Page 246 of Silent Target

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“This isn’t about deserving.”

His eyes open.

“It’s about what we choose next.”

He kisses me again.

Slowly this time.

His fingers trace the line of my jaw, my throat, and the curve of my shoulder. Every touch asks a question.

Every time, I answer by moving closer.

I carefully remove his shirt.

Dark bruises cover his chest.

The bandage at his side remains clean.

I touch the uninjured skin above it.

“Tell me if I hurt you.”

“You couldn’t.”

“That sounded dangerously romantic.”

“I have hidden depths.”

I laugh softly. “Very hidden.”

His smile is rare enough to feel like a gift.

He lifts my shirt over my head.

Cool air touches my skin.

Then his hands replace it.

There is nothing hurried in the way he undresses me.

Nothing careless.

He looks at me as if memorizing every detail is another way to keep me safe.

When we finally lie down, he keeps his weight away from his injuries.

I move over him instead.

His breath catches.

“Your stitches,” I remind him.

“I’m not thinking about them.”

“Good.”