Page 45 of Inevitable

Brady watched Claire put her stuff back in the bathroom and let out a sigh of relief. Damn stupid plastic basket almost caused him to lose his shit. Running his hand over the back of his neck, he then shook his head. The thing he feared most had almost happened and it wasn’t anything he wanted to let happen again.

He knew he hadn’t backed off enough and the cold reality of her almost walking out the door made him realize he had to find a way. Otherwise, he was going to lose her for good. Which was unacceptable.

Somehow, he had to find a way to communicate his feelings so that Claire knew that the only home in the world for him…was with her. How he was going to accomplish that wasn’t real evident yet, but he was a smart man, and he would figure it out. One way or another.

Because never in his life had he wanted something as singularly as he wanted Claire. The first time they’d met, he’d recognized something familiar in her…something that called to him. She was the answer to a question that he had no idea he’d been asking.

She was his home and he hoped to God that someday she would feel the same way about him.

After their first date, he saw the possibility of their future roll out like a thousand miles of highway. All they had to do was join hands, get in the car, and let their life begin. Seems he hadn’t expressed any of that in a way that made sense to her. Watching her move stuff around in a drawer, he wondered how he could communicate his feelings in a way that bound her to him without making her think he was a crazy man.

He tilted his head and realized he had no flipping idea how to pull it off. Give him a hot extraction with a HALO jump in the middle of a firefight and he knew what to do. No questions asked.

How to tell the woman of his heart that he wanted her to stay and make a life together…no idea. Not one clue.

Shit.

Maybe he could ask his brother for some advice. After all, the guy did manage to get Lilly to fall in love with him. Which, as far as he could tell, had to involve some kind of dark magic. What other explanation could there be, considering they bickered right up to the moment they started kissing. If his brother could manage that, then getting Claire to fall for him should be doable.

Shouldn’t it?

He watched Claire walk out of the bathroom and come toward him. He held out his hand and waited until she took it. He scooped her up and settled her into his lap. “Thank you, darlin’.”

“For putting my stuff away and cleaning up the bathroom?”

“No, for giving us a chance. For staying.”

“I didn’t know that you wanted me to stay.”

He tipped his head against hers and let out a breath. “I thought when I brought you home that it meant you were here permanently. I know the closet isn’t great, but I spoke with my brother Brody, and the moment he has a free second, he’s going to help me build it out so you have plenty of room for your stuff.”

Leaning back, she studied his face. “You think I’m worried about where I’m going to hang my clothes?”

Shrugging, he shook his head. “Not really. It’s just easier to talk about the practical. If I start to tell you how much you mean to me, then I may scare the shit out of you.”

Patting his arm, she smiled. “Okay. But maybe just a clue here and there would help me understand what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking that I can’t lose you. I can’t let you out of my sight and take a regular breath. You are not the only one who understands loss. You are not the only one who is scared. I need you to be within a handspan so I can function.”

“Because of what happened at the mall?”

“No! Maybe…” Running his hand through his hair, he let out a frustrated growl. “I knew before we walked in there that I would lay down my life to save yours, and the idea of not having you with me on this journey is inconceivable. To have that idea tested like it was has put me on edge. I want to hold onto you as tightly as I can so I never have another moment like I did when I opened that door and saw you’d been shot.”

Feeling her hand run up and down his arm made his heart slow down. So far, she hadn’t run screaming from the room, so he figured that she wasn’t completely horrified by his confession. His whole life had been spent showing anyone who cared to look that he was as tough as nails and couldn’t be taken down. Turned out, none of that meant shit when it came to Claire because she could destroy him if she decided to leave.

Not anything he wanted to advertise.

“Well, a lot of things make sense now.” Pulling away, she gazed at him and ran her hand down his face. “I’m not saying that I’m going to permanently live in sin with you. But I’m not saying that I won’t.”

“Maybe I need to work on my communication skills so that I actually say what I’m feeling and not expect you to telepathically pick up on the subliminal messages that I send.”

“Yeah, we could probably use some practice on letting each other know how we’re feeling. Too bad we can’t be equipped with the FlickIt technology. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could mentally swipe my thoughts into your brain and have you instantly understand them?”

“Yeah, that would make my life a lot easier because you’re not always understandable to me. In fact, you’re pretty much a foreign country with a language I will never totally understand.”

“I guess that means we need to spend some time learning about each other.”

“Which we can because we are living together.”

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