The next three days flew by in a new routine. Bianca got stronger every day, but not at the pace she would have liked. She enjoyed having Kate around, but it was weird befriending both her and Graham so that by the end of day one, she knew them both better than she had after working with them an entire year.

Neither of them knew her story, and that made it even easier. They didn’t look at her with sorrow. They simply laughed off her personality shift by saying everyone on the team had awoken to find themselves feeling like a different person.

Bianca insisted on exercising more than recommended, wanting desperately to get on her feet. Literally.

Kate and Grayson took turns helping her stretch and then giving her exercises to do to improve her fine motor skills. By the end of the third day with the Kobricks, Bianca could easily stand on her own and even dress herself in less than ten minutes.

Graham had left her totally in the dust, and because of his persistence, he and Kate were heading back to the bunker. They had a mission that scared the crap out of Bianca and made their entire situation seem far more real than she’d allowed herself to consider.

The hacker, Spencer, had been ordered by Blue Cell to delete the data from the mainframe, and Graham’s mission was to save it. It was unsettling how much Spencer knew about all of them. She’d been assured by everyone that he was on their side, but part of her didn’t trust how much information he was privy to. He even knew who was being targeted and in what order. At the moment, according to Spencer, Grayson and Bianca were not on the radar.

Nevertheless, Bianca finally understood the severity of their situation. This was serious. She needed to get in the game and find a way to help. Everyone on her team and several people from the new team were working tirelessly to figure out who was working with Blue Cell to jeopardize their mission and why.

After Kate and Graham drove away, Bianca felt a void. It had been nice having them around for three days. Eliza and Jerry were wonderful hosts, but they didn’t fully understand what it was like to awaken after ten years of hibernation.

Grayson did, though, and he was still by her side. She continued to fear she was holding him back.

“You should have gone with them,” she said for the tenth time that morning.

They were on the beautiful wraparound porch. He shot her a glare as he turned around to lean against the railing, crossing his arms as he stared her down. She was sitting on the porch swing, not quite strong enough to have managed the stairs as the rest of them hugged Kate and Graham by the car. She needed to feel grateful that she could hold her head up, walk tentatively to get outside, and even push the swing now and then with her toes. Baby steps.

“When are you going to let that go?”

She shrugged. “Never. I’m holding you back, and you know it.”

“You’re doing nothing of the sort, so stop with the pity party.”

Her mouth fell open.

“That’s right. I know you well enough to realize your life goal is to keep your secrets close to your heart so no one will look at you with pity. So, stop thinking about yourself in such pitiful terms.” He shoved off the railing and closed the distance between them in two strides.

She inched back as he set his hands on the back of the swing next to her shoulders, steadying it and forcing her to look at him. “I’m not feeling sorry for myself,” she insisted.

“Aren’t you?” He lifted a brow. “Not one of us has jumped back on our feet as quickly as Graham, so I want you to stop comparing yourself to him. I’m not sure he’s even human. You’re right on track with the stages the rest of us went through.”

She nodded. “But I am strong enough for you to have left me here and gone with them to the bunker. I know you’re itching to help out, and I’m dead weight,” she repeated.

“And yet, you’re wrong. Turns out, I enjoy your company, now that I know you’re capable of speech and human interaction,” he teased with a slight lift of his mouth.

She rolled her eyes, but he was more correct than he knew. It was shocking even to her how she’d changed and opened up to other people. Did it have something to do with a chemical change in her brain from the preservation? Or was her personality shift a product of knowing her secrets were out, and it would only be a matter of time before people asked her about it?

In a way, she felt lighter. The burden of carrying such a heavy secret was enormous. Even though she hadn’t spoken a word yet about her childhood, Grayson could guess the gist, and that alone was huge.

Grayson slid onto the bench next to her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her head down to rest against him. He gave them a shove, and the swing started moving. Then he spoke again. “We all have jobs. All of them are important. Mine is to keep you safe and get you healthy. Now that you’re able to do more on your own, I’m going to start helping Ryan and Dade from behind the scenes. We have a laptop. We have internet.”

She tipped her head back and found him looking down at her.

