A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(46)

Standing, he reached for her mug on the nightstand. It was still half full, but it had hopefully given her a little comfort. She surprised him by grabbing his wrist. “Stay with me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Grey returned the mug to the table and slipped off his shoes. He was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt and stopped, struck by her sensual beauty as she slipped the robe off her shoulders. Other than those short passionate moments in Paris, it had been months since they’d kissed, even longer since they’d made love. He wanted her with a longing that went a million times past physical desire. That need would have to be put on hold. Holding her all night long had its own rewards.

The instant they slid beneath the covers, she went into his arms. Closing them around her, he held her gently, tenderly. Her body was sore, and her heart was broken. He wanted to fix everything in her life that had hurt her, but knew that was a useless want. So he did the only thing he could do. He held her, treasuring that he could.





Chapter Nineteen





She couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her brother’s body fall. Felt the kick of her gun as the bullet left the chamber. Saw the blood, felt the darkness of death enshroud her.

She’d finally found her brother only to end up killing him to save the man she loved. If it wasn’t so damned painful, she might laugh. She was living her very own Shakespearean tragedy.

What she had told Grey was the truth. Hill Reed, killer and purveyor of all evil things, had told her about her brother that night. Though the manner of Reed’s death had already been planned, she had come close to ending him in a different way. He had been the one to teach her how to shoot. It seemed only right that he should reap the rewards for all those painstaking lessons.

Of course, she hadn’t done anything of the sort. Killing him in that manner would have completely spoiled their cover story. Minutes after Reed’s death, his body had been wrapped and then loaded onto a van, ready to be transported thousands of miles away from Dallas. She also knew she would likely have hesitated at the last minute. If she had, Hill would have sensed that hesitation, and she would be dead instead. Hill Reed had never hesitated when it came to a kill, not even for someone he’d raised as a daughter.

She shifted slightly and felt Grey’s arms tighten around her. She could have lost him. The fact that she had killed her brother to save him was the epitome of irony and the very definition of karma. But just because that was what she’d deserved didn’t make it any less painful.

“Can’t sleep?”

A wave of heat swept through her at Grey’s sleep-gruff voice. No matter what the circumstance, Grey could move her unlike anyone else. She wanted nothing more than to sink into his arms and forget the world.

“Do you think what happened was karma?”

“Don’t, baby. Don’t go there.”

“You have to admit it seems fitting. I took your parents, and now the only family I had left is dead because of—”

“Because you saved my life.”

She rolled over in his arms and buried her face against his warm, hard chest. “Losing you would have destroyed me.”

“Just as losing you would do the same to me.”

She smiled against his skin. “We’re joined at the hip…we two.”

“Like two peas in a pod.”

“Macaroni and cheese.”

“Chicken and dumplings.”

“I’m a vegetarian.”

“Then you can be the dumpling.”

She laughed through the threatening tears. This was an old game. Silly and frivolous, but it brought back good memories. She needed those memories tonight.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

“I’ve been here, waiting for you.”

“You know why I had to leave.”

His hands, large and more lethal than anyone could imagine, were gentle as he pulled her away from his chest. Even though it was still dark, the outline of his body was sizable and should have been forbidding. But it had been a long time since she’d been afraid of Grey. She knew he would never physically hurt her, even in his most fierce anger.

“After Reed’s death, yes, I understood. But you were away too long this time.”

“I didn’t plan to come back.”

“I know that, too. I just don’t know why.”

“Because I—” Articulating something that she barely understood herself was beyond her ability tonight.

“Can we talk about it tomorrow? Can you just hold me tonight?”

“Of course. Whatever you want.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. Grey’s tenderness was a well-hidden secret. Many people knew about his quest for justice and his resolve to protect the innocent. No one other than she knew about his gentleness and his romantic heart. His occasional silly side could have her in stitches. Multifaceted and fascinating, Grey Justice could infuriate her one moment and melt her heart the next.

The tears began to roll, and she didn’t try to stop them. She rarely cried. In Hill Reed’s world, showing vulnerabilities had equated to weakness. She had learned to control her tears. Grey was the only one she had ever allowed to see them.

Sobs built up until, finally, she let go. Burrowing into his warmth, she allowed the sadness to wash over and through her. For almost two years, she had focused on identifying and finding her brother. Just because she didn’t remember him didn’t mean she didn’t want to meet him, get to know him. The moment his eyes, so very much like her own, had met hers, she had seen their emptiness. He had become a soulless creature, like so many of Reed’s students. Could she have reached him? Saved him? She would never know.