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Chapter 32
Gideon watched the sheriff walk away, then turned to Alex. “Do you feel up to stopping at the safe house and picking up our stuff? There’s a lot of money in your bags. I’m not comfortable leaving it there. And Trotter’s files are there, too. Everyone wants those, but I’ll need them to prove Kramer is corrupt.”
When Alex didn’t answer immediately, he said, “Or I can ask Nico, Brynn or Spence to retrieve our belongings, if you want.”
She studied him for a long moment, and he saw the exhaustion in her eyes. But she straightened and said, “Let’s go pick everything up ourselves. It won’t take long, and then no one has to worry about it.”
“Okay. Let me talk to Brynn. We’ll take one of the Suburbans and they can take the other one.”
On the way back to the cabin, Alex rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. He shouldn’t have suggested they return to the cabin, he realized with a wave of guilt. He should have gotten Alex back to the compound, then returned by himself.
“Stop it,” she said without opening her eyes.
“Stop what?”
“Beating yourself up about delaying getting me back to the compound,” she answered, opening her eyes and glancing over at him. “You’re thinking very loudly over there.”
Gideon sighed. “I should have taken you home. Let you take it easy while I went back for our stuff.”
“It’ll only take a few minutes to pack,” Alex said, resting her head on the seat back as she studied him. “Ten minutes? Fifteen, max, to make sure the fire’s out and everything’s in order. So we’ll get back a couple hours later than we would have.” She shrugged. “No big deal. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving the money or the files there, either.”
Gideon studied the dark circles beneath her eyes. Noticed the tiny flinch whenever he bumped over a pothole on the highway. She’d had a hell of a day and needed some down time. “Go ahead and fall asleep,” he said. “I can pack everything when we get to the cabin.”
Her mouth curved in a tiny smile. “You a perv or something? You want to play with my underwear?”
He laughed, the crush of anxiety and worry easing in his chest. “Only if you’re wearing it,” he said.
Her smile grew. “That can be arranged.”
But she did close her eyes as the Suburban droned over the asphalt of the highway. When he turned onto the driveway for the cabin, the bumpy ride roused her. She sat up and looked around. “We’re there already?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I put the Suburban into airborne mode. Took a lot less time.”
“Wish I’d seen that,” she said. “Maybe you can do it again on the way back to the compound.”
“No can do,” he said, shooting her a smile. “Top secret technology. Available only to authorized personnel.”
She flashed him a smile, then shifted to look out the window as they approached the cabin. “Let’s get this done and get back to the compound.”
“We will.”
When he rolled to a stop in front of the cabin, he jumped out and hurried around to the other side and opened the passenger door. Took Alex’s right hand, snugged his other hand around her waist and eased her onto the packed-down snow. Then he twined their fingers to help her over the bumps as they walked to the door.
Once inside, he closed the door and wrapped his arms around her. Held her tightly against him as he inhaled her orangey scent, mixed with the fresh air and pine from the mountains. “God, Alex, I was terrified the whole time you were facing down those Russians. Couldn’t stop thinking of all the ways it could have gone wrong.” He touched the bandage on her forehead, then pressed his mouth to hers.
He wanted to show her everything he felt. All he wanted. But he lost himself in the kiss, focusing only on her taste. The way she moved against him. The urgency of her tongue, dancing with his.
Every molecule in his body screamed at him to lift her into his arms. Carry her to the bed and spend hours making love with her. Showing her how he felt about her.
Instead, he opened his eyes. Broke off their kiss. His chest heaving, his body aching for Alex, he said, “Let’s get our stuff together and get out of here. Get back to the compound, where I can take my time and worship you. Show you how happy I am that you made it through that ordeal.”
She cupped her hands around his face and gave him one last kiss. “I like that plan,” she murmured against his lips. “Like it a lot.”
“Get started packing your stuff, and I’ll make sure the fireplace is closed down. I’ll check the stove and turn off the water. Drain all the pipes. Then I’ll get my own stuff together.”
“Got it,” she said, hurrying toward her bed. She began to lift her suitcase onto the bed, but he stopped her. Lifted it for her.
“And please let me put it on the floor for you,” he said. “I don’t want you hurting that arm.”
