by Vivian Wood
Cade pulled her against him and stroked her hair.
It was so close. So close, and we made it. And who gives a damn about all the drama before?
It seemed so petty, all of it. He couldn’t believe that he’d spend all those weeks, all those years, obsessed with something that didn’t matter at all.
“Lily? I know this probably isn’t how you imagined this…”
“What?”
He’d fantasized about this moment the past few days, but it was all just that—a fantasy. Cade had thought about taking her to the coast, to a little cave in Florence or Haystack Rock in Astoria.
He’d have a gorgeous diamond ring, maybe even her mother’s, and an entire speech prepared that he’d say flawlessly. But now? Now he wasn’t even sure if he could get to one knee.
“Lily, I know we haven’t had the most traditional relationship. But I can’t imagine my life without you. And I don’t want to.”
“Cade?” she asked, her eyes wide with confusion.
“What I’m trying to say—well, ask—is…” Cade pulled himself onto one knee, and ignored the pain that shot through his ankle. “Will you marry me? I mean, I don’t have a ring, not right now. But I’ll get one, and—”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I don’t want anything more than to marry you,” she said.
That bright smile he’d known all his life spread across her face. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Really?”
“Of course!” She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he kissed her cheek.
“But, Cade?” she asked as she looked up at him.
In the distance, he could hear the helicopter. They were so close, so close to being safe.
“Yeah?”
“There’s, uh… I need to tell you something.”
His heart sank. Not again. Not when they were so close to being happy.
“Don’t worry, it’s not bad. At least I don’t think so,” she said.
“Okay.” He pulled in his breath. “What—”
The helicopter appeared at the cliff. It drowned out her voice. Cade shielded his eyes and looked in the cockpit. Elijah and Aiden grinned down at them as a ladder released. Cade nodded Lily toward the chopper.
“Whatever it is,” he called into her ear as he climbed up behind her, “we’ll work it out. Don’t worry.”
She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. And he knew it was true. When it came to Lily, nothing was impossible. It had taken him years to figure it out, but now that he knew it, he wasn’t about to let anything get in their way.
Lily climbed into the helicopter and Cade watched her brothers hold her close. Neither of them said anything when Lily slipped her arm through Cade’s and rested her head on his shoulder. As the helicopter descended into the wide open field, Cade squeezed Lily’s hand tightly.
This was it. All I’ve ever wanted, but never knew I needed.
32
Lily
Lily leaned back into the sofa, her ankle propped up on the table. She craned her neck around and watched Cade as he worked in the kitchen.
“What are you making?” she called.
“Firehouse chili,” he said. “Protein. It’ll help you heal.”
“You baby me too much,” she said as she popped another piece of caramel popcorn into her mouth.
“I almost lost you,” he said, and turned with the spatula in hand. “That means I get to baby you as much as I want.”
“The last two days have been wild, right?” she asked.
Lily glanced down at her swollen ankle. It was nothing compared to the burns Cade had sustained on his, but he acted like she’d nearly lost her foot.
Still, I have to admit it’s nice.
She’d been thankful that neither of them had been held overnight in the hospital. The smoke inhalation damage had been surprisingly minimal.
“You’re lucky,” the doctor had said as he released her. “It could have been a lot worse. We have one hiker in here with third degree burns over half his body.”
“My God,” Lily had said and looked at Cade.
Now, just forty-eight hours later, the whole ordeal seemed like a lifetime ago. Whatever had transpired under that fire guard, it had sealed them together for good. When she’d felt his body on top of her, protecting her, the last of her walls gave way. There was no way she was letting him go—or walking away—again.
“Gotta let it simmer for awhile,” Cade said. He dropped onto the sofa next to her. “Cornbread for a starter?” he asked. “And iced tea.”
She took a slice and bit into it. The buttery goodness nearly rivaled Jean-Michel’s work.
“Oh my God. How’d you learn how to make it like this?”
“Firehouse,” he said with a shrug. “The secret is butter four ways, brown sugar—”
She held up her hand. “Please. My waistline doesn’t need to know that. Speaking of…”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to turn into one of those women who worries about her weight all the time,” he said. “You’re gorgeous, no matter what. Now eat the cornbread your fiancé slaved over for the past two hours.”
Lily blushed. “This is serious. I need to tell you something.”
Cade put down his slice of bread and looked at her. “What you were going to tell me at the fire?”
She nodded. “I, um… I freaked out because of what happened at my appointment. It was a doctor’s appointment.”
He shoved the plate onto the coffee table. “Are you okay?”
“Yes! I’m fine,” she said with a laugh. “We both are.”
“What?”
She sighed. “I was hoping the doctors wouldn’t let it slip in front of you at the hospital, but now I kind of wish they had. I’m…” she took a sip of the iced tea he handed her and spit it back out.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it bad?”
