by Sara Arden
“Rangers lead the way,” he whispered.
Byron thought he’d have so much more to say, but he didn’t. He’d said it all. It was all there in the creed. There in the hug he’d shared with Belinda. There in his secret hopes. And there in the world around him.
He patted the back of the stone like he would’ve the man’s back, had he been there. This moment hadn’t been an eraser, it didn’t change everything, but it changed enough.
Byron reined in his emotions and walked around to the back door, where Belinda was talking with Damara and the girls had changed into their Disney princess costumes and were currently playing with Damara’s hair as she chatted.
It was such a simple scene, something that a lot of people would take for granted. Two women talking, children playing. Drinking iced tea. It wasn’t anything special. It happened a million times a day in a billion households around the world.
Yet it was special to him.
He couldn’t articulate why, and he wanted to. So he was content to watch them for a moment.
“Hey, you ready to come in? A glass of sweet tea?” Belinda offered.
Damara started to turn to him, but one of the girls stopped her. “I’m not done with your braid. Hair first. Boys later.”
Damara laughed and said, “As you wish.”
“Oooh, Momma. She said it. She said it!”
Belinda looked embarrassed.
“What did I say?” Damara asked.
“The Princess Bride. It’s a movie. In it, the farm boy tells the girl he loves her by saying ‘as you wish.’ It’s the best thing ever,” the older girl said.
“Last month it was Pretty in Pink and now it’s The Princess Bride,” Belinda explained.
“I see. I think we’ll have to watch that when we get home,” Damara said.
“You have to,” the youngest girl said. “Because you’re a princess and you’re a bride. Byron is your Wesley.”
“He is? Is Wesley a prince?”
“No, silly. He’s a farm boy pirate.”
“I’m glad you came, even if it was just for an hour. You’re welcome back anytime,” Belinda said. “Even if it’s just to talk to Austin.”
“Thank you, Belinda. You take care of those girls.”
“I try.” She smiled.
Marie stopped fussing with Damara’s hair and walked over to him. “You’re the man who knew my daddy?”
“Yes.” He didn’t know if he could take any more of this today. His battered heart was already full again and ready to break. He’d kept it sealed off for so long.
“Did you like him?”
“I liked your daddy very much. I called him my brother.” He didn’t know if she could understand what he meant.
“That’s what Momma said. I was just checking. If you’re daddy’s brother, then you’re my family, too.” She hugged him.
And he thought he was going to die. That her little arms would smash him into a million pieces.
“You need anything, Belinda, anything at all, you call us,” he said when Austin’s daughter released him.
“Thank you.” She looked at the girls. “I have to talk in private for a minute. Our friends have to leave. So you run on upstairs.”
The girls did as they were told without fussing, although they did turn around and wave.
“I want you to know that the same applies to you. If you need anything, you come straight here.”
As if he’d ever do anything to put Belinda in danger. Not a chance.
“I see that look on your face, Ranger. It was the same one that Austin got when he was just going to humor me. I mean it. He would’ve wanted you to be safe. I miss him every day, but I know he died for something bigger. He was trying to help people. And if Uganda hadn’t happened, you might not have been in a position to help the princess. You’ve brought democracy to a whole country. Austin would’ve been so proud of you. Hell, I’m sure he is watching over you and I’m sure he is proud.”
“You’re welcome to come visit us anytime. Your girls are beautiful,” Damara said. “I had a good time with them.”
“I’m sorry they invited themselves to Castallegna.” She looked slightly embarrassed.
“We’d be so happy to have them as long as you’d like to stay.” Damara sighed, looking up the stairs after the girls.
“I think you’re amazing. I’m glad there are women like you in the world that my girls can look up to.”
Damara blushed. “I don’t know about that. I just do what I can.”
“That’s all any of us can do,” Belinda said. “Are you sure you can’t stay longer?”
“No. The paparazzi seem too interested in where we’re going. I wouldn’t want to bring that down on you. I’m sure by now, they’ve figured out we’ll be here sooner or later.”
