One month later…

Wanda sat in the lawn chair, arms folded with Hondo at her side as Brick changed the tire on the truck. “You know I could help,” she called. They were finally on the road to catch up with the Merry Circus tour—finally. A month post-surgery, and she moved slowly but she was healing. Regular exercise and lots of rest had been great for that, however, being babied was getting on her nerves.

“You’re helping just by sitting there and being beautiful.” Brick didn’t even look in her direction when he said it.

Glancing at Hondo, she said, “Wanna go for a walk?” He was already on his feet before she stood. “Hey,” she shaded her eyes and spotted ahead. “There’s a campground down that way, we should go ahead and park for the night.”

“We still have a few hours…or are you tired?” If not for the genuine worry in his tone, she might be aggravated.

“I’m fine, Brick. You change the tire then meet us down there,” she said, pointing toward the campground. “Hondo and I are going to take a walk.” Not waiting for his response, she set off. Understanding where his concern came from didn’t make it any easier to cope with—he was afraid. Fear did terrible things to people. She considered all her options as she and Hondo followed the uneven land down toward the dip in the land where other trailers were parked.

It looked like the road did a switch back, they were somewhere in the mountains on their way towards a small town in western Colorado. She wasn’t up to performing yet, she had at least another month before the doctors would give her clearance and then she’d have to start slow and build up her stamina. Two months off would take time to come back from much less after being shot in the back.

Thankfully, with all the witnesses, she wouldn’t need to testify at Jojo’s trial. There’d been talk he might be cutting a deal, and as long as the deal involved significant jail time, she was good with that. The past was the past, and she didn’t pretend to understand the psychotic delusion the pair had shared. They’d even given it some weird name where the two fed off each other and she’d somehow become their target.

It sounded like a pile of BS, but then the government had taken Jojo into custody and Wanda had her suspicions. Today, none of that worried her as much as Brick’s behavior. He’d been so great at the hospital and in the immediate aftermath. She’d wanted for nothing, but he wouldn’t take the next step.

She was crazy for him. Nuts. In love. Weird words, but they all applied. The need to leap with him drove her every day, but Brick held back. First he attributed it to her wound, then to her stamina, and then because he didn’t want to hurt her. Not that they’d talked about it in those terms specifically, but he eased away from kisses and halted it before they got to the good stuff.

“It’s infuriating,” she told Hondo, and blew out a breath as they reached the bottom. She was panting more than she should have, but she wasn’t sure if that was from a physical or emotional cause. Hell, she was frustrated waiting for him to…

Maybe that was it. The high-wire wasn’t for the faint of heart, and she’d always been perfectly ready to walk out, and dance on the line no matter what happened. Twisting, she glanced up the hill to see Brick had finished with the tire and was cleaning up.

They were going to camp here tonight. Just the two of them—well and Hondo, with her brand new trailer. Our brand new trailer. Decided, she pressed on and by the time he arrived, she was waiting.

“Let’s get everything locked down for the night.”

“Did you want to go get food?” There was the worry again. He was spending all of his time watching for landmines, and while she loved him for it—she needed him to be him again. He was so much more than her protector.

“We’ve got snacks. C’mon,” she said, curving her finger to beckon him. Striding ahead, she entered the trailer and pointed Hondo toward the sofa. “Go take a nap bud.”

He trotted off obediently, and she moved toward the big bed that took up a full third of the trailer. Since she had to buy a new one, she’d upgraded. So far, all they’d done was sleep in it. Today, that would change.

The door closed behind Brick and the latch dropped on the lock. Another thing she had to get used to, he locked doors behind them all the time now. He wanted to keep the world at arms length from her. If this persisted, her performing would make him crazy.

That would not do.

No sir, that would not do.

Toeing off her shoes, she nudged them aside before unbuttoning her shirt.

“Back bothering you?” Brick was there, his hands warm on her bare shoulders.

“Nope,” she said over her shoulder even as she unbuttoned her jeans. “You can do something for me.”

“Name it.” The adoration in his tone had her heart twisting. The man tied her up in knots in all the right ways.

