“I believe you, Jane.”
“I was so afraid I’d lost you. That you’d never look at me the same way again. I have a prior arrest for possession. I got it when I was a teenager.” He didn’t say anything, simply tightened his arms around her and held her close to his heart.
“I skipped out of school one afternoon with my friend. We were meeting up with another kid to smoke weed under a bridge like we’d done dozens of times before. This time was different though. We were caught, my friends bailed, and instead of chasing after them, the officer, my stepfather’s boss—” She stopped and swallowed hard, choking back the tears. “Raped me under that bridge. He said if I kept my mouth shut, my stepfather would never find out about the drugs.” Sully’s arms tightened around her.
“God, Jane. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“When I got home, I was scared and bleeding profusely. I showered, thinking I could wash everything away, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get warm. I couldn’t stop shaking. I decided I didn’t care about the drug charges. I just wanted to be safe from that ever happening again. I told my mother and stepfather what happened, but they didn’t believe me. Not fully. And when they confronted the police chief, he said I was simply trying to take the focus off myself so I wouldn’t get in trouble.” She let out a bitter laugh as more tears beaded over her cheeks.
“He said out of respect for my stepfather, he was going to let him know he was formally charging me for possession when he came in for his shift. That he didn’t arrest me because he didn’t want his officer to be embarrassed. The people who were supposed to protect me didn’t believe me. I felt like I didn’t matter. Nothing seemed to matter after that. My drug use spiraled. I dropped out of school and left home. I couldn’t stand seeing the police chief in town, knowing what he’d done. Whathe might do to someone else. I left home, taking odd jobs to afford a shitty apartment with friends. It took years for me to get my head straight. Get my GED and go back to school to become an RN. Even then, I had to disclose my history and go before the nursing board about my record.”
“Where is he now?” Sully asked in a barely suppressed growl. His muscles were corded, his jaw tight as he tried to keep a lock on his emotions. His anger on her behalf soothed something inside her. Sully had believed her story without question.
“His obituary popped up on one of my social media accounts a few years back. He died of a massive heart attack.”
He hung on to her fiercely, as if someone might step out of the shadows and snatch her away. “Knowing about your past trauma only makes what you did for those abducted girls on the boat even more staggering, Jane. Baiting them to rape you instead so you could take them out and swim for help. You’ve been through so much, but you still stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. The way you protected me when I was in the hospital. Putting me before your own care when you’d been viciously assaulted. I swear, nothing, no one will ever hurt you again. Not while I’m breathing.”
“You can’t promise that. Bad things happen. Knowing you’ll be here for me though? I’ll always do everything I can to survive. To get home to you. Just like I know when you return to active duty, you’ll fight your way back to me.” She cupped his face, running her fingers along the now clean-shaven skin of his jaw.
“Would you think less of me if I didn’t?” His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“Didn’t fight to get back to me?”
“No. Never that.” He shook his head, pinning her with an intense gaze. “Didn’t return to active duty. Not in the same capacity, at least.”
“Is it because of your injuries?” Pain burned in the back of her throat. If he couldn’t return to what he loved because of the sacrifice he’d made by saving her, she wasn’t sure she could live with it.
“No, baby. I’ve been actively deployed in combat roles for nearly fifteen years. I’m tired. My body is tired. Red and I have been talking with our lieutenant commander about transitioning into training roles at the base.”
She let her shoulders slump forward slightly as relief loosened her muscles. “I don’t care what you do, Sully. If it makes you happy, that’s all I care about. I love having you close, but if returning to a combat role is what you want, we can make that work, too.”
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “What makes me happy is being with you. Going to bed at night holding you. Seeing your face first thing in the morning. Doing normal stuff with you, like visiting my parents’ ranch or going grocery shopping. Everything just feels that much more incredible when we’re together. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to miss a second of life with you.”
“What happens if I’m charged with theft and possession? I might be looking at jail time.” The thought of that made her shudder.
“It’s not going to come to that. We are using all our resources to prove you’re innocent. Vivienne and Thalia have retained the same lawyer who helped them navigate large sums of money and immigration policy. I let Iron know what was going on, and he already reached out to the lawyer on our behalf.”
“You have amazing friends,” she said kissing him.
“They’re your friends, too.”
“Thank you for sharing them with me, then,” she murmured before he drew her deeper into the kiss.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t share with you. Nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
“I love you, Sully. Thank you for being on my side.”
“I love you, too, and you never have to thank me for being there for you. It’s exactly where I want to be.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sully couldn’t fathomwhat Jane had gone through. Part of him wished the bastard who’d hurt her as a teen was still alive so he could end him. Right now, his sole focus was taking care of her. Making sure she had what she needed to heal. There would come a day when he confronted her stepfather and mother. When he asked them what the fuck they’d been thinking to ignore their daughter after she told them she’d been raped. It enraged him that they hadn’t taken her to the hospital. Hadn’t demanded action be taken against the chief. As far as he was concerned, they had no business being parents and didn’t deserve a hair on his woman’s head. That she’d grown into someone so kind and compassionate, someone who cared for others, was a miracle.
He threaded his fingers through her hair, letting the smooth strands flow over his skin as she slept. She was snuggled up against him, one leg thrown over his thighs. Her arms circled his waist and even in sleep she held him tightly. He loved this woman, and the prospect of spending the rest of his life with her filled him with so much wonder and excitement, it made him want to carry her up to the courthouse today. She deserved everything, though. The white gown and bunches of flowers. A huge reception followed by a lavish honeymoon at some tropical resort. Whatever she wanted, he’d give it to her.
His cell phone rang on the nightstand, and he muttered under his breath. The display on the screen told him it was Jude. He wouldn’t be calling this early if it wasn’t important. Being careful not to wake Jane, he slipped from the bed, tucking the covers around her, and walked into the hall.
He accepted the call and held the phone to his ear. “Hey.”
