Gunner lifted his mouth a few inches from hers and growled, “I thought you’d been shot. I thought Slade had shot you.”
But no, Slade had been the one to save her.
“There was blood on you...”
She’d switched into some backup clothes that she kept at the EOD. Those bloodstained clothes had caused nausea to roll in her belly.
“I think you scared a good ten years off my life.” His arms were still around her.
Sydney stared up at him. “I didn’t think anything scared you.” Gunner was the tough guy. The one who could stare death in the face and never back down.
“That was before you.” He kissed her again. Still as desperate. “I need you to be safe.”
She needed him to be safe, too.
His gaze searched hers; then he slowly eased back. “Better get us moving,” he murmured, “or Mercer will send out a search team.”
Because security was on full alert at the EOD office.
She gave him another smile and waited as the elevator resumed moving.
Gunner’s fingers—broad, warm—curled around her shoulders, and he began to massage her as they headed down to the parking garage.
Heaven.
But that paradise came to an end all too soon. The elevator’s doors opened. The garage was well lit, with security cameras positioned every few feet. She saw her little car waiting right next to Gunner’s truck.
“You can ride with me,” Gunner said. “I had your car brought in, just like you asked, but there’s no need for—”
“I want to take my car,” Sydney said, cutting through his words. “With everything that’s happening, I want to make sure that I can stay mobile on my own.” If she had to clear out quickly, she wanted the security of knowing that her own ride was waiting for her.
Gunner’s jaw locked, and she knew he didn’t like her answer. “I will be right behind you,” he told her. “I’ll follow you back to our place.” He caught her hand, pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Be careful.”
Our place. No, it wasn’t, not yet. But maybe they could talk about their place soon. About starting a home for the family they would have.
Sydney tried a faint smile for him. “I’m a federal agent. I can do careful, no problem.”
He didn’t smile back. The worry was there, shadowing his gaze.
She slipped into the car. Gunner closed the driver’s-side door and watched her through the window.
He hadn’t talked about marriage. Hadn’t really talked about their future at all other than to say he wanted to be there for the child.
Did Gunner want a future with her?
She cranked the ignition. He kept watching her as she eased away from the parking spot; then he turned and headed for his truck.
She wanted a future with him. Baseball games and barbecues and Christmases spent around a tree. She wanted to wake up next to Gunner every day, and go to sleep next to him each night.
If only he wanted the same thing.
Her phone rang, surprising her. She had it hooked in to her car’s system so she just had to press one button on her console to connect with the phone system. Frowning, she took the call. “Sydney.”
“Where are you?” Slade’s voice. Rasping.
Frowning, she drove toward the guard booth. She saw Myles, the night shift guard, and she flashed her ID at him. He nodded, then typed in the code to raise the gate.
“I’m...uh...just leaving the office,” she said. Hadn’t Slade gone home hours ago?