With Every Breath (Slow Burn #4) - Maya Banks Page 0,123

That’s rare and precious. Just like you.”

Her eyes shimmered with emotion at hearing the words he’d given her what seemed a lifetime ago. Words he’d meant absolutely.

“I guess what we have is pretty special,” she murmured.

“Bet your ass it is,” he said around the knot in his throat. “What do you think we should do about it?”

She went pensive, exhaustion creeping in to her features. He thought she might fade away but she seemed to rouse herself and once more directed her full focus on him.

“Are you going to demand that I quit my job?” she asked after a hesitation.

He softened all over with love for his badass, justice-minded woman.

“Not unless you continue with these suicide missions.”

The corner of her mouth turned upward and relief flickered in her eyes. He kissed her hand again and became utterly serious when he said his next words.

“I once told you that you stood for what’s right. That’s who you are, Eliza. And I wouldn’t change one single damn thing about you. Will I worry about you and bitch over some of the missions you take? Hell yeah. But I’ll never stand in your way or demand that you choose between me and something that is one of the biggest reasons I love you so much. I will, however, expect you to allow me to help when I need to help.”

Eliza’s eyes were warm as she gazed back at him. “We do make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

“Bet your ass,” he said again. “And speaking of team, they’re all here. I don’t know how much you remember, or if you remember them being here at all, but they’ve been camped out in the waiting room ever since you were brought into surgery. Dane has been worried sick. He loves you, Eliza, and he feels guilty for not doing more to shut you down before you took off for Oregon.”

Eliza sighed, pain replacing the warmth in her eyes. “I’d like to see him. I need to apologize. What I did wasn’t cool. It was selfish. I made a lot of people who care about me worry. I was too focused on my own pain, fear and vengeance to realize that I was the one hurting the people I love.”

“You were protecting the people you loved,” he gently corrected. “And yes, he’s here. I expect he’ll be in at the top of the hour when they allow the next visitor back.”

She swallowed nervously and he squeezed her hand, kissing her knuckles.

“Baby, he isn’t angry with you. None of them are. They just want to know you’re going to be okay. That’s all any of them want, especially Dane. Well, and I think he’d very much like to have his partner back. As long as he understands that you are no longer exclusively his.”

He smiled as he said the last and delighted in her returning smile.

“I think he already gets that,” she said ruefully.

“So, are you going to put me out of my misery and make an honest man out of me?”

She stared inquiringly at him. “Was that a rhetorical question? Because I’m pretty sure this is the first time the subject has been mentioned, or at least an actual question has been asked.”

Damn but that was his Eliza. Sassy and sharp-tongued. Never missing a beat or an opportunity to bait him.

“You know damn well I want forever,” he said gruffly. “And that means you and me having a ceremony with everyone who means anything to us in attendance that will make me want to crawl out of my skin in discomfort but will suffer through because the end result is you. You being mine in every way possible. Forever.”

“I want forever too,” she said, an ache to her voice. “I love you so much, Wade. I think I’ve loved you for a long time, but you scared me. I was scared to love you.”

“Me too, baby. Me too. We can be scared together.”

“And yeah, I’m going to make an honest man out of you. In more ways than one,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t think I don’t know about some of your ‘business practices.’ You’re about to clean up your act, Wade Sterling.”

He threw back his head and laughed. God, it felt so damn good when he thought he’d never laugh again. Never have reason to be happy. When the most precious thing in the world to him had nearly been taken from him.

When he stopped laughing, he leaned over and brushed his lips