“You love him, don’t you?” Rafe’s blunt question startled her.
She jerked her gaze to him. Was it really his business how she felt about Liam? Then again, Charlie Team acted as one. What happened to one of them happened to all of them.
“I’m not sure if I can say love. I mean, we just met in person. Do I care about him? Yes. A lot. But I’m not sure the feelings are reciprocated. Well, not to the same degree anyway.” She met each man’s gaze. One by one, they grinned at her. “What?”
Dax’s eyebrows rose. “Raven, that man loves you.”
Jade’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t know that.”
Boone snorted. “Really?”
She glared at him. “Do tell. Why do you think so?” Tiredness had mixed with the constant ache of her body, giving her little to no patience.
“We all have our stories that shaped us. As close as our team is, we don’t know all the details of each other’s pasts. Liam laid his heart out to you by giving you intimate details of a mission gone bad. And knowing the comms were open, he put aside his vulnerability to tell you.”
Boone’s words swirled in her mind. Liam had done that, hadn’t he?
“Please, whatever you do, don’t play with his heart,” Dax pleaded.
“I have no intention of hurting him.” Jade’s concern centered around Liam ripping her heart out once he realized he couldn’t deal with her brokenness. No, the risk ran in the opposite direction.
“Stop that.”
She jolted at Rafe’s command. “Stop what?”
“Those thoughts running through your head.”
How had he known what she was thinking? Liam had that uncanny ability. Did they all have the same skill? “Do all you guys read minds?”
Dax chuckled, and Boone snorted.
“Hardly. But it’s not difficult to see where you went mentally.” Rafe said.
Wonderful. Even her thoughts weren’t private.
Since the first mission she’d worked with Liam, they’d connected in a way she couldn’t explain.
The plane grew quiet, and Raven dozed. Dreams and nightmares intermixed. But Liam’s confident face took centerstage.
A small bump of turbulence woke her. Her gaze drifted to Liam.
He stared at her, eyes half open.
She unbuckled and knelt next to him. “Are you feeling better?”
“A bit,” he whispered and closed his eyes. “Headache.”
“Can I get you something for it?” She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead.
“Please.”
When she stood to request the medicine, she found Boone digging through the medical duffel bag.
“Here.”
She took the packet and grabbed a water bottle from a stash in the galley. She handed Liam the tablets. “Take these.”
“Thanks.” The fact that he did so without complaint spoke volumes.
