“Seriously, Grayson, I’m totally over living in this body that won’t cooperate with my brain. It’s frustrating.” She winced as he pressed her leg high over her body, stretching the muscles.

Never in her life had she been this close to another human being. Never had she let someone touch her like this. Never had she been in a position where she had no other options either.

She was loosening up to Grayson emotionally at the same time her body was loosening. She’d let her guard down. She was trusting him. A piece of her brain insisted she was foolish and warned her that this would eventually go bad, but she ignored it for now. She had no other choice.

He smiled at her as he set that leg down and lifted the other. “You’re getting better every day. It takes time. All of us went through this.”

“It’s been three days. I’m climbing out of my skin. My brain fires messages to my limbs, and my arms and legs ignore every signal.” She set her palms on the mattress at her sides to brace herself while Grayson stretched her leg in several different directions.

“That’s why we’re doing the physical therapy.”

She narrowed her gaze at him. “And how do you have any idea what you’re doing? You’re not a physical therapist.”

He rolled his eyes, looking like he might laugh. “Believe me. I’m super clear on my limitations. Wait until you see the latest advances in medicine. You’ll feel so inept you’ll want to crawl back in the cryostat and take another ten-year nap. But the truth is, half the team is now trained in physical therapy. There’s not enough staff to go around. We’ve had to help each other.”

“Makes sense. Where was everyone living at the bunker? I’m trying to picture the twenty-one of us from the first team combined with the twelve from the second team and all the support staff. I assume you were all inside the facility?”

“It’s been tight, but a few years ago the government added living quarters to one wing of the bunker. Even those were completely occupied when the explosion occurred. There’s also a row of trailers next to the bunker.”

She winced again as he stretched her leg across her body, staring down at the pink scrubs Christy had helped her put on that morning. She’d dressed in scrubs for the majority of the last several years before she’d been preserved. They were practical and easy. Everyone wore them in the bunker. It was a lab after all.

In addition, they fully covered her in a way the hospital gown had not. Her stress level went down a notch as soon as she was dressed.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and both of them turned to see who was coming in.

“Holy shit,” Grayson muttered as he lowered her leg to the bed. “Dade?”

Bianca tried to lift her upper body so she could see better, but the man smiling at them as he approached was indeed Dade Menke. And he did not look like he was dying or even sick.

When he reached her side, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it, his gaze shifting from her to Grayson. A woman was behind him, also smiling.

“You’re…” Grayson swallowed. “Not dead.” He looked like he was staring at a ghost.

Dade chuckled. “Nope. But don’t let that get around.”

“But…” Grayson continued.

Bianca glanced back and forth between the two men and then let her gaze land on the woman.

“Long story, but no, I’m very much alive. Not dying.” He twisted around to face the blonde at his side and grabbed her to pull her closer. “This is Blair.”

Bianca had no idea who Blair was, but apparently she and Dade were an item.

“Sorry for the insanity of this,” Dade began, “but we need to get you both out of here. Now. I’ll explain on the way.”

Bianca’s brows shot up. “Leave? Now? I can’t even lift my head yet.” She turned to face Grayson at her other side. He’d become her lifeline. She trusted him. She had no other choice. Never in her adult life had she leaned on another human being or relied on them for anything. But she had a rapport with Grayson. A friendship three days in the making. She liked him.

She had no idea what Dade intended for them to do or why, but she would defer to Grayson right now. He at least was firing on all four cylinders. She was most assuredly not. Nothing made sense. She was struggling to wrap her mind around the current circumstances.

“What’s going on?” Grayson asked, his brow furrowed as his hand came to her shoulder. She wasn’t sure he even realized what a protective stance he took, but she did.

Blair spoke next. “I know it’s crazy, but please trust us. You’re not safe here.”

Grayson slowly nodded while Bianca watched him. He inhaled next and then licked his lips. “Okay. Will we be coming back?”

Dade shook his head. “No. Grab your things. Quickly.”

Things? Bianca almost laughed as she realized she didn’t own a single thing in the world. Grayson might own a few items since he’d been awake for three months, but he’d left the bunker in the middle of the night a month ago, and as far as she knew, he hadn’t left her side for that entire time. She doubted he owned more than a few changes of clothing himself.

She wasn’t wrong. It took him about two minutes to stuff several things into a bag in the corner of her room. Blair took the bag from him.

Dade spent those two minutes looking over Bianca’s chart.

Bianca spent those two minutes freaking out, her heart racing. How the hell was she going to leave this room?

