Rekindled (Titanium Security Series) (16 page)

“Inside.” Gage nodded at the closed door. “Zahra wanted him in there with them.”

“Blake told me what you guys did, by the way. I can’t believe you gave him brownies after what you did to him last time,” Jordyn said with a shake of her head.

“Come on, it’s totally fitting,” Gage insisted, folding those thick, tatted arms across his chest. Grace could make out script in amongst the designs. It looked like people’s names but she couldn’t be sure. “Mirroring, or whatever.”

“Like book ends,” Hunter added.

“Book ends,” Gage agreed enthusiastically, pointing at Hunter as he nodded in approval. He looked back at Jordyn and shrugged. “Besides, he got a kick out of it.”

“Bad pun, man,” Hunter said wryly. “Really fucking awful.”

Gage shrugged but looked a little chagrinned as he realized what he’d said. “Just came out. Sorry.”

“Wait, what’s this about the brownies?” Grace asked when no one filled her in.

They all looked over at her, but Gage was the one who answered. “Dunphy’s the team clown, likes to pull practical jokes on everyone. Since he’s younger than the rest of us, Hunt and I decided to teach the little shit a lesson.” He grinned.

“With brownies?” she asked, not getting it.

Gage’s smile widened. “Yeah. Laced with a box of extra strength laxatives.”

“Oh…” Grace didn’t know what else to say, other than that seemed pretty damn harsh retaliation for a few practical jokes. “And so did he, uh…”

“Learn his lesson?” Hunter interjected. “Nope. Not a surprise to anyone that knows him. Only person who seems to be safe from his sick sense of humor is Zahra. So far, anyway.” He said it fondly, and Grace knew he actually got a kick out of Dunphy’s antics. “But you didn’t spike the brownies you gave him now, right?” she pressed.

Hunter shook his head. “Nah. Just wanted to remind him how much we care, right, Gage?”

“Right,” Gage said with a decisive nod.

Yeah, because nothing says love like a reminder of what had to have been an epic and seemingly endless bout of diarrhea. Grace shook her head at them. Alpha males were so weird.

“You have to know Dunphy to get it,” Gage said to her in their defense, then waved a hand dismissively. “It’s a guy thing.”

Apparently. Grace couldn’t help but smile. “Does Alex do that sort of thing?” She couldn’t envision it.

Gage looked surprised for a second as he thought about it. “No, not that I’ve seen.” He looked at his teammates. “You guys ever seen him…”

Everyone glanced at each other then shook their heads.

“Huh,” Gage mused, and directed his attention back on her. “Maybe not now, since he’s the boss, but I guarantee you he did back in his Army days.”

“Now that I can believe,” Grace acknowledged. She’d seen a playful side to Alex and could easily picture him doing something similar to his soldiers back in the day.

“You gotta admit, that hot sauce thing Dunphy pulled was pretty good,” Blake put in.

“Yeah, and Hunt’s reaction was the best of all,” Gage added with a chuckle. “Probably had heartburn for a week straight after, but he ate every damn bite just to show the little prick he could take it.”

Grace was lost again. The team members stood talking amongst themselves for a few minutes until finally the door opened and Alex walked out with a dark-haired young woman with dusky skin. He had his arm around her back, his head bent as he whispered something to her while she had her face buried in his chest. A jolt of alarm spiked through Grace, but then Alex looked up at her and the answering smile on his face made her breathe out a sigh of relief.

“So, what’s happening?” Hunter demanded before anyone else could ask.

Alex squeezed the young woman tighter, his embrace protective, almost fatherly. This had to be Zahra. It was clear she meant a great deal to Alex, and while she wasn’t jealous of the woman, Grace was definitely curious about their relationship. Though he’d kept secrets from her, she knew it was rare for him to show that kind of attachment openly. Alex glanced up at Grace, his obvious pleasure at seeing her warming her to her toes.

“Dunphy just had a major uptick in his prognosis.” Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for him to continue. He murmured something else to Zahra, who was trying to get herself together, and she nodded. “Doc will be out in a minute and then you can go see him.”

Not wanting to interfere, Grace stayed behind the others as the doctor came out and shook hands with Alex. Alex squeezed Zahra once more and she went back into the room with everyone else.

