Forged in Smoke (Red-Hot SEALs #3)(115)

A smile threatened. Since it was a stretch of the imagination to call her the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, he must be in what was generally referred to as the postcoital glow. Why that tickled her, she had no idea.

“You find that funny?” he asked, curiosity in his voice.

“No.” She opened her eyes, letting the smile spread across her lips. “I think it’s sweet.”

“Sweet?” He shook his head and leaned down, brushing a soft kiss across her lips. “There’s nothin’ sweet about it. It’s pure fact, darlin’.”

Sure it was . . .

But she let the statement pass unchallenged. If he wanted to see her that way, who was she to contradict him?

He brushed another, slightly firmer, kiss across her mouth before pulling back to scan her face. “You.” He leaned in and brushed another kiss across her mouth. “Are.” Another kiss. “Beautiful.” This time he pressed the kiss into her forehead, his lips lingering. “You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?” Pulling back to study her face, he absently stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles.

She laughed, turning her head to kiss his fingers. “Aren’t you the one who told me, and I quote, ‘You’re too damn thin’?”

“You are, and we’re gonna do somethin’ about that.” He trailed his right hand down her side until he reached her midriff, where he stopped to stroke the indentations between her ribs. “But that does nothin’ to distract from how beautiful you are. Hell, once you get some meat on those bones, you’ll be the most gorgeous woman in the world. Every other poor female on the planet will fade into the woodwork by comparison.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes, but that light, fluffy blanket of contentment filled her to overflowing.

“You don’t see it, do you? How special you are.” His arm slid around her waist and tightened. “That’s just one of the things I love about you. Your complete lack of ego.”

Shaking her head slightly, she smiled up at him. “My ego’s as healthy as the next girl’s. I guess I’ve just been more worried about my insides than my outsides. So I’ve never paid much attention to—” Abruptly the rest of his words kicked in and she froze.

Did he say what I think he said?

“Wh-wha—” The question was strangled beneath a wave of giddy anticipation. “What did you say?”

“That you don’t see how special you are?” The hand on her face slipped down to her chin and lifted her head. “That you don’t have an ego?”

The smile he laid on her was full of bland innocence.

“Not that, the other.” She breathed shallowly, a sense of stillness rising from within her. Expectation swelled, along with the certainty that her life was about to change irrevocably.

The expression on his face shifted from innocent to grave.

“What? That I love you?” The admission emerged as solemn as a vow.

The breath left her in a rush. “I think I love you too.”

He fell back to the bed, chuffing out a breath that was half laugh. “You think?”

“It’s just that we’ve only known each other ten days. And we’ve really only talked during the past few days. And everyone knows that extreme danger and adrenaline can mess with a person’s emotions. And—” Laughter burst from him. “Why are you laughing?” she asked, eyeing him with disgruntlement.

The blue eyes that locked on her face gleamed with amusement. Periodic ripples of laughter shook his torso, which in turn rippled through her body since they were pressed so closely together.

“Because none of that matters and you damn well know it.” He threaded the fingers of both hands through her hair and held her gaze. “Love doesn’t subscribe to a set schedule. It happens when it happens. Sometimes it’s instant, sometimes it takes years. And sometimes it takes ten days and twelve hours.”

Ten days and twelve hours.

The words resonated with her. He’d listed the exact length of time they’d known each other. And she knew he was right. The knowledge that she loved him sat warm and solid in her heart, even if her mind insisted on analyzing and second-guessing.

“Besides.” He nuzzled the side of her neck as his hands slid up and down her back in a soothing caress. “I reckon we’re not in an almighty hurry to move things along. We’ll give that scientific mind of yours plenty of time to examine and adapt and climb on board.”

It was the oddest thing, but the simple fact that he’d realized her brain and heart were at odds was an immense relief. If he knew her well enough to know that, maybe he did know her well enough to love her.

She studied his relaxed, certain face.

And maybe she knew him well enough for love to bloom too.

It felt right to lie there in his arms, pressed so closely against him she could feel the beat of his heart against hers, the warmth of his cooling skin.

It felt real, this emotion connecting them. It felt strong. It felt reciprocated.

Which was more than enough to hold tight to and build on.




Mac’s coffee mug froze midway to his mouth. He watched in disbelief as his corpsman, at the table to his left, set two plates piled high with eggs, bacon, hash browns, and French toast on the aluminum table in front of Faith Ansell.