Page 114 of In Death, Love Survives
“I took an oath,” she whispers.
“Baby, you shot at that person who burned down my building. Who shot at me. You did nothing wrong here, okay?”
She nods yes repeatedly as she bites down on her lower lip and sticks her hands in her jeans pockets.
“Come here.”
I wrap her in another hug to help her steady her breathing.
“I wouldn’t have cared if I did because he was trying to kill you.”
I shouldn’t like that as much as I do, but I can’t help but smile at that confession. Nova isn’t a killer, but she would kill for me.
“Let’s get you home and cleaned up a bit, yeah?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“I have some clothes you can wear for tonight.”
She burrows into my side as I lead us back to the front of the burning building and away from the scene of the crime.
On autopilot, I get us together and take off back home. Caleb knows where to find me. He will as soon as he’s done.
Nova’s grip on my waist is the tightest it’s been, and I know today has been a long one for my girl.
I take it easy on the drive back, and soon enough, I’m pulling into the driveway. The midnight blue skies are showing off as Nova and I walk back inside.
“Is there a patio here?”
“Yeah, I can show it to you later.”
“That’d be nice.”
I keep her close to me, realizing she likes to be buried into my side. It keeps her calm through it all.
In the bedroom, I pull out one of my T-shirts and a pair of pajama pants.
“Will these be okay?” I ask, holding them both up.
“They look like they’ll be perfect for tonight.”
She looks around the room and spots the shower.
“I’m going to clean off, then maybe we can eat something?”
“You read my mind.”
Nova takes the clothes from my hold, and I kiss the top of her head.
“Want to join me?” she asks with a shy smile.
“You know I do, but why don’t you take time to decompress. It’s probably been the longest day of your life.”
“I’m not fragile. I promise.”
She kisses me and pulls away.
“But I won’t argue. Maybe a relaxing shower is the right move over a sexy one,” she says with a laugh.
