Page 67 of Rescued

“Yeah, it did. Until it got worse.”

She was quiet and then said, “When I came?”

He tightened his arm around her. “You make it better.” And she made it worse. Better when she was near him, and worse when he contemplated being responsible for her forever. But he’d bared his soul enough for one night. It was feeling raw.

He said, “So that’s my sad story. I don’t suppose I could talk you into having sex with me now? I promise not to rip your underwear.”

“Only because I’m not wearing any.”

“Damn. You figured me out.”

For once, Bree knew when to quit. She put down her tea and turned to straddle his lap, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I would love to have sex with you now.”

Her simple acceptance of him melted some of the glass shards in his heart, and for some reason almost made him want to cry like a baby. “Awesome.”

He stood up, lifting her with him, and carried her into the bedroom. This time he made love to her slow and sweet, putting his whole heart into it.

But he still fell asleep wondering how he would ever let her go—and if there was some way he could make her stay with him.

Chapter 28

A couple of days went by, during which Switch did basically nothing, and felt guilty as hell about it.

Breanna didn’t seem to notice. She was busy helping Mikey plan a pack barbecue to celebrate everyone’s recovery from their wounds—and to lift everyone’s spirits after Berenger’s funeral.

They’d buried him in the cemetery up the mountain, with the whole pack in attendance—the wounded ones carried up by their fellow soldiers. Breanna and Switch had gone too. The mournful howling of the pack still haunted Switch’s dreams.

The barbecue was supposed to be one of those community-building things, that usually ended in several brawls. Which would mean everyone had had an excellent time.

But while Breanna was doing that, Switch did nothing about Moreno. Didn’t check his contacts; didn’t even bug Sugar to see how much progress he and Thanatos had made. Because the truth was, Switch had gone from hoping his lead would pan out, for Breanna’s sake, to hoping it wouldn’t, for his own sake. He wanted to put off the day she left him as long as possible.

Which officially made him a selfish prick.

The afternoon of the day before the brawlbecue, Switch was fucking around in the command center, rewiring one of the communications consoles and trying to ignore Sanchez’s smartass comments, when Gunn came in looking for him.

Gunn squatted on the floor next to where Switch was lying under the console, with wires in his face. He slid out and sat up.

“What’s up?” Switch asked.

“Good news, I think,” his friend said. “Mikey got a message this morning from Cazbek—the head of security for the dragons’ corporate headquarters in Seattle. He said they have an administrative opening coming up that would be perfect for Breanna. He even said she could stay in the penthouse with him and Lucinda, until she gets a place of her own.”

Switch’s stomach lurched. “That is good news,” he said, getting slowly to his feet and looking out the window to where Breanna was standing with Mikey, directing the guys who were clearing out the firepit, and gesturing as they decided how they’d set up everything for tomorrow. “Thanks.”

He knew he didn’t sound grateful. But he had the feeling that Breanna would love Seattle. And she’d love Cazbek and his mate’s lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous penthouse, if everything Mikey said about it was true.

But he was back to feeling like his chest was full of broken glass, at the thought of her leaving him behind.

Gunn was following his gaze. “Mikey would love for her to stay here,” he said tentatively. “And we could use an administrator, too.”

Switch said, “I know. But… I don’t want her to be stuck here in the middle of nowhere, watching guys go out on missions and wondering if they’ll ever come back. It’s different for Mikey.”

Gunn was now watching him, his eyes narrowed. “Have you asked Breanna what she wants?”

“She’ll do what she wants no matter what anyone says. But I want her to have choices. Good ones—not the kind you settle for. She deserves that.”

The door banged, making them start. Sanchez, on his way out. Switch had no idea how he could be such a stealthy tracker, and such a loud obnoxious fucker the rest of the time.

“What about you?” Gunn said, leaning against the console. “Have you thought any more about staying here? I could really use you. And it’s not even that annoying having you around.”