A Perfect Storm(73)

       
           



       

Nonplussed, Spencer shrugged. Hell, it was sort of news to him. "I'm just saying."

"Yeah, so why tell me?"

"Hell if I know," he muttered and rubbed his face again. "The best we  can hope for is to know where she's at and what she's doing. If we try  to shut her down-"

"She'll just move on to another cluster-fuck." Jackson went to look out the window at the boring parking lot. "Alone."

Spencer couldn't bear that thought. "At least if she's working with  you-and I don't mean computer work-I can partner with her. That's what  she wants anyway." Partners, in more ways than one-though Arizona might  not know that yet.

Jackson lifted a brow. "She said that?"

"Yes." Back when he'd been too arrogant to listen. Back when he thought  he'd somehow help her along … and out of his life. "We can keep tabs on  her. We'll know who's involved."

Nodding, Jackson said low, "She won't fall off the radar again."

Knowing he had no choice, Spencer drew in a deep breath. "It's the only  solution, because I don't think Arizona is capable of taking a passive  role."

"She can't, any more than I can," Jackson said, and then he added, "Any more than any of us can."

"That's about it."

"Hell … I guess she's in."

His quick agreement surprised Spencer. "You don't need to discuss it with Dare and Trace?"

Jackson turned to laugh at him. "No. They've just been waiting for us to  get resigned to it. They figured it the same way you did-keep her  close, work with her … "

"Accept her and love her." Spencer smiled. "I intend to do just that."

The doctor came out to greet them, and he was smiling but frazzled. Yup, Arizona could do that to you.

She was an exciting, unpredictable, sexy and precious woman.

And whether she knew it yet or not, she was his.

* * *

SHE HAD HER JEANS back on but unfastened, when Spencer came around the  curtain. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Stupid bandages on my hands. I  told the doc I didn't need to be all trussed up, but he wouldn't  listen."

Without a word Spencer brushed her hands away and fastened her jeans for  her. After brushing the backs of his fingers over her belly, he  smoothed down her T-shirt. "You'll be healed up in time for Jackson's  wedding."

"Yeah, sure. Told you it's just superficial." She rolled a shoulder in dismissal of the little cuts. "No biggie."

Framing her face in his hands, Spencer bent to kiss her.

Gently.

Sparingly.

Mega nice. But the second he lifted his mouth, she asked, "So what's  going on? What have I missed?" She expected him to protest, and she had  her arguments all lined up.

This was her rodeo, so she had a right to know the deets. She'd missed enough already, playing the patient.

Instead, he said, "Jackson is waiting to talk with you, but I wanted to  go first. He's been downright neurotic, waiting to know that you're  okay."

"Pffft." Somehow she couldn't imagine badass Jackson worrying. "Of course I'm fine."

"Dare and Trace are doing what they do best."

"Excelling?" she asked with a grin.

He nodded. "Taking charge. Making certain that Joel doesn't slip through  the legal cracks to wreak anymore havoc. They already freed the women  from his house, and they're reuniting Quinto with his sister."

"Ahhh … man, I wish I could see that."

"I hear tell Quinto is doing much better, now that he knows his sister  is okay. He's in better shape than you, for sure." He bent his knees to  look her in the eye. "How do you feel?"

He was being reserved and so incredibly cautious. "No worries. I'll survive."

Far too somber, his hand smoothed over her head, cupped her cheek again.  "You are a survivor, aren't you?" He brushed her skin with his thumb.  "But how do you feel? Head hurting still?"

"It's bearable." Man, she felt so tongue-tied. She had no clue where  this was going, if anywhere. Sounding like an uncertain sap, she asked,  "You hung around to drive me home?"

"If by home, you mean my house, yes. You will come with me, won't you?"

He still held her face, still stared into her eyes, so serious and so attentive. "I, uh-"

"The doctor said someone will need to watch over you for a while, in  case you get dizzy or start throwing up." He kissed her again. "You need  someone to care for you, Arizona, so you don't overdo it. Let me be the  man who does that."                       
       
           



       

With him being so tender, her knees felt like noodles. "Yeah, okay,  knock yourself out. If you want to play nursemaid, it's no skin off my-"

A longer, softer kiss quieted her defensive chatter.

When he lifted his head, she felt herself swaying. Get a grip, Arizona.  She cleared her throat, more baffled and flustered by the moment. "I-"

"I'm selling my house."

"You're what?"

Instead of explaining, he pulled her in closer again, tucking her  against his chest. "I accepted the job offer. Are you okay with that?"

Joy exploded, making her flinch. "Ow, damn." A hand to her head, she  pushed away from him. "Yeah, I'm okay with it. Shoot, I'm thrilled." She  rubbed her temples.

Spencer caught her wrist and led her to sit on the edge of the hospital bed. "Will you partner with me?"

Agog, she stared at him. Good thing he'd gotten her to sit down before dropping that bomb. "Come again?"

"I'm taking the job with a caveat that you work with me. And I'm selling  my house because, as of right now, I'm too well-known in it. Too many  trails that lead to too many details."

"Oh … well, yeah. Maybe." But his house? He loved that house. Shoot, she  loved that house. "All of your wife's things, I mean, it was your house  with her-"

"Shh." He kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose. "I figured we  could buy new things and put them in a new house. Our house."

Her stomach bottomed out. "Our … ?" She wagged a finger from him to her and back again. "Meaning us?"

He gave a firm nod. "Us. You and me. Partners." He stepped between her legs and pulled her in against his chest.

He did seem to have a thing about keeping her close. "I love all the stuff your wife put in the house to make it a home."

"I love you, Arizona."

Whoa. She struggled out of his tight embrace to look up at him. "Did you get hit in the head, too?"

"No. I woke up and you were gone and I knew I'd been an idiot. But  actually, even before that, I knew it. I realized that I'd been trying  to … " Self-disgust tightened his mouth. "I wanted to help you get beyond  the past."

"Yeah, and you did. I've been making all kinds of progress-shoot, except  for getting slugged in the head, I'd be about ready to leap tall  buildings in a single bound."

He didn't laugh. "If you decided to, I've no doubt you could figure out how."

"Eh … it was a joke, Spence."

He smiled. "You must be feeling friskier if you're back to butchering my name."

"Friskier?" She narrowed her eyes, but not much because that hurt.

The smile widened into a grin. "You are so beautiful."

"And you're acting really weird." Had he really said he loved her? Like,  maybe he loved her the same way Jackson did? Only, Jackson hadn't slept  with her. Jackson hadn't made her melt with wild pleasure. Jackson  hadn't-

"I love you, Arizona. I want to be with you."

"You mean as … partners, right?" Because really, none of this was making  much sense. But she really wanted to work with the guys. It'd be like a  dream come true.

"And lovers."

If he hadn't been holding her, she might have slid right off the side of  the bed. "Seriously?" She had no problem with that. "That'd be awesome!  I was sort of hoping, but I didn't want to push … and then I had to do  this thing with Quinto, and I sort of figured that'd queer the deal, ya  know? But if you-"

His hand covered her mouth.

"Whether we work with the dynamic trio or not, I want to partner with you."

"And have sex with me," she reminded him.

He nodded but added, "In sickness and in health."

Her eyes flared. No way. That sounded like some sort of … proposal. Not  that she knew jackola about proposals. She gave a nervous snicker. "Does  that mean … ?"

Spencer lifted her chin, bent and kissed her once more. "I thought you were too young for me."

She snorted. "That is so dumb."

Another kiss, this one ticklish because he laughed. "God, I need you,  Arizona. No, you're not too young. You're perfect. For me. And I love  you."