Chapter Twenty-Two

Reid’s arm had fallen asleep at least thirty minutes ago, but he was afraid to move it in case it woke Autumn. So he lay there on the hotel bed with his daughter’s back spooned up against his front, still drinking in the miracle of having her back safe.

“Man, she’s a hot sleeper. The front of me’s soaked through but I can’t bring myself to let go,” Sarah whispered from Autumn’s other side. They’d forged a fragile truce between them, the reunion with their daughter helping to smooth their ragged edges.

“I know,” he whispered back, smiling down at their daughter. She’d fallen asleep sandwiched between them after cheeseburgers and root beer floats from room service. They’d talked for hours about what had happened, and Reid had done his best to explain why the man had found her, and that none of them would be in danger anymore.

Or at least, not after he cleared out his apartment and found another place. The guys were splitting into two teams tomorrow morning to get it done, half helping Maka, and the others helping him.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Sarah’s voice was rough with emotion.

“The most beautiful thing in the world.”

His ex-wife looked up at him over the top of Autumn’s head and her smile faded. Regret shadowed her eyes. “I’m…sorry for what I said the other day. About it being your fault. I know you’d never do anything to put her at risk. And I’m sorry for lashing out like that. Truly.”

Reid held her stare. “Thank you. And for the record, even though things aren’t great between us, I’d never do anything to put you at risk, either.”

She lowered her gaze. “I know that.” She stroked gentle fingers over Autumn’s dark hair. “She’s really out cold.”

“Not surprising.” Every time he thought of her frightened and alone, tied up and locked in darkness, the helpless rage came back. He wasn’t sure if it would ever go away.

“That reporter you found that night. Miss Gomez. Is she going to be all right?”

“I don’t know.” Though in all honestly, Reid wasn’t sure how she could be, after all she’d endured at the hands of those animals.

“And what about Tess?”

Reid met her gaze. “What about her?”

“Is she going to be all right?”

“Yeah.”

“You sound pretty certain of that.”

He was certain. “She’s strong.”

“Maybe. But don’t you think you should go check on her and make sure?”

Those were the last words Reid had ever expected to hear coming from Sarah’s mouth. “What?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “You think I couldn’t see the connection between the two of you, even before you put your arm around her this afternoon? Please. And even if she is strong, she shouldn’t have to be strong alone right now. Jeez, Reid. Sometimes I don’t think you’ve learned anything about women and relationships at all.”

He frowned. “I don’t want to leave Autumn.”

“Autumn is practically unconscious, and even if she wakes up, I can handle whatever she needs.” Sarah raised her eyebrows. “You’re telling me you don’t want to see Tess?”

Of course he wanted to see Tess. He was dying to.

Her lips twitched. “That’s what I thought. So go on. If something comes up that I can’t handle, I’ll text you.”

He glanced down at Autumn, then back up at Sarah. “You sure?”

“Yes.” She expelled a deep breath, seemed to summon her courage before meeting his eyes once more. “I saw an interview with Miss Gomez, a couple days after she was rescued. She was talking about what the men who saved her did, about how brave they were, and how she wouldn’t be alive today without them. It made me stop and think. Gave me more insight and appreciation for what you guys do, and why you do it, despite the risks and the sacrifices.”

Reid didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected any of this.

But she wasn’t done. “And so on top of being sorry for how I reacted, I’ll…try to be more understanding about stuff going forward. And I’ll try not to be such a controlling bitch with the whole scheduling thing in future. Okay?”

He smiled, his heart swelling. “Okay.” After carefully extricating his arm from beneath their daughter, he sat up and shook it to get the circulation going. Unable to help himself, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. “I can be back here within thirty minutes if you guys need me.”

Sarah waved his words away. “Go.”

He did, driving straight to Tess’s hotel. He’d thought about texting her first, but decided just to surprise her instead. He rode the elevator up to Tess’s floor, the buzzing of nerves in the pit of his belly taking him off guard.

Because she mattered to him so much.

He’d never thought he would fall for someone again after such a bitter divorce, but Tess had somehow managed to blast her way through all the walls he’d put up around his heart. Tough as he was, it was terrifying to hand his heart over to someone. He just hoped Tess was as ready to receive it as he was to give it.

He knocked softly on the door, his heart thumping in his chest. It opened only seconds later, and Reid was surprised to see Tess standing there appearing fully awake, still dressed in his plaid, flannel shirt.

“Hey,” she whispered, giving him a smile that warmed the center of his chest as she stepped back to let him in.

“I know it’s late,” he said as the door shut behind him, “but Autumn was gone to the world and I…” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, let his fingers linger on the soft skin at the side of her neck. “I just needed to see you.”

Tess reached up to curl her fingers around his hand, another soft smile curving her lips. “I’m glad you’re here. How is she?”

“Better than I expected, but we’ll see how things go over the next few days. We’ve got all kinds of appointments set up with doctors, psychiatrists and counselors.”

“Was Sarah okay with you leaving?”

“She basically kicked me out to make me come here.”

“She did?”

He nodded. “Because she knows me. And she can tell how I feel about you.” He traced his thumb over the edge of her jaw, taking in the shadows beneath her pretty jade-green eyes, and the lines of fatigue around her mouth. “You look exhausted.”

She sighed and slumped against his hand. “I’m so tired, but I’m too uncomfortable to sleep.”

He pulled her gently into his body, wrapped his arm around her waist and cradled the back of her head with the other, holding her cheek to his chest. “Did you take your meds?”

“Two pills about an hour ago. They haven’t done anything so far.”

He hated to see her in pain. Easing back a little, he cupped her cheek in his hand, bringing her gaze to his. “Can I do anything?”

One side of her mouth lifted in a crooked grin. “Wanna wash my hair?”

He grinned back and dropped a soft kiss on her mouth. “I’d love to.”

She blinked up at him. “Really?”

He chuckled at her surprised expression. “Mmhmm.” He’d love to do anything that would make her feel better. “Come on.” Taking her left hand, he led her into the bathroom. The tub wasn’t huge, but it was deep enough to hold both of them. “Do you like it warm, or hot?”

“Hot.”

He started filling the tub, then turned to face her, tenderness flooding him when he noticed the way she shifted her stance and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt at her bare thighs. “Not nervous about being naked in front of me, are you?” he teased.

Her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of pink. “A little. This isn’t exactly the scenario I imagined for when this happened next.” She gestured to the sling.

“No? Then what did you imagine?”

“Something a hell of a lot hotter and more romantic than this.”

“I’ll show you romance,” he promised.

Holding her gaze, he reached for the hem of his shirt and stripped it over his head. Tess’s eyes traced over his naked torso, leaving tendrils of heat in their wake that sent a rush of blood to his swelling cock. She wasn’t in any kind of shape to do anything about it, but everything about her turned him on and he couldn’t help his body’s reaction to her.

He took off his boots and pants, sliding his underwear down his legs with them. Tess stared at him with open, unabashed desire, the pink in her cheeks intensifying and her lips parted. “Your turn, gorgeous.”

Tess didn’t move, just watched him with hungry green eyes as he undid each button of the shirt to reveal the white bra she wore beneath, and the strip of creamy skin all the way down to the dark blond curls between her thighs.

Shelving all the sexual impulses bombarding his brain for later, he took care extricating her injured arm from the sleeve, and dropped the shirt on the floor before gently removing her bra. She immediately moved to hold her right arm in place against her chest, and he wasn’t sure whether it was from nerves or if it was more comfortable for her shoulder.

Settling his hands on her hips, Reid tugged her toward him and gently, softly kissed the curve where her neck met her right shoulder, just at the edge of the bandages. She caught her breath, goosebumps rising on her skin. He ran his hands over her hips and back while the sound of rushing water filled the air, kissing his way up to her jaw, her cheek, and finally her mouth.

Tess moaned softly and swayed toward him, her lips parting for the slow stroke of his tongue. He cradled her head in his hands, rubbed his fingertips against her scalp as he kissed her, caressing her tongue and the roof of her mouth.

When he pulled back a minute later, she was breathing faster and her eyes were a little glazed. But the nervousness was gone, and that’s what he’d wanted.

Checking the temperature of the water, he shut it off and helped her into the tub, placing a rolled up towel beneath her head. He used the moveable showerhead to wet her hair, then spread the shampoo in his hands and knelt beside the tub to massage her scalp.

