“Take Zee and leave early, man. On one condition.”
He centered Gabe in a long stare. “What’s that?”
“You have to come to the lodge afterward so everyone can congratulate you.”
His chest tightened. “How do you know she’ll say yes?”
Gabe sat back, a smile on his face. “You really are no good at reading a woman, huh? Have you seen the way she looks at you? She’s saying yes.”
He sat there for a beat, gathering the type of courage he never needed on the eve of any battle.
Then he snatched the ring off the desk and pushed to his feet. At the door, he swung back. “Thanks, man.”
* * * * *
Zee’s office door flew open hard enough to smack the stopper, and she jerked upright in her chair, her pulse already kicking into overdrive before her brain caught up.
Church filled the doorway, shoulders tight, gaze locked on her with focused intensity.
“Zee. We gotta go.”
Her heart pounded into her ribs and her stomach landed in her leather boots.
His tone was edged with urgency—the kind that meant things were already going wrong.
She launched to her feet. “What happened?”
Whatever he saw on her face made everything in him shift in a single beat.
“Hey.” He gentled his voice as he crossed the room in two strides. He cupped her face, the gentle touch steadying her before she spiraled any further. He stroked his rough thumbs over her cheeks. “It’s all okay.”
She issued a shallow breath.
“It’s not bad. Just…” His voice dropped a notch lower. “Important.Come on.”
She searched his face, trying to read past the urgency. He wasn’t lying—he wouldn’t. That much she knew. But he wasn’t telling her everything either.
“Okay.”
He didn’t wait for more words of agreement. He slid his hand from her face to her forearm and gently guided her toward the door. He led the way out of the office, through the hall and out the door before she could think of more questions about what was so important.
He led her to the truck and urged her inside while casting looks around.
“Church—”
“Seatbelt.”
Her eyes widened on him, but she snapped it into place. He jumped behind the wheel and shot down the road leading from the training facility, tires whirring on the asphalt.
She twisted in the seat to watch the facility disappear at a fast rate behind them. “You’re going to tell me what’s going on, right?”
“Yeah.”
She waited.
Nothing. Not a word passed his hard, yet very kissable, lips.
“But it’s not scary?”
