Chapter 6 #3
They all fell silent for several minutes, and Sierra stared at the ground, looking deep in thought as she ate the bread. When she finished, Grover felt her shiver. He opened his mouth to tell her he’d get one of the emergency blankets they always carried, when she turned to him.
“Do you think…” Her gaze dropped again.
Grover reached out and used a finger to tilt her face up to his. “What, Bean? Don’t be afraid to ask me anything.”
“I was wondering…You’re big, and I’m not…and you’re warm. I can feel your body heat even sitting here next to you. It’s not a huge deal and you can say no if it’s too weird—hell, never mind. It is weird.”
“What, Sierra? Don’t make me go back on my word on feeling guilty,” he threatened.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re gonna bring that up anytime you want to get your way, aren’t you?”
“Probably,” he admitted. “Now spit it out.”
Looking around, Sierra seemed surprised that the other guys had all moved a bit farther away.
They were getting ready to bed down themselves, using their packs as pillows and stashing the green glow sticks.
The only illumination now was from the lone glow stick sitting in front of Grover and Sierra.
He was relieved his teammates were giving them the illusion of privacy.
From experience, he knew they could still hear everything going on around them, but Sierra didn’t necessarily realize that.
“I just wondered if I could maybe sit in your lap,” she asked, not looking at him, clearly embarrassed by the request. “You know, to share your body heat?”
Grover stilled. He’d struggled to keep his hands off her all evening.
The first time she’d shivered, he’d wanted to pull her close to warm her up, but he thought that might be a bit much for her.
They hadn’t talked about all of her experiences at the hands of Shahzada and his followers.
He had no idea if she’d been sexually abused, as well as physically.
So he hadn’t wanted to do anything that might bring back bad memories.
“Yeah. I told you it was stupid,” she said, moving away from him.
Shit. Grover had been lost in his head too long and she’d mistaken his silence for rejection. Moving quickly, he reached out and pulled her closer, then easily picked up Sierra and settled her on his lap.
She squirmed, attempting to climb off. “It’s okay, Grover. I’ll be okay over there.” She pointed to her right, toward a relatively clear patch of ground.
“And you’ll be even better here,” Grover told her.
He wrapped his arms around her, surprised by how perfectly she fit against him.
He scooted back a bit, holding Sierra on his lap, until he was leaning against a tree trunk.
Rocks dug into his ass, his ribs protested, and he had a feeling his legs would be asleep in less than ten minutes, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t moving. No fucking way.
It took a minute or two, but eventually Sierra relaxed against him. He felt her muscles loosen as she gave him more of her weight. She’d had her back against his chest, but then she turned, resting her cheek on his pec and curling her legs up so she was almost on her side in his embrace.
“I was right. You are warm,” she said softly.
Grover felt her breath waft over his bare neck and knew he was a goner.
This woman had him in the palm of her hand, and she had no idea.
It made little sense, but he wasn’t about to question it.
He’d held other women, yet hadn’t felt like this before.
As if, should she disappear out of his life again, he’d lose something profoundly important.
“If I get too heavy, just move me,” she told him.
“You aren’t too heavy,” he said immediately.
“Tell me that after I gain back all the weight I lost and still buy another dozen Krispy Kreme cake doughnuts.”
Grover made a mental note to get his Bean some doughnuts, stat.
God…his Bean.
Shit.
“Thank you for finding me,” she whispered, and the words settled in his bones like a warm summer evening.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back, the words feeling totally inadequate for what he was feeling inside.
Grover refused to burden her. As it had been pointed out tonight, she had her entire life ahead of her, and the last thing he wanted was to pressure her to be with him, if that wasn’t what she wanted.
She’d just been freed from captivity after a year of abuse.
He couldn’t take advantage of her vulnerability and her gratitude.
He’d have to give her space to figure out what she wanted, in her own time.
It would suck, but Sierra immediately agreeing to come to Texas, only to decide it was a mistake, would be even worse.
He tightened his arms around her as she shifted, and once again he marveled at how well they fit.
Resting his head on the tree trunk, Grover closed his eyes.
He wouldn’t sleep, he was too keyed up and too attuned to the woman in his arms. But he’d rest. His ribs throbbed where Sierra lay against them and the cuts on his face burned, but he’d never been more content than he was right this moment.
He didn’t know what the future held, beyond knowing he’d do anything necessary to make Sierra comfortable. To make her feel safe. He’d also keep in touch with her once they got back to the States. Make sure she knew he wasn’t kidding about the invitation to come to Killeen.
He’d fallen fast, just as his teammates had. And if they could make things work with their women, so could he. It would just be a bit more of a challenge, wooing her long distance. She was worth the effort. Grover had no doubt about that.