“Come here.”
She rose and walked over to him. He patted his lap and motioned for her to turn around and sit. He spread his legs and pulled her down into the chair with him.
As she settled against his chest, he tossed the blanket over them and pulled it up to her chest. Then he slid his arms underneath and wrapped them around her body, cradling her to him.
He held her tightly and rested his chin on top of her head as they both stared out over the water.
“Gray?” she asked in a low voice.
“Yes, baby?”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
She hesitated, not sure how to voice what she wanted to ask.
“Is this…is this just sex between us?”
His arms tightened around her, and she could feel the breath catch in his chest.
“No, Faith. It’s definitely not just sex.”
She wanted to press. Wanted to ask him more, but she contented herself with his answer. She didn’t want to push him away.
So she relaxed against him, content to enjoy the night in his arms.
CHAPTER 34
G ray woke to a buzzing vibration in his pocket. He blinked, disoriented, as his surroundings came into focus. The pale light of predawn lay soft over the ocean. In his arms, Faith sighed and snuggled deeper under the covers.
They’d slept all night on the deck.
The buzzing stopped, and he realized it was his cell phone. Carefully, so he didn’t disturb Faith, he eased his hand into his pocket and dug out his phone.
He flipped it open to see who had called. Micah. He punched the Send button to call him back and shoved the phone to his ear.
“Hey, man,” Micah said. “Hope I didn’t wake you and Faith.”
Gray grunted. “You woke me. Didn’t wake Faith.”
“Ah good. Look, I just got into Galveston, and I’m headed your way. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
Gray frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just wanted to give you a report and see how you guys were doing.”
Gray looked down at Faith. “That’s fine. There’s something I wanted to run by you anyway. I have a feeling you might be interested.”
“I’m intrigued now. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Gray closed the phone and set it down beside the lounger. He gathered Faith a little closer in his arms and kissed her soft hair. He was curious as to how she’d react to what he had planned. She’d been so open to everything else so far.
With infinite care, he maneuvered out of the lounger then bent to pick Faith up. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed. She stirred when he began undressing her, but he murmured soothingly to her, and she never fully woke.
He pulled the covers back so that she was exposed, and then he retrieved the rope he’d tossed aside. He gently eased her arms above her head and bound her wrists together. Then he took the long end of the rope and stretched it to the bedpost, wrapping it around it several times.
Satisfied that she’d be comfortable but wouldn’t be able to move from the bed, he headed for the bathroom to take a shower. Five minutes later, he dressed and peeked into the bedroom one last time. She was still sound asleep.
He walked into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on. He’d just poured his first cup when a knock sounded at the front door. He ambled over to open it and saw Micah standing on the porch.
“Want coffee?” he asked by way of greeting.
Micah followed him inside. “Yeah, sounds great. I was up way too damn early this morning.”
Gray poured him a cup and slid it along the bar. Micah grasped it in both hands and sipped at the hot brew.
“So what’s going on?” Gray asked in a low voice.
Micah looked up at him and then around. “Faith still asleep?”
“Yeah, she won’t be walking in until I go get her, so you won’t have to worry about her hearing.”
Micah raised one brow.
Gray laughed. “I tied her to the bed.”
A flicker of interest stirred in Micah’s eyes. One that didn’t go unnoticed by Gray.
“Well, so far, the plan to bust Samuels hasn’t gone too well,” Micah said.
“Tell me,” Gray said tersely.
“He made the decoy we put in place. Not sure how. He followed her to the office one morning. I thought he was going to make his move, but then he gave us the slip.”
Gray swore. “Has he made any contact since then?”
Micah shook his head. “For all we know, he’s in Mexico by now.”
“He’d be stupid to hang around,” Gray said. “He has to know we’re on to him now.”
“That’s my thinking. You’re buddy Mick isn’t taking it well.”