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She looked over, and her warm smile settled in his heart. “Yes, I am. And now, we can be amazing together.”
***
Sloane’s eyes flutteredopen, and she smiled as she found her cheek pressed against Dallin’s broad chest and his arms wrapped around her, just where they should always be.
She remained still, not wanting to disturb this perfect moment.
Her stomach was settled, her heart no longer felt like it was about to burst, and her temperature felt normal. They were all good signs the Siblet poison was gone from her system.
Her eyes flicked around Dallin’s bedroom, where they’d moved after a day of careful monitoring by Angel. This room was so him. Neat, orderly, and hiding his personality because he thought he was weird, awkward, and no one would understand him.
But Sloane knew the truth about this beautiful geek who hid behind his stiff facade. And she’d draw it out, so he no longer needed to hide. It would take time, but she wasn’t planning on letting Dallin stay stuck in the lab any longer, with only his slimy octo-squibs for company.
“You’re awake.” It wasn’t a question.
“How did you know? I haven’t moved,” she said, a smile on her lips.
“Your breathing changed. And your little finger twitched.”
Sloane grinned. “I could have been dreaming.”
“You were thinking.”
“Maybe.”
“About...”
“The lab.”
“Really?”
“Yep. And how we’re changing things from now on.”
Dallin was quiet for a moment. “We are? The lab is set up to be operationally efficient.”
Sloane lifted her head and smiled. Dallin’s purple eyes were warm and his hair was mussed around his head. “It is. But since it’s going to be our home, we need to make it feel more homely.”
“A work space shouldn’t be homely.”
“It is when we’ll be spending so much of our time there.”
“I like the way you say we all the time.”
Sloane’s finger brushed down his bare chest. “In my head, we’ve always been a team. You’ve just been a little slow on the uptake.”
His low laugh rumbled through her, sending warmth sliding down her spine. “That’s the first time I’ve ever been called dumb.”
“Only with affairs of the heart. More specifically, my heart. Which has been yours for a long time.”
Dallin’s fingers ran through her hair. “That was dumb of me. Can you forgive me?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“My experience with over-thinking shows it’s a bad idea. Too much thinking leads to fainting.”
Sloane chuckled and kissed his chest. “Should we act on the way we feel?”
He growled as her tongue tasted his clean skin. “I like the way you act. I love everything about you. I... Sloane, I’m bad with my emotions.”
“You’re not bad at anything. You’ve always told me you can solve any problem when you have enough information.”
“You’re no problem. You’re my solution. I just didn’t realize it.”
Sloane blinked tears out of her eyes. She rested her head back on his chest, already feeling tired despite sleeping for what felt like a week.
“Is that scary to you?” Dallin’s hand settled on her back.
“No, I’m just processing.”
His body stiffened. “I understand that. And, Sloane, I’ll never be like the other Apexians. If you want a true warrior, that’s not me. I am different. My brain never quietens. It will always be a problem for us.”
Sloane lifted her head. “No, it won’t. And I’m certain I want you. You are a warrior. We’ll tackle your brainiac ways together. And as you said, I’m your solution. I know you relax when I’m around. If you hadn’t spent so long keeping me at a distance, maybe we’d have already found a workaround.”
Dallin was quiet for so long that Sloane wondered if he’d fallen asleep again.
He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “You’re right. You’ve always been right. About this, about me, about everything.”
She settled into his arms and closed her eyes, contentment filling her. “And don’t you forget it, sugar.”