Dade set the chart down and smiled at her. “Looks like you’re doing great. I’ll carry you to the SUV, and you can stretch out on the back seat. It’s going to take a few hours to get to a safe house.”

Grayson came up to her other side. “I’ve got her. You lead.”

She had to admit she was relieved. The thought of anyone picking her up didn’t sit well, but if someone had to do it, she wanted it to be Grayson.

Without a word, he tucked one arm under her neck and the other under her legs, and then he was holding her against his body.

Bianca held her breath at the intimacy. She bit her lower lip as she wrapped her arm around his neck. She didn’t have the strength to hold on, but it wasn’t necessary. He had her secured close to his chest. Really close.

While he rushed from the room, following Dade out a back door and into the backseat of a waiting SUV, Blair spoke to the owner of the clinic and a few staff members. In moments, Grayson had her lying on her side, her head in his lap, one hand on her hip to keep her from flying forward.

In seconds, they were pulling away from the facility. Bianca was pretty sure it had been less than five minutes total from the moment Dade shocked them with his arrival.

He pulled onto the main road, driving fast, his gaze darting around in every direction.

Too many things were happening at once. A man had just carried her to the car. A man was holding her still at this moment, his large hand totally gripping her hip. Her cheek was plastered to his thigh.

Her heart raced. She pursed her lips. She even held her breath. If she’d had the strength—physical or emotional—she would have shoved off him and moved as close to the opposite side of the bench seat as possible. But she didn’t. Nor did she truly want to.

“What the hell is going on?” Grayson asked.

Blair started giving them a rundown about someone tracking every member of the team and the need to move them to safer locations. Apparently, a hacker was helping the DEEP team stay one step ahead of whoever wanted to see them eliminated. He not only knew where the team was located, but who on the list was currently a target.

She was glad to find she wasn’t on anyone’s radar at the moment, but that could change, and thus they needed to hide.

No one inside the bunker was aware Dade was alive, and they all needed to ensure no one found out. He had faked his impending death so he could help Ryan figure out who the hell was working against them and put a stop to it.

While Dade filled in the details, Bianca lost the ability to remain awake. She was still so tired all the time. Grayson held her protectively, keeping his hand on her hip while his other began to stroke through her hair. He tipped his head toward her at one point for a moment and met her gaze. “Rest. You’re safe.”

That was all she needed. The next two hours were spent sleeping.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of stimulation. It turned out Dade took them to a safe house that belonged to Jerry and Eliza Kobrick who worked for an underground organization that helped hide people. Even more exciting was the fact that Graham and Kate were there.

Bianca soaked up every minute of the opportunity to reunite with her team members. It made her feel less isolated. She spent the afternoon curled up on the corner of a couch in her host family’s great room with Grayson at her side nearly all the time. Something she found she liked. A lot.

It unnerved her to be so blatantly out of her element. Leaning on a man? Or even another human for that matter? It wasn’t like her. Not even close. She tried to convince herself that she had no choice. She needed help. But the truth was she could have gotten that help from Christy at the clinic, and now that she was with Kate, she could ask her for assistance. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and let Grayson take care of her.

The only time she questioned her sanity was when she caught Kate glancing back and forth between her and Grayson, a smile on her lips.

Grayson, Kate, Graham, Blair, and Dade spoke over one another, sharing information that Bianca struggled to keep up with.

She gleaned several things from the conversation while listening to everyone in the room talk practically at once. In a shocking twist, Bianca learned that Temple wasn’t informed of any of the team’s movements and relocations. Bianca had always admired her boss. The woman worked her ass off to keep the bunker running smoothly and had for many years. Going behind her back made Bianca’s skin crawl.

Apparently, however, someone was leaking information up the food chain, and there existed the possibility that unwitting someone was Temple.

Even more ludicrous in Bianca’s mind was that all this info was coming from a hacker who worked for a subversive government organization called Blue Cell and was helping the DEEP team.

Bianca’s head was spinning trying to keep up, but she was repeatedly aware of Grayson next to her. She’d been lying curled up on her side in the corner of the couch since they’d arrived. He sat at her feet, but he often had a hand on her. Half of her repeatedly screamed that she should swat him away. The other half insisted she relax and enjoy the human contact.

Had she gotten a lobotomy while she’d been cryonically preserved? Since when did she enjoy human contact?

Eventually Blair and Dade stood to leave. They handed Grayson an envelope filled with cash and a new burner phone. They needed to get to Montana where the rest of the team was congregating. It turned out the Kobricks had an entire wing of their house set up for guests.

