FIRE (Elite Forces #2)(54)
I move to her instantly and stop just in front of her. She’s sitting on the bed with her shirt still open, but she’s covered. I struggle for the right words, knowing I have to do this right. I have to make her understand that everything I did was because of my love for her.
“Jade. I’m sorry if I made you feel inferior, but that is in no way how I feel. In fact, to me, you’re so far above my level of importance I can’t even consider the thought of losing you. It terrifies me that you expose me the way you do. You leave me open and raw with just one frown on your face. I love you with my entire being, and I can’t comprehend my life without you. Please, don’t entertain any thoughts of trying to leave me, because I can’t live with that.”
“Kaleb, I can’t live like this. The way you treated me the past few days is unacceptable, and you know me better than that. I’ve worked my ass off to be treated with the respect I deserve. If I can’t get that from the man I love, then how do I expect my fellow soldiers to give it to me?” I want to pull her against my chest and hold her against me. If I could just communicate with my body, I know she’d understand me, but I know this isn’t the time or the place.
“I’m sorry. I do respect you more than you’ll ever know. In fact, I’d step into hell if it meant you’d be safe.”
“I know you would. I’m not doubting your desire to protect me. I’m doubting your ability to differentiate when you’re protecting me and when you’re simply shutting me out because you don’t want me on a mission that might go wrong. They could all go wrong, Kaleb.” She stands on the step at the end of the bed, allowing our faces to be even closer. Looking straight into my eyes, she continues. “I doubt my own ability to be calm when you’re away for work. I don’t know how you’ll react when I’m gone on my own missions. How will we ever deal with the chaos that surrounds our jobs?” I can’t suggest what I want to. I’d never ask her to change her career for me, but I wish like hell I could have her next to me every day of my life.
“We’ll learn to adjust, because there’s no other f*cking option, Jade.”
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS LATER
Kaleb
“Get your sexy ass out here.” I pound on the bathroom door in the villa we rented for two weeks in Bali.
It’s been a long three months to get here. Paperwork up the ass when we flew back to Florida after a brief hospital stay with Mallory. Jade’s scars on her wrist are finally healed.
Harris is still off of active duty while he pisses and moans every damn day about the rigorous physical therapy he has to go through. I can imagine how f*cking bored and eager he is to get back out on missions. I understand completely where he’s coming from. I’d be out of my mind too if all I did was shuffle papers around on a desk all day long.
The man I hated when we first met has become one of my best friends. One of my closest brothers. He’d proven himself before the night I took my brother’s life, but taking a bullet for Jade in the middle of the night when he saw a shadow slither by his room put him at the top of my list.
I know he feels guilty for not being able to stop him from taking her. No matter how hard I’ve tried to convince him it wasn’t his fault, he still carries that burden on his shoulders. I can’t help him with that. We all have our guilt we’re trying to deal with. He has to work that shit out on his own. He’s a damn good man. One I look forward to having by my side in the future. One I will gladly give my life for.
“Don’t rush me. I have to be perfect.” Jade and her smart-ass mouth hollers back at me through the wooden door. I’m about ready to bust the f*cking door down and tag her ass right on the bathroom counter if she doesn’t hurry the f*ck up.
“I’ll be by the pool. You have five minutes.”
“What the hell ever, Kaleb. Don’t be so damn bossy.” Fuck. I love her. Our life will never be boring. Not with the way we both still fight each other for control. I may pretend at times, but she knows damn well who’s in charge here. She controls my heart, which I learned very quickly, controls me.
Moving away from the door, I snag my phone off the kitchen counter and make my way outside, knowing good and well she’s going to be longer than five minutes. Whatever the f*ck surprise she has for me sure as hell can’t compare to the one I have for her. I start to remember our talk at the hospital. All I wanted to do was take her home and hold her in my arms, so I could pretend we didn’t need to have a talk. The talk I’m willing to admit scared the shit out of me.
I remember every damn word she said and I remember every single promise I made to her. Treating her like my equal is all I’ll ever do. She agreed to be with me as long as we don’t keep any secrets. I know this will be difficult as missions come, but I know we’ll work through it all in time.
Now, here I stand, staring into the light blue sky, the sun blazing down over the clear ocean water in its numerous shades of blues and turquoise. This is f*cking paradise. Never in a million years would I think I’d be standing here, waiting for a woman to grace me with her presence so we could swim in the ocean or lie by the pool. Or f*ck like we’ve been doing for the past few days. Christ, I’ll never get tired of having her wrapped around my cock.
I need to quit thinking about her for one minute and call my mom. It’s her birthday.