by Rae, Alicia
“We were almost to the Humvee when an enemy on the ground lifted his hand with a weapon. I immediately lifted my gun to fire, but it jammed…”
Unable to endure the pain in his voice, I moved to straddle his lap, and I caressed from the side of his forehead to his cheek. I wanted to offer him comfort in any way I possibly could. His hands came around me, gripping me like I was his lifeline. The bare agony in his eyes tore my heart in two.
“The bullet struck Colton straight in the chest before I could reach for another weapon,” he finished just above a whisper, his tone empty and raw.
My heart lodged in my throat. I felt his pain, how much losing his dear friend hurt him, and I longed to take it away. We each had suffered such profound heartache and loss.
While giving Kyle a short moment to collect himself, I blinked back the sheen of tears blurring my vision, and I forced myself to be strong for him.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I breathed, shaking my head. “You did everything possible to try to save him.”
He nodded his head once. “On most days, I know that’s true, but on others, I have to force myself to believe it.” He seemed lost in his deep thoughts.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place in my mind. I thought of how he’d wanted to help me move on from my grief of losing my family. He had introduced me to Jeanine, the therapist, so I could acknowledge that the car accident with my parents and sister was truly not my fault. He hadn’t wanted me to live with any guilt. He’d wanted me to accept the things I could not change and move forward with my life.
Deep down, I had always known that he carried his own burden of heartache. No matter how much I had prepared for the unknown, it had not made it any easier to finally hear his story out loud. My heart bled for him.
“That’s why you once told me that I saved you, too…isn’t it?” I whispered, recalling his words on that day not long ago.
He nodded again. “I was drawn to you the first minute I laid eyes on you, and with every closer look, I saw the pain and loss in your eyes, reflecting how I felt inside. It’s as if I was not only meant to fall in love with you but to also help you. Only, I never imagined that you would be able to heal me, too…and you have in so many ways.
“I know now that I did everything in my power to save Colton and that his fate was out of my hands, but it still doesn’t make losing him any less hard. He was a great man, a great friend, and a great husband who had so much life ahead of him,” Kyle said, his voice clogged with grief. “Now, there’s his baby girl, who never had the chance to meet her dad. It’s not easy to accept that he was dealt such a bad hand.”
He inhaled a slow breath of air and then gradually let it out. I could see all the emotions streaming over his face. It was beyond heartbreaking to see him suffering so much, and I felt powerless to heal his pain.
“I wish I could help you and take it all away,” I admitted quietly.
He blinked once and then twice. After the second time, his eyes held a certain strength I admired.
“You already have, Lily. Don’t you see?” he asked, his eyes overflowing with love. “As I helped you move forward in your life, I was able to help myself. It took me a long time to accept his death, but I knew that as a soldier, he proudly sacrificed his life for our country, and he would want us to honor his life, not mourn it.”
He exhaled deeply while lifting his hand to my face. He ran it down my cheek and then along the base of my jaw until he reached my throat. “Before you, I was just passing through the motions, telling myself I had moved on when I hadn’t. Then, I met you, and my world changed. You brought light back into my life. I thought I would never have that again. From the first time I introduced myself to you on the beach, I knew my goal was to brighten those ocean blue eyes of yours and make you mine. You stole my heart a little more with each and every tender look you gave me.”
I melted my soft curves against his harder muscles, feeling his raw strength beneath me, before I closed my lips over his. Love and admiration consumed me as he delicately kissed me back, warming my insides with passion. He gently fisted his hands in my hair, and he tipped my head back to expose my throat. Panting, I complied, letting him lick and nip at my bare skin.
“I need you,” he breathed, trailing his way up to tenderly bite my lower lip.
Completely breathless, I nodded. He rose from the chair his hands grasped my bottom to hold me flush against him. I lifted my arms to wrap them tightly around his neck to balance myself. Longing for him, I shifted my grip around his neck, so I could dip my head to place hot kisses along his throat as we rounded the corner outside of the loft. He groaned, spinning us to the nearest wall, and he pressed my back flush against it as he was unable to hold back his desire any longer. He ravished my mouth, taking what he wanted. His hands squeezed my hips while he rocked his erection against my core. His kisses swallowed my moan.
He pulled back, breaking our kiss. “Bed,” he rasped unevenly. “I want you in our bed—now.”
He pushed off the wall and turned on his heels to make his way down the stairs. His long strides closed the distance to our bedroom in no time. He kept me in his arms, cradling me, as he lowered me to the bed.
Needing him just as much, I pulled on the collar of his dress shirt and yanked him back to my eager lips. A rumble erupted from his throat as he ravished my mouth, caressing his tongue over mine with long, tender strokes. My hands came to his shoulders, and I raked them down his back. My legs were still clinging to him, and I dropped my left leg and braced my weight to flip him over, so I was straddling his waist. He let out a husky laugh as he let me overpower him. His hands cupped the sides of my thighs as he lifted his waist to thrust against my center. My lips parted at the contact as I felt his hard length bulge against the seam of his dress pants.
I ran my hands all the way down the length of his hard chest, feeling his muscles flex underneath my palms. Anticipation coursed through me at the thought of him letting me take charge while sitting astride his lap.
