Page 75 of Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team)

She nodded against him, stifled a yawn, and settled into a more comfortable position. “I want to go home,” she murmured a moment later against his chest.

“I know. I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can tomorrow.” Just as soon as he could get clearance to leave and find them a flight, they were out of here.

She shook her head. “No, with you. And I mean I want to go toourhome,” she stressed, tilting her head back to look up at him in the dimness.

A sweet, sharp pain pierced him at her words. He’d been waiting, hoping for this for so long now, waiting for her to be ready to move back home so they could live like a married couple again. A wiser, more dedicated married couple.

“Yeah, sweetheart,” he whispered, his own voice rough and his eyes stinging. “I’ll take you home.”

She snuggled back against his chest, pressed a kiss to his sternum. “Love you.”

God.Throat tight with emotion, he wrapped her up tight in his embrace and kissed the top of her head. “I love you too.” More than life itself. “Go ahead and sleep now, doll. I’m going to be right here holding you the rest of the night.”

A sigh of relief escaped her. “Good,” she murmured.

He lay awake beside her while her breathing turned slow and deep, all her muscles relaxing as she drifted off to sleep, and just held her, overcome with joy and hope for the future they’d come too close to losing forever.

Tomorrow, come hell or high water, he was taking herhome. They’d pick up the pieces and finally start their lives again.

Together.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Virginia, two days later

Just outside their kitchen door, Summer paused and stood there watching Adam finish putting away the last of the groceries he’d laid out on the center island while she was out. He reached up into a cupboard beside the stove, the muscles in his arm bunching with the movement, the ones across his back and shoulders flexing beneath his shirt.

Heat and arousal stirred her blood. It felt like she was waking from a deep sleep after the chaos of the past few days.

After spending over two hours in her therapist’s office, venting about everything that had happened in Jordan, she felt stronger now, more like her old self again. The initial horror and exhaustion and numbness had faded, allowing her to see what was most important in her life.

He was standing right in front of her. She was never letting him go again.

Adam could have given up and moved on when things had fallen apart for them. A lot of men in his position would have. Instead he’d stepped up and joined the fight to save their marriage. Then, just three days ago, he’d risked his life to rescue her, had literally carried her to safety.

A deep and abiding love for him filled her heart, making it swell so much it hurt. She swallowed hard.

In some ways it felt like she was seeing him through new eyes. This strong, brave and sexy man was all hers. Had been hers all along, even though she’d sometimes failed to recognize that for the gift it was.

A lump formed in her throat as she thought of how close she’d come to succeeding in pushing him away for good. That she’d nearly lost him forever.

But not anymore. She refused to hold back with him anymore, and she was done with holding onto the past. He’d made an effort after screwing up and she would too. After all this time they were finally on the same page. Starting here and now, she was reclaiming her man.

He looked over his shoulder when she stepped into the kitchen. A smile curved his delicious mouth amidst those dark whiskers as he turned toward her. She knew he was worried about her though, she could see it in his eyes. “Hey. How’d it go?”

“Good. I feel way better.” The Bureau had set up everything for her while she was still in Jordan. She’d insisted on going to her first counseling session alone, even though he’d wanted to go with her.

It was important to her that she get everything out first without Adam there, so she could relay the events and all the chaotic emotions without making things harder on him. But she’d been careful to make sure he knew she wasn’t shutting him out, that she’d just needed this time to process everything. She wanted him to go with her to as many of the remaining appointments as he could, if his schedule permitted it.

Gratitude and excitement fizzed inside her as she closed the space between them. She set her purse on the counter then wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into his solid frame.

He returned the embrace, and just the feel of all that warm, hard strength enveloping her made her go tingly all over. And he smelled delicious, all clean and male. They’d arrived home late yesterday morning but with all the meetings keeping them busy, they hadn’t had much time together. And when they’d finally both crawled into bed last night, they’d been too exhausted to do anything but sleep and had passed out in a matter of minutes. She sensed that he wanted more but had been worried about her, that he’d been tentative about touching her intimately.

But she wasn’t tired now, and there was something she needed far more than food or rest. She needed her husband.

Taking his face in her hands, she leaned up to press her lips to his, knowing how lucky she was. He was her rock. Her hero, and the love of her life. She’d missed being intimate with him, ached to feel his hands and mouth on her naked body again.

The make-out session during their date at the drive-in had been pure torture, and she’d been impatiently waiting to make love ever since. After facing her own mortality a few short days ago, more than ever she wanted to lose herself in pure pleasure and wasn’t waiting a second longer.

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