Wren follows me over the edge, her entire body quaking under me. “Ryker, oh God. Don’t ever let go,” she whispers as she wraps her arms around my waist and pulls me down on top of her.
“I won’t, baby. Never.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes, tumbling onto her cheeks. And now, her tremors aren’t from her release, but little choking sobs.
My heart stutters, panic stiffening my limbs. “What’s wrong, Wren? Talk to me. Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she says firmly. “No. I…I feel so…broken. But maybe…we’re all broken. Maybe…I didn’t understand until now how beautiful broken can be.”
37
Wren
Iwake to a kiss and a light brush of knuckles against my bruised cheek.
Ryker smiles down at me, though I can tell the expression still feels foreign to him. “Sweetheart, I need to go check on West and Inara. See what the plan is. I…didn’t want you to wake up alone.”
“I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
“Care.”
“You’ll learn.”
Our conversation from—was it only three days ago—plays in my head, and I cup the back of his neck. “Help me up? I want to come too.”
“You should rest.”
“Ryker.” He frowns at my tone, but I don’t care. “We’ve already had this discussion. More than once. Help me up or I’m going to do it myself and my knee still hurts.”
Pulling back the sleeping bag, he runs his strong hands down my left leg until he finds the swelling. “What happened?”
“You.” I grin but grab his arm when a mask of horror slides over his face. “When I jumped off the last balcony. I had to get to you. Stop worrying. It was either this or get shot. I think I got the better end of the deal.”
With a shake of his head, he starts to knead just above the swelling. A sharp pain travels up my thigh. I hiss, and he pauses, his fingers warm against my skin. “Right there?”
“Uh huh.”
Digging into the pocket of my discarded pants, he fishes out the tube of arnica and squeezes a dollop into his palm. “This won’t be comfortable. But it’ll help.”
Gritting my teeth, I meet his gaze. “Do it.”
His movements wouldn’t be called a massage on any planet. It feels more like he’s trying to dig deep into my thigh for buried treasure. But after a few minutes, the throbbing eases and it’s like all the tension in my leg fades away. When he skims his hands down to my ankle, over the bruising and abrasions from the metal cuff, his fingers stiffen. “I should have been faster.”
“I’m okay, Ry. For…right now, at least, I’m okay.”
The intensity of his multi-colored eyes shocks me, and I scoot forward so I can wrap my arms around him and brush my lips to his ear. “There’s so much I want to say to you. I…just need a little more time. But when it happens, I want you to remember…this was the moment I was sure.”
* * *
Ryker
I follow Wren out to the living room, my hand on the small of her back. She almost said the words. At least…I think she did. I can’t read her like she can read me.
West and Inara study his laptop, heads drawn together.
“Do we have a plan?” I ask. Wren heads for the kitchen, and I try not to watch her go, to worry about the slight limp, to call her back to my side because I don’t want her out of my sight.