His eyes glowed with keenness. “What are you going to do with me now?” he teased in a sexy voice mixed with love and lust.
My core clenched with desire at the sound. My fingers ran back and forth across his waistline, and he sucked in a sharp breath. I tugged on the hem of his shirt, releasing it from the confinements of his pants.
“I’m going to ravish you…slowly,” I said while undoing each button of his collared shirt from top to bottom.
He groaned as soon as my hands connected with his naked chest. I bent forward and kissed him, directly above his heart. Then, I deliberately skimmed my lips over to his right nipple, grazing him with only the faintest contact.
“I won’t survive slow, Lily,” he panted. His chest rose and fell as he moved me in sync with him. “Your touch is too much. It makes me lose control.”
I ignored his plea as I drew his hard nipple into my mouth, and I began sucking. The scent of his skin surrounded me, driving me wild as I pulled back. Kyle slid his hands over to my stomach, and he maneuvered me as he quickly got rid of my pants and undies in one swift move. I returned the favor by shucking off his slacks and briefs.
His eyes burned into mine with a look of pure hunger. “This has got to go,” he said in a raw tone while lifting my shirt over my head.
Then, my hands came to the center of my back to unclasp my bra. The fervent look in his eyes had me sliding my hands to cradle the front of my bra. I was deliberately hiding my breasts in an attempt to heighten his anticipation.
“Are you trying to tease me, beautiful?” he asked in a low, sensual voice with a provocative stare that made me so hot.
“Just a little.” I grinned wickedly.
He raised his hips in an effort to lure my body closer, and then he lifted his hands to cover my own. He leisurely trailed his right index finger across the top path of my bra. Then, he hooked it in the center and jerked the lacy material downward. His hands moved to cup underneath the swell of my breasts, knea
ding them firmly in his palms.
“That’s a brave game you’re playing, teasing a man who is dying to be inside you,” he said seductively with challenging dark eyes that flashed back at me.
I could tell just how much teasing turned him on. The effect it had on me was strikingly hot. The inexplicable pull between us was intoxicating.
He reached up and enclosed his lips over my nipple while his hand slipped between my thighs. The pull of his mouth and the swirling of his thumb across my clit made my hips start to rock along his hand, causing my sex to throb impatiently. The muscles in my belly tightened, and my thighs trembled against him. I let out a soft cry as my orgasm rushed through me, tearing through its barrier and creating havoc within my entire body.
Kyle grabbed my waist possessively, raising me up, while gazing straight into my eyes. I settled in over the tip of his erection and oh-so slowly sank onto him, letting him fill me, with our lips nearly brushing each other. We started to move, creating a delicious friction. When the muscles in his jaw clenched, I knew he was close.
I tipped my hips, letting him take me deeper. A strangled low groan left his throat as he began to fill me with his release. My own orgasm broke free, rolling and crashing through me, causing waves of pleasure to seep out of my center.
After dressing for the night, we lay together, wrapped in one another’s arms for what seemed like forever, neither wanting to let go. When I finally drew back, his gorgeous smile hit me hard. A deep look of satisfaction glowed across his features. He leisurely ran his hand across my face, pulling my hair off my cheek.
“I missed you like crazy today,” he said quietly.
“I missed you, too.” I smiled affectionately at him. “I hate Mondays.”
Kyle chuckled softly. “I think everyone does.”
He paused for a split second, and I could nearly see the thoughts flittering through his mind.
“So, you like working from home?” he asked out of the blue.
“Of course,” I answered truthfully. “Why ever would I not?”
Kyle shrugged. “I just know that this has been a huge transition for you the past few weeks, and I want to make sure you’re happy here.”
I reassuringly smiled up at him. “I love it here.”
His expression didn’t change, so I reiterated my point.
“Trust me, hot stuff, if I didn’t like it here, you’d hear my wrath,” I added, hoping to convince him as well as lighten his mood. It worked.
“I’m hot stuff again?” Kyle released a boyish grin. “I must have rocked your world then.”
Laughter poured out of me. “Yeah, you did. When you unleashed those brownish-green eyes of yours on me, I was toast.”
“Oh, beautiful,” he drawled in a throaty tone, “now, I know your weakness.” He kissed me sweetly.
I playfully shoved him back. “Now that I know you’ll use it against me, I’ll have to build up an immunity to them.”
“That just means I’ll have to work extra hard at pulling out all the stops,” he breathed against my lips.
“Uh-huh,” I chortled.
Then, I remembered his birthday. I decided to test him and see if he had any intentions of telling me. “So, what do you want to do this weekend?”
“Lock us up in our house, stay in our pajamas all day, and be nothing but bums for forty-eight hours straight,” Kyle replied while stroking his hand across my waist.
Well, apparently, he is seriously going to skip his birthday.
“Huh,” I muttered. “Nothing special going on this weekend?”
“Nope,” he responded.
I noted the slight change in his voice.
“I worked an insane amount of hours last week, and it seems this week will be the same if I want to take the following week off for our upcoming wedding. So, I’m blacking out Saturday and Sunday on our calendar.”
