Always a Warrior(68)

Laurie grinned as she started clearing the table. “Not with my recipe.”



Cleaning the kitchen, she let the silence linger. She felt his attention on her as his gaze tracked her. Whenever she glanced at him, he was relaxed, leaning back in the chair as he sipped coffee. She sighed as she slid plates into the dishwasher. Three weeks. Three wonderful weeks.

Only a few days remained before she had to let him go—again. Just knowing he would leave made her miss him already. She would worry about him every second until he came back—if he came back. Despite his job research, she could not imagine Damien as anything but a Navy SEAL.



“Something on your mind?” Damien’s quiet voice cut into her thoughts.



She turned on the dishwasher and slowly turned to face him. “I miss you already,” she said wistfully. “We only have a few more days.”



He looked at her, his dark gaze boring into her for so long she had to struggle against the irrational urge to hide. He pushed the chair back, turned it slightly, and planted both feet firmly on the floor. But he didn’t rise from the chair. He merely kept his impenetrable gaze locked with hers.



“Come here,” he ordered quietly as he held a hand out to her in invitation, as he had that last night at his cabin.



Anticipation warred with uncertainty in a sharp sizzling tingle down her spine. Her stomach churned uncomfortably. Trembling, she crossed the kitchen and put her hand in his. He twined his fingers with hers and tugged her gently into his lap. His arms slid around her. His heart beat steadily in her ear as she snuggled into his embrace. I belong here, she thought, contented, and then frowned. Did Damien belong with her, in her world?



“You’ll only miss me for a few days,” he murmured, his warm breath stirring her hair. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not re-enlisting.”



Her heart nearly stopped. She sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back abruptly, her hands gripping his shoulders. He tightened his arms but she resisted, her fingers digging into hard muscle. She blinked and looked at him in consternation.



“But, why not?” she demanded, finally voicing the question that had plagued her for three weeks. Her tone carried a strange mix of alarm and disbelief. “The Navy, the SEALs, I thought that was your life.”



He can’t be serious, she thought in alarm. Why such a drastic change?



His expression turned serious, his eyes narrowed in thought. “I want more. I want a family, Laurie—this family—you and Stacy.”

ALWAYS A WARRIOR Patricia Bruening

100



“But you don’t have to ….”



“No buts,” he interrupted firmly, his finger across her lips. “This is what I want.”



He hesitated as he gazed into her eyes. His expression softened even more. A soft light entered his eyes and lessened the intensity. There was desire in those dark eyes and something else—something she had not dared to hope for.



“I love you,” he finally continued softly. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you—

and Stacy.”



She blinked against sudden tears of sheer joy but her vision blurred. Her heart lurched at finally hearing those words. No one had ever said them to her. Her hands tightened convulsively on his shoulders. His finger moved from her lips, slid along the curve of her jaw.



“Is it impossible?” he whispered, a twinge of uncertainty in his tone.



She shook her head slightly. “No. I love you, Damien. I’d give my soul to spend my life with you. But I want you to be happy.”



“I will be,” he asserted quietly but firmly. “As long as I have you.” He cupped her face in his hands, peered intently, almost desperately, into her eyes. “Marry me.”



Her breath caught in her throat. Tears spilled over her lashes and her chin trembled. She bit her lip to quell the urge to cry out.



“Yes.” It was a barely audible whisper as she lay her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, held her close in her brightly lit kitchen. One arm around his neck, the other on his shoulder, she listened to his rapid heartbeat gradually slow to its normal rhythm. He shifted, dug a hand into his pocket.



“Forgot something,” he murmured huskily. “Close your eyes.”



She jerked her head up and looked into his eyes. “Don’t be silly. What did you forget?”



“Close your eyes,” he ordered playfully. Mischief mingled with the serious glint in his eyes.



“All right,” she said and lowered her lashes.



She sat in his lap, felt him hot and hard beneath her but struggled to ignore desire. He lifted her hand to his lips in a tear-jerking tender caress. One at a time, his tongue stroked her fingertips.