Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(94)

Ryan sucked in a huge breath and let it out in a long, hard puff. “Okay. Okay, Jamie, I get it.”

I nearly collapsed from relief.

Ryan’s face turned hard, and he strutted back to me as if he was about to make a demand and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Fine. You need this. But I need you, so I’m going with you.”

I tried not to smile, but I failed. Seriously. Ryan Miller was perfect.

I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I would love that, but you can’t. Donovan would use us against each other. I need to go alone so that he has no leverage other than my memories. Those are something he can’t physically hurt.”

“Jamie—”

I covered his mouth with my hand. “I’ll make you a deal. Give me twenty-four hours. Give me one day to try. Then you and the ACEs come get me, and I’ll let you put your ring back on my finger, whether I’ve got my memories back or not.”

Ryan swallowed again and leaned his head to the side, cracking his neck. “That,” he said slowly, “is a dirty, dirty move, babe.”

The smirk that split my face just then had to rival all of his best ones. What was it he’d said to me? “I have no intention of playing fair, Goldilocks.”

Ryan, though he pursed his lips as if he was fighting a smile, folded his arms across his chest and cocked an eyebrow at me. “Goldilocks? You finally give me a pet name and that’s the one you choose?”

I shrugged, but it was hardly nonchalant when my grin had doubled in size. “Sunshine…Goldilocks…they’re both all yellow and shiny. It seemed to fit.”

Ryan finally cracked, bursting into happy laughter, and tugged me back into his arms. “Fine. One day. And then you’re mine, Sunshine. No matter what.”

I shuddered from the pure animalistic possessiveness of his statement. What a caveman. Still, dopey lovesick woman that I am, I giggled and said, “Deal.” Then I let him kiss me silly until someone finally cleared their throat to get our attention.

“Sorry, Major.” I wasn’t sorry for the PDA, just that I was about to defy him. “I know you disapprove of me going, but I really do need this. I wouldn’t do it if it was going to hurt your plans, but you have everything you need to stop him without me now. And since Donovan can’t control me, I won’t be a threat to you. And really, it’s my life. It should be my call.”

Major Wilks held a scowl for an eternity, and when I didn’t break beneath it, he finally gave up. Rubbing his eyes with his finger and thumb, he let out an exhausted sigh and said, “You are very inconvenient, Angel.”

The insult made me proud. “I’m aware of that, Major. Sorry.”

Hearing the smile in my voice, he glanced up and pierced me with a no-nonsense stare. But his lips twitched. The old softy couldn’t fool me. “Have a little faith in me, Major. I’ll be fine. It’s only a day, right? I’m trusting in you and your team to come rescue me.”

He sighed again. And I swear he aged a good ten years. “Very well, Angel. Since I can’t stop you. You have one day. But tomorrow, once my team has a solid plan in place, we are coming for Donovan no matter if you’ve successfully retrieved your memories or not.”

“I understand. Thank you, sir.”

He nodded. “And thank you, Angel. We couldn’t have found him without you.”

“Oh, that’s not true. You had Ryan. I’m sure he’d have found a way eventually.”

Major Wilks chuckled, but Ryan shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t have. I was never looking for Donovan. I was looking for you. And now that I’ve found you…” He grinned and captured me in his arms yet again. “Marry me, Sunshine.”

I laughed. “Didn’t we just have this conversation?”

I started to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me. “I can’t wait until tomorrow. Promise me now,” he insisted. “Take my ring with you…just in case.”

My heart broke a little. “I won’t forget you again. I promise.”

“Fine. Then just wear it for my sake. You’re going to see Teddy, after all.”

Correction: my heart melted a little.

He pulled the ring from his pocket—because of course he’d been carrying it around all this time, just in case. When he slid it on my finger, even though I hadn’t told him yes yet, I snorted. “Caveman.”

“Say yes, Jamie. Promise you’ll marry me, or I’m not letting you go.”

As if I could resist him? Still, this was me we were talking about, so I had to put up at least a little fight before I gave in to him. “I don’t know,” I teased. “If I give you what you want right now, what incentive will you have to come get me tomorrow?”

His eyes filled with heat and he gripped my waist tightly. “Trust me, babe; I have plenty of incentive.”

The way he squeezed me against him was in no way innocent, and in every way filled with promise. Oh, my holy lightning bolts. Shiver. Me. Timbers. I’d just created a monster.

Ryan crashed his mouth on mine and gave me a toe-curling kiss that had me ready to cause a nuclear meltdown. “Say you’ll marry me,” he growled when he managed to break our mouths apart.

“I will,” I gasped. “I so, so, so will.”