In Flames - Elise Faber Page 0,22
that tempting mouth again if he hadn’t felt her mind curled carefully in the back of his, cautious and . . . preparing herself, like she expected him to say something that would hurt her.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” he admitted. “It’s just . . . I spent so long pretending that I didn’t feel anything for you and somehow, it almost became the truth. Like it was bundled so deep that I truly didn’t feel anything.”
Her breath caught.
“Then you looked at me in the hall, invited me—no.” A sharp shake of his head. “No, I think the veneer began peeling back when I saw you after the attack. You were so strong and unwavering. I was so fucking proud that I knew you, even obliquely.” He laughed and just let the rest of it flow. “I knew you had a date last night, and some perverse part of me wanted to torture myself. So I came by, preparing to punish myself, thinking he would be smart enough to recognize how great you were, even though I knew I couldn’t have that for myself.”
“I-I don’t understand.”
“And even though I expected him to grab on to the wonderful woman in front of him—to you,” he said, pulling her closer, “part of me hoped he would be dumb and that you would be there by yourself. Waiting for me.”
“I—”
“I’ve watched you there,” he murmured. “Watched you go into the infirmary at all hours of the night and not emerge for days.”
“I—”
He placed a finger on her lips. “I’ve seen you working so fucking hard. You’re amazing and inexhaustible, and just I respect all you’re doing and have done for our people. First and foremost, you need to know that.” He removed his finger, nudged her forward. “Second, you’re the smartest person I know”—she snorted, and he bopped her on the nose with his pointer finger—“it’s true. And last in this particular list, but not last in the things I like about you list, you’re beautiful.” A beat. “But even though I want to lick every inch of your sexy little body, I want you more than just in my bed.”
Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, but this time when he stopped for air, she didn’t try to say anything.
Instead, she was silent, just breathing.
Silently.
“Suz?”
She waved a hand, which he took to be her saying wait a moment.
So he waited and walked.
Then waited some more.
And then just when he was bursting with the need to say something, anything she turned to him, stopping him in his tracks as she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tight.
“That’s a lot,” she murmured against his chest. “A lot that means . . .” Her breath caught. “Probably more than it should.” She shifted, resting her forehead against him.
“But it’s still a lot,” he said.
She nodded, her ponytail going askew as she did so. “Yeah.”
“So we stop worrying about the a lot, and we look at what I wanted to show you.” He threaded his hand into her ponytail. “Then you get some sleep.” Tugging gently, he waited until her gaze came to his. “And then when you wake up, this all won’t feel like a lot any longer.”
One half of her mouth curved. “How do you know?”
“Because I’m older and wiser.”
A snort, but the uncertainty in her eyes had faded. “I’ll give you older.” She lifted her chin in the direction he’d been leading her. “You gonna show me this secret spot, or what?”
“What.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”
He grinned. “I like teasing you, Firefly.”
“When are you going to tell me what that means?”
“When I feel like it.” He waggled his brows. “Or when you convince me to give up the goods.”
“Graham!”
He just grinned.
And then he kissed her again, thoroughly and quite desperately.
“Now?” she asked when they broke apart.
“Nope,” he said lightly, straightening and taking her hand again.
Her annoyed huff was the best sound he’d heard all day.
Nine
Suz
Okay, it was worth the walk.
But maybe not the kisses.
Which was a lie, she knew. The kisses had been . . . incredible, more than she’d ever imagined. More than she’d ever hoped, truthfully.
A finger tapped her temple. “Still a tornado in there,” Graham murmured.
Yeah, she did have a tornado in her mind, but she was putting that aside for a moment. Because he had taken her outside. Outside. Outside to a tiny little slice of nature, one that had become few and far between since the Dalshie’s attack had destroyed a large portion of their outdoor space.
What