He wished she would trust him enough to talk to him about it. Back in the room, he draped his clothes over his suitcase and clicked off the bedside lamps before slipping into bed. The distance between them felt like miles. She was isolating herself mentally as well as physically. He couldn’t let her do that if they were going to work together as a team.
Fuck, who was he kidding? Pushing him away felt personal. It was…uncomfortable having another woman withdraw from him. Except this time, he was unwilling to accept it.
“You should probably snuggle close if we’re going to keep up appearances,” he whispered.
“There are no cameras in the room.” Her voice was rough and scratchy.
Devon rolled to the center of the bed and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her across the bed. “Do it anyway so you can tell me what’s wrong. I disabled all the listening devices, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
She surprised him when she turned over and tucked her head under his chin. Her breath shuddered at the base of his neck, and one palm pressed against his chest while the other snaked around his back. Relief rushed through him. She wasn’t pushing him away.
Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he threw a leg over her hips and enveloped her in his embrace. Her leg came up, and her thigh nestled against his cock.
He bit back the groan and kept as still as possible. She needed his comfort, not his dick.
“I saw Braedon,” she finally said.
He pressed a kiss against her forehead and waited for the rest.
“That bitch is keeping him and Michael Drake drugged. He’s out of it. I don’t even know if he knows where he is.”
“Is he injured?” he asked.
“Not that we could see. He’s lost weight, though.”
“What do you remember about where he’s held?”
She described the room, right down to the number of steps to the dungeon, the number of lights in each room, and the bricked-up wall.
“We’ll get him out. I know you’re upset, but we need you to stay strong. If you need to cry or lash out, then do what you need to do. I’ll be here.”
“I’ll be okay. I needed a few minutes to process everything by myself. I couldn’t react the way I wanted to when I saw him. I needed to let it out.” She inhaled deeply. “I’m scared, but mostly I’m relieved. He’s alive, and now I have proof I’m not crazy.”
He tightened his arms. “You growled at a woman—I don’t think you should claim sanity just yet.”
That got a small chuckle from her, but it was enough for now.
“Try to sleep. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
The kiss she placed on his chest was feather-light and hit him with the force of a Mack truck.
