Page 39 of Married to the SEAL
She bit her lip and turned around. A one-by-four-inch stripe of skin was missing from the outside of his left arm. She sucked in air, her mouth making a hissing sound as she moved to him, and she forced herself to examine the wound when she wanted to look away.
“You need medical attention.”
“I need a bandage.”
“It’s more than just skin.” She covered her mouth. He would have this mark on him forever, long after he’d left her life. “You need antibiotics, at the very least.”
“The bandage will be fine. The front desk probably has something.”
“I’ll call down.”
He was right. They had a small selection of first aid items that would take care of their immediate need.
“I’m going to call Trudy, too,” she said. “She can have my father’s doctor send along a prescription.”
“I don’t want to go out.”
“We’ll have it delivered.”
He gestured to his arm. “I’m going to wash this out.”
The bandages arrived and they sat on the bed as she covered his wound as best she could.
“You make a pretty good field nurse,” he said. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She covered her eyes with her hand.
“What’s wrong, Grace?”
She shook her head. “People were shooting at us today. If that bullet had been just a couple of inches the other way…”
“Come here.” He held out his arm and she scooted next to him on the bed.
“You could have been hurt.”
“So could you.”
“But you could have been hurt for me.”
He stroked her hair. “That’s what I signed up for. Protecting you.”
She held out a hand to him, needing his touch, and he took it.
“What if something happened to you?”
“Something eventually happens to all of us. I’m good at what I do, and I want to spend my life making a difference for those who need me on their side.”
She rested her head on his good shoulder. “I need you, Matteo.”
This was a dance, each step choreographed to get them closer to each other, and her spine tingled with a heady mix of excitement and fear. “I need you to protect me, and I need you to touch me and make me feel safe.”
His eyes were locked on hers, his stare intense.
“I want to kiss you,” she said, lifting her chin and moving toward his mouth.
“Don’t.”
“Please…”
