It was over.
“You’re safe!” I exclaimed.
“Told you I’d be back,” he gritted out.
I gestured towards his sleeping daughter and said, “You might want to change before she sees.”
He nodded and headed towards the room we’d been staying in.
Feeling Zoya shift in my lap, I watched his long legs carry him away from us. To wash blood, and very probably death, from his body. While I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him, I didn’t want Zoya to see him like that.
“Daddy?” Zoya’s question came out as a soft and hesitant whisper.
I nodded. “Yeah, sweet girl, he’s back and he’s safe. But he’s dirty and he needed to take a shower.” I wrinkled my nose and she giggled, a soft breathy sound that I felt more than heard.
Her arms gently uncurled from around my waist. “Want to play with Chopper while I go check on him?”
She hesitated, watching my face closely as if she was afraid I wouldn’t come back. Chopper barked, stealing her attention and before she’d actually made up her mind, she slid from my hold and fell to the floor beside the dog, who rewarded her affection with sloppy kisses. Zoya’s laughter filled the space, bright and warm as it mingled with the other kids, as well as the palpable relief that permeated the clubhouse.
Watching her run towards the door to the backyard with Chopper at her heels I got to my feet, shaking out my legs, numb from sitting so long. I let out one shaky breath after another, slowly allowing hope and relief to settle in my chest.
She’s okay.
He’s okay.
We survived another day.
It was something I knew not to take for granted, but today I felt it keenly as I walked on unsteady legs down the hallway to the room where Sledge would be. The moment the door clicked behind me, relief hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled.
I wanted to run to him. I needed to see him.
I wanted to touch every inch of skin just to reassure myself that he was really here.
But I didn’t. Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed and waited, my hands gripping the bedding tight, breathing through the storm that whirled inside of me. If I went to him feeling the way I did, I would fall apart and I couldn’t do that because I had a feeling today, I needed to be the strong one.
I waited with as much patience as I could muster. With my eyes closed and my breathing slow and deep, I heard the shower turn off. Movements on the other side of the door. And then the door opened and Sledge was there, gorgeous, ripped and still dripping with water.
The towel hung low on his hips and I licked my lips. There were no bruises, no cuts, no bullet holes. No visible damage.
He was safe but he didn’t look okay.
His jaw was clenched so hard the muscles twitched. His eyes were dark, haunted, and filled with shadows. His shoulders were tight, as if the only thing keeping him upright was his own damn stubbornness.
I surged to my feet and closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms tight around his waist, burying my face in his bare chest. “I was so worried,” I sighed. “I’m glad you’re back.”
His arms went around me instantly, strong and secure, pulling me against the solid heat of his body. His hand slid up my spine and cupped the back of my head, holding me like he’d gone through hell to get back to me. “I’m here, I’m fine,” he promised.
He didn’t sound fine, nowhere near close to fine actually, but I didn’t push. Not yet. “Is it over?” The question left my lips on a whisper.
He nodded, face still buried in my hair.
I pulled back and stared into those hazel eyes I loved so much. “I’m sure you need a beat to process everything that just happened and I promise I’ll give you that mental space, but I need to be right here,” I said, dragging my hands around hiswaist before I tucked my fingertips into the towel. “I need to be here for you, however I can. However you’ll let me.”
His gaze seared into mine, electric and hungry, and he gripped my wrist, pulling my fingers from his towel, letting it drop to the floor between us. He was breathtaking in front of me, naked and hard. Everywhere. “Stay. I want you to. Ineedyou to.”
My heart galloped inside my chest and I pushed up on my toes, attacking his mouth, kissing him hard and fast, filled with all the desperation I felt for the past few hours.
He devoured me in return like a man who wasn’t sure he’d ever hold me again. Sledge tore at my clothes until I was naked and panting, desperate for him. “Eliana.” My name came out on a low growl that sounded as if it hurt.
