"I love you," she says. Simple. Direct. No hesitation.
The words hit me square in the chest. I pull her closer, one hand cupping her face, and kiss her. Not gentle, not cautious. The kind of kiss that says everything I haven't had the words for.
"I love you too," I say against her mouth. "God, Gwen. I love you."
She settles back against my shoulder, and I can feel her smile against my skin. "I know you do. You were incredible out there. The way you handled Garrison, talked Briggs down. I watched the whole thing and I've never seen anyone that controlled under pressure."
"Part of the job."
"It's more than that." She props herself up slightly to look at me. "You could have taken the shot. Both times. But you didn't. You brought them both in alive."
"Because that's what you do when you can." I brush a strand of damp hair from her face. "Violence is easy. Restraint takes discipline."
She studies my face in the dim light from the window, those surgeon's eyes seeing more than I want to show her. Then she kisses me, soft and unhurried, and settles back against my shoulder.
"We're a team," she says quietly.
"Yeah." The word comes out rougher than I intend. "We are."
Within minutes, her breathing evens out. I stay awake longer, watching the way the streetlight cuts across her face, listening to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against my ribs. My mind should be running through evidence logs, next steps, the network Rivera will chase down. Instead, all I can think about is the way she said "I know you do" with that unwavering certainty, like she'd already decided I was worth the risk.
I pull her closer and let that thought carry me into sleep.
13
GWEN
Iwake to pale morning light filtering through the blinds and the steady rhythm of Thatcher's breathing beside me. His arm is still around my waist, one hand splayed across my stomach, holding me close even in sleep. We're tangled together in his bed like we've been doing this for years.
My body aches in all the best ways. It's exhaustion from yesterday's operation mixed with the bone-deep satisfaction of falling asleep wrapped around him after he told me he loved me.
I shift slightly, testing whether he's awake. His hand flexes against my skin, pulling me closer.
"Morning," he murmurs against my shoulder, voice rough with sleep.
"Morning." I turn in his arms to face him. "We should probably get up. Follow-up meeting with Rivera at ten."
"We have time." His hand slides up my spine, fingers threading into my hair. "No rush. No danger. Just us."
Just us. The words settle the knot that's been wound tight since that first attack in the parking lot. All the adrenaline, the fear, the constant vigilance—gone, replaced by this quiet morning and the way he's looking at me like I'm the only thing that matters.
"I love you," I say. We're here. We're alive. I want him to know.
His mouth curves into a smile. "I love you too." He kisses me, slow and thorough, taking his time now that there's no urgency driving us.
He rolls us so I'm beneath him, his weight settling over me in a way that makes my pulse kick up. His hands map my body with the confidence of familiarity now, knowing exactly where to touch to make me arch and gasp. When his mouth closes over my breast, I'm already breathless.
"Thatcher—"
"Shh. Let me." His voice carries that dominant edge I crave. "Just feel."
His mouth moves lower, kissing across my ribs, my stomach, the sensitive skin of my hip. When he settles between my thighs, his shoulders spreading me wide, I thread my fingers into his hair and surrender completely.
He knows my body now. Knows exactly which spots make me gasp versus which make me moan. His tongue flattens against me, one long, slow stroke that pulls a broken sound from my throat. He hums approval against my flesh and the vibration makes my hips buck.
"Thatcher—"
He doesn't answer, just grips my thighs harder and goes to work. Alternating between broad strokes and focused attention on my clit, building pleasure in waves that crest higher each time. When he adds fingers, curling them to hit that perfect spot inside while his mouth stays relentless, I'm done.
