Chapter 9 #2
She hadn’t.
Until she’d woken up from a coma with only his name and number coming to mind.
Grant paced the room, his hearing hyper-attuned to the sound of the shower. He could imagine rivulets of water snaking across her naked body.
He couldn’t stop the groan that rose from his chest up into his throat.
Blood pumped through his veins, and his nerves stood on edge.
When he needed to release tension, he would usually run several miles.
He worked hard to channel the patience he’d learned as a Navy SEAL.
The kind he’d needed as his team had waited for the precise moment necessary to launch an attack. He’d focused on the objective.
In this case, that was to find the killer.
More importantly...to keep Avery alive.
After the twentieth pass pacing the short length of the room, the bathroom door swung open.
Avery emerged wearing a T-shirt barely long enough to cover her ass.
She’d combed her long, dark hair straight back from her forehead and let it hang in damp strands down her back.
She carried the clothing she’d changed out of and laid it neatly on the dresser beside the other items she’d purchased at the store.
“You might as well use the drawers,” Grant said. “If we get another room, you can keep this one.”
“Thank you,” she said and moved her clothing from the top of the dresser into two of the drawers below, taking her time, an awkward silence stretching between them.
When she was done fussing with the clothes, she straightened and met his gaze. “This doesn’t have to be so awkward.”
“No?” he said, his lips twisting into a wry grin. “Then, why is it?”
Avery lifted her chin. “We just have to establish the parameters, starting with which side of the bed do you want?” She tilted her head toward the elephant in the room.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” he said, not making it any less awkward.
She nodded, obviously accepting that she would have to push through.
“You always liked the side closest to the door, so I’ll take the opposite.
” Avery marched to the left side, pulled back the comforter and slid between the sheets.
In the process, her T-shirt rose up over her hip, exposing a pair of bright red bikini panties before the sheet and comforter hid them from his view.
Another groan, much like the one he’d released while she’d been in the shower, rose up his throat.
He swallowed hard to force it back and crossed to the light switch on the wall, flicking it off, leaving only the lamps on the nightstand glowing. Knowing it was a mistake that would cost him even a hint of sleep, he walked slowly toward the bed.
Still wearing his jeans, he lay down on top of the comforter.
“You’re going to sleep on top of the blanket?” she asked, an eyebrow cocked.
He laced his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “It’s hot in here.”
“You’re closest to the thermostat, you can adjust it down.”
“I’ll get used to it,” he murmured. “Go to sleep, Avery.”
She leaned over, turned off the light on her side and settled back against her pillow.
Grant reached out and turned off his light.
The room was plunged into darkness, the blackout curtains over the window doing a good job of blocking out the lights from the parking lot.
Silence reigned.
Avery didn’t stir beside Grant. Not a single movement.
Grant lay just as still, listening for her breathing and wondering if she’d finally fallen asleep.
“I’m sorry you got dragged back into my life,” Avery whispered.
Her words stabbed him in his heart. “Are you really? Because I’m not.”
For a long moment, she didn’t answer. Then one word sounded in the darkness. “No.”
She moved in the bed beside him. Unable to see what she was doing, he could only guess she’d rolled onto her side, facing him.
He rolled over to face her, careful not to touch her. Just because she was lying beside him didn’t give him permission to act like they were back together, that two years apart hadn’t meant anything.
“Yours was the only name, the only number that came to mind when I woke. After...everything...you didn’t have to, but…thank you for coming.”
A hand reached out to touch his arm, sending a rush of warmth straight to his heart.
He raised his hand to clasp hers. Gently. Loosely. If she wanted to pull away, she could.
“I’m glad I came,” he whispered. God, he’d missed her more than he’d ever imagined one person could miss another.
Just because she let him hold her hand didn’t mean she wanted him back in her life permanently. Though it was a small gesture, he’d have to be satisfied. For now. Whatever he did, he had to take it slowly and let her set the pace. Or not.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Sleep. I’m here. You’ll be safe.”
“Yeah.” She yawned and then whispered so softly he wasn’t sure of her words. They sounded like, “But will you?”
Her body relaxed beside him, her hand going limp in his.
He continued to hold that hand, not wanting to lose the connection.
Her breathing became deep and steady.
Grant lay back, reveling in being so close to her after the two years she’d been gone from his life.
For two years, he’d tried to forget her and had failed miserably.
All the while, he’d worried about her safety, wondering when he’d get that call from his contact back in the FBI telling him she’d been discovered and killed as an example to others who’d dared to be disloyal to the organization.
Avery had survived.
She was back in his life for however long it might be. He’d have to make the most of it. If it was a second chance, he’d take it.
If not, he’d have to learn to live without her all over again.
Though Grant lay awake for a long time, he must have drifted off. He woke when the woman on the bed beside him moaned and thrashed in the sheets.
“Avery?” he whispered.
When she moaned again, he realized she was still asleep, possibly caught in a nightmare.
He reached out and gathered her close in his arms. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Wrapping his arms around her, he spooned her back to his front and held her close, pressing his lips to the drying tendrils of her hair, speaking soft, soothing words in a low, steady tone.
Avery settled back against him, laying her arm over his and pulling it closer to rest beneath her breasts. Her breathing steadied and grew slower and deeper as she sank into a deep sleep, free from the nightmares.
Afraid to move, Grant lay as still as possible, inhaling the scent of her shampoo and memorizing the feel of her soft skin against his.
If only he could freeze that moment in time.
It wasn’t an option.
A new day would dawn.
They had a job to do.
Feelings and hopes for the future had to go on hold until they caught the killer.