“Caffeine,” she said weakly.
“What?”
“There’s a lot of caffeine in iced tea, right?”
“Uh, I guess? I mean, a normal amount?”
“I don’t know if I can have this.”
All the articles she’d glanced over during her lifetime rushed back at her. No raw seafood, no rare meat of any kind, no caffeine, and definitely no alcohol.
Was a little bit of caffeine going to hurt the baby?
“Lily, don’t take this personally, but you’re acting really weird. I’ve seen you down iced tea by the quart plenty of times.”
“Hey,” she said, and shoved at him playfully.
“Come on. Tell me what’s really going on. You know, your dad’s the one who taught me to make that tea.”
She sighed. “You know that thing I said I needed to tell you?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was quite dramatic. At least until the helicopter drowned you out.”
“Okay. Don’t be upset.”
Cade’s face darkened, but he didn’t say anything. It’s now or never.
“I went to the doctor because I noticed that my breasts were tender, just as a precaution you know. My mom,” she said quietly. “The breast cancer… it’s a common symptom.”
Cade stiffened beside her.
“No, no! I’m not saying that I have cancer,” she said. “God, I’m fucking this up. I went to the doctor and found out that I’m pregnant.”
She shrugged and looked up at him. “That’s it, all my secrets, laid out in plain sight.”
Cade’s jaw dropped open. Lily started to count the seconds.
How long until he has a total freak out? Maybe this was a mistake. Marriage is one thing, but a baby? Already? God, a month and a half ago they were virtual strangers.
“I know that maybe you aren’t ready—” she began, but Cade grabbed her tight.
His kiss took her breath away. Her stomach fluttered, and for a moment she couldn’t tell if it was from him, from what they’d created, or a sweet combination of both. Lily laughed when
he let her go.
“I thought you were upset!”
“About a little version of you? How could I be upset about that?”
She bit her lip and watched as he searched her face. After she was released from the hospital, she mulled it over for a full day.
Getting rid of it had never been an option, she knew that. But when that little life inside her had been threatened by the fire, something within her blossomed. She’d grown into fierce protective mode in seconds.
Most women, it takes them months. But I guess I’ve never been like most.
“It’s a little too early to know about that,” she said. “Who knows? Maybe it’s a little version of you. Honestly, I was completely freaked out. I still am.”
“I told you. We’ll work through anything, as long as you’ll have me.” Cade reached up and tucked a wild lock behind her ear. “And I meant what I said after the fire. You’d better damn well be willing to marry me. I’ve already got an appointment at the jewelry store. I just figured you’d like to walk in and choose your ring, rather than be carried.”
She blushed and looked down at her ankle. “Cade—”
“This, right here? This is forever,” he said. “And so what if the baby is a little earlier than we might have planned?”
“Early? You mean like years earlier than I would have chosen?”
“I never had a family growing up,” Cade said quietly. “Now here you are, and here it is.” He placed his hand on her stomach. “The perfect family.”
“And what about Elijah?” she asked quietly.
He gave a short laugh. “He was surprisingly easy to win over.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but they’re both on board.”
“I guess when it comes down to it, you always have been part of the family,” she said. “And it wouldn’t have mattered, you know. If Elijah or Aiden didn’t approve. But, to be honest, I’m glad they do.”
“Now I just have to break the news to them that they’ll be sharing best man duties,” he said.
She gave a laugh. “And from what I saw at the kickball game, my maid of honor just might be Aiden’s date.”
Cade raised a brow. “You really think—”
“Who knows?” she said with a smile. “And really, who cares? Right now, in this moment, this is about us. All three of us.”
“The three of us,” Cade echoed. “I like the sound of that. A place to put all my love.”
Lily began to tear up. She looked away and tried to discreetly wipe at her eyes.
“Are we going to blame this on pregnancy hormones?” he asked. “Because if we are, you better milk it for all it’s worth. You only have a few more months of it, Mrs. Future Hammond.”
She laughed and leaned into him. “I’m good with that. But you promise?” she asked. Lily gazed up at him. “Forever?”
“Forever,” he said. Cade kissed her on the head as she settled into the crook of his chest. “I promise.”
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Also by Vivian Wood
Thank you for reading SEAL’s Touch! I know if you liked this book, you will LOVE Meredith and Elijah’s story, His Virgin! It’s FREE on all platforms!
Whatever she wants, I want it ten times harder.
My name is Elijah Scott, and I’m going to be your next president. I’m a rich, ripped, and ready to conquer the campaign trail. When it comes to women, I’m not looking for anything serious. Not now, not ever.
Until I see Meredith.