“Get naked, please.” She stepped away from him and tugged her jeans down. The bra and panties weren’t exactly seductive lingerie, but they were more comfort than style. When she faced him, she found his gaze had gone hot and all her worries about pushing him went away.

Yeah, he still wanted her. Thank God.

“I don’t want…”

“Ah.” She held up a finger. “You say the words…hurt you…or strain you…or have you over do it, and we will have a fight. Got it?”

Brick considered her for a moment, then he stripped off his shirt, revealing rippling muscle and a taut build. Damn, that still did it for her.

“Better,” she complimented him, then reached an arm behind her to free the bra and winced. Dammit. Wrong arm. Before she could switch, Brick was there, arms around her and then he released her bra for her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he whispered. Cupping her jaw in his hand, he studied her. “Don’t think for an instant getting you into bed hasn’t been on my mind. I’m not a monk.”

“You pretend real well…” She spread her hands against his chest. “I adore you for taking care of me. Love how you cherish me…but I need to be more than a fragile being you’re protecting.”

When he glided his hands down to her ass, and then lifted her, she locked her thighs to his hips. “Sweetheart, you’re the reason I’m alive. Waiting a few months didn’t bother me.”

“Waiting a month has driven me crazy and you’re thinking a few more?” It didn’t come out a shriek, but damn close. The corners of his mouth curved and she growled. “Do you remember this?” Then she kissed him, the same way he’d kissed her that day. Only she didn’t have to coax his lips to part, they opened to her.

Pivoting, he sat on the bed with her in his lap. His tongue tangled with hers, and he hand a hand in her hair and another wrapped around her, holding her steady and safe.

When she finally lifted her head, she met his desire-filled gaze and smiled. “I figured out what it was for.”

“Yeah?” He eased the bra straps down and she had to drop her arms to let them fall away, and then her breasts were pressed against his chest.

“You love me.” Smug as hell, she grinned at him.

“Yes, ma’am.” Then he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You love me.”

“Oh yeah,” she exhaled the whisper. “I love you more than the high-wire.”

“That’s a hell of a compliment.” He teased his fingers along the seam of her panties. She returned the favor, gliding her hands beneath the waistband of his jeans.

“It’s a fact, and you’re still wearing too many clothes.”

“I have a feeling the minute these jeans come off, I’m not going to have the willpower to stop.”

“Brick…” She bit back any angry or resentful words, and inhaled some patience. “The first time you kissed me, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and then I stepped on a bomb that could have killed us both. You saved me.”

“Then you saved me, yes, sweetheart. I was there.”

Pressing two fingers to his lips, she silenced him. “Yes, you were. And the first time you saw me naked it was when you were having to help me shower, and use the restroom. Not exactly my finest hour.”

His expression softened. “Seriously,” he murmured, pulling her finger away. “You’re a badass warrior, fearless, and true. You saved my life by more than taking that woman out. You saved my life by being you. Putting a leash on the need to have sex, a very small price to pay.”

“Then unleash it, because I want you and the doctor told me a week ago that I was fine to resume normal activities.” She’d used the word vigorous, but she didn’t want to scare him off.

“On one condition.” He tightened his grip on her before rising and turning to slowly set her on the bed. “If anything, and I mean anything feels wrong—you tell me.” When he pressed her against the blanket then spread his hand against her abdomen everything in her melted. The desire in his gaze seemed matched only by the adoration in his voice. “I need to know it doesn’t hurt, clear?”

“Crystal,” she whispered. “Now get naked.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. He stripped his boots, then his jeans, then returned to her on the bed. The first brush of his lips against hers and she was lost. Maybe she’d been fearless her whole life because really—she’d had nothing to lose until him.

With steady hands, he glided his fingers along her sides. Contrary to what she believed, seeing her naked while he’d had to help her shower during her recovery hadn’t dimmed his need for her one bit. If anything, he wanted her more, loved her more. “You never give up,” he said softly. “Have I mentioned how you saved me?”

