Page 65 of Issued

I stare into her trusting brown eyes and make a vow. Iwillbe that person. Especially now. Knowing how much my wife needs protection.

That trust, shining up at me, almost brings me to my knees.

No secrets, I remind myself, giving the box one last squeeze.

“No secrets,” I repeat aloud. More to bolster my courage than anything else, but Taya sits up straighter.

“Is something wrong?” She bites her lip and her brows furrow.

Here goes everything.

I pull the box from my pocket and slide to one knee. Before Taya understands what’s happening, I flip the box open. I had a long speech planned out, but fuck it. We’ve done so much talking already.

“Will you be my wife?” My voice barely registers above a whisper. “Will you marry me, the traditional way?”

Never has one question made me more nervous. More like my entire life hangs in the balance. My heart beats so hard and fast in my chest, I’m afraid my ribs are going to have bruises.

Taya’s brown eyes go wide when they fall on the diamond, sparkling against the black velvet backdrop. Every second that ticks by is an eternity of both hope and agony. My hand is this close to trembling on the box when she flings her arms around my neck and burrows her face into my neck. “I’d love to.”

Her response unleashes something in my chest. I want to whoop but instead, I burst into a stunned smile. Though, I’m not above begging for a little extra affirmation. Not from this woman. “You would?”

She pulls back and her matching smile makes her entire face glow. “Yes. I would.”

Under her encouragement, I slide the ring onto her finger. The sight of the diamond, sparkling against her skin, rouses some primal feelings.Mine.Finally.

Taya’s eyes search my face. She leans back against the cushions in slow degrees and places her narrow feet across my lap. I grip one, marveling in silence at how my hand dwarfs even this part of her. Oftentimes, Taya feels like a Valkyrie, unafraid and all-encompassing. Then something will happen. It could be a large moment like when she came home after her fall or a small insignificant touch like my hand on her foot. It drives home just how fragile she is, how human. She’s a warrior, and I’m a shield that’s a shade too small. I feel ill-equipped to protect all of her precious, vulnerable pieces.

Her gaze drops, chin tucking in. “I’m sorry again about how I ran out of the restaurant. It wasn’t the right thing to do. Not after you trusted me to open up.”

My stomach twists into a knot as my fingers trail along her smooth legs. “Yeah, well, can’t say I blame you. And you didn’t even get to hear the rest of it.”

She starts to protest but I shush her. “No. You need to hear it all. Especially if you’re agreeing to be my wife for longer than the year.”

Taya quiets down and slides fully into my lap instead, wrapping her arms around my neck. I clutch her instinctively as the darkness that had begun to edge my vision recedes like low tide. Taking a deep breath, I finally admit to what the psych eval had been insinuating all along. “I missed the grenade the boy hid in his other hand and it went off. I hid the fact I was hurt from my team, even from Lux, who was our medic. But he figured out two days later when we went out on a mission and I nearly shot our interpreter. He reported me and I retaliated, confronting him and hitting him with the butt end of my gun. Bear dragged me away, but the damage was done.”

Taya draws in a sharp breath through her teeth and there’s worry for me in her wrinkled brow. “Did you ever get a chance to apologize?”

“To Lux? No, I didn’t. After he outed me to command, the team turned their back on him. So when it was time to come home, he swapped out with a SEAL from another team who’d gotten injured to stay in Kabul. Maybe even to get away from me. Now he’s dead, and there’s no more time for apologies.”

“I’m so sorry, Jim. That has to be so tough. But I bet Lux understood in the end. He wasn’t just a SEAL but your best friend, after all.”

Her simple words give me hope for the first time. I bury my face in her neck. She smells amazing, like sweetness and sandalwood. “I’m sorry again about your birthday. I should’ve known, especially since the information was on the paperwork we were given at the beginning of the program. What about a present? I’ll get you anything you want.”

Taya lays her head against my shoulder and wiggles her finger in front of us. “You already gave me the most amazing gift.”

“That wasn’t for your birthday. So, tell me what you want.”

“A kiss will be just fine.”

I press my lips against the column of her throat before trailing more kisses lower, nipping and biting my way down her body She still has on her dress from dinner, and I slip her free of it. By the time she’s naked before me, she’s stationed on the edge of the couch, and I’m crouched between her legs. I toss the last of my clothes off and grip her beneath the knees. Taya squeals when I pull the lower half of her body off the couch so she’s flat on her back, ass hanging in midair, and her legs hooked over my shoulders.

“I said a kiss.” She sounds breathless, and I smile, pleased.

“You didn’t say where.”

I don’t give her a chance to retort. I want her on my mouth. I give her a combination of tongue and teeth, savoring the flavors of her skin and committing each sound she makes to memory so I can replay them later. She arches against my mouth, helpless to back away or bring me closer. She rides my tongue and when she shatters, I let her slide, boneless, down the front of my body.

“I don’t—” I know she’s on the pill, but I should still wear a condom. My body trembles, taut and unwilling to pull away from her warmth as my hand reaches over to my discarded pants.

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