Both of them stilled, daring the other to make a move, any move, before Dylan finally spoke again. “I told you before that you had to be the one to make the next move, but Red, you’re killing me over here. Please put a man out of his misery and ki—”
With that, she suddenly pulled his face toward her and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his.
CHAPTER 38
Dylan
1 Day to Trial
The touch ofKelsi’s lips against his was soft, tentative, as he held still. He waited for her to lead, to deepen this kiss and let him know that this was okay, that it was what she wanted.
Slowly, so very slowly, she pressed her lips firmer against his. Kelsi’s lips parted under his own as her hands slowly came up from where she had them pressed to the door to coast along his sides, up his ribs, and to his neck. She twined her arms around his neck and pushed a hand through his hair, raking her nails across his scalp lightly so that tingles of pleasure erupted down his spine.
He groaned into her mouth, and his control snapped. Dylan pressed her firmly against the door and shook at the feel of her body pressed against his. His tongue licked at the seam of her lips, begging entrance. She parted her lips and the taste of her, of cherries, was nearly his undoing.
He’d imagined this moment between them for years, and now that it was here, he could hardly believe it. Kelsi telling him her side of their fight hit him hard. His chest ached at her words about her dad. Looking back, he regretted leaving her, but at the time it had felt like she didn’t care.
Now, though, she was his. There was no more confusion between them over where they stood, and he was thrilled they were finally on the same page.
Each brush of their lips, each stroke of his tongue against hers, ignited the desire between them into a feverish pitch. The kiss turned frantic, and Dylan reached his arms down underneath Kelsi’s thighs as he hoisted her into his arms, her legs automatically winding around his waist. He spun them around, never taking his mouth from hers, and blindly moved to the bed.
When the mattress hit his thighs, he lowered Kelsi down onto it and moved up her body until he was hovering over her. Gazing down into her eyes, he gently brushed a strand of her beautiful red hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
Groaning, he leaned away from her, panting to catch his breath. She opened her eyes, clearly confused at his retreat. He grabbed her hands in his own, stroking her fluttering pulse softly.
“I want there to be no more secrets between us, Kelsi. I want you to understand completely what it means, being with me, if that’s what you’d be interested in after you hear everything.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he gave her a stern look with a raised brow, and she shut her mouth once more with a roll of her eyes.
“Brat,” he teased, tapping the tip of her nose with their joined hands. His expression turned serious once more, though, and he took a deep breath before speaking. “You asked me before what happened. How I got my injury,” he clarified.
Her eyes searched his, no doubt seeing the pain he tried desperately to hide but was riding close to the surface tonight.“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Dylan. It won’t change how I feel about you.”
He gave her a small, sad smile and leaned back on his ankles before grimacing at the pain that shot through his injured leg from the position. He rolled sideways and settled down onto the bed beside her, so they were both reclined, staring up at the ceiling. It was easier, this way, for him to speak about what happened.
“We were on a joint training exercise with local forces out in the desert. We didn’t do those often, but it was supposed to be routine. On our way back in, Boone was driving the Humvee. He saw some kid run into the street waving his arms, and he pulled over, thinking the kid needed help.”
His breath rattled in his chest, and he had to swallow a few times to get the thickness in his throat to abate enough for the rest of the story to escape. Kelsi’s hand settled atop his on the bed, fingers intertwining. He gave hers a gentle squeeze before continuing.
“We all got out of the vehicle, rifles drawn but at ease. We thought it was some kid ...” His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “It was a trap. The kid ran off when we were out around the vehicle. We had barely moved to follow him before the blast went off. There was no warning. One second the street was clear, quiet. The next, everything was on fire and the only thing I could hear was ringing and my heart beating in my ears.” He closed his eyes tightly, breath harsh. “Jace was closest to the place the IED hit. He died instantly. A piece of metal from the device went through his neck.”
Kelsi’s sharp inhale reminded him she was with him, that he was in Virginia Beach, and not back in the desert.
“Shrapnel hit me, too.” His free hand dropped to his injury, absent-mindedly massaging the scar tissue, remembering the sensation of the metal piercing his skin. “It narrowly missed the artery. I nearly bled out there in the dust like Jace. Mav was there, though. He got to me quickly and did field work, stapling me together as the others dragged Jace’s body and mine into the Humvee and gave cover from the gunfire that had started. They raced back to base and had a helicopter there ready to airlift me as soon as we pulled in.”
Kelsi’s sniffles made him shift his head on the pillow to face her, and he found her already turned in his direction, green eyes shining brightly behind a sheen of tears.
“I almost died. I wonder all the time why I survived, and not Jace. Jace had a wife. A kid. They got married young, and he loved her so much. He talked about her all the time.”
Tears tracked down Kelsi’s cheek onto the pillow.
“I wonder why, when he had so much to live for, he died and I didn’t.” He choked on the last words, and he felt his own hot tears snake silently down his face to dampen the pillow beneath his cheek.
“Oh, Dylan.” Kelsi’s eyes were heartbroken as they met his, and she squeezed his hand tighter. “There’s no rhyme or reason for these things. Terrible things happen every day to people who don’t deserve it, but that doesn’t mean that the people who survive don’t also have the right to live and to be happy.”
“I’m scarred, Red. Maverick saved my life, but the shrapnel tore apart the muscle and tissue. The surgeons did their best to get it to heal correctly, but not everything did. The nerves still bother me, and the scar tissue is deep. I’m not whole like I used to be. I don’t know if I’m good enough for you anymore. There’s so many things I won’t be able to do for you. I won’t be able todance with you on our wedding day. I won’t be able to coach our kid’s soccer team.”
She reached up with her free hand and stroked his cheek softly. “I’m scarred too, Dylan. Mine are just on the inside.” She smiled sadly at him. “You don’t have to be perfect, none of us are, but that doesn’t mean you’re not whole. You’re allowed to struggle and have bad days. But I want to be there for you on every one of them. And I never want to hear you say again that you’re not good enough for me. You are the most incredible person I’ve ever met, and I could never imagine there being anyone else for me. You already danced with me at Crow’s Nest, so don’t pretend you won’t be able to dance at our wedding. And as for coaching our kids’ sports teams? Pretty sure you don’t have to get on the field to be a good coach. We’ll take each day as they come, and deal with any obstacles we run into. But this is not the end of the world. I can’t think of anything that we won’t be able to do together.”
