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What did it mean?
What exactly did it mean?
She couldn’t even begin to grasp the ramifications or the reasons why. Before the last year, she would have said she was an attractive enough woman. Did any woman truly consider herself beautiful? But Grace hadn’t had any serious esteem issues. She was just shy and awkward when it came to any sort of personal relationship.
Growing up as she and Shea had done, there’d never been any opportunity for Grace to have friendships or an eventual boyfriend, much less an involved relationship.
But in the last year, she’d lost a lot of her strength. Her tone. The fitness regimen she’d always adhered to had no doubt saved her because had she not been as strong as she was going in, she wouldn’t have been strong enough to survive the unimaginable.
She was thinner now. Worn. Fear and fatigue seemed to surround her. Men weren’t attracted to timid little mice, were they? They at least wanted someone who was stable and not a complete head case who’d tried to kill herself and was sorry she hadn’t been able to.
Besides all that, how could she or he even entertain the thought of any sort of…well, anything!
Rio caressed the sides of her face. “I didn’t say all that to frighten you, Grace. Subtle and tactful are two things I’ve never been accused of. I’m blunt and I don’t like or play games. This is the only way I know how to be, so I’m sorry if that makes you uneasy. ”
She didn’t even have a response for that. What could she possibly say anyway?
He feathered another kiss over her lips and then solved the issue of what the hell she was supposed to say back to him by turning her toward the path leading to the falls.
“We should get back. While it’s safe here, I still don’t want to leave you exposed for long periods of time. I want you to work on the things we talked about, though. Try meditation and the mental exercises I gave you. Keep working at reestablishing the path between you and your sister. It’ll come in time. ”
She tugged on his hand to make him stop his progress around the back of the falls. When he turned with an inquisitive look on his face, she leaned up on tiptoe and initiated her own kiss.
It was shy, awkward and not nearly as toe curling as Rio’s had been. In fact, she couldn’t back up fast enough once she’d brushed her lips across his.
But he didn’t seem to mind her obvious inexperience at all. His expression went from surprise to utter satisfaction.
“Thank you,” she said in a grave tone.
He lifted a brow in question.
“For everything. ” She swept her arm out toward the falls and the surrounding area. “For this. For understanding. For risking so much to save me. For wanting to help me and not believing the worst or judging me for the things I’ve done. I don’t even know how to express the gratitude I feel, but it’s more than that and I don’t have the words to explain to you what all I feel. I just want—need—you to know that. ”
“Do you know what I need you to know?” Rio asked solemnly.
She wrinkled up her browy trill don and cocked her head to the side. “What?”
He touched her nose with the tip of his finger. “I need you to know how special you are, Grace Peterson. I think you haven’t believed that in a long time. Maybe you never believed it. But I see it, and now I want you to see it too. ”
It was simply too much. How he could reach inside her and see what it was she needed the most? Someone to believe in her. Someone who wasn’t trying to use her. Someone who thought she was special, not because of her powers, but because…because she was simply Grace Peterson.
“I’m going to kiss you again,” she whispered.
His eyes darkened and he went still. He reached for her hand, twining his fingers with hers. “By all means, I’m at your mercy. ”
Tentatively, she leaned into him until her breasts brushed against his chest as she rose up on tiptoe. But then his hands closed around her waist, slipped down over the curve of her behind, and he leaned down to meet her.
She kissed him once, but was unsatisfied with the brief contact. She wanted more. She wanted to explore this time. Before, he’d done it all and she’d stood there, stunned and overwhelmed by the intensity.
This time she wanted it slow, lingering. She wanted to taste him. Take her time and enjoy the intimacy of being so close, his hands on her body.
She kissed him again, this time leaving her lips pressed to his. Nervously she ran the tip of her tongue over the seam of his mouth. His lips immediately parted, coaxing her inward.
He kept still, seemingly content to allow her to take the lead. He held her steady, his hands still resting possessively on her bottom, but he didn’t move. Not even a muscle as she continued her gentle exploration of his mouth.
Gaining confidence and feeling a little bolder, she reached up, wanting to run her fingers through his hair. It was loose today and not tied back in a ponytail at his nape.
It was long and silky, just brushing the tops of his shoulders. There was a slight wave to it, only enough to make it unruly, but it was far from being actually curly.
She let the strands slide through her fingers and then she finally got the courage to let her hands drop to his chest. The skin rippled beneath her fingers as his muscles flexed and rolled. His broad shoulders seemed to quiver, and his breathing changed from the even calm to a more sporadic, rapid staccato.
Slowly, she pulled away but he didn’t relinquish his hold on her. He kept his hands molded to her behind, and he reclaimed the step she’d taken back.
“I like when you take advantage of me,” he said with a slight grin. “Feel free to do it again anytime you get the urge. ”
Her cheeks went instantly hot and she ducked her head.
He chuckled and released his hold, his fingers gliding over her hips before finally dropping to his sides. Then he lifted one hand again, tipping a finger under her chin and gently forcing her head upward again.
“You’re mine,” he repeated again. “We’re going to get there, Grace. Where ‘there’ is, I’m not altogether sure yet, but we’re going to get there together. ”
Gathering every ounce of the courage she’d thought was long gone, she slowly nodded, feeling like she’d just taken on the world.
His eyes glowed with a savage light. They gleamed in triumph, and his smile was one of complete satisfaction. It was the look of the victor in a hard-fough
t battle. Only she hadn’t been a difficult conquest.