I raised my brows at him. “Blacking out?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “It was a tradition in my family. My mom used to cross out a day on the calendar with a black Sharpie. She called them Sharpie Days. It meant the whole household was on lockdown for family time on those days. We are implementing that tradition, starting this weekend, and it’ll be our Sharpie Weekend.”
I looked at him with a dumbstruck expression plastered across my face. I tried to gauge if he was being serious or not since I had not once heard of such a thing in my life. I could not help but admit that it sounded awesome. Everyone was always running around nowadays with hectic schedules. Sometimes, we just needed to be reminded to embrace the moment. And I, for one, loved PJ days.
“I think I like it.” I nodded. “Sharpie Weekend it is.”
“That’s my girl,” he said while pulling me close.
Crap. Now, I had to figure out what to tell Abbey about dinner. I did not want to screw up our first Sharpie Weekend. I would have to text her ASAP, so we could come up with a game plan.
After Kyle and I made ourselves a light dinner, we headed to bed since he had another early morning ahead of him. I was bummed to see him so stressed over work, but I was also glad he was working hard to take next week off with me. It reminded me that I also needed to put in just as many hours if I wanted to have the extra time off as well.
Kyle drifted off to sleep within minutes of snuggling with me in his arms. I decided to text Abbey really quick before it slipped my mind.
So, I’m thinking we have to do b-day dinner on Friday night. Will that work?
I hurriedly flipped my phone to silent mode, so it would not wake up Kyle. Then, it lit up in the darkness with Abbey’s reply.
It should be okay, but I’ll double check with Mom and get back with you. What are you guys doing over the weekend to celebrate? Did he ever tell you it’s his b-day?
I was relieved we could change our dinner plans. It would be perfect to have his celebration out of the way on Friday. Then, I could surprise him, too, and show him that I already knew. Afterward, we could transition into our Sharpie Weekend. Now, I only needed to figure out a gift.
Okay, let me know. And no, he’s completely beating around the bush! I’m wondering if he thinks I already know. He said he wanted a Sharpie Weekend.
I glanced over to make sure Kyle was still sleeping. I wanted his birthday dinner on Friday to be a surprise. His breathing was still even as I received another text.
Bahaha! That is SO Kyle. He loved those Sharpie Days as a kid. He was my mom’s only homebody. It’s probably the best b-day present you could give him. ♥
I smiled and felt like I really needed to make this weekend special. He, after all, had made our first few dates so romantic. Now, it was my turn to do something perfect for him.
I set my phone down on the nightstand. Cuddling up into Kyle’s warm body, I hoped to come up with something memorable.
Tuesday and Wednesday were positively dreadful. I was completely knocked flat on my back with the most horrid flu to ever plague the Earth. There was nothing worse than having a stomachache. Every time I caught the faintest scent of food, I was running for the bathroom.
My sweet Kyle tried everything to make me feel better, including drawing me warm bubble baths and snuggling with me on the couch, even after I insisted on him keeping his distance from me, so he did not catch my awful bug. Of course, he refused to stay away when he was worried.
The only good news I received was that the Friday night birthday dinner would work perfectly for Kyle’s whole family. We planned to go to his parents’ house around six in the evening.
Thursday, I was relieved because I was finally feeling better, and I was able to keep down some wheat toast with only light butter.
I forced myself into the shower after sleeping in until nearly ten. I was not going to dwell on losing a few days of work since Kyle’s birthday was in two days, and I still had no gift for him. Plus, I had yet to pick out his wedding ring, and since he would be taking next week off, my only chance to do it was now. It was time to hit the stores.
> Wanting to be comfortable, I dressed in a pair of loose Victoria’s Secret sweats and a short-sleeved tee before walking out to my car to head over to the mall where Brooke, Abbey, and I had gone shopping last weekend. The mall had to have something that would be a great gift for Kyle.
By some force of nature, I was able to make it there without getting lost. I smiled for the first time in two days. I was quite proud of myself for making it from point A to point B without any wrong turns. It was the small things in life that made me happy. Ha!
I strolled around the north side of the mall first. I knew Kyle did not need any dress clothes since he had a closet full of them, so I narrowed my search to beach clothing for our honeymoon, and I made it the theme for his birthday present.
First, I found him a deliciously sexy pair of dark blue Under Armour swim trunks and a pair of black sandals to wear on our romantic getaway. I stuck with darker shades because I’d never seen him wear bright colors. Luckily, I was also able to find us awesome matching Mr. and Mrs. towels. Some might think it was cheesy, and it kind of was, but it was also cute at the same time. After all, it was our honeymoon. I found a few more items before carrying my bags out to my car and placing them in the trunk.
Next stop was to find Kyle a wedding ring. I drove around for the next fifteen minutes until I found a jewelry store off of Lake Tahoe Boulevard. I quickly parked and made my way inside.
A woman approached me right away as I glanced down at an enclosed case with brightly shining diamonds. Then, I looked toward another one filled with watches.
“Hello, ma’am. Can I help you?” she asked.
I tipped my head up, and I smiled shyly at her. I didn’t have the slightest clue what kind of ring to get Kyle. I wanted it to be perfect.
