A flamethrower. That Gage had given her a fire wielding weapon of mass destruction to defend herself on this mission was proof of two things. One, the man knew her inside and out; he would know that having her hands on such a piece of equipment would almost send her into fits of glee. Two, he’d given her something that would not only defend her, but it would do so in such a way that the hostile wolves wouldn’t get anywhere near her. That was proof that, although he was placing her on a battlefield where she was grossly unequal to her opponents, he had faith in her to survive it anyways. For that alone, he had definitely earned that kiss she’d just given him. Gage was quickly breaking down all the emotional defenses that she’d erected against him. Little by little, through not only his words but also his actions, he was showing her that he did indeed love her. Which was why she was still unbelievably confused about his reasoning for hurting her like he had. Or rather, the lack of reasoning since he continued to refuse to fully explain it.
