“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” He peeled my pants down my legs, revealing the part of my body that was still pristine.
I reached for him, needing his weight on me, his skin against mine. He settled between my legs, propped on his elbows to keep from crushing me. The moonlight played across his features, throwing half his face into shadow but illuminating the intensity in his eyes—the same look he’d given me all those years ago when he’d promised to keep me safe.
A promise he’d tried to keep, I realized now. Those bullets had been meant for me.
“I don’t have any condoms,” he admitted, a hint of humor in his voice.
“Neither do I.” I wiped the back of my hand across my face to clear the tears. An unexpected smile tugged at my lips.
“I bet the other guys do.” His eyes danced with mischief. “I could steal some.”
“Maybe later,” I said, my hands moving over the muscles of his back, learning the changes time had wrought. “I don’t want you to leave right now.”
His mouth found mine again, and I lost myself in the exploration of his body. His hands roamed over me, not hesitating as they passed from good to bad skin. He was just tender. This huge, strong man. This operator. He hadn’t lost his tenderness, which was how he’d found his way into my heart the first time.
I gasped when his fingers traced the inside of my thigh.
When he teased at the waistband of my panties, he paused. “Last chance, Doc.”
“No condoms, soldier.”
He licked his lips, slow and sensual, intent clear in his eyes. “Where I’m going, I don’t need?—”
A sharp knock at the door jolted us both.
“Brooke? Rav?” Emmett’s voice called through the door. “We’ve got urgent intel from Brie.”
Reality crashed back with jarring clarity.
The mission.
Fenix.
Thousands of lives would be at stake in less than forty-eight hours.
Rav’s forehead dropped to rest against mine, a quiet sigh escaping him.
“We’ll be right down,” he called back, his voice far steadier than mine would have been.
“Team meeting in two minutes,” Emmett replied, footsteps retreating down the hall.
With obvious reluctance, Rav shifted to the side, giving me room to sit up. When I did, he cupped my cheek again, meeting my gaze with his characteristic confidence. “This is not an ending, Brooke.”
I turned my head, pressing a kiss to his palm.
Could this be real? Could there be more?
Chapter 27
Rav
I tuggedmy T-shirt back on, watching as Brooke did the same with her turtleneck and pants. Once she was clothed, she finger-combed her hair, finishing it by pulling it forward. Hiding the scar on her neck? It was clearly an unconscious move, one she must have been doing for years.
The scars weren’tthatbad.
Then again, as a soldier and a veteran, I knew far too many people with life-altering injuries. Lost eyes. Lost limbs.
Câlisse, so many lostlives.
