Page 41 of Gunner

Gunner went back when Skye nodded and saw Lacey in the bed sleeping. Her hair was messed, her skin was covered in smoke, and she’d never been more beautiful.

He took her hand and brought it to his face, cradling it against his skin as he kissed her palm.

“Hey.”

Her gorgeous blue eyes were staring into his. “Hey, Cosmo, how you feeling?”

“Like I have the worst hangover in the world and swallowed a smoking pipe.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

The curtain swept back, and the same doctor from before faced them. “Miss Cannon, your scans are clear. We just want to keep you overnight to make sure your lungs are clear and dress the cuts on your hands and feet. You can go home tomorrow.”

Gunner watched Lacey bite her lip and tears fill her eyes. “Thank you, doctor.”

The man looked at him and then Lacey and then turned on his heel and left.

Gunner reached out and swept her hair away. “Why the tears?”

“My home.”

She didn’t need to say more because Gunner knew full well what she was asking. He kissed her forehead and wrapped an arm around her as she leaned into his embrace with a trust that humbled him.

“I’ll get an update from Jack as soon as I can, but, Lacey, regardless of what happened with your house, you can’t go back there until it’s safe. No matter what happens with us, I care about you too much to let you be in danger.”

“Where will I go? I could ask Skye and Nate, I guess.” She tried to sit up as if she was going to get out of the bed that second and go and fix things, but he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “Stay there. I’ll sort it all out for you if you’ll let me?”

He knew he was asking her to trust him even more than she was already and given everything and the fact he still hadn’t explained what happened with Pax, it was a big ask.

“Would you? That would be a big help. I feel so tired.”

Gunner kissed her hand where the doctor had bandaged from the cuts. “Sleep baby, I won’t leave you alone, I promise.”