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All three of us at Blade and Arrow headquarters? Questions start spinning through my head. “Is it safe? What if someone tries to burn it down? Or shoot at it? And what about Laila? She shouldn’t be taken out of her home. If anything, I should stay there. Unless… do you think this person will come after you? Are you in danger?”
A tiny smile plays at Ben’s lips. “Thea, relax a little. I’ll answer all of your questions.”
Chagrined, I press my lips shut, flushing.
“Stop, sweetheart.” He dips his head, lightly kissing me. “I’m not upset you have questions. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“So, Blade and Arrow is extremely safe. There’s no way anyone is getting to you there. There’s security everywhere. Not to mention, you’ll have former Green Berets protecting you.”
“And you.” I can’t ever let him forget that. And he did protect me. Ben saved my life today.
“And me.” Ben kisses me again, his lips lingering longer this time. One hand moves to my nape, his fingers gently massaging and soothing away some of my pain. “As for Laila, she’ll love it. We’ll pack up tons of her toys, she’ll have her own bedroom at the apartment, and it’ll be like an adventure for her.”
“You really don’t think she’ll be upset?”
“No, sweetheart. I don’t.” Ben leans closer, his face inches from mine, his gaze so soft and affectionate it makes my heart ache. “And there is no question of us coming with you. I love you, Thea. I know this isn’t the most romantic time, but I need you to know. I love you, and I am going to be by your side, supporting you.”
“You love me?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. I do. I have. I kept waiting for the right time, but how can there be a wrong time to tell you?”
Oh. How is it possible to go from devastation to such happiness? Everything else slips away—my concussion, the meeting, all the nagging thoughts and fears—and all that’s left is Ben. Loving me.
“I love you, too.” Ben exhales, and I realize he was nervous. Nervous that I didn’t feel the same way. But I do.
Gazing into his eyes, I continue. “I started falling in love with you when you came to visit me the first time. And you were so sweet, and you took care of me, and I just knew. All those months I had a crush on you—”
Ben perks up. “You had a crush on me?”
“Yes. I looked forward to you coming to the library every week. You were so handsome and nice, and you’re such a good dad… I didn’t think it would happen, but I… I hoped.”
“Ah, Thea.” He cups my cheek, and the look in his eyes is so much more than affection. “I think I knew as soon as I let you in, you’d be there to stay. I was scared, after everything. But it’s not scary. Loving you is the most incredible feeling.”
“I know. It’s the best feeling in the world.” As I snuggle against him, another thought strikes me. Sticking out my lower lip, I pout at Ben. “We should be having I-love-you sex. And I can’t yet.”
His eyes go dark, but it’s not with concern this time. It’s desire.
“Oh, Thea. I promise, I’ll make it up to you. As soon as you’re ready, we’ll have lots of I-love-you sex.” He pauses, his voice going low and rough. “And we’ll do your fantasy, too. Have I mentioned I have my own? About a sexy librarian?”
Oh. OH. I grin back at him. “I think that’s a fantastic idea.”
Chapter 17
BEN
“Thea, do you want to do our nails together?”
Laila bounces into the living room, a bottle of nail polish in each hand. She beelines for Thea and plops down on the couch beside her. Her voice is pitched high with enthusiasm as she continues, “We can do every other finger. So one will be pink glitter, and the next will be purple. I think it’ll be really pretty.”
Thea almost hides her wince; quickly smiling to cover it. In a much lower tone, she says, “That’s a great idea, Laila. It will be really pretty.”
I’ve spoken to Laila about letting Thea rest and trying to be extra quiet, but I think it’s a losing battle.
With the excitement of living in a new place, coupled with Thea now being around all the time, it’s been a struggle the last two days to get Laila to settle down. Which wouldn’t be a problem in normal circumstances, but with Thea still recovering from her concussion, I worry.
“Do you think we could do stripes?” Laila inspects her nails with the intensity of a surgeon. “Or polka dots? Or—” She jerks her head up to look at Thea. “Could we do both? That would be so pretty.”
