“What happens if I want to talk all night?”
His arm tightened around her. His hand rubbed her shoulder. “Then we’ll talk all night.” He moved her up over his body, leaving her legs to drape over his hips. “I’m not in a hurry for what’s coming. Well, I am, but I don’t want to be. You’re far too fragile—and too precious—to bulldoze. Soon enough, you’ll accept what we are to each other.”
Her arms folded over his chest. He drew her body forward with his hands round her ribs, then kissed her gently, lips to lips, taking only what she offered. When she opened her mouth to him, he did the same. Their tongues met halfway, sliding, pushing, dancing. His head lifted off the bed as his leaned to the side to deepen the kiss.
He fisted her hair as he pulled away slightly, then kissed her lips twice more. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m breaking down your walls.”
She shook her head slightly. “It’s like they weren’t ever there with you.”
“You don’t need them with me, Remi. I won’t fail you.” He gritted his teeth, trying to pause long enough to get some control over his emotions. “But I goddamned sure would like to kick the ass of the bastard who made you put them up in the first place.”
She pushed back from him, studying him with solemn eyes in the dark room. “I did that on my own. For my own protection. Until you, I never let anyone inside.”
He took a couple of breaths and pushed a bit of hair behind her ear. “Walls are hard to build and harder to maintain. No one puts them up on a whim. They’re only ever needed for defense. What caused you to need them?”
With her splayed over his body, he felt the shift that came over her. Her body cooled, stiffened. She pushed up and sat on the bed. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
He sat up too. “Okay.”
She stared at him, a silent silhouette against the ambient light from his window. Without a word, she scrambled off his bed and crossed his room. He caught up with her as she slipped into her bathrobe. Wrapping an arm around her from behind, his hand crossed her body and caught her hip. “Don’t go. Please. Give us a night of sleep. Let me hold you. Just that. Nothing more. We’ll both quit talking.”
She caught his hand and brought it up, pinning it against her heart, which beat against her ribs like a caged refugee. “I can’t talk about those things, the things you want to know.”
Greer pressed his face against the side of her head. “I’ll stop asking.”
“You slip under my skin and into my secrets so effortlessly.”
“I was trained to do that. I don’t even do it consciously anymore.”
“I’m not your mission.” She tilted her head up and looked back at him, frowning. “Or am I?”
“You aren’t.” He locked his jaw, to keep the truth from rolling out, but it just came out anyway. “And you are.”
“Which is it?”
He turned her in his arms, moving so that faint light from his window across the room hit his face. He wanted her to read the truth of his words. “There are things you know that I need to know…for your own safety. I’m not using you. I can’t use you. I won’t use you.”
She held his intense gaze for a minute, then pulled free. “Good night, Greer.”
He didn’t move, didn’t try to stop her this time as she left his room, quietly shutting the door behind her. His breath escaped his lungs in a long hiss. When he’d mentioned the difficulty maintaining walls, he’d spoken from experience. He’d let her inside his walls, and all he had to show for it was a blistering pain in his heart.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Greer was at breakfast before Remi. As the others came in, they filled in around the table, leaving the seat next to him open. Remi usually sat next to him, but he knew she wouldn’t this morning. Not after last night. This morning—if she even came in—she’d pick a seat at the end of the table, leaving a big empty spot in his heart and a question in the minds of the guys. They hadn’t exactly hidden the fact that they were hooking up.
When Remi did finally come in, the room was noisy with chatter. Their eyes met, so briefly, then she headed over to the buffet table to fill a mug with coffee.
She looked at him as she faced the table. He held her gaze, his expression blank, his eyes hard. She walked right over to the empty seat beside him. He stood and pulled out her chair. She set her coffee down, then faced him, still on her feet.
“Sorry I’m late.” Her lips curled upward in a slight smile. “I had a hard time sleeping until a few hours ago.”
He lowered his head so she alone would hear his words. “So you’re still talking to me?”
She laughed. Fucking laughed. And touched his chest. “Of course. I repaired my walls overnight.”
Greer’s brows lowered. “Doesn’t matter. They’re coming down. Very soon.”
She stepped away with a smile, terminating their quiet convo as she went to fill a plate from the buffet. He sat down again, watching her, then intercepted hard glares from Owen and Kit.
Fuck. It. All.
His heart was his to give. Even if it came back to him bruised and battered.
Minutes later, before the guys started to leave the table, Kit called the team down to the bunker for a meeting. Greer and Remi were among the last to clear out. She started toward the living room. He caught up with her. She hooked two of her fingers with his. His body tightened.
“I’m going to work in the billiards room. Call me if you need me in the bunker.” She took a step away, smiling at him over her shoulder.
He tightened the hold his fingers still had on hers and pulled her back to him. Pivoting, he put his back to the camera he’d installed in the corner of the room months ago, shielding her.