Opening the door, she stepped inside, then quietly closed it behind her. Tanner was sitting on the floor on the far side of the cabin, his head back against the wall, his eyes closed. The lamp above him cast long shadows across the angular planes of his handsome face, and she wondered if he was asleep.
She was just trying to figure out whether she could climb in bed without waking him up when he opened his eyes.
“Did the girl make it?” he asked.
“Yes. It was close, but she’s out of danger for the moment.”
Tanner sighed. “That’s good.”
Zarina waited for him to say something else, but instead, he closed his eyes and rested his head again. Hoping that meant he was too tired to argue—she knew she certainly was—she crossed the small cabin and sat on the corner of the bed. She would have preferred sitting on the floor next to Tanner, but she wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Being so near him made it difficult to think straight, and she needed a clear head right now.
As much as she’d rather not bring up the subject, it looked like she was going to have to be the one to do it. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to tell him she wouldn’t be leaving in the morning no matter how much he yelled and threatened, but Tanner spoke before she could say anything.
“I’m sorry for berating you about having a gun earlier,” he said without opening his eyes. “And for suggesting you don’t have the same right to fight for the people you care about that I do. And while I’m busy apologizing, I guess I might as well say I’m sorry for being such an ass about constantly trying to send you home to DC.”
Zarina was so surprised by the sudden flurry of apologies that she nearly fell off the bed. She was reaching down to figuratively pick her jaw up off the floor when Tanner opened his eyes and looked at her.
“But in my defense, when I think about the woman I love getting hurt, it makes my head go to some really crazy places.”
Zarina was still processing the fact that Tanner had apologized when his words finally sank in. Her heart suddenly beat out of control, and her stomach began doing all kinds of flips and barrel rolls. She’d never imagined a simple four-letter word could have such an impact on her. She’d always considered herself to be the calm, rational type, but hearing Tanner say he loved her was beyond special. Even more so because it wasn’t what she’d expected him to say when she walked in.
Getting to his feet with all the grace of the big cat whose DNA was mixed with his, Tanner closed the distance between them in two strides and knelt down in front of her. “I know I’ve been stupid, Zarina. Trying to bully you into leaving…” He shook his head. “That’s not how it’s supposed to work when two people love each other. I may be terrified of you getting hurt, but I promise I’m done with trying to send you away.”
He started to say more, but Zarina reached out and placed one finger against his lips, shushing him.
“Apologies accepted,” she said softly as she pulled her finger away. “You had me at I’ve been stupid. What’s with the sudden change of heart, though? I mean, I’m not complaining, but a few hours ago, you were planning to drag me to the airport first thing in the morning.”
He shrugged, still kneeling in front of her, his eyes were level with hers. “Spencer and Peter came out and took over patrolling the perimeter, so I came back here to get some sleep. But I couldn’t bring myself to lay down in the bed, not when your scent was all over it. It reminded me of what we’d been doing before the other camp was attacked, of how much I love you, and of how bad I’ve been at showing that.”
Even though Zarina had already accepted a man as amazing as he was truly did love her, it was still nice hearing him say it out loud. It made her feel all gooey inside.
“Anyway, I’ve been sitting here since then, waiting for you to come back and thinking about how I’ve treated you,” he continued. “It dawned on me that I’m pushing you away exactly like I did my family, and if I don’t stop, I’m going to lose you the same way I lost them.”
He leaned closer, his warm eyes caressing her tenderly as he gently cupped her face. “I guess what I’m trying to say is I know I’ve been a complete asshat, and I’m so incredibly sorry.”
Zarina knew Tanner was being serious and that this was something that had obviously been weighing on him heavily. But still…asshat? It was such a silly word that made no sense to her at all; she couldn’t help laughing. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t the word that made her laugh but relief at the knowledge that somehow, beyond all possible expectations, maybe everything was going to work out after all.
Tanner stared at her, like he didn’t know what to make of her laughter. But then he started chuckling, too. It was the first real, completely uninhibited expression of happiness she’d ever seen from him. It was a beautiful sound that make her heart beat even faster than before. Being this happy was the only thing in the world she cared about.
Still smiling, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Tanner groaned and slid his hand in her hair, urging her closer as his tongue slipped inside her mouth and began to tease hers. A flavor so distinctively his suffused her whole body, making
