Mind of Danger (Body of Danger #3) - Sidney Bristol Page 0,36

of guy who’d think of himself last. Which meant she had to look out for him now.

The shower finally turned off. She clasped her hands in her lap, legs crossed, and watched the door.

The minutes kept ticking by.

At long last the bathroom door opened and steam billowed out. Elias took one step onto the carpet and stopped. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his skin was still damp. Hair stuck up in the back and was plastered to his brow in the front.

He just kept staring at her...

Should she not be in here?

“Um, hi,” she said.

Had she read last night wrong? And today’s kiss?

He blew out a breath. “I thought you were a dream for a second.”

Jo laughed, more from nerves than anything else.

He trudged toward her, eyes closed.

“Did you fall asleep in there or something?” she asked.

“Almost.” He went to his knees at the side of the bed and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her lap.

She stared down at the top of his head and marveled at this moment. Her younger self would have died right about now. She gently placed her hand on his head, combing her fingers through his wet hair. Paler lines crisscrossed his scalp where he’d had staples that one time he’d gone head first out of the back of a Jeep, losing his helmet along the way.

Jo licked her lips. “Elias?”

“Hm?”

“I need you to not come with me.”

“What?” He lifted his head and frowned at her. “Why? What happened?”

“Listen to me? Please?”

He kept frowning, but didn’t utter a word.

“You have done more for me than anyone else in a long time. Probably ever. I’m so appreciative and thankful. You can’t possibly know how much all of this has meant to me. But, I also know I’ve asked more of you than I should have. I care about you too much to have you with me for this next part. Please, stay here?”

Elias sat back on his heels. There were furrows across his brow now.

“You think I have PTSD or something?”

“I don’t know, but I saw how you were after what happened at the condo, and I don’t want to ask you to have to do that again.”

He dropped his gaze to the floor for a moment, his hands still on her knees. She covered his hands with hers.

“I don’t think less of you. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m respecting that you’ve gone a different path than me.” Shit. She was going about this all wrong.

Elias turned his hands over, clasping his hands with hers, and tipped his face up. “I’ve learned a bit about myself the last few days, too. You know, after the accident I knew I wasn’t entirely right. I’ve lived the last few years thinking things about myself. Zain called me out for not being a team player, and he was right. I’ve spent so long thinking there’s something wrong with me, I think I created a problem that wasn’t there. Yeah, after the accident I had...issues. I’m never going back into front-line work because I can’t handle the physical toll on my body, but I don’t think I’m as fucked up as I thought I was.”

“I saw your face yesterday...”

“Yesterday was the first time I’ve shot someone at close range since before the accident. I think my reaction proves I’m human more than anything else. If I had shot that guy without it bothering me, then I’d think we have an issue.”

Jo waded through his words again. She only knew what had been shared with her following the accident about his injuries. Did she trust him to tell her the truth?

The open honesty shining back at her was hard to refute.

He hadn’t hesitated or choked once. There was no reason not to trust him or believe he wouldn’t tomorrow.

“I want what’s best for you,” she said.

“And that’s being with you. Watching your back is where I belong.”

She sighed. “You sure know how to sweet talk a girl.”

Jo would be lying if she didn’t admit that having him there would put her mind at ease. There was just something about Elias that made her feel complete. They were perfectly fine on their own, but together they were stronger. She could trust him to reel her in when she went too far and to watch her back.

She wanted to ask him about the future, but she couldn’t bring herself to get out of this moment with him.

Elias lifted her right