Whatever this was between them. Whatever the dangers e dor they faced. Whatever happened tomorrow. Today, they were bound by a nearly silent agreement. A bond that perhaps had formed even before they’d met and most assuredly had been cemented when he’d pulled her back from the brink of death.
What mattered was that right now she wasn’t alone. She was no longer running blindly and scared out of her mind. It was time to take a stand, and this man would be there beside her.
How could she lose?
CHAPTER 20
“WHAT do we do, Rio?” Grace asked from her perch on the couch.
She was settled in the corner, sitting cross-legged and surrounded by plump pillows. It was her nest, one she’d burrowed into and had no desire to leave anytime soon.
The others filtered through periodically. Diego had gone for a swim and Grace had gotten quite a view of the man in swim trunks. From the looks of him, he maintained a tight fitness regimen. Not that the other men could ever be considered lacking in the physique department, but Diego was…He was beautiful to look at.
Terrence had ambled through after Diego, wearing a muscle shirt and gym shorts. Her eyes had bugged at the huge tree trunks he had for arms. Hell, his muscles had muscles. He didn’t walk so much as he swaggered and not from innate cockiness. No, the man was simply so big that he just sort of swayed when he moved.
Decker, Alton and Browning were on patrol, or so Diego had thrown out when he’d passed
through the kitchen.
Rio looked up from where he stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables on a cutting board. It was amazing how this badass warrior looked so comfortable doing such domestic things like puttering around the kitchen. And one thing she’d quickly noticed was that he was meticulous in his care of all of his things. Whether it was a towel hanging correctly in the bathroom or fingerprints being wiped from the refrigerator.
He never let anything just sit out. Furthermore, it was as if he had his men trained according to his expectations because they carried their weight. The team reminded her of a well-oiled machine. Smooth. Seamless. Almost as if they read one another’s minds.
The thought made her smile. Maybe they were the ones with telepathy. Wouldn’t that be a kick?
“Grace?”
She blinked and refocused on Rio, who was staring expectantly at her. It was obviously not the first time he’d said her name, judging by the look on his face. While she’d been analyzing him and his men, he’d been trying to get her attention.
“There you are,” he said when she found his gaze.
She flushed. “Sorry. What did you say?”
He shook his head in amusement. “You asked me what we were going to do. I merely asked what you were referring to. ”
She frowned a moment, not really remembering what her point had been. But then as she reflected on all she’d observed with his men and the fact that everything seemed so ordinary and everyday, she realized that was the point.
She waved a hand, gesturing around the room as if somehow that would signify her thoughts. “I was asking what we do. Now, I mean. We left the U. S. We came here. What now? When do I see Shea? You mentioned safe, but will I ever be safe? As much as I appreciate what you and your team have done—I’ll never forget—you can’t keep me here forever in some bubble. You have a life. I don’t have much of one, but one day I’d like to. ”
Rio walked around the counter. She thought he was going to come over to where she saunimame, judgt, but he simply leaned his back against the bar, thumbs tucked into his jeans pockets as he studied her.
“It’s a good question. I’m not entirely certain yet. ”
Her brow furrowed. That hadn’t been what she thought he would say. But then he hadn’t lied to her. Not once. He hadn’t shielded her from the truth no matter how harsh it may be. He didn’t offer false hope and he didn’t talk around issues.
She hugged one of the pillows to her chest and leaned forward until her chin rested atop the harder edge of the cushion. “Are we leaving again?”
Somehow the thought of leaving this place made her anxiety level rise sharply. Which was stupid considering she’d been there less than twenty-four hours. But she felt safe here. And safe hadn’t been a word she could use to describe her feelings in a long damn time. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be able to relax her guard for five minutes.
Rio shook his head. “No. At least not yet. I have some feelers out. I’m calling in a few favors. Right now what I know is that Titan is after you. I warned Sam so he could make sure that Shea is safe and they’re prepared for anything. ”
Her brows came together in a scrunch. “Sam. He’s your boss, right? The one who kind of runs KGI? Isn’t he Nathan’s older brother?” And then a completely unrelated thought occurred to her. It blindsided her and momentarily paralyzed her.
She glanced up at Rio, her fingers knotted into tight balls. “Is Shea married already? You said she and Nathan were together. That he loved her. ”
The idea of having missed her sister’s wedding was more than she could bear. It took everything she had not to break down into a torrent of tears. The only thing holding her back was the knowledge that if she started, there would be no stopping. It would be the last straw. Further proof that she and Shea led completely separate lives now.
This time Rio did move to the couch where Grace sat. He eased down, brushing her knees with his thigh. He took one of her hands and gently uncurled her fingers. Then he reached over, slid his hand up her cheek and brushed his thumb across the corner of her eye as if checking for tears. The movement forced her to look up again and meet his gaze.
“She wouldn’t get married without you,” he said in a low voice. “You’re all she’s thought about. She went back to that damn house you had no business going back to because she knew you’d been there, knew you were in trouble, and she would have done anything to save you.
“She felt guilty because she was in a safe place, surrounded by people who cared about her, and she had no idea where you were. If you were scared and alone. Hurting or in danger. She reached for you constantly. When I volunteered to lead my team to find you, she begged me to keep you safe. All she wants is you home. With her. ”
Tears burned but she smiled through the anguish, knowing too well how fierce Shea was when it came to people she loved. Shea had been so protective, though Grace was the older by a year. But in a lot of ways Shea was more…Grace wasn’t sure what word she was searching for. The events of the last year had changed Shea dramatically. She was no longer the sweet, naïve, soft woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly. She was harder and more cynical, and Grace had worried endlessly over those changes.