Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Faith exhales and closes her eyes. She gives her head a slight shake, and when she looks down at me again, she says, “Marry you for four to six months?”
I know what she’s thinking. She knows I want to protect her while I’m deployed, in case something happens to me. What she doesn’t realize is I want it all. With her. I nod and reply, “For starters.”
The truth is there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to ever let her go.
She’ll always be mine and own my soul.
“My parents are going to kill me,” she blurts with a laugh.
“Does that mean…?”
Grinning widely, she offers me the most breathtaking smile I’ve ever seen. It reaches into my chest and calms every wild and unsettled piece of me. She’s the missing puzzle piece I didn’t even know I was searching for. “Yes.”
A loud whoop flies from my mouth, and I jump up, taking her in my arms. The moment she’s settled against my chest, I slide my hands into her hair and gaze down at her. “You’re really going to marry me?”
She giggles and nods. “I am. I don’t know if we’re doing the right thing or not, but I can’t let you go overseas worrying about me.”
I snort. “I’ll always worry about you, sweetheart. Always. But having my ring on your finger will go a long way at soothing some of that fear I have over being away from you.”
She swallows hard. “I understand, and all I want to do is keep you from worrying more. The last thing I’d want is you to be distracted and get yourself blown up or something.”
“You’re the best kind of distraction,” I state, speaking the truth even when she thinks I’m joking.
She wraps her arms around my waist and leans against my chest. I’m certain she can hear the thundering in my chest. “I can’t believe we’re getting married,” she murmurs softly before turning to look up at me. “And I’m going to accept that job,” she adds with a giggle.
“Hell yes, you are. You’re going to be the most kick-ass kindergarten teacher this school has ever seen. I have complete faith in you, no pun intended.”
She shakes her head as if she’s still trying to process everything that’s happened in just a short amount of time. “I feel like we have so much to do.”
I step back and slide my hands along the column of her neck, up her jaw, and into her hair. “We do, but first, I want to kiss my fiancée.”
Nervously nibbling on the corner of her lip, she whispers, “Your fiancée would like that.”
Keeping my eyes open as long as I can, I finally close them and just revel in the first brush of our lips together. The kiss starts slow, as if we both want to savor the magnitude of this moment. And it’s pretty fucking big. I asked her to marry me, and she accepted. As far as kisses go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.
I coax her lips apart with my tongue and slide mine inside against hers. Her hands fist my T-shirt at my sides as she leans forward and presses her chest to my own. I can feel her nipples through the layers of material, and my cock starts paying closer attention.
As much as I want to just keep kissing her for hours on end, I reluctantly pull back, slipping a little distance between us so I can get my raging libido under control. The truth is we have a lot to do and very little time to do it.
Faith opens her eyes and gives me a shy little grin. Her lips are swollen, her hair a bit tussled from my hands, and all I want to do is reach for her and continue that kiss. “Well, my to-do list between now and Wednesday morning just got a bit longer.”
“No shit,” I reply with a snort. “How about this? I need to go to the base and apply for married housing and talk to the chaplain. You need to accept that job offer immediately.”
“I need to do more than that if we’re getting married tomorrow,” she states.
I prepare to head for the door, when something causes me to pause. “Your parents.”
She gives me a sad smile. “Look, as much as I’d love them to be here, I don’t think it’s possible. It would cost so much for an immediate flight out here, and it just seems like such a hassle. I know I’ve only had a few minutes to think about this, but what if we just did it and asked for forgiveness later?” She bites down on her bottom lip nervously, and I almost lose my ability to keep my groan from flying from my mouth.
“I want whatever you want.”
“I’d want your parents to be here too. And Ford and Shayne. It just seems like the best step here would be to elope and tell them afterward.”