Born to Be Wild (The Others, Book 15) Mass Market Paperback
Page 28
Eli felt the room spin and saw his life flash before his eyes. He squeezed his mate’s hand, not letting up until she squealed in discomfort.
“Are you telling me,” he began weakly, “that instead of running away from a demented killer, you faced him thinking that you had nothing to defend yourself with aside from a needle full of painkiller? Josie?”
He saw her eyes searching his face and knew she was looking for anger. He hadn’t bellowed the question, after all. In fact he’d asked it quietly and politely and with a sort of dawning wonder that must make quite a contrast from the other times they had discussed her right and ability to take care of herself. He didn’t waste words trying to reassure her, just let her see the truth on his face.
Finally, she nodded, still looking a little wary. “I am. Are you going to lecture me?”
“No.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I’m going to congratulate myself for having such a clever, resourceful, quick-witted, and courageous mate,” he murmured, smiling into her eyes. “And then I’m going to thank my lucky stars that she belongs to me.”
Slowly and beautifully, a smile began to curve her lips. It actually started in her eyes, making them glint and glow; then it spread outward bit by bit, crinkling the corners of her eyes, rounding her cheeks, and finally blooming into a perfect expression of joy.
“I think you should also thank this mate of yours,” she whispered back, leaning forward until her forehead rested against his and her body melted against him in perfect intimacy.
“I should?”
“Mm-hm. Thank her for having the incredibly good sense to fall in love with you.” She brushed her lips over his, more a promise than a kiss. “Thank her by telling her you love her, too.”
Eli smiled and wrapped her arms around her, realizing that nothing ever felt to right as the moments when he touched this woman; on the hand, on the cheek, on the breast, it didn’t matter. All that matter was her and him, joined.
“I love you,” he whispered and watched her joy turn to exaltation while the same feeling rose warm and perfect in his own chest. “I will always love you, Josephine Barrett. And I will always be thankful to you for loving me.”
Behind them, a completely forgotten air force colonel cleared his throat and tilted his head toward the ceiling, making a big show of studying the intricate detailing of the plasterwork there. Between them, they continued to ignore him.
Josie laughed softly and her smile took a slightly wicked turn. “Well, if you’re going to thank me for loving you,” she murmured as she raised her lips to his once more, “you’re going to have an awful lot to be thankful for.”
And he did. Every day of his life.