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“I love you, too, Nik,” Daria whispered, her voice low and unsteady, searching his gaze. She touched his lower lip with her fingers briefly, mustering a faint smile. “Like you, I was going to wait, too. But this evening, when Alex held you so tightly, the love between you so strong and unbreakable, I just knew that I couldn’t keep it from you any longer, either.”
“We’re so much alike, Kitten,” and he leaned over, caressing her lips. Nik felt her response, her arms wrapping around his neck, drawing him down upon her. The streak of fire where her nipples brushed his chest, her mouth opening eagerly to his, her scent unraveling him, told him of her love for him in unspoken ways. Nik languished against her lips, tasting her fully, deeply, their tongues moving against one another, heightening the throb in his erection now pressing insistently against her belly. Never had he loved as he loved this woman who bravely opened her heart fully to him. Daria made no demands upon him, was content to be given what he could, and asked for nothing more. Slowly, kissing each corner of her mouth, he eased away from her, drowning in her starlit gaze that caressed him. “You are my life, my heart and soul, Daria. Never question that.”
She nodded, tenderly stroking his cheek. “There’s so much hope in front of us, Nik. A lifetime filled with happiness, good things instead of so much suffering. The past is behind you now.”
He laid down on his back, urging her up against his side once more. She laid her head on his chest and contentment flowed powerfully through him. “I’m mulling over what we talked about at the table tonight. When Alex suggested instead of me going for a paramedic’s license, to get serious and take the years to become a P.A., a physician’s assistant. That is one rung below a medical doctor here in the USA. If I could pass and get that license, then I could bring in a far better income than as a paramedic.”
She smoothed her hand across his chest, the heavy thud of his heart beneath her palm. “It’s a good idea. Alex has studied the US medical system, Nik. He knows just how skilled you are. And I think he’s right that you’re already far beyond the paramedic level right now.”
“We are taught combat field surgery, Kitten. We are both very highly trained. Most medical doctors cannot perform battlefield surgery and have their patient survive.”
“How do you feel about working under a doctor’s direction once you get your PA’s license?”
Shrugging, he said, “I think I would like that a lot. I love children, always have. I was thinking of perhaps applying to a woman doctor who is a pediatrician, and seeing if she needed a PA’s help. I know that possibility is at least two years away, but it is the direction I would like to take.” Nik rolled his head to the right, catching a glimpse of her gaze up at him. “I have five-hundred thousand dollars in a Bermuda bank account. Three-hundred thousand of it is for Dan’s recovery. I have two-hundred thousand left. I know I can support us with that, plus pay my university costs to become a PA.”
“I’m bringing in good money, also, Nik.”
He frowned, looking deep into her half-closed eyes as she continued to stroke his flesh with her fingertips. His skin skittered and tightened with pleasure wherever her fingers drifted across his chest. “We need to talk about you.”
Daria eased away from him, her head coming to rest on his upper arm, fingers still on his torso. “My full recovery, by any chance?”
“Yes, that first,” he murmured, propping himself up on his elbow, the palm of his free hand ranging slowly up and down the curves of her torso, hip and thigh. “I want you to get a different doctor. I want to be part of hearing what he or she will say about those four wounds. I want to continue to massage that area nightly.”
“I can do that,” she said. “When I go to see Jack tomorrow, I have a lot to discuss with him, Nik.” Daria’s brow moved downward for a moment as she considered her next words. “I talked to Lauren. I asked her how she liked running the sniper school at Shield Security, instead of being out on ops. She said she was ready to stop being a sniper, that she loved Alex, and she wanted to be home to have a life with him.” She searched his rugged features, his eyes narrowing as she spoke. “I’ve made a decision, Nik. I’m going in to tell my boss, Gage, that I’m no longer available for missions.”
“Thank God,” he uttered, caressing her cheek. “I was going to talk to you about that, Daria.”
“I’m already there,” she assured him quietly. “You made me realize how much trauma I have over that op when Melissa was murdered. I need time and I need some therapy help. I’ll work with our shrink at Shield because she’s a trusted person, a woman, and I think I’ll be able to open up to her a lot more than to a man.” And then she said, “With the exception of you, Beloved. I feel like you will hold me when I start falling apart from all the emotions that I’m still holding inside myself over that busted op.”
Nik’s voice grew low with emotion. “I willALWAYShold you, Daria. You can come to me as a safe harbor in your life at any moment of any day. I will always protect you, my Kitten.”
“I know that.” She sighed. “I’m hoping that Jack will be okay with my decision. Lauren said she needs two more sniper teachers because the sniper course has become so popular that she must hire other field-experienced people to help her with the growing program. Foreign countries who are democratic, are sending their people over to get this training. I’m hoping Jack will let me make a lateral move over to Lauren’s school and then I can teach what I know, be safe, and come home every night to you.” Daria reached up, lightly touching his full lower lip. “I love you, Nik. I don’t want to be torn apart from you. I want my life bound daily with yours.”
“Sweet words, my Kitten,” he said, nodding and remaining somber. “We’ve earned this time together, you and I.” He picked up a few strands of her dark, shining hair.
“I want to continue my therapy,” she agreed, her voice scratchy. “I’ve got a lot to work through. If Jack will approve my lateral move, and I believe he will, then I’ll have your love to hold me on bad days after I get done with an hour’s worth of therapy. I can come home, talk with you, cry, and if need be, you’ll hold me.” Daria gave him a searching look, seeking his approval.
“I’ll do so much more than that,” Nik promised her, his voice ragged with raw feelings and understanding. “I will listen closely. And if you want to scream, I will listen to those cries from your wounded soul,moya kotya. And I’ll always be there to hold you. No matter what.” He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering against her temple, and then trailing down the slope of her cheek. “But I worry,” he admitted, lifting his head, holding her tender gaze. “I worry that if Dan stays with us and you are feeling raw, that it will work against you.”
“I don’t know,” Daria admitted. “We don’t know what shape Dan is in emotionally, either, so it’s a big unknown. A question mark for all of us right now.”
“My protectiveness is extended to you first, Daria. I want to give you a place where you can heal, not be upset by the intrusion of my brother.” He kissed her lips. “I want you to feel safe when you come home because I know how vulnerable you will be feeling, my Kitten.”
“But he needs a place to feel safe too, Nik. Remember, he’s coming to a foreign country he doesn’t know anything about except what he’s heard. He doesn’t speak good English and that makes communication hard for him. I really think we need to give him our home, our hearts, for a little while until he at least gets his feet under himself.”
“We’ll see,” Nik murmured. “You are my first priority in my life. If that is a better plan, then we will go that direction. I just want to protect you, give you this home that you love so much, to be a place of healing and safety for you… for me.”
Daria made a soft sound in her throat as she leaned into Nik, claiming his mouth. As she finished the kiss, she whispered, “We have so much to look forward to.”
“Then,” he grated, his lips near her ear, “at some point, my woman, you and I will talk of marriage because it is on my mind and in my heart. When the time is right? I will come to you with a set of rings, Daria. All you need to do is tell me when and I will ask for your hand, your heart…”
She nuzzled him, her lips resting against his, feeling his love flow through her like warm honey, wrapping sweetly around her heart, flowing downward, enclosing her aching lower body that wanted him so badly right now. “We’re going to live together, explore one another, Nik. We’ve got the time, and finally our dreams have collided with one another. And yes, I will let you know. I need to get through some serious healing first, and then I know I’ll be ready to look forward with you. Until then, I need to clean up and work through my past.”
“I know you do, and I’m here to support you every step of the way,” Nik promised, taking her mouth gently, absorbing her into his soul and his yearning heart that opened with her love for him.
THE END
