“But we’ll get him,” Lion added with a confidence she wished she could emulate.
“Nothing less is an option,” Voodoo said as he nuzzled her neck, touching soft kisses there that soothed her a little. “I won't allow anyone to hurt you ever again. You deserve to be free, to have a chance at living a real life.”
Looking around at the people at the table, Indigo knew that it was all of them who deserved the freedom they sought. “We all do,” she said softly.
There had to be a way to figure out where Dr. Gardner was hiding and finally destroy him and everything he’d built. It was the only way for all of them to move on, and she couldn’t think of a group of people who had earned their freedom more than these men and women.
Maybe she had even earned hers, too.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
February 14th
3:08 P.M.
“Busy?” Voodoo asked as he strolled into the living room, where Indigo was curled up in a chair, reading a book.
“Umm, no, not really,” she replied, glancing up. “Working on my Welsh before we do our next lesson.”
When their eyes met, there was that same weird mix of warmth that seemed to seep into his heart, and heat that flooded a little further south. He didn't just want to claim every inch of her delectable body, he wanted to claim her heart as well. Wanted all of her, her heart, her body, her trust, her love, he didn't care if it was being greedy, the more time he spent with Indigo, the deeper that craving ran.
But they wouldn't take another step toward a physical relationship until she was ready.
And by ready, he meant giving him express permission, with her words, explicitly, that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.
Until then, he was more than content to share kisses, hold her in his arms as they slept in his bed, get to know her better, spendhis days with her, and help her with her physical therapy, basically soaking up every second with her he could get.
“Perfect,” he said as he crossed the room, ready to scoop her into his arms.
“I can walk,” Indigo protested before he could pick her up.
“Your leg is still healing,” he reminded her. Yes, she was healing faster than a normal person would, faster even than he could have hoped for, but that didn't mean it wasn't still two weeks since she’d almost died.
“Only in your mind,” she said as she gifted him one of her soft smiles. “In reality, I've been able to walk on it for a couple of days now. You're just being overprotective.”
“Better get used to that, because I don’t see it changing any time soon.”
The warning made her giggle, and she reached for him, grasping his shoulders so she could pull him down and kiss him. “I don’t mind. It’s kind of sweet, makes me feel like I matter.”
“You do matter.” More than he’d thought a person he’d known for less than a month could matter to him. Forming attachments had never been easy for him. How could it when his own parents didn't love him? Trusting his team had taken time, and he wasn't sure that without being locked in a cage together for three years, forced to rely only on one another, it ever would have developed to the depths of trust that now bound them together.
There had never been anyone else he’d allowed into that inner circle. Even Rose, Cassandra, and Whitney weren't quite in that circle. They were close, and he loved them like little sisters, trusted them to love his teammates, the men he considered his brothers, and trusted them to be part of bringing down Dr. Gardner.
“I'm starting to believe that.” She said the words as though they surprised her, but it was also clear that she liked them. A lot.
“If you're going to walk, you go slow, careful, and you tell me if you need a break,” he listed his conditions, and she nodded her acceptance. Really, he’d prefer to carry her, but he also knew that Indigo was tough, strong, and determined. She’d survived a lot on her own, and he couldn’t attempt to strip her of her independence. Especially since thatsame determination was one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place.
Together they made their way through the mansion’s winding passageways, up three flights of stairs to the top floor. This was where he and his teammates had their bedrooms, and some other personal spaces. With so many rooms and only the six of them, now ten of them, living there, there was plenty of space for them to spread out, having some rooms to themselves and others to share.
Leading her to one in particular, he paused before opening the closed door.
“Close your eyes,” he ordered, and while Indigo arched her brows at him, she complied, and he took her hands.
The ease with which she curled her fingers around his filled him with more joy than he thought he could feel over something so small. Only he knew it wasn't really a small thing. Indigo wasn't just holding his hand, she was offering him her trust, and he knew that was a huge thing for her.
Opening the door, he guided her through it, then closed it behind them. Then he moved so he was at her back, guiding her to lean against his chest. Only then did he tell her she could open her eyes, realizing he was anxiously awaiting her reaction. It had taken a little while to get this set up, and he was pretty sure that Indigo was going to love it, but she wasn't the only one opening herself up to new possibilities, he was, too.
