He plastered his hand over his mouth as if holding back what he wanted to say.
She traced the label. “It was originally sent to the base where we shared the house.” She turned the box around and around in her hands, staring at the words, maybe even the last things Matt ever wrote.
Cities, states, countries.
Her name.
She blinked through a haze of tears.
“Do you want me to leave so you can open it?” Church asked.
She stared at the package for another long beat. “It’s the last thing I’ll ever get from him. I can’t open it yet.”
Church nodded once. He reached out and took the box gently from her hands, setting it on the coffee table. “It’ll be right there when you’re ready.”
Receiving this package smacked her with another reality—that she had to deal with her lingering feelings soon; so she could be honest about her feelings toward Church.
He turned back to her, and without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms.
She pressed into him, resting her head against his solid chest. He brought his arms around her, tethering her to the present in a way nothing else could.
So many emotions rocked her body. Grief. Relief. Fear.
And something warm and unfamiliar that was tied to the man holding her.
She didn’t regret being with him, not even a little.
He led her to bed and she lay in his arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart, realizing that for the first time in years, she felt safe.
She just hoped there weren’t any more surprises.
Chapter Nine
Church hadn’t slept much better than he did on the couch. He was too aware of Zee’s every breath, every soft sigh in her sleep.
She slept close to him but not touching, her head slightly turned on the pillow and her hair spilling across the sheets. The early gray of dawn hadn’t reached the room yet, but he could see enough. The rise and fall of her chest. The way her hand rested loosely near where he’d been.
A knot tightened in his chest.
He hadn’t planned for this part—the sweet quiet after.
The way she looked like she belonged in his bed.
He dragged a hand down his face and eased out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake her. He pulled on jeans and a shirt, moving silently through the room.
Everything about starting his day with a woman in his space changed his routine, but having Zee in his bed felt…different.
He wasn’t a man who acted without knowing the risk. And he sure as hell didn’t regret a single moment spent with her.
Glancing at her one more time before edging out of the room, an idea formed in his mind. He wanted to give her a great wake-up surprise.
Before he left the suite, he caught sight of the package from the corner of his eye and stopped. He took out his phone and snapped a photo of it to send to Theo later. Right now, he had other matters to see to.
He grabbed the few items he needed to execute the plan and placed them in the Black Heart Security truck he’d borrowed.Then he went back to his room and stared down at Zee. Part of him didn’t want to wake her, but this was too good not to.
With a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a light shake. Her eyes fluttered before she peeled them open. Through a haze of sleep, she blinked at him.
“Church.”
