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Her heart rate tripled in response to that familiar baritone.
"Can I come up, please?"
Her hands shook from nerves while she waited for the knock on her door. Taking a few calming breaths, she walked to the door and gave herself a moment to savor the sight of him. He was dressed in faded jeans, a heather gray sweater, well worn biker boots and his leather jacket. He was a sight but he looked tired with purple smudges under his eyes.
"Come in," she whispered as she held the door open wider. When he stepped into the room, his scent immediately surrounded her and she couldn't help closing her eyes and taking it in.
"We need to talk, Quinn."
She noticed, in the light of her room, that he wasn't just tired, he was exhausted.
"We can talk later, Gabriel, you need to sleep."
He started to protest but she reached for him and pulled his jacket down his arms and dropped it on the back of the chair. She took his hand and led him to the bed.
"Please. You look like you're going to drop. When was the last time you slept?"
His grin was boyish before he replied, "I don't remember."
She bunched his sweater in her hands and lifted it over his head. She wanted to press her lips to him but she took a step back. He needed sleep.
"Sleep. We'll talk when you wake."
Gabriel shucked off his jeans and climbed under the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was sound asleep. Quinn took a seat, holding his sweater to her chest, and watched over him.
He had arrived at the Shelbourne at four in the morning but it was too early to go to Quinn so he sat in the lounge too wired to sleep. As soon as the clock struck eight, he was dialing her room from the courtesy phone at the concierge desk. He felt relief and love wash over him when he heard the sound of her voice over the line.
And when he finally saw her, he didn't miss her reaction: she had missed him as much as he had her, but she was nervous, hesitant, and he understood why.
Knowing she was safe, that she was within arms reach, the adrenaline he'd been living on for the past week faded as exhausted swamped him. He felt every one of the days from the past week where he hadn't slept more than an hour or two. He wanted to talk with her but he couldn't seem to hold onto a thought. When she told him to sleep, he almost wept in gratitude, but when she reached for him and pulled his sweater over his head another emotion stirred to life.
He was exhausted, yes, but wanting her trumped everything else so he stood completely still, didn't even breathe as he waited to see what she would do. It was disappointment he felt when she took a step away from him even as his body cried out for sleep.
"Sleep. We'll talk when you wake."
Her softly spoken order was all it took for him to tug off his jeans and climb into bed seconds before he fell fast asleep.
When he woke, he had no idea how long he slept and he was worried that she left him again but when he sat up, there she was sitting on the chair watching him.
"What time is it?"
"Just after two in the afternoon."
He'd never slept that long before which only proved how sleep deprived he'd been. He pulled a hand through his hair as his eyes stayed fixed on hers and then she asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Aye."
She reached for the phone to call room service. He watched her, starved for the sight of her, her delicate hands, the way her throat moved when she spoke, the curve of her cheek and line of her jaw. God, he had missed her. And he had to right his wrongs.
"You found the ring."
"Yes."
"I should have told you but I just didn't know how you would take it."
"Tell me now."
He walked to his jacket and pulled out a ring box before walking over and handing it to her. He saw her confusion but he simply said, "Open it."
