Page 69 of Out of the Shadows

He frowned. There was no way he’d heard that right.

She propped her chin onto his chest and met his gaze. “What you went through on your last mission was terrible. It left you with horrible PTSD. I know you didn’t mean to hurt that woman, but you did.”

His stomach sank and he looked away, but Bean grabbed his chin and forcibly made him face her. “But you got help, Gavin. Professional help. You did the work to get better, to manage your nightmares. You could have easily just tried to go it alone. But you didn’t. It takes a lot of guts to seek help. Especially for you macho-alpha types.” She patted his stomach. “And, yeah, you may have had a setback after the McClintock kidnapping, but you know the steps you need to take to manage it, right?”

He nodded.

“You could have also just shut me out earlier. But you didn’t. You opened up and told me what was going on in that head of yours. I was ready to walk out thinking you didn’t want me.”

Everything inside him revolted at the thought. “You can’t imagine how much I want you, Bean. And not just tonight.”

“I want you too. And for more than just tonight.” Her lips lifted into a small smile. “Thank you for talking to me, for being honest with me.”

The tension in his body eased like a slowly deflating balloon. He ran a hand through her hair, unable to tear his gaze from her. “Bean, baby, I don’t deserve you.”

Her smile grew as she rolled her eyes. “You’re a lot of things, but you’re not stupid. Don’t start acting like it now.” Then she tucked her head against his neck.

Wrapping his arms around her, he simply held her.

As he ran his hand mindlessly up and down her spine, everything inside him settled—his heart, his soul, his entire being. He squeezed her tighter. This woman was quickly becoming everything.

“I’m still scared to sleep with you,” he confessed. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

She met his gaze, and there was nothing but understanding in her blue eyes. “If you’re really worried, I can sleep in the guest room. It’s okay, Gavin.”

He was shaking his head before she’d finished speaking. “I want to. Hell, there’s nothing I want more than to fall asleep with you in my arms but... I’m nervous. If I hurt you?—”

She pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him. “I have an idea. In order to have a really good sleep, you need to be totally exhausted, right?”

There was a twinkle in her eyes that had him smiling. He had no idea where she was going with this, but he was game. “Yeah?”

“How about I exhaust you? I mean, as long as you don’t pop any more stitches.” While she spoke, she moved off his body until she was kneeling between his legs. Her fingers skimmed over his thighs, and his cock hardened. “I mean,good sleep is vital, wouldn’t you agree? Will you let me see if I can get that brain of yours to shut off?”

“Yeah.” The one word came out like a croak but he didn’t give a shit, because she was lowering her face to his cock. He groaned as her little pink tongue flicked the underside. He got impossibly harder, desperate to feel her mouth on him. “Please, B.”

The look she shot him was sex and tenderness all wrapped in one. “Please what, boss man?”

“Suck my cock, baby. Please.”

“Yes, sir.”

His dick jerked at those two words. Then his brain shut off completely as she swallowed him down. The image of her sweet mouth bobbing up and down on his cock was forever imprinted into his brain.

Holy shit, this woman . . .

This glorious fucking woman.

She owned him. Completely. Mind, body, and soul. He was hers.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Gavin glanced around the conference room and embraced that familiar rush he got from getting shit done. Even though he was dead tired, pride bloomed in his chest from the great minds that surrounded him. Their team was beyond solid. Bean, Alvarez, and Xander were seated in various spots around the large rectangular table, and MacKay, Esme, and Tiny were joining their meeting via video call.

He was used to not getting a lot of sleep, but he and Bean had stayed up until the early hours of the morning. They’d gotten maybe three hours—easily the best sleep he’d had in years—and were back at the office by six. He wouldn’t change anything from last night for the world. Well, he’d definitely change the part where he’d been a complete dumbass and had nearly fucked things up. And the entire getting-shot thing. Actually, the more he thought about it, he probably should have woken her back up for round three. After all, they hadn’t tried?—

Bean cleared her throat loudly while shooting him a glare that was half annoyed and half amused. Her blue eyeswidened as she jerked her head toward the large screen at the front of the room.

He startled.Oh shit.

---