Page 40 of Infatuation

He cocked his head, then that slow smile that always melted her bones curved his lips. “You’re afraid.”

“Go to hell.”

She turned to march away, but he caught her and pulled her back against him.

“I’m sorry, baby. So sorry. You didn’t take any cheap shots at me, and I shouldn’t have been so happy about you being scared.”

“I’m not scared.” But even as she said it, she knew she was lying.

“Yeah, you are. It’s okay. This thing we have is scary.”

He turned her gently and cupped her face, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.

“I want to marry you, I want to have babies with you, but know I have to finish my obligation. I have four more years, then I’m out.”

“You’ll stay in more.”

He shook his head. “I love it, really do. But…I love you more. I need you more than I need this. It’s a lot to ask. I’ll be in Virginia, then out in the field. You’ll be in New Orleans. But, we can make this work. I know we can.”

She sighed, her heart just falling down at his feet then. It wasn’t so much of what he said, but the way he said it, and the soft look in his eyes.

“I have to ask again, because, Shannon, without you, being a SEAL means nothing to me. I love you. Please, marry me.”

Her vision blurred as another batch of fresh tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Kade, I love you, too. Yes. Yes! I’ll marry you.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her as the sound of customer’s applause filled the air.

epilogue

“What do you have planned?” Shannon asked as Kade took her hand and led her out of the elevator.

“You’re the worst about secrets. I thought you were bad at Christmas.” She could hear the smile in his voice, but she couldn’t see him. He’d blindfolded her downstairs and refused to tell her where they were going. She knew they were still in the hotel where they had their wedding reception, but she wasn’t sure where they were going.

“For all I know, you’re leading me down the hallway to kill me.”

“No, I just have a surprise, and I didn’t want you to know about it.”

She frowned at that as he stopped her. She opened her mouth to tell him just what she thought, but she heard a woman’s delighted squeal in the distance.

“What the hell?” Kade said.

“Was it someone we knew?”

“It looked like Deke with some blonde. Doesn’t matter.”

She heard him unlock a door, then he guided her inside. The scent of plumeria hit her first along with the sensual scents that she knew to be candles. He stepped behind her, untied her blindfold, and removed it from her eyes.

Candles covered almost every available surface. On the bedside table, the dresser. It was the only light in the room. The bed was covered with plumeria petals. Tears filled her eyes. She recognized the room.

“This was my room for the night of Chris and Cynthia’s wedding.”

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. He brushed his lips against her jaw. “Yep. I had to pull a few strings to make sure we got it. And Jocelyn helped me. She snuck up here a few minutes ago and got it ready.”

She smiled, thinking of her sister and the surprise she had for her husband tonight. She turned in Kade’s arms and cupped his face. He had been gorgeous at the ceremony, dressed in the same uniform he’d proposed to her in. But now he was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of chinos, and he was just as delicious.

“I am the luckiest woman in the world.”

His smile faded as he touched his forehead to hers. “No, love. You can’t be with a bloke like me. I put you through some hard times. I’m sorry that I’m going to probably put you through some more. Being a military wife isn’t easy.”

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