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In the end, as Mace lifted his mouth from hers, drowning in the green and gold of Sierra’s half-closed eyes, he felt like a man reborn.
It had been her steadfast love for him, her stubbornness in knowing they were right for one another, her courage to always keep reaching out to him, letting him know she was the one. And was she, forever. And, best of all, as Mace slowly eased out of her, taking Sierra into his arms, and rolling onto his side, he knew he loved her. Fully. Completely. For the first time in Mace’s life, he knew what real love was. It was throbbing like sunlight through his chest, chasing away so much of the old, scarred, heavy grief that had come before it. Now, all that would be in the past.
As he pulled Sierra against him, her head on his shoulder, her slender arm spanning his chest, Mace closed his eyes and smiled. Really smiled. Because he was free from the past. All he needed now in the present, and in the future, was the woman in his arms, his warrioress. So brave. So strong. As Mace lay there, he felt that final surrender slip out through him. Through his heart; for the first time in forever, allowing this new joy full passage.
The emotions he felt right now were so damned intense, uplifting and filled with hope, that he couldn’t speak.
Shifting his fingers through her long, thick hair, Mace was already planning a life with Sierra. His mind wasn’t fully functioning, but he didn’t care, all his senses were oriented on her and them. The scent of sex, the pounding of her heart against his chest, the light stroking of her fingertips brushing along his ribcage, the moist warmth of her breath spilling lightly along his neck, all conspired to take Mace into a deep, healing sleep with Sierra at his side. Tomorrow was a new day for both of them…
“I got the job at Shield,” Mace told Sierra as he walked into the cabin two days later. She was at the counter, making them a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches with sweet pickles on the side.
“I’m not surprised,” she said, smiling over at him, “I knew Jack would snap you up in a heartbeat.”
Mace shut the door. “It was a three-hour interview. Pretty intense, but Driscoll knows what he’s after and what he wants,” he said, throwing his baseball cap on the wooden hook. He walked into the kitchen where she was working. Sierra looked girlish in her bare feet, those loose, red shorts covering her mid-thigh, and a white tee with capped sleeves emphasizing her golden skin. Best of all, she wore her hair down, which he liked so much. The black cloak of it moved across her shoulders and back. He slid his hand beneath those strands, moving them aside to place a small nip against the back of her neck, lick and kiss it, feeling her react pleasurably.
“Mmmm,” she said, putting the cheese and bread aside, turning around, sliding her hands around his waist, “I love the way you love me, Mace Kilmer.”
He drowned in her upturned face, love written clearly across every aspect of her expression. Taking her into his arms, their hips meeting, Mace said, “You look beautiful, Sierra. Must be all that lovemaking we do every night?” and he grinned, giving her a quick kiss across her smiling mouth. She was incredibly willful, unafraid to express her emotions with him. Mace drowned in her cypress-colored eyes, seeing nothing but love in them for him.
“Yes, and we’re rather sleep-deprived the last two months, Kilmer,” she teased with a laugh.
Shrugging, he turned her so his hips were against the counter, and she could lean her own against him. “Are you complaining?”
“No way,” she murmured, sliding her hand across his shaven jaw. “So? When do you start? I bet Jack wanted you yesterday.”
Nodding, Mace slid his fingers through her hair, watching her eyes begin to close. She loved her scalp gently massaged and he began to do so, watching her lips part. They couldn’t touch one another without taking it to the next level and then they’d always end up on the velvet quilt. “He knows I have a week to go on my Army career. After that, he wants me to go to work for Shield.”
“I’ll bet Cal is happy to have you on board. He was overwhelmed with work.”
“Yeah, I met him and talked with him and Alex Kazak, who’s working in the mission section as well. We had a good, long-range talk in one of the conference rooms with Jack. You know it’s not easy finding men like us. People with heavy experience in foreign countries pulling black ops.”
“I do know,” Sierra said, giving him a proud look. Mace had put on a charcoal-striped business suit for the interview, and he looked handsome, powerful, a man of the world. He wore a conservative blue tie, a crisp white college shirt beneath it. The change in clothing looked polar to her. He no longer looked anything like the gruff, hardened, Special Forces A team leader she’d first met down in Peru.
Instead, over these last two months, Mace had softened, his hardness replaced with more smiles and laughter. How Sierra loved to hear Mace laugh. It was a deep, rolling sound that moved her and always flung open the doors of her heart.
“He’s giving me one-hundred and eighty thousand dollars a year. He said his people get six-month upgrades, depending upon their duties. He feels mission planning is the most important aspect of Shield, and I have a sense that, within a year, I’ll be making over two-hundred thousand dollars.”
“I knew he would value you,” Sierra murmured. “Jack had to be impressed with your background and experience, but this is amazing, Mace. It will stop you from worrying about finances now.”
“It means I can get my father into a better apartment that has more services for him and his condition.”
Sierra knew how important that was to Mace. “It’s a win-win for both of you.” She knew Mace worried about his father. There were some things in Mace that would never change. One of those was being a responsible son.
He had made a quick trip back to see his father, Hank Kilmer, and Sierra had seen Mace return, and heard that many of the bridges between them were now healing.
Speaking of healing… Mace’s foot after the second month since being bit by the Fer-De-Lance, had finally healed. He could wear his own shoe size now and was beginning a daily morning regimen walking along the dirt road by where they lived, walking a mile even before breakfast. He was returning to his peak physical condition and Sierra knew how important that was to Mace.
“Come in the living room for a minute?” he asked, releasing her. Mace shrugged out of his business suit coat, draping it over a chair. As they walked into the living room, he tugged apart the knot of his tie and discarded it to one side. Opening the top button on his collar, he grasped Sierra’s hand and led her to the couch, drawing her down beside him. “I’ve got a little something for you,” he said, reaching into his pants pocket.
Sierra gave him a quizzical look and watched him draw out a red velvet box. Mace opened it. She stared down at the rings for a moment and then back up at him.
“Marry me, Sierra?” he asked her, holding her gaze. “I can’t think of a life without you in it. And I don’t want to wait any longer to ask you… to make this official.”
Tears burned in her eyes as she lightly touched the bands. The gems in her engagement ring was the color of her eyes. They were three-channel-cut rectangular stones. Lifting her gaze, she whispered, “You know I’ll marry you, Kilmer. There was never any question on my end of that,” and she leaned forward, framing his face with her palms, kissing him long and deep.
Once they stepped away from the kiss, holding the ring box in her hands, his arm around her shoulders, holding her close, Sierra asked, “When did you get these?”
“Long story,” he murmured wryly, kissing her hair. “Cal knew a good jeweler in San Diego. I had told him I didn’t want the usual wedding ring set… that I wanted something special. I wanted to get gemstones that were the color of your eyes. So, it took a while and quite a few phone calls. They are green tourmaline, from Brazil.” He gave her a concerned look. “Do you really like it? Or maybe you’d rather have diamonds instead?”
