“Always,” he whispered back, pressing a kiss of his own to the top of her head.
And shockingly, she believed him.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
March 13th
12:21 P.M.
“Do you plan on ever letting me out of this bed?” Maya asked, dotting kisses to his chest between each word.
“Nope,” he agreed cheerfully. As far as Thunder was concerned, being buried inside Maya’s sweet heat was a place he could happily spend the rest of his life and not feel like he was missing out on anything.
“You're crazy,” she said with a giggle that gave him a glimpse of the woman she would have been if life hadn't been so cruel to her.
The woman she was now free to be.
Even if there was a possible threat still out there, Dr. Gardner had been way off in where he thought they lived, so there was no way his mother could know. So long as they stayed there they were safe. Of course, he and his team would keep hunting down the woman until they found her, but Maya wasn't going to be involved. She’d done her part, and he wasn't going to risk her life again.
“Crazy for you,” he corrected.
“Aww, that’s sweet.” Her gaze softened, and the smile she gave him was everything, it dulled the haunted look that was permanently in her eyes.
A look he hoped would fade over time as she became more secure in the knowledge that she was safe. She had all the time in the world to heal, and there was always a chance that Mrs. Gardner wasn't interested in coming after any of them. Even if she was, she had no vested interest in Maya. In Cassandra either. Although Rose, Whitney, and Indigo were likely still in danger from her if she decided to come after them.
“Only sweet for you, babydoll.”
No one else had ever given him the urge to be soft and sweet. Of course, his team had become his family, his brothers in every way that mattered, but they weren't sweet with one another. Rose, Cassandra, Whitney, and Indigo had become part of that family, and he was softer with them than with his teammates, but he wasn't sweet with them. The only other person with whom he’d been kind of sweet was Beth Lindon.
“I have someone I was thinking of inviting over to visit,” he started carefully. If Maya wasn't ready for another new person yet, he’d introduce them over text, and they could chat that way for a while first.
“Who?”
“Her name is Beth, and she went through something similar to what you did. Her family … they were evil, no other way to describe them. They sold her when she was about your age, and she spent years being kept in a cage. She was rescued by Bravo Team before they became Bravo Team, by a man named Axe. He knew from the moment he first laid eyes on her that she was his, but he never pushed her for more than she was willing to give, and it took them a few years to get together as a couple. In that time, he was whatever she needed him to be. He never gaveup on her, never rushed her healing, and made sure she always knew he was there for her no matter what.”
Those big gray eyes of Maya’s studied him for a long moment. “Is that how you feel about me?”
“Yes.”
“Uh … which part?”
“All of it,” he answered honestly. “When I walked into that room and saw you, I felt this pull toward you that I couldn’t understand. Now I understand it. You're mine just like Beth is Axe’s. But I will never make you give me more than you want to. Ever. You are the most important thing in my life, but you are in control of your life. Whatever you want goes, and whatever you want goes at your pace. I'm here for you. Anything you need, I will always put you first.”
Her gaze turned thoughtful, but it didn't lose the softness, so he knew she wasn't going to tell him that she wanted to head home to her family and not remain in touch with him. If that was what she wanted, then he would of course go along with it and ensure from a distance that she was protected and looked after.
“I do want you, Thunder, but … I don’t know what pace I want to go at. I know I want to stay here, I know I like sharing your bed, I know that you make me feel safe, and more than that, you make me feel like one day I can be normal. But I don’t know more than that.”
“You don’t have to, babydoll.” Honestly, that was more than he knew he could hope for anyway. “Everything else will grow naturally.” Capturing her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he pressed his mouth to hers, humming in appreciation when her lips parted for him, allowing him to sweep his tongue inside her mouth.
Definitely could spend the rest of his life right here.
What would he really be missing out on?
Eventually, they pulled apart, and he couldn’t resist pressing another kiss to her forehead.
“I think I'd like to meet your friend Beth. If she’s happy to come visit,” Maya added.