Grace erased the distance between them and smiled. “So, good news?”

“Looks like.” His lips turned up on one side in that sexy grin of his and he drew her into his arms. “How’d you make out today?”

“Fine. Bored to tears, but that’s as bad as it got.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against him, let out a soft laugh when her cheek touched the dampness on his shirt. “I found the wet spot.” She wiped her cheek and looked up at him. “Was that Zahra?”

“Yes. She’s worked for me for a few years now.”

“She’s special to you.”

Another grin, this one full of pride. “Yeah. I guess I kind of took her under my wing after I recruited her. She’s been through a lot, and I’m damn proud of how she’s handled herself. One of the best cryptologists I’ve ever seen, too.”

Wow, okay then. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak so highly about anyone before.”

His smile widened. “That’s only because you’ve never heard me talk about you.”

A warm bubble of pleasure rose inside her. The man could be so charming when he wanted, but she knew that wasn’t just a line, and she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “Well, I’ll consider myself flattered then.”

“You should. It’s well-deserved.” He started nuzzling the tender spot just beneath her ear. Such a simple thing, but it sent a wave of pleasure through her entire body. Delicious little shivers cascaded over her skin, tightening her nipples as she pressed closer to him. Lord, she’d never get her fill of the feel of him, so strong and vital, and her arousal level had been at a simmer all day.

She jerked back guiltily when the door behind them opened and Hunter stuck his head out, his hard features lit with excitement. “Get back in here.”

Alex quirked a brow at her but took her hand and led her into the room despite her initial resistance. The entire team was gathered around the man lying in the hospital bed. His eyes were nearly as dark as his black hair and beard, and even though she’d never met him, she could tell the sparkle there was pure joy. “Look what I can do!” he blurted to Alex.

Alex kept hold of her hand as he walked to the foot of the bed where Zahra sat perched on the edge, a huge grin on her face. She drew the blankets back far enough to expose Dunphy’s right foot.

“Watch,” Dunphy instructed, his face screwed up in intense concentration as he stared at his foot.

All traces of awkwardness for intruding on such a private moment gone, Grace watched closely and caught the tiny flicker of movement in the big toe.

Dunphy grinned at Alex, clearly elated. “See?”

“Hell yeah, I saw,” Alex chuckled. “That’s awesome, man. But don’t overdo it. The doc said you need to keep resting.”

Not in the least deterred by Alex’s words, Dunphy turned his gaze on her. “And who’s this?”

“This,” Alex answered, tugging her close to his side, “is Grace.”

At that Zahra stared up at her with wide eyes. “
The
Grace?”

“The one and only,” he affirmed.

Grace glanced back and forth between them, wondering what he’d told Zahra about her and their relationship. She stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

Zahra shook it. “
Very
nice to meet you.” When she looked back up at Alex, her eyes held a happy, almost wistful expression. The understanding and very pleased smile she gave him touched Grace deep inside. Whatever he’d told Zahra about her, it must have made her seem very important to him. She liked that thought.

Alex flicked her a telling glance, the pride and hunger there stealing her breath. Then he looked back at Dunphy. “Get some sleep and keep up the good work in the morning.” He reached down and gave Zahra’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “Call when you’ve got another update or if you need anything.”

“I will.”

He faced the others. “Come on, everybody out so these two can have a chance to get some sleep. I’ll drive Grace back myself.” Grace watched as identical expressions of surprise showed on everyone’s faces. Except for Blake, who looked purely amused as he stood with a muscled arm draped over Jordyn’s shoulders. Her eyebrows were hiked up under her hairline. Gage let out a soft chuckle.

Hunter’s cheek creased in the hint of a grin and he nodded. “We’ll follow you back. All right, let’s rock.” They all followed him out of the room.

As they walked toward the elevators Alex held her back to put space between them and the others, his hand warm and sure around hers. She glanced up at him questioningly. “Shouldn’t we stick close to them?”

“We will, but not that close.” His silver eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting as he looked down at her. “I want you all to myself for the rest of the night.”

Grace shivered in anticipation and shut her mouth.