“A lot,” she replied, her voice a whisper. The ragged notes of emotion echoed his own.

“Good.” As much as he wanted her, and as much as she wanted to push him to show it, he wouldn’t allow anything to hurt her, least of all him. The skin around the exit wound was pink, and shiny. He checked it regularly, watching for signs of swelling or heat that might indicate infection.

Cupping her breast, he grinned at her sudden breath. Breathing had also been an issue, one she didn’t often list when she recounted the different ways she’d improved. He knew the sound of every inhale and exhale she made. The short panting ones meant she couldn’t get enough air. The first real, long exhale came out a relieved sigh. Then there were the ones in between…the ones where she worked on lung capacity.

“I’m not talking just about the dash across the wire.” His heart might never recover from the way she’d rocketed toward danger. “I mean making me laugh in the dark.” Gently, he caught her nipple between his teeth then sucked once. Her sharp inhale another reward. “How you challenged me with word games about the war between past and present…when you helped me see I don’t regret my choices.”

Freedom existed outside of regrets. Freedom to be himself again, warts and all as it were. Kissing a trail across her chest to her other breast, he savored the connect which seemed to fill him with every pulse of his heart. Her skin was smooth in places, rough around the injuries, deeply tanned, and yet bright pink—comfortable and yet new. Beautiful, and strong.

Rising, he teased his way along her throat even as he dipped a hand down to her hip. “When you reminded me that life has to be fought for, and every moment savored.” A gentle kiss to her earlobe, then a sigh as she began to free his jeans. “Even your impatience to capture the moment.”

Laughter bubbled from her cementing the last way she’d saved him. “Are you seducing me or tickling me?”

“Neither,” he promised, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “I’m loving you, every day, and I’m playing with you.” He wanted to add for the rest of his life, but so much of who they were had been a rush through a collection of quiet moments. He wanted to take his time in every stage.

Then he kissed her, sinking into the feeling of the woman wrapping herself around him. One hand braced against the bed, he didn’t let her bear his weight yet. A dance of touching, kissing, caressing, and teasing had him shaking before he took the time to strip away his jeans and claim a condom from his pocket. Despite what he’d said, he’d been ready for when she was.

Awareness of her injury ever present, he teased his way along her body, and then rolled them both onto their sides before settling her thigh against his hip. Gazes locked, he eased into her. The position forced him to go slow, to take his time even as it tested his control.

He hadn’t let her down on that platform and he wouldn’t now. Every stroke brought them closer and the world narrowed to the two of them. No words needed, they communicated through touch. She would hurry him, and he would slow her down. Demand became a gift, and patience a reward. When she came apart in his arms, he tumbled after.

On his back, he cradled her against him even as he played with the tangle of her hair. Moments like this were another part of the reason he loved her. She gave everything she was to what she did, she committed and pulled him into the dance. He wanted to be better for her, better for every experience.

“Clayton,” she murmured against his chest. She didn’t call him that much, not since he’d asked her to call him Brick.

“Hmm?” He trailed a finger down her arm. He wanted to check her back, but it would spoil the moment. So he’d wait five minutes, then make sure he hadn’t hurt her. Five minutes would be long enough.

“If that’s you holding back, I can’t wait to see what unleashed is going to feel like.” The laughter trembling beneath the words belied the quiet aplomb of her tone.

A beat. “Is that a challenge?”

She lifted her head and her eyes seemed to dance as she looked at him. “Oh yeah.”

Something settled in him, deep down where he’d held the part where he’d almost lost her too close. He’d fisted it, keeping his finger on the pressure trigger aware that at any moment she could slip through his fingers and be gone. Too many close calls, and then she’d been shot with him no more than a few feet away.

He wanted to keep her safe, a net against any future fall. To do that, he would have to clip her wings and that would be worse. Wrangling his Wanda meant letting her go, letting her be her and just loving her.

Committed, he spread his hand against her hip. “How’s your back?”

“Wonderful,” she whispered.

“Excellent.” He rolled her over and just before his lips locked on hers, he whispered, “Challenge accepted.”