At the end of the day, when Grayson carefully lifted Bianca off the couch into his arms, she sighed against him. She was looking forward to sleeping in a normal bed without the lights and sounds of the clinic waking her up every hour. It wouldn’t be hard. She was exhausted yet again.

He helped her into a bathroom in the hallway, and she summoned every ounce of her remaining energy to brush her teeth and use the toilet. Christy had been helping her with everything she needed until today. She wasn’t sure what tomorrow was going to look like. She would have to develop a closer relationship with Kate or Eliza Kobrick.

The thought of letting someone else into her personal business made her nervous, however. Except for Christy, the other two people who’d seen her scars had done so while she’d been in a coma. Christy had been so familiar with her body by the time Bianca woke up that the woman had the grace to never say a word.

Tomorrow would be different.

There was no getting around the fact that Bianca could not walk more than a few steps yet, so when she opened the door to the bathroom, she was relieved to find Grayson waiting in the hallway. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yes, but I’m growing increasingly tired of relying on you for everything.” The words were both a declaration of her frustration as well as an apology.

He lifted her for the umpteenth time that day as if she weighed nothing and smiled at her. “You’re hardly an imposition.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Doesn’t mean I like it.”

He carried her across the hall and turned around to nudge the door open with his back. Finally, he set her down on the bed. She noticed someone had already turned back the sheets. Thoughtful. Made her life easier.

Before she could say a word, he bent and took her shoes off. “You want to change? I could get Kate to come help you. Or you can sleep in your scrubs. Whatever you prefer.”

No way was Bianca going to send Grayson to get Kate who was already down the hall behind a closed door with Graham. “I’ll be fine.” She wasn’t even wearing a bra. She’d never been large enough to really need one in the first place, and it certainly hadn’t been necessary in a hospital bed. Now she felt self-conscious.

She rolled onto her side as Grayson pulled the sheet over her. And then he circled the bed and sat on the edge behind her back. She heard the distinct thump of his shoes hitting the ground and rolled onto her back to more fully face him. “What are you doing?”

“Taking off my shoes?” he said as he turned to smile at her over his shoulder.

“But I mean, you’re not staying, right?”

“In this room?” He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. He’d been wearing blue scrubs all day, but now she was staring at the expanse of his chest. His muscular, finely chiseled chest. “Yep.”

Holy shit. She stopped breathing as he slid under the covers on the other side of the bed. At least he hadn’t taken off his pants, but still. No. No no no no no. “Grayson, no.”

“No, what?” he asked as he turned his head to face her.

“No, you can’t sleep in the same bed as me.” Though he’d made it seem so natural. If she hadn’t questioned him, would they have gone to sleep like an old married couple at the end of a long day?

She could not have him in the bed with her. She would never be able to relax.

He leaned over to the nightstand and flipped off the light, plunging them into almost total darkness. And then he settled onto his back.

She stared at him in shock, or she assumed she was staring at him. She was facing his general direction at least.

“Go to sleep, Bianca. I don’t have any nefarious intentions. I’m not about to leave you alone when you can barely stand on your own. There’s no way I would be able to relax if I slept in another room knowing you would be stuck shouting for help. It was okay in the clinic, but not here.”

“But…”

“But nothing. You know I’m right. Think about it.”

“Grayson… I…” I don’t sleep with men. I’ve never slept with a man. I don’t even like to be near men.

“Not touching you, Bianca. I’m way over here.” Did he sound a little miffed? His voice had an exasperated quality.

She cringed inwardly, deciding it might be better not to needle him. She didn’t know him that well, after all. She’d let herself get comfortable with him. But she had no way of knowing how short his fuse was or what it took to snap it.

Why did he have to be so damn logical anyway? Of course she needed him nearby. She sighed and sank into the mattress. He was right. He wasn’t touching her. There was a foot of space between them. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Even though Dade had assured her that his hacker, Spencer Casey, was monitoring every move from Blue Cell and knew who they were targeting at any given moment, nothing about this arrangement sat well with her. She couldn’t imagine how they were ever going to be safe again.

Grayson didn’t move an inch. She could barely hear him breathing. She knew there was no way he was asleep, but she had to give him kudos for chivalry.

The truth was, she was exhausted. As usual. She hadn’t managed to stay awake for an entire day yet, and every night she’d slept hard for long hours. If she could relax enough to get her heart rate to slow down, she would do so again now.