Alex glanced sideways at Grace as he drove them back to his hotel, amused by the slight grin on her face as she studied him. “What?”

She held up a hand in self defense. “Nothing. I guess I just never realized you’d told anyone about me.”

“Only Zahra, and only the Cliff’s Notes version. The PG version,” he added wryly.

“Still. I just…it surprised me.”

It shouldn’t have, but he could see why she’d feel that way. Maybe now she’d realize she meant something more to him than a fling and a means to access the wealthy and powerful set in Mombasa. “Then I guess I’ll have to keep showing you how I feel about you until you actually believe it.”

For a moment he thought he’d gone too far, that she’d shut down and retreat from him emotionally, but instead she studied him with an almost wistful expression. “How do you feel about me?”

It was too soon to pull out the L word, even though he knew he still loved her. Too much time had passed, there was too much hurt, and in many ways they were strangers again. He had to give them the chance to re-learn about each other, rediscover all the reasons they’d fallen for each other in the first place, which was why this damn time crunch bothered him so much. With every hour that passed he was acutely aware of the time slipping by him. So he pushed the hesitation aside and laid his heart on the line. “You’re the only woman I want, and I’d do anything for you.”

The look in her eyes softened, warmed, and he thought he caught a sheen of moisture there before she glanced away. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say you’ll give me another chance.” If he could get that much, he knew he could capture her trust and heart again.

She glanced over and he caught a flash of hope in her gaze, warring with the indecision. He tightened his hands around the steering wheel to stay the impulse to reach out and touch her. Last thing he wanted was to make her bolt now, when he was so close to earning another shot.
Come on, angel, let me in one more time and I swear you’ll never regret it.

But Grace didn’t tell him what he longed to hear; she cleared her throat softly and changed the subject. “So, Dunphy seems in good spirits.”

Hiding his disappointment, Alex let it go for now. “Hell of a lot better than he was, that’s for sure.”

“What’s his prognosis now?”

“Still uncertain, but the nerve pain and movement are good signs. I hope to God he keeps gaining more motor control and that they can get the swelling around the spinal cord all the way down. There was a single compression fracture in one of his lumbar vertebrae, but that’s not the problem. They think the pressure from the swelling on the cord is causing the paralysis. Spinal shock. But the longer the compression lasts, the higher the chance that the damage will be permanent.”

“Well I’d say he’s off to a great start. I hope he regains full use of his legs again. At least he’s got Zahra there. She seems good with him.”

“She loves him. She’s as loyal as they come, so she’ll stick by him no matter what. I only worry that she’d put up with too much bullshit if he develops full blown depression. Had a little chat with him yesterday to set him straight about that, though. Think it might have worked, too,” he added with a faint smile. Though if Dunphy didn’t regain use of his legs, depression was a certainty.

Grace smiled back at him. “Like I said, you’re just full of surprises. I wouldn’t have pegged you as the fatherly type, but you certainly wear it well.”

He shrugged. “I’ve always been that way with my guys. Comes from my ODA commander days, I guess. But Zahra’s special. I think we’ve been good for each other, and acting as her mentor early on got me through a really tough stretch after you and I…” He trailed off, leaving that sentence unfinished because they both knew how it ended.

Grace was silent a long time, but he could hear the wheels turning in her head and wondered what she was thinking about. “Do you ever regret not having kids?” she asked a few minutes later.

The question took him by surprise for a second. “Sometimes. But my marriage wasn’t really a marriage for a long time before we finally split, and we both knew it wouldn’t have been fair to bring kids into that. I was gone so much, I wouldn’t have been there for them enough.”

He had her full attention again, even though she wasn’t looking at him. “You never really talked much about your ex.”

Another shrug. “She was a good person, just couldn’t deal with the lifestyle and the long absences. Not that I blame her. It all took its toll over the years until I came home one time after a three week mission and all her stuff was packed. I realized then that we were essentially strangers bound by law and vows neither of us meant anymore. I’m not proud of it. I know I could have tried harder, and I might have if she hadn’t already had someone else waiting in the wings. As far as divorces go mine was pretty amicable. I think honestly we were both glad it was over.” Those were mistakes he’d never repeat with Grace. If she let him back into her life, that is.