back to what I was before you….then I lost you anyway.”
“You haven’t lost me.” She pressed her body flush against his. The knowledge that he cared for her, that she was as important to him as he was to her, was more than she’d ever hoped to hear. “I’m right here.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m a lot more than a Dragath25 low life and a lot more than that bully chicken-shit I became in that moment.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I want the chance to prove it to you.”
“I already know.” Her fingers tangled in the short hair at his nape.
“I finished the device.” His fingers contracted against her skin. “There’s no one hundred percent guarantee, but I think I can get that pile of wires to work well enough to jam 225’s weapon and allow your rescue team to land safely.” He cleared his throat. “You can go home, Bella.”
“Oh, my God,” She jumped up and down, almost knocking the top of her head into his chin. She could scarcely believe it. Caine could save those people. No one else needed to die. Her sister and brother would continue to be safe, too. And once the rescue shuttle landed, they could join the search for Ava. Her friend would be found. All thanks to Caine. “You are amazing. Thank you so much.”
His hold tightened. “It’s no guarantee. Just remember that. There’s a lot that could still go wrong.”
“I understand.’” She tried to contain her sense of hope. “Nothing on Dragath25 is easy.”
His thumb whispered across her lower lip. “Except touching you.”
Her heart fluttered. “So touch me.” Her nails scraped gently down his back. “I missed you.”
She was lifted in the next instant, his hands sliding under her ass as he took control, his dark gaze holding her captive as he walked them backwards deeper under the overhang. “I missed you, too. Turns out holding back didn’t do a damn thing to squelch the pain. I still saw you everywhere. Smelled you on our bed. Heard your voice on the wind. The cave, the ridge, the spring, the Oasis…it all felt damn lonely without you.”
She pressed a kiss to his jaw. “So you came to watch over me. Thank you.”
“I shadowed you from the instant you left.” His hold tightened, his gaze darkened by a vulnerability that hadn’t been there before. “I’d die to protect you, Bella.”
“No one’s dying.” Her tone was fierce. “Thanks to you, we’re both getting off this miserable planet.”
He tensed further.
“Caine? You know we’re both getting off this planet, right? Your device isn’t just going to save the rest of us, but you, too.” She cradled his jaw. “Even when I left your cave, I never intended to leave you behind. We’re all going home.”
He turned and kissed her palm. “I can’t go back, Bella.”
Chapter Twenty
Caine slid her down his hard body as if already putting distance between them.
She grabbed his shoulders, keeping him close. “Don’t give me that bullshit about being a killer and deserving punishment. I don’t know what you did, but I know enough about you now to realize there was a good reason behind it.”
“That means a lot.” But the resignation was still there.
“Tell me,” she urged, “tell me what happened.”
She didn’t need to hear his story to know he had a valid reason for what he’d done. She knew it by the man he was, but she could sense his need to tell.
She was also more than ready for him to let her in.
He blew out a breath. “It’s not a pretty tale.” He turned away. She felt cold without his big body to warm her. “My wife Gwen was a good person, but she didn’t always make the best choices. About a year after we were married, she got involved with a married Councilman notorious for sleeping around. A guy named Hendricks.”
Bella fought not to grimace. She’s heard of Councilman Hendricks. While hardly beloved by the general populace, he’d managed to advance in the Council leadership and was considered the third most powerful man in the entire Earth government.
She suddenly understood Caine’s pessimism. If Hendricks was the one who’d sent Caine here, they’d be going up against the whole Council to get him out.
“When I found out about Gwen and Hendricks,” continued Caine, his back still to her, his shoulders tense, “I began divorce proceedings. Gwen was beside herself. She begged me to change my mind. Swore she loved me. Swore she’d end it. But I