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The soft squeezing against his hand jerked his gaze down, and he saw a thin slit of green through Grace’s swollen eyes.
“Sorry.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and he leaned down, his hand touching her brow in comfort. “It was my fault.”
“No, sweetheart,” he said. “It was mine. But I’ve got you now, Grace. And I promise I won’t let go. No matter what happens.”
Her grip grew surprisingly strong just as she said, “Please don’t make me go to a hospital.” Then her hand went slack in his, and she was out cold again.
He sighed and bent to pick her up again. It was a shame he was going to have to disappoint her so soon. She was going to be mad as hell when she woke and saw the hospital was exactly where he’d taken her.
ChapterTwenty-Three
Four Weeks Later…
Grace felt the pull and stretch of every muscle in her body as she upped the speed on the treadmill one more time. Her hair was dampened with sweat, and the black sports bra and shorts she wore were soaked through. She knew Gabe was watching her from his own workout in the corner of the small room that had been designated as a gym. He’d done nothing but watch her the last few weeks.
The safe house was on the opposite side of town from headquarters, almost an hour away, and they didn’t have all the comforts of the other building. Or the security. Not that security had done them much good before.
The safe house wasn’t in a good part of town. The building had an outside appearance of being nothing more than an abandoned brownstone with rotting wood and chinks missing from the mortar. But outward appearances were often deceiving, and the core of the building was strong and secure. It was three levels, and they weren’t afforded nearly the privacy they’d had at headquarters. There was a common living area on the second floor, and Gabe had opened the walls and put the control room there as well, so it was just one big space.
Jack and Logan slept in the rooms on the first floor, and Ethan pretty much slept with his computers. That left the top floor for Gabe and Grace.
Gabe had barely taken his eyes off her for the last month. He’d barely spoken to her either. Not to mention he’d made it very clear that making love was out of the question. She’d had no choice but to push her body past its limits once she was able to get out of bed, or she’d try to kill him.
The cuts and bruises had healed over the past weeks. Only a light discoloration decorated her shoulders and back. And while her body had been healing, she’d had time to think as well. It was hard to admit that she’d been headed down the path of self-destruction. She’d disappointed her team and Gabe, but worst of all, she’d disappointed herself. She knew what she had to do. And she knew she needed to make Gabe listen. Because she needed him to be her support—her strength—through this. She hadn’t been ready to accept his help when he’d first found her in Colombia. But she was ready now.
She slowed the machine to cool-down mode and grabbed a towel off the rail to dry her face. Gabe turned his attention back to the weights he was lifting when he saw her watching him, pretending he hadn’t just spent the last hour scrutinizing her every move.
“Gabe,” she said, waiting patiently until his gaze met hers.
He didn’t stop his reps, and she accepted the slow curl of lust that spread through her as his muscles bulged with every movement. His body was a finely crafted instrument, and she never got tired of knowing that it belonged to her, scars and all. He finally met her eyes, but his expression was shuttered.
“You don’t need to push yourself so hard, Grace.”
“I’m fine. And I need to push myself as much as possible. You know it’s only a matter of time until we hear Kimball has scheduled the auction.”
He went back to his workout, trying to dismiss her as he’d done so many times in the last few days. He didn’t want her thinking about Kimball. As far as he was concerned, she needed to stay tucked in bed until the entire mission was over.
“It’s time to talk, Gabe. No more excuses. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
She hurried out of the gym before Gabe could try to stop her or insist she wasn’t strong enough. They were going to get things worked out between them. And then they were going to make love because she honestly didn’t think she could stand the torture of being so close to him and not having him a second longer.
Since Gabe had rescued her, she’d had no choice but to share his room because it had been easier for him to take care of her. There was a spare bedroom on the top floor, but the thought of going back to her own living space wasn’t as appealing as it had once been. He’d stopped sharing the bed with her once she’d been up and moving around on her own. It was damned irritating.
She used his shower, the smell of his soap and shampoo a comfort as she rubbed it across her skin. The hot water beat down on her tired muscles, but also made her aware of how sensitive her skin was to any kind of touch.
She turned the water off with a flick of her wrist and stepped out onto the mat. Her gun was just where she’d left it on the back of the toilet seat, and she grabbed a towel off the rack and dried off quickly. Gabe never made any sound when he moved, but she knew he was out there, waiting for her.
She dressed in soft cotton pants and a tank top. The best she could do with her hair was to brush the tangles out and let it air-dry. She grabbed her gun and carried it with her into the small living area they’d been sharing.
He stood in the kitchen with his back to her, wearing a threadbare gray T-shirt and old jeans. His hair was damp from his own shower, and he measured coffee as efficiently as he did everything else.
“What’s this all about, Grace? I need to get down to the control room and talk to Ethan.”
She put her gun on the table and went to him in the kitchen since he was determined to make this as difficult as possible.
“I need to say what I have to say,” she said. “And I need you to listen.” She saw his quick nod, even though he kept his back to her.
Her throat was suddenly dry, and she wasn’t quite sure where to start. How to start.
