Sierra woke up feeling better than she had in a long time. She hadn’t realized she wasn’t sleeping well at her parents’ house, but as soon as she opened her eyes this morning, she knew that her brain had finally allowed itself to completely shut down and relax.
She was certain it was because of the man snoring slightly next to her. She hadn’t moved much in the night, was still on her side next to Grover, and amazingly, their hands were still clasped together. Moving up on her elbow, she took the time to study him. His hair was completely mussed and the small lines in his face were relaxed, making him look younger than his thirty-three years. He had a heavy five-o-clock shadow, and she realized that he probably had to shave every morning to keep the facial hair at bay. She recalled how bushy he’d gotten in just the week he’d been in the caves.
Knowing something like that about him seemed very intimate. The sort of thing only a lover would know about their significant other.
Grover’s nose was slightly crooked, which she figured had happened at Shahzada’s hands. Or maybe it had been that way before he’d been taken captive. She couldn’t remember his nose from over a year ago, when she’d first met him. The cut on his forehead was mostly healed. Although he’d probably always have a small scar, it would fade with time. Sierra could see a few streaks of gray in his eyebrows, which made her smile. She had a feeling he would definitely be what women liked to call a Silver Fox when he got a little older. And unlike women, he probably wouldn’t give a damn if he had gray hair before he turned forty.
As if he could feel her intense gaze on him, Grover stirred.
Sierra could tell the second he remembered he wasn’t alone. He turned his head and she almost melted at the sleepy, affectionate look in his eyes. “Mornin’. What time is it?”
“No clue,” she whispered back. She had no idea why she was whispering, it wasn’t as if she’d wake anyone else, but it seemed the right thing to do.
Grover lifted his free hand to look at his watch. She couldn’t help but feel good that he hadn’t pulled his hand from hers when he realized they were still connected.
“Holy shit, it’s seven-thirty,” he said in a slightly awed tone.
“You miss an important appointment this morning?” Sierra teased. “I mean, it’s not like we have anything we have to do, is there?”
“No, but I haven’t slept this late in…a long time.” He turned to look at her once more, and Sierra couldn’t read the emotion she saw in his brown eyes. “And I actually slept,” he told her. “Once I fell asleep, I didn’t dream.”
She swallowed hard at hearing that. “That’s good, right?”
“Good? It’s a miracle,” he said with a small shake of his head. “I’ve had a nightmare every night since we got home. I’d sleep about three hours, wake up, and not be able to go back to sleep afterward.”
“I’m so glad you got some rest.”
“It’s you,” Grover said without hesitation.
Sierra frowned. “What?”
“You. Here. Holding my hand. It’s like my brain finally knows you’re safe. There was no need for me to dream of Shahzada hurting you because you’re here. With me. Touching me. Thank you.”
His voice cracked, and Sierra closed her eyes as emotion threatened to overwhelm her.
She felt his fingertips brush against her cheek.
Getting her feelings under control, she brought her free hand up to his, holding his warm palm against her face. “I’m glad,” she repeated.
“Me too. You sleep all right?”
“Like a rock.”
“Good,” he replied simply. “So…what do you want to do today?”
That was another thing Sierra liked about Grover. He accepted they’d clearly needed each other last night but didn’t stretch out the moment, didn’t make it awkward. She shrugged. “What do you want to do?”
“Shower, eat, check out this cow who likes to be scratched under her chin, then maybe take a hike. Then come back, eat lunch, chat with some of the others here, take a nap in one of the hammocks I saw behind your cabin, have dinner, then sit around and talk to you some more.”
“Wow, um…sounds like you’ve got quite the day planned. I’m not sure that I’ve thought that far in advance.” She was totally teasing him, but she saw the worry bleed into his eyes. She didn’t have the heart to make him worry for a second longer. “I’m kidding. That all sounds amazing.”
“We don’t have to do any of that,” Grover backpedaled.
“Seriously, there’s no other way I’d rather spend the day,” Sierra insisted.
“Okay. I think the therapist is supposed to be here tomorrow. We probably want to save some time in our schedule to talk to her.”
Sierra liked that he said “we.” She nodded.
“What time did Brick say breakfast was?” Grover asked.
“I think eight. It’s buffet though, and goes until nine-thirty.”
“All right, so we haven’t missed it. I’ll meet you in front of your cabin in about fifteen minutes?”
Sierra frowned and shook her head. “Nope. Sorry. I used to be the kind of woman who could shower and be ready to go somewhere in ten, fifteen minutes. But not anymore.” She refused to be embarrassed about it. Out of anyone, she knew Grover would understand. “I can’t seem to tear myself out from under the hot water in under twenty minutes. Minimum. I can’t help but remember how horrible I felt with a year’s worth of dirt and grime on my body.” She shrugged, just a touch self-consciously.
“No problem. And for the record…I had an extra-large water heater installed in my house, so you can take all the long showers and baths you want. So…forty minutes? In front of your cabin?”
He kept saying things like that, as if it was a foregone conclusion that she’d be going back to Texas with him. And not only going back, but staying in his house. She wanted to tell him that he was making assumptions about things she wasn’t sure she could agree to…but another part of her wanted to curl into him every time he said something like that. It was as if her heart was warring with her brain. And the kicker was, she wasn’t sure which she wanted to win anymore. “Forty minutes sounds good,” she said after a too-long pause.
“Foot in mouth, remember?” Grover muttered. “Just ignore me when I cross the line. I don’t want to pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to do. I’m a pushy bastard, and I know it. Feel free to push back, Bean. I won’t take it personally. Promise.”
“Okay. I…I want to see your house. I want to meet your team’s women. Hell, they’re already messaging me, and I kinda feel like I already know them. But—”
“Wait. They are? What have they said? Are they bothering you? I love them, but they tend to be a little…enthusiastic.”
“And you aren’t?” Sierra said with a laugh.
“Okay, I definitely am. But they’re unpredictable. They’d bend over backward to help you, especially Ember. When she learned that I’d actually found you, and you were free of captivity, it was all Doc and I could do to keep her from jumping on a plane and flying up to Leadville to meet you. And of course, she’s been taking credit for your rescue. Telling everyone that it was her post that led to you being found.” Grover rolled his eyes and smiled. “She’s delusional, but cute, so we don’t contradict her. But seriously…what have they said?”