The sweet little blonde with curves in all the right places. One look into those beautiful blue eyes, and I can’t help imagining how her hips would fit just right in my hands.
I’ll never forget the secret she whispers in my ear: she’s never been with anyone before. She’s a temptation I can’t resist.
She’s fresh out of college, just twenty-two years old and on the campaign trail with me… as a reporter. One leak exposed by Meredith, and my entire future goes up in flames.
As my secrets pile up, I can’t stop fantasizing about Meredith. She’s dangerous, a risk I can’t afford… but her taste, her voice moaning my name over and over… I can’t stop. Worse, I don’t want to watch her walk away.
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Turn the page for an excerpt of His Virgin…
An excerpt from His Virgin…
Looking around, Eli saw Jack dancing with a redhead only a couple of feet away. She wore a glittering silver dress which was conservative compared to what most of the other women were wearing, but would still be considered risqué anywhere else.
He always appreciated a good tease.
Jack was clearly doing just fine, mask or not. Elijah looked for Henry next. He found him quickly getting intimately acquainted with a woman wearing a sheer ivory teddy with. Yep, the masks hadn't adversely affected their ability to pick up women one bit. He grinned.
This place was crazy. And he loved it!
It wasn't long before he found himself going with the flow, dancing with a group of women who looked like they were celebrating a bachelorette party. One woman even kissed him, but he soon found himself eyeing a petite blonde across the room. He noted she was wearing the same dress as the redhead from earlier, but in a shade of blue that looked beautiful on her.
He excused himself from the bachelorette party, smiling apologetically when the women pouted. He couldn't keep his eyes off the hot and sexy blonde. Instantly he was hard. He headed toward her, and as he passed Jack and the redhead, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled them both toward the mystery blonde. He ended up in one of the private booths alone with her before he knew it.
He looked around for his friends, a tiny part of him feeling like he'd been set up. But they were nowhere to be seen.
They're probably enjoying their own private shows, he thought as the blonde slammed him down into a chair and started dancing sexily in front of him.
The music could still be faintly heard within the booth, but it was rapidly drowned out by the sexy sounds coming from the woman who was currently giving him the hottest lap dance he'd ever had in his entire life. She was so bold, rubbing her breasts against him and moaning, and he loved every second of what she was doing.
She straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pressing her breasts against him. It was taking everything he had not to just grab her and kiss her passionately.She was so fucking sexy. And he wanted desperately to be inside her.
Immediately.
But he couldn’t.
A presidential candidate like him knew better. And a random hookup should have been totally out of the question.
He knew all this, yet his self-control was rapidly disappearing. Suddenly she pulled him close for a kiss. Her lips were soft and inviting, and when he felt her playfully nip at his bottom lip, he couldn't help but respond in turn.
Flirting with his hands and mouth was the best he could do, so he decided to make the most of it. He was shocked when she suddenly removed her mask, pulling his head into her cleavage.
“Mmm,” she moaned as he started licking her sweaty skin.
Jesus! She tastes so fucking good, he thought, unable to suppress the urge to get a lit
tle taste of heaven.
“You taste so fucking good, babe,” he said, slightly raising his head to try and see her face. But she kept his head pressed down against her breasts.
“Make me feel good,” she murmured in between moans as she rubbed against his crotch.
Eli continued to nibble on her, moving from her neck to her breasts, and back again. He couldn't believe how good she was making him feel. She was driving him insane, and she wasn't even stripping yet!
Lifting his head, he studied her face. She had deep set blue eyes, and full, pouty lips. Her high nose had a thin bridge that matched the rest of her delicate, petite features.
She was easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
He realized his pulse was pounding. This definitely wasn't normal for him.
He'd met and dated plenty of women in the past. But none of them had affected him like this, and certainly not within such a short time span. Sure, they'd all gorgeous, but his heart racing like this was certainly a first.
Was it because he hadn't hooked up with someone in awhile? He didn't know.
But the one thing Eli did know, was that this woman was not only young, but also drunk. Getting involved with her right now was the last thing he needed to be doing.
“Good girls should be in bed, babe,” he whispered.
What little self-control he had left was rapidly eroding, but he was afraid if he made a move now he wouldn't stop until things were too late.
She gave a soft chuckle in his ear. She was alternating between nipping and sucking at his earlobe, and he groaned when he felt her hot breath on his neck.
“Is that an invitation?” she asked sensuously, making his cock pulse with need. Her lips felt so fucking soft, and he wanted to taste and feel more of her.
You're wearing a mask. She'll never know who you are. Eli heard a voice in his head, urging him to give in already.
Right. He was there to have fun. Why was he fighting this? He could tell that she wanted him.
It was mutual.
It didn't have to be as complicated as he was making it, right? They'd hook up, no strings attached, and go their separate ways.
