“I think you’ll be distracted,” I corrected, “and I think it’ll cost you.” When her head dipped in the smallest nod, I reluctantly added, “But I think that will go away with time, andsoon. Regardless, I know you’d fight with everything you have in you.”
Which was a problem because, again, she’d hurt herself just swinging at me.
Sliding my hand onto Mallory’s thigh, I took it as a small win that she didn’t draw her leg away or push my hand off. “But I would never dream of giving you a shadow,” I assured her, only to amend, “Well, unless it’s me.”
An irritated breath left her, even as a reluctant smile tugged at her mouth.
“And I did say I wouldn’t keep you from working,” I acknowledged, going back to her earlier words. “As soon as you’re cleared for work, I’ll keep that promise.”
She gave another slow, nearly imperceptible nod before her stare shifted to mine. “Just keep me from certain parts,” she muttered in resigned acceptance.
“Only as long as I have to,” I told her, and watched as her stare fell to my mouth when it lifted into a slow smile. “I’ve always wanted you with me. We work best together. We’re a team. Remember?”
Her full lips twitched in amusement, but she still asked, “You really weren’t going to assign a shadow to me?” as if needing one last confirmation.
“Peach,” I murmured, “even if Briggs didn’t know you better than that,Ido.”
Worry flared in her eyes before she could look away. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, those two words still sounding so foreign coming from her, but sounding no less genuine. “I should’ve let you—one of you—explain before.”
From the worry she was trying to hide to the insecurity creeping from her, I knew she was in her head again. Knew she was worrying about things she shouldn’t because I’d always wanted her exactly the way she was.
I gave her thigh an affectionate squeeze. “You wouldn’t be you if you had.” A hushed laugh bled from me at her responding, unamused glare. “Mallory, I know you,” I reminded her. “You’ve always been quick to react and assume, and I’ve always loved the anger that comes with it.”
That insecurity mixed with doubt and practically bled from her, and for a second, I couldn’t understand it. Couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see that I wanted her for who she was. But just as quickly, I remembered I’d been the cause of all those doubts and insecurities in her head. Every one of my actions had forced her to think I’d wanted the opposite of her for years.
A little over a week, most of which was spent with her sleeping in a hospital room, wasn’t nearly enough to make her see the truth.
But we had time. I’d show her until, eventually, she knew every reactive, hostile, beautiful part of her was all I wanted.
“If I would’ve thought you’d react any other way, I wouldn’t have told you before you ever heard what the plan was that I was glad you couldn’t punch me—which, you still tried to do,” I informed her.
“And I didn’t even get close,” she added before her eyebrows suddenly drew together in frustration as her stare snapped to me. “How am I ever going to take you down now?”
“You’ll heal from this soon enough. Our baby will be here before we know it,” I added and watched as she changed in an instant. Her stare fell to her flat stomach instinctively as her expression transformed into a mixture of panic and wonder and something so tender that it stalled my heart and stole my next words for long seconds as I just studied her.
This Mallory . . .
Reaching for her face with my free hand, I brushed the tips of my fingers across her cheek and then down to her jaw, wanting to draw out this moment and memorize this new side of her.
When her eyes lifted to mine again, I cleared my throat and attempted to continue. “And then...then, I have no doubt, you’ll try. But, Peach, there’s no world in which you’d ever be able to take me down.” Before the anger could fully form on her beautiful face, I tipped her chin higher and said, “That says nothing about your skill. I’ve watched you take down plenty of guys bigger and stronger than you. Again,Rush. But it says everything about how much I’ve studied you over the years. It says everything about how well I know you.”
I leaned closer, holding her stare, but stopped just before my mouth met hers. “You can’t take me down because I’ve spent so long loving you and needing to know everything about you, that I already know every move you’ll make.”
Just as I started brushing my lips across hers, a firm, unmistakable knock sounded on the door, causing both of us to still.
For a second, I wondered if we could get away with not responding.
But we knew that knock—not just who it belonged to, but what it meant.
Mallory sighed and dropped her forehead to mine before leaning back and sucking in a sharp breath as she did.
Before my stare could even dart over her stiff form, she muttered, “Do I have to apologize to him too?” in an attempt to ignore her pain.
I gave a long, sweeping glance over every part of her that betrayed her casual tone—her too tense shoulders, the slight furrow of her brow, and her fisted hands in her lap—wishing there was something I could do. Something she wouldletme do.
“I don’t think he’d expect it from you,” I finally answered, then looked over my shoulder and called louder, “Yeah?”
If the familiar sound of Briggs banging the side of his fist against the door in quick succession hadn’t already alerted us that something was going on, the way he forced open the door the second I called out to him would’ve.