Tess groaned and closed her eyes, her gorgeous body relaxing in the water. “Oh my God, that feels incredible.”

It made his dick even harder, seeing her all sleek and wet and hearing those pleasurable sounds in the back of her throat. But this was his chance to give her what she needed, and so he lathered and massaged her scalp while she lay there.

Once her hair was rinsed off he gently eased her into a sitting position and slipped into the tub behind her, drawing her into the curve of his body. She settled against him with a contented sigh that satisfied something primal inside him, her head on his shoulder.

Gently grasping her swollen right wrist, he pushed aside her left arm so she could rest it and kissed her temple.

“I never did thank you properly for what you did,” Tess murmured, eyes closed while he ran the soap over her. “If you hadn’t come in after us when you did, I’d probably be dead.”

It chilled his blood to think of it, of losing this vibrant, amazing woman. “You don’t ever need to thank me for coming after you, Tess. Anywhere, anytime, if you need me, I’m there.”

She tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “That’s nice to hear, thank you.”

He wanted to tell her a whole lot more than that, but not while she was facing away from him in a tub. He spent some more time smoothing his hands over her wet skin, telling her without words how much he cared, how much she meant to him.

When she was half asleep, he rinsed her off and lifted her out of the tub. After setting her on her feet to dry her, he helped wrap her arm back up in the sling and scooped her up to carry her to bed.

“I haven’t been carried like this since I was a kid,” she said on a laugh, her left arm looped around his neck.

Her husband hadn’t done this for her? Reid held the question back, not wanting to bring him up right now. He settled her on the bed, crawled in beside her and tugged the covers over her. “What way are you most comfortable?” he asked, stroking her hair back.

Her green eyes were full of mirth. “Honestly? They’re all really damn painful.”

“What about this?” he asked, gently turning her onto her side facing him and sliding a pillow between her bent knees. He shifted close and wrapped his arm around her waist, well clear of her injured arm and the sling.

“I like the view a lot,” she murmured, lifting her left hand to stroke the side of his face.

Reid couldn’t resist the temptation and moved in to cover her mouth with his. He kept it light even though he was so damn hungry for her, stroking her lips, caressing her tongue. When he pulled back she was breathing faster and her pupils were dilated.

“I wish I was feeling good enough to do something about this,” she murmured, pressing her hips against his throbbing erection.

He grinned against her mouth and kissed her again. “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

She smiled back. “So true.”

He came up on one elbow and stroked his fingers through her hair, his chest about to burst with everything he was feeling. “I know we haven’t had a lot of time together, but I haven’t felt like this in… Maybe ever. I think about you all the time, and I miss you like hell when we’re apart.”

He took a breath, let it out slowly, heart pounding. “I didn’t see you coming, Tess. Didn’t expect you at all, but I’m falling for you hard and I don’t want to lose you. I realize we’ve all been through a lot here, and I know I come with a shitload of baggage and that we live in different cities, but I’m hoping that’s not a deal breaker for you. I want to see where things go with us.”

Joy flashed in her eyes, easing the constriction in his chest. “I don’t want to lose you either. And believe me, you’re the last thing I expected, too.”

“And the baggage?” A young daughter, an ex-wife, and a drinking problem were a lot for a woman to take on.

“I can handle anything but you breaking my heart or drinking again.”

He mentally winced at the reminder of what he’d done the night Autumn was taken. “I won’t. Neither of those. I’m calling my sponsor tomorrow.”

She smiled again. “That’s good.” She groaned softly and leaned her forehead against his chest. “I’m supposed to fly out the day after tomorrow with my sister, but I don’t wanna go home.”

Then don’t.

Reid barely held the words back. Asking her to make that big a leap for him right now wasn’t fair. She had at least six weeks of healing ahead of her, and other things to take care of back in Texas—like her job and family. He had to be patient, give her time to figure out what she wanted. “If we’re both willing to try, we can make this work.”

“I want this to work,” she murmured sleepily. Then she yawned and he tucked her in closer to him, keeping another pillow between their chests to shield her arm.

He wanted to be there for her through her recovery, but he needed to be there for Autumn more. And Tess would understand that completely.

It was just another reason why she’d stolen his heart so completely, so fast. And why he intended to claim hers for good in return.