After several long minutes, when her eyes had adjusted enough to make him out in the dark, she rolled onto her side, facing him, and reached out with her hand to set it on top of his where his rested on his belly. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Maybe if she apologized, she could rest. Maybe he would give her a sign that he wasn’t angry.

He set his other hand on top of hers. “Nothing to be sorry about. I get it. This arrangement is weird. You didn’t ask to wake up in a strange place where the only person you’ve ever seen before isn’t even someone you’ve spoken to.” His voice was calmer. Soothing. Not remotely frustrated now.

“I’ve spoken to you before.” Had she? She wasn’t entirely sure.

He turned his head toward her, threading his fingers between hers. “I don’t think so, but that’s not the point. I know you’re a private person, and I understand your reasons a lot better now than I did before we were vitrified.

“But know this, Bianca. I’m not a dick. I like you. And now that I’ve actually had conversations with you, and I know you better, I find we have a lot in common. At the very least, I’m certain we can be friends while we work through this storm together. But under no circumstances will I be pouncing on you in the night. My mother raised me better than that.

“I never pressured a woman before I was preserved, and I won’t be starting now while I’m on the run with a woman who can barely lift her head. So, breathe easy and know that my intentions toward you right now lean in the direction of keeping you alive and getting you on your feet.”

She smiled instinctively at the last few words he’d spoken. “Right now?” What was wrong with her? She should not find him endearing. Nor should she point it out. Jesus.

He chuckled. “Can’t make promises about the future. Like I said, I like you.” He dragged their combined hands up to his face and rubbed the back of her fingers along his jaw. “But as I also pointed out, I’m a nice guy. I want you to know you can count on me.”

Warmth spread through her body. It was a novel experience. Being this close to someone was new in and of itself. Sleeping in the same bed as a man was not on her bucket list. It wasn’t on any list.

It wasn’t that she didn’t crave being touched, though he probably thought that was the case. It was just that she hadn’t allowed herself to be in situations where anyone might touch her so intimately. The ultimate act of self-preservation. If she never permitted anyone to get close—either emotionally or physically—she would never have to explain her childhood. Nor would she have to deal with the possible repercussions of allowing herself to be vulnerable.

Her childhood was shameful. She didn’t like to talk about it. She’d never wanted anyone to know about her scars or how she’d gotten them. It was weird enough now that she realized several people knew she’d been abused. But the line stopped there.

She would never be comfortable enough with a man to talk about them. She didn’t even have girlfriends for that reason because eventually there would be shopping, trying on clothes, sleepovers, swimming. None of those were things she did because she didn’t want to explain.

She’d worked hard her entire life to be someone different from the girl who’d been abused for so many years. Her past always followed her and haunted her, but she could at least protect herself from revealing it or getting into a situation where it might happen again.

Grayson was different somehow. He didn’t demand explanations. He’d shared a piece of himself with her, and she felt like she owed him a piece of herself in return. As a friend. Because the truth was, she could use a friend. And Grayson was likely to be the primary person in her life for a while.

Was she holding Grayson back from someplace he’d rather be? Surely, but he would never admit it out loud because the obvious truth was he was a good guy, and he cared about other people. She smiled before she sobered again.

It was her turn to speak, though she didn’t believe for a moment he felt like she should reciprocate. This was all her. She took a slight breath. “My mother held my hand like that when I was a little girl.”

He might have flinched slightly. She couldn’t be sure. But he pressed her fingers against his chest where he’d moved their still-combined hands. His idea of friendship was a little too friendly, but she found she didn’t mind. And she believed he would never cross a line that would make her uncomfortable.

“In truth, it was probably before I was old enough that I should be able to remember it. I remember holding her fingers with mine. She would press my smaller ones against her lips and kiss them individually until I fell asleep. I think she did it to keep me quiet. That memory stands out as one of the few intimacies I’ve ever experienced.”

Yeah, she gave him a lot. He definitely flinched, but he didn’t give her pity or anger. “It’s a wonderful memory. I can see why you cherish it.” He didn’t pressure her to continue. He didn’t ask any questions. He just let the silence reign again.

She found herself relaxing into the pillow, calmer now. She actually liked having him next to her. And he was right, if she needed help in the night, it would be much easier if he were close by.

Several more minutes went by. She knew he wasn’t sleeping because he was still holding her hand. Finally, he eased it up to his lips and gently kissed every finger, one at a time.

Tears slid from her eyes. Silent tears she would not share with him. She didn’t even wipe them away, and she was too choked up to speak. It wasn’t required anyway. Instead, she took several deep breaths and fell asleep.