“I’m not leaving you, so get over it.”

She nodded, a knot forming in her throat that was becoming a part of her body lately. Grayson was always there for her. Every day. Attentive. He brought her meals, carried her from room to room, ensured she had a blanket or a drink or a book. He was so regularly kind that she often choked up. “Thank you.”

Later that night, Grayson was lying in bed, his computer in his lap, when Bianca entered the room. She wasn’t wearing scrubs. In fact, she had on a loose T-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts.

She slid between the covers before propping up on her elbow and meeting his gaze. “I’m not an invalid anymore. There are four bedrooms in this wing of the house. You could even move to the master suite now if you want.”

He closed the computer, set it on the nightstand, and turned off the light. Then he reached for her slight frame and hauled her against his side, wrapping one arm around her body so that she rested her cheek on his chest, her body lined up with his. “I could, but I don’t want to.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really. You’re not a burden. I like this. I like being with you.”

She blew out a long breath and paused for what felt like an eternity, as if she were weighing something. Finally, she said, “Okay.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

Thank you, God. He’d worried about this confrontation for a few days, wondering when and if she might point out those very facts. He hadn’t been sure how he would handle the situation, but he did know he had no intention of moving to another room.

He took the liberty of stroking his fingers up and down her arm. This relationship was odd and unconventional. Anyone watching them together would have to assume they were a couple. And frankly, Grayson found himself pretending exactly that most of the time.

But they weren’t a couple. They were close friends. Or something… He wasn’t quite sure. As long as he kept things platonic, she didn’t panic, but he knew if he even suggested taking their relationship to another level, she would freak out. So he would wait, but he wouldn’t give her an inch of space. Not even in bed. In fact, it was a huge step just to haul her into his arms.

She flattened her small hand on his waist, speaking the words he never wanted to hear, as if she’d read his mind. “I can’t give you more than this small piece of me, Grayson.”

“Did I ask for more?”

“Not in words.”

He smiled. She was astute. “Touché.”

“I’m not kidding. I get the impression you think you might wear me down. But you won’t. I’m not relationship material.”

He paused his stroking. “What does that even mean?”

“It means I’m way too guarded to ever fully open up to anyone. It means you’re wasting your time if you think I’ll give in one day and let you get closer to me.”

“You’re closer to me right now,” he pointed out, not hiding the slight mirth in his voice. And you’re wearing shorts. He shocked himself every time he managed to remain completely calm while she rebuked him over and over. He had no idea what battle he was waging, but he did know he was up for the challenge.

They were living in intense circumstances. Now was not the time to attempt to convince a woman to let him get between her legs. Especially not this woman. Instinctively he knew the man she would let close to her would be for life. And he was nowhere near ready to make that sort of commitment to anyone. But he could keep her close and let things develop at their own pace.

What he knew for sure was that she enjoyed his company as much as he did hers. And that was enough for now.

She set her chin on his chest, facing him, even though he could hardly make out her features. He noticed she always relaxed a bit more when the lights were out. Figured.

He’d considered asking Damon just how bad these scars of hers were, in case he ever found himself in the position to actually see them. But for some reason, that felt like cheating. She would share what she wanted to share on her time. And besides, he knew nothing about her physical appearance would ever make a difference to him. It was what was in her heart that mattered. And, from what she’d let him see, her heart was beautiful.

“If I’m leading you on, I’ll move to my side of the bed.”

He chuckled and held her tighter. “You’re not leading me on.” He was wearing shorts too, and he was super aware of her sweet leg against his every time she moved even an inch. “Sleep.” He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. Another bold move. He had no idea what the hell he was thinking, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking every inch she gave him.

For a long time he lay awake listening to her breathe, loving the way she put her trust in him. It might seem like something small, but to him it was huge. And he would not take a risk of ruining it.

They needed to talk, though. About other things. About their next move. About the plans he had running through his head. He wondered how she would react to his ideas. He had a primary suggestion and a backup plan. If she didn’t go for the first, the second would seem far more attractive to her than if he presented it on its own. Deceptive? Perhaps. Or maybe more like resourceful.