Page 8 of Claiming Tessa

He carefully opened the door and walked over to the bed.The light from the hallway shone over her enough so he could see her features.

As she slept in the bed, she looked even tinier.He was glad to see she had a healthy flush, and her breathing was deep.Her hair was down, but the blanket hid the majority of it, so all he could see was the top.

He smoothed back a bit from her face and used his thumb to feel the softness of her cheek.It was then he saw the tear tracks, and it broke his heart.The woman had been through so much already, but damn if she didn’t tough it out.

At that moment, he really hoped it worked out with him and Diego.He wanted to be able to take care of her and show her people cared about her, because he didn’t think she received a lot of that in her life.

Gavin walked out and shut the door quietly behind him.

Diego turned from the sink.“How is she?”

“She’s sleeping hard.”Gavin picked up a towel and started drying the dishes.“She cried.I saw tear tracks on her cheeks.”

“Fuck.If anyone needs double the love, she does.”

Gavin nodded.“I know.We’ll play it by ear, but we can’t rush her.I don’t want her running from us because she’s scared.”

“I called Dan.He’s going to take over the job tomorrow, and I told him to give the rest of the guys the weekend off.This way, we have three days with her.”

“Good idea.I think she’ll sleep through the night.How about we grab a beer and sit on the back patio?If it gets chilly, we’ll start a fire.”

Diego drained the water in the sink.“I like the idea.It’s been a busy couple of weeks.”

Gavin grabbed a few beers and followed Diego out of the kitchen door.“That’s good because it means we’re making money.”

“You’re right.It’s nice to relax, though.”

Gavin took a long drink of beer and then sighed.“I won’t argue with that.”

Chapter Four

Tessa opened her eyes, sat up, and stared out the window.She could tell by the slant of light that the sun had not been up for a long time.A groan tore out of her mouth when she stretched and felt her tight muscles pull and her joints pop.

It felt like she’d aged a decade since she left Egypt.Instead of feeling young and twenty-seven, she felt sore, tired, and dull-witted.

She knew a shower would help some, but moving around would also.She’d have to keep from sleeping during the day so she could sleep that night.

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