“We know how to deal with trespassers in Texas.” Belinda grinned. “Austin didn’t marry a fool.”
“I can certainly see that.” Byron nodded.
Damara hugged her and kissed both of her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Take care of yourself, Belinda.”
“I will.”
When they were in the car again, Damara asked him, “Are you sure you didn’t want to stay longer?”
“I couldn’t.”
She seemed to understand.
Byron knew he wouldn’t hear Austin’s voice ever again, and that was how it should be. He’d put him to rest in his head along with most of his other demons. He still had a few doubts, a few shadows, but what man didn’t? He’d already started moving forward, he’d promised Damara a good life, and he was determined to give it to her.
“This doesn’t look like the way back to the airport,” she said.
“No, it sure doesn’t, does it?”
“What did you do?”
“It was on a ship that I first reached out for what I wanted, and it was on a tiny boat that we talked about hopes and dreams and stars. And all the other things I thought were bullshit. So it’s on a ship that we’re going home to Castallegna. That’s our honeymoon.”
EPILOGUE
ONCE ON BOARD the ship in Galveston and settled in a state room, Byron wasted no time pulling Damara into his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“Honeymoon was supposed to start when we left the reception. We’re late. I’m just catching up.”
She flitted out of his embrace. “I thought you said once we left the reception it was all over.”
“I lied. Come here.”
“You’ll have to catch me.” She twisted away from him, but he plucked her back easily and she laughed.
Byron had no words for how he felt about her. So he kissed her. He brushed his lips across hers softly at first—reverently. Her lips tasted like sweet wine, and he wanted to drink her in. Byron threaded his hands through her hair and enjoyed the silky texture as it curled around his fingers.
Byron kissed her until her lips were swollen and bee-stung, and she rubbed her body against his with wanton abandon.
He moved down to her throat, where he suckled at the pulse and kneaded that tender bit of flesh lightly between his teeth until it was just a little sensitive; then he laved his tongue over that bit of skin.
It drew the first moan from her, her nails scoring his shoulders. It would be the first of many.
He peeled her clothes from her body, and each time was still like the first. Each time was still like unwrapping a gift that he couldn’t believe was his. His hands moved over her, fingertips skimming flesh ever so lightly. She responded to every brush of skin on skin.
Byron rose above her and just looked, drank in the sight of her as he had the taste. She lay with her hair a dark halo around her head, those lips still so swollen and ripe. And the
n she smiled.
“What are you looking at?”
“The most beautiful woman in the world.”
She looked away, seeming almost embarrassed by the praise.
He dipped his head to her throat again, and, before long, she’d lost all sense of self-consciousness. Or so it seemed as evidenced by the naughty things she whispered in his ear, but he continued with his planned strategy. He wanted her strung so tight that all it would take would be for him to play the right note and she’d come undone.
Byron moved down to her breasts, taking one taut nipple gently between his teeth as he’d done with that tender bit of skin at her throat. He worked it softly until she was clawing at his back again and arching up to his caress, demanding more—always more. Then he moved to the other, his fingers replacing his mouth and plucking at the bud damp from his tongue.
By the time Byron finally moved to between her thighs she was right on the edge and begging. He touched his tongue to her in the most decadent of kisses, and she was so damn sweet, he just couldn’t get enough of her.
She unraveled around his caress, shuddering and spasming as the jolts of pleasure rocked her. He’d missed this so much, not only the physical release but the physical connection. The mark of his touch on her skin, the taste of her, of knowing she was meant for him.
He slid into her while she was still trembling with her release, her sweet heat contracting around him. Byron pushed them both higher, hips rocking, hands still teasing her flesh until she was clinging to him like a life raft in a hurricane and screaming his name all over again.
Indeed, there was nothing more to life than this: his wife safe in his arms, and all the years of their life spread before them in the best mission he’d ever taken on. To give his princess happily ever after.
* * * * *
ISBN: 978-1-474-00820-4
UNFADED GLORY
© 2014 Sara Arden
Published in Great Britain 2014
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ®are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk
