a wonderful evening,” I told her. We stood facing each other in the dimly lit living room. The city lights shone in from the big window and Hana smiled up at me. She had taken my breath away from the moment she had knocked into me on the street. I had been holding back ever since, not wanting to scare her away.

“Me too. Thank you for taking me out, it has been the best date I have ever been on,” she told me. My pride soared at her words.

“Does that mean I have a chance of getting a second one?” I asked. I knew that you traditionally waited a day or two between the first date and asking for a second. But nothing about our relationship was traditional. And I didn’t see the reason to wait when I knew what I wanted. Her smile turned brighter.

“I would say it’s almost guaranteed,” she replied. I answered her smile with one of my own and got lost in her blue eyes. I took half a step forward and tugged on her hand to see if she was willing to meet me halfway. She moved towards me without letting go of my eyes. My free hand went up to cup her jaw as I bent down. I could see her stretching closer. I paused for a heartbeat to give her a chance to withdraw. When she didn’t, I closed the final space between us and let my lips find hers. The first kiss was like a drink of water after wandering the desert. All my senses were filled by Hana. The taste of her soft lips as they moved in sync with mine, her scent, the soft moan that escaped her and the feel of her body against mine as I let go of her hand to wrap my arm around her waist and draw her closer to me. Hana’s arms went around my neck, her hands took a loose grip on my hair to stop me from moving away. I would have rather died in that moment than moved away from her. The kiss started as romantic, but as it continued it turned more fiery. As we went in deeper, Hana’s hands moved to my chest and I felt a gentle push. I ended the kiss and we were both panting for air. Hana leaned her forehead on my chest. When I had recovered enough to speak, I tilted her head up so I could look at her.

“Are you okay? Did I move too fast?” I asked. Her cheeks were stained red and she had a brilliant smile.

“I’m fine. I really enjoyed the kiss. But I don’t think I’m ready for…” she trailed off. I smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Let’s take that off the table completely for now. If you are okay with me stealing a kiss every now and then, I’m more than happy with that,” I told her. I could see her relax.

“You can steal as many kisses as you like,” she said and I could see her blushing increasing.

“Would you like to dance?” I asked and I saw I caught her by surprise.

“Dance?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m old enough to have learned how to dance and I’m not ready for the night to end quite yet.”

“I would love to,” she said. I took out my phone, found a playlist that looked suitable for my purpose and connected it to the surround sound system. The soft music flowed around us and I took Hana in my arms and we started to slowly move to the music. I loved having her in my arms, swaying her body with mine. We were looking at each other and the music, the movement of our bodies and the electricity that buzzed between us, created a bubble. It was just the two of us, nothing else existed. I lost all sense of time as we moved around the living room. Before I knew it, the playlist was over and I regretted not putting it on a loop. We stopped in front of the large window. Hana reached her hand up and placed it on my cheek and stood on her toes to kiss me. The kiss was soft and tender and I loved every second of it. “Thank you. This has been a magical evening,” she told me as we broke apart.

“I agree,” was all I could think of to say. I checked the clock in the kitchen and realised it was a little after midnight. “How about I walk you home,” I suggested. Hana looked confused at first, then she glanced up towards the door to the guestroom.

“I would like that,” she agreed. I took her hand and we walked upstairs and stopped outside her door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told her.

“Yes, I’ll remember to set an alarm so I don’t miss the meeting,” she said.

“If you haven’t shown up for breakfast when it’s thirty minutes left, I’ll come and wake you,” I offered. I gave her a soft kiss. “Good night, sweetness.”

“Goodnight, Hunter,” she said and I stepped back and watched her go inside her room.