Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5)(51)

When he returned, her eyes were closed, but as soon as he slid onto the bed, her gaze found him.

“Open your legs for me,” he said softly.

Shyly, she parted her legs, lifting one upward and then bending her knee so she could prop her foot against her other leg.

She sighed when he pressed the warm cloth to her skin. There was something decidedly intimate about him wiping away the proof of his possession. The rag came away sticky with her blood and his se**n. He stared at it for a long moment, realizing the significance.

She’d been a virgin and he’d been her first. He also hadn’t thought to use a condom. Perhaps more irresponsible than not using a condom was the fact that he didn’t give a shit that he hadn’t.

In his mind, she was his. Whatever happened as a result of th

eir lovemaking, they’d face together. Just like they’d meet head-on the dangers that pursued them.

He tossed aside the washcloth and then pulled back the covers so he could get her underneath. After she was settled, he climbed in beside her and pulled her flush against his body, tucking her head beneath his chin.

There was a lot to think about. A lot to decide. But some decisions had already been made. Such as the first time he’d ever seen Grace Peterson and decided that she was his.

He’d tracked her down. He’d sworn to protect her. She was here in his arms, in his personal sanctuary.

For him, that was akin to a freaking marriage proposal.

CHAPTER 23

GRACE dozed lightly, snuggled tightly in Rio’s arms. She never slept fully but instead existed in a dreamlike state. She was limp, drained of energy, but in an oh my God good way.

He felt good against her. Strong. Hard as a brick. Warm. And so comforting. She felt cherished and that was her weakness.

She wanted someone to demonstrate the kind of caring that went beyond an impersonal relationship.

She rubbed her cheek over his chest and sighed.

“What’s the sigh for?”

She lifted her head to see that he was very much awake and staring inquisitively down at her. She propped her head up in her palm and nudged her elbow up under her pillow so she could see him while still remaining as close to him as possible.

“Just seemed like the thing to do,” she said simply.

f Pen puHe touched her cheek and then her hair, stroking lightly as he continued to study her. Then he cocked his head to the side. “Why me?”

Warmth seeped into her cheeks. She didn’t deliberately try to misunderstand his question. She wasn’t entirely certain just how honest she should be with him. How she answered could change a lot between them. Or change nothing at all.

“You have to know what my life’s been like,” she said in a low voice. “Always moving. Never having friends. Never trusting anyone. It was so ingrained in me and Shea that after a while being loners was just natural.

“Shea…Shea was a little better at it than I was. I mean she tried more. She wanted a normal life and I think in the beginning she was more naïve in thinking she could actually have that normalcy. We both were in denial of our circumstances, but she more than I ignored the reality of who and what we were. I think Shea thought if she didn’t acknowledge it, then it didn’t exist.

“For me, it was an everyday battle. Always seeing people hurting. In need. Knowing of sick children. I lived with the knowledge that I could help them. That I could make a difference and yet I could tell no one, and if I reached out to one of them, it would mean discovery not only for me but for my sister.”

“That’s a hell of a lot of responsibility to take on your shoulders,” Rio muttered.

“I hated myself.”

Rio slid his hand over her face, cupping her cheek as his eyes bored into hers. “No. Don’t hate yourself.” He kissed her, leaving his lips pressed against hers as he stroked her hair. “You can’t be responsible for the world. You can’t help everyone. You know what it does to you. How does it help anyone if you die?”

“It frustrates me, you know? I feel like I’ve been given this really awesome gift but, oh wait, I can’t use it because it may be too much and I may die. What kind of deal is that? What’s the point? Not using it seems so irresponsible and selfish. And yet if I use it, it endangers me and my sister. No matter what I do, the outcome sucks.”

She was near tears again, and instead of showing her utter weakness once more, she turned her face into the pillow and then burrowed closer to him so that her head was wedged between his chin and the pillow.

Rio continued to run his hand over her hair, pulling through the strands with his fingers. For a long moment, he was silent. Only the sounds of his breathing filled the room.

When he spoke, it was a low rumble, serious and yet calm.

“I don’t have the answer to that, Grace. Maybe your purpose hasn’t yet been revealed. Maybe what you’re supposed to do is survive until the day when you know why you’ve been given this gift.”

His words sank in and she went still. Slowly she raised her head and stared into his eyes. “You think so?”

Rio shrugged. “I’m a big believer in everything having a purpose. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

Her eyes widened as he quoted a passage from the Bible.

He gave her a mocking look. “What? Don’t think I’m the religious type?”