Jagger's Moves(18)

"Baby, my brain is fully functional, and it agrees with my heart. I belong to you, body and soul. Those words will never leave my lips again if you walk out the door. God made you just for me, smartass mouth and all. I love every inch of you, including your tendency to end up butt deep in alligators. I love the way you bite your lip before you laugh. The small snort you do when you disagree with someone. Mostly, I love the way you look at me."

"How do I look at you?"

Jagger reached out, put a single finger under her chin, and forced her gaze up. "Like I matter more than a quick fuck. Like you see something worthwhile beyond my status as a SEAL. You see more in me than I see in myself, and for that, I want to be the person you think I am. I love you, Lexa, pure and simple. I know I'll never be able to buy you the things you deserve, but you'll never once doubt my love or my loyalty. My heart belongs to you until the end of time and beyond."

Suddenly, his arms were filled with a crying, sniffing female. "Oh God help us both, but I am so in love with you, Ty Jaggerstein. I tried to give you an out, but you, stubborn man, refused to take it. Now you can't ever back out. You belong to me, and I'm not ever giving you up." The words came out in a jumbled rush as she pressed her wet face into the curve of his neck.

Jagger said nothing merely held her tight and offered up a prayer of thanks for the miracle currently rubbing snot all over his skin.

“You can't take it back, Ty," she warned him again. "I'm telling both our moms and then see what happens if you try to change your mind."

He gave a mock shudder of horror. "Lexa, I'm not changing my mind. I'm not backing away from you or what we have together. In fact, I want us to fly to Vegas or the nearest legal place for us to tie the knot. I want you tied to me legally everyway I can."

The words felt right like they'd only been waiting for this one woman to enter his life at the right time. And here she finally was.

"Ty," she gasped and sat up, keeping the sheet firmly covering her luscious breasts. "We can't do that. The moms would be heartbroken."

"Then let's fly them down here because I'm not waiting until my next leave to make you mine in the eyes of the world. You belong to me, and I'm not dumb enough to let you go without putting a ring on your finger."

Two perfect tears trailed down her silky cheek. He leaned over to kiss them and tasted the salty flavor of his woman. She sniffed twice more before swallowing. "Yes, Ty. Let's fly them down here and we'll get married. I can work from anywhere so long as I have internet."

"I love you so much, Lexa. Hell, I fell in love with you through your letters so no wonder seeing you in person destroyed my world and completed my heart." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before jumping out of bed. "Come on, woman, we've got a lot of things to do and very little time to do it. Also say a prayer my pager doesn't go off before we can say 'I do.'"

Slowly, she slid out of bed, taking the damn sheet with her and denying him the opportunity to ogle his future wife.

"If it goes off before we're legal, I'll wait. I'll find a place close to your base and be there when you come home. I'll always be waiting for you to come home, Ty."

Suspicious moisture gathered in his eyes at the heartfelt sincerity of her words. He roughly scrubbed at his face, unwilling to let her see what a wimp she'd given her heart to. "Then let's get this done. I've got rings to buy, teammates to track down, and moms to call."

Lexa shot him a smug smile before letting the sheet drop to the floor. She turned around letting him see her glorious heart-shaped ass in all its perfection before sashaying into the bathroom. "You do what you need to, sailor. I'm going to get cleaned up before the craziness starts. Too bad I can't talk you into scrubbing my back. I'm feeling really dirty all of a sudden."

The phone he'd just picked up fell unnoticed from his hand, and Jagger swallowed to get some moisture back into his mouth. "Um, yeah, they can wait a few more minutes. I'm sure the guys are drinking and flirting. No reason to bust up their party so soon. Besides I can't let my bride-to-be go around feeling dirty without at least trying to fix it."

Lexa squealed and raced for the bathroom with Jagger in hot pursuit. Once again, he sent a prayer heavenward in thanks for Lexa and the future they would share.