The Military Wife (A Heart of a Hero, #1)(32)

“I thought you’d never ask.” Noah skimmed his hand over her bottom, leaving no questions as to his intentions. Which suited her fine.

She snuck him in the side door of her dorm and tried to muffle his laughter as she pulled him into her room. As soon as she turned the bolt on the door, he attacked the buttons of her dress. She did the same to his jacket and shirt. They fell together on the bed and made love with an urgency that reflected their time apart.

Afterward, tucked into his side, her heart still dancing an Irish jig along her ribs, she let her hands wander his chest, admiring the cut of muscle under skin. Things didn’t have to change immediately because they’d gotten engaged. She had a job offer from an accounting firm in Raleigh and another in Atlanta. They were due answers by the end of the week.

“When do you want to get married?” He traced unknown symbols on her back.

Her breath stalled.

He continued. “A deployment could be passed down any day. I think we should make it soon; otherwise we might have to wait a while.”

“How long?”

“Months. Maybe even a year.”

“I’ve got job offers.”

“You might be able to find something on base. Or you could do people’s taxes for extra money. Whatever.”

She propped herself up on her elbow and pulled the sheet over her nakedness. “I don’t want to do people’s taxes.”

“Then, don’t. You don’t have to work at all. In fact, I’d prefer you didn’t, so I can have you all to myself when I’m off.” His smile was sweet and charming, yet her stomach didn’t swoop because of excessive warm fuzzies.

“That’s not what I meant. I want a real job. I worked my ass off and want to work.”

“Okay, fine. You can look around Virginia Beach for something.” A hint of anger or frustration colored his words and tensed his body.

“Would it really be so bad to wait a few months or even a year? What difference does it make if I take the job in Raleigh if you’re not even here?”

His chest rose and fell, and when he spoke his voice was soft. “Because if … something happens to me, you’ll be taken care of if we’re married.”

His gaze didn’t waver from hers and in his eyes were grim possibilities of the future. The implication scored her heart. Noah could die.

She sank back into him and laid her head on his chest, his heartbeat steady and strong. She loved him more than she’d ever thought possible and wanted to be with him more than she wanted any dream job. She would find something in Virginia Beach. Flexing her independence wasn’t as important as what he did day to day, laying his life on the line to protect her and his country.

“We can get married tomorrow if you want to elope,” she whispered.

He kissed the top of her head. “That’s my girl.”



* * *



A week later, Harper twisted the gold band on her left hand and walked the perimeter of the town house they were leasing. Choices on base were limited and taken by single men, so they were off base, but close. The collection of town houses was filled with military families but projected a characterless, faintly institutional feel. Noah put his arms around her from behind and kissed her temple.

“A coat of paint. Some furniture. We can make it work, right? And how about we hang your diplomas right here?” He tapped the wall behind him. Her framed diplomas had been her graduation present from her mom.

She leaned back into Noah’s chest and turned her head enough to give him a glancing kiss on the mouth. “That sounds perfect.”

Optimism flourished. She would spend some time turning the place into a home and then look for a job. Virginia Beach had a thriving economy. Surely finding something would be easy with her qualifications.

Three months later, she was no closer to finding a suitable job. She had to wonder if her status as a military wife was a black mark against her. Where the husband was stationed, the wife followed, leaving any company in the lurch.

After another fruitless interview, she’d kicked off her heels, poured a glass of wine, and plopped on the couch. The house was quiet. Suffocating.

An adjustment period was normal, right? She’d gone from living in a dorm teeming with people to a town where she knew no one except Noah, who worked from dawn to dusk. She checked her watch. Too early to call her mom. She did the next best thing and picked up a book.

An hour later, after she’d finished the glass of wine and closed her eyes for a second, the jangle of the front door startled her to full adrenaline-fueled wakefulness.

Noah rounded the corner into their den. Harper blinked, trying to orient herself in time. “You’re home early.”

He usually greeted her with a smile and kiss. Not today. “The team got its orders.”

Another shot of adrenaline weakened her knees and made the wine burn a path up her throat. She sank to the edge of the couch. “When? Where?”

“Can’t tell you where. We’re leaving in two weeks.”

In the routine of their days, it had been easy to ignore the deployment they both knew was coming. “How long will you be gone?”

“Six months. Maybe a year, if they extend it.” He sat next to her and his weight tipped her into him. She didn’t fight the natural laws and tucked herself close.