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“Exactly,” Nick grinned.“You’re learning fast.Good girl.”
Goosebumps peppered my flesh and my nipples drew up tight from his praise.
“I’m an open book, kitten, ask me anything.”Dylan preened with a bright smile.
“What were your tours in Iraq like, Sir?”
He looked as if I’d asked him to cut off his arm.
Like hot oil, guilt rushed through me.“I’m sorry, Dylan…err, Sir.You don’t need to tell me.It’s none of my business.”
“No.It’s fine.There’s much you don’t know about us and you’ll never know unless you ask.No subject should be off-limits.We know how precious and fragile trust is.I don’t want you to feel that we’re less than honest with you about everything.Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”I nodded.“But we can talk about something else if you—”
He pressed a finger to my lips, silencing my offer.
“At first, I was excited when my Unit Commander recommended me for sniper school.Each time we qualified on the range, I fired High Expert, so I tried out and was accepted.”
“He had the highest scores in his class.Don’t let him fool you, Savannah.He’s good.”
“That’s impressive,” I agreed.
“Who’s telling this story, bro?”Dylan teased before the unusually serious expression fell over his face again.“My unit was deployed six weeks after I completed sniper school.After we arrived in Bagdad, we were sent to the Anbar Provence.It’s a place where more U.S.soldiers were killed than anywhere else in Iraq.General Sherman said, ‘War is hell.’It really is.”
The tortured tone of his voice filled me with sorrow.I knew revealing this part of his life was killing him.I wanted to tell him to stop, but I knew he wouldn’t.
Sucking in a deep breath, he scrubbed a hand through his short, spiked hair and continued.
“After Anbar, we spent time in Ramadi.It was a fucking mess.Buildings blown to shit, rubble everywhere, mothers carrying crying, bandaged babies down the streets.It was bad.Burned out Hummers clogged the streets with charred bodies of fellow servicemen inside.”
Dylan closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hand.“I lost a lot of good friends in that godforsaken place.If it hadn’t been for Nick, I would have probably voluntarily eaten a bullet by now.”
My blood ran cold at the thought of Dylan in such a dark place that he’d contemplated suicide.“Oh god, Dylan.Don’t say that.This world would be a sad and lonely place without you.”
My voice cracked as a tear slid down my cheek.I soothed my hand over his shoulders and leaned against his strong body, holding him tight, praying his painful memories wouldn’t haunt him the rest of his life.
His jaw ticked before he turned and looked into my eyes.
“It changed me, Savannah.I wish you could have met the man I used to be.”
I choked back a sob and shook my head.“It wouldn’t have mattered.The man I see before me is the one who has touched me in ways I’ve never known.I’m honored to take him just the way he is.”
Tears brimmed his eyes as he pulled me against his chest and held me close.“I don’t deserve you, kitten.”
“Yes, you do,” I choked against his warm neck as tears spilled from my eyes.“You deserve someone a whole lot better than me.”
“There is no one better than you, princess, and there never will be.”
ChapterEight
My heart hurt for his pain and exploded in celebration that he’d bravely bared his inner demons to me.I held him for a long time in the silence of the room, trying my best to give him comfort.
“Your journey back has been a tough road, bro.But youareback, man.Don’t lose sight of the work you’ve done.”Nick’s words were thick with emotion, and slathered in praise and admiration.I could only imagine how scared he must have been trying to help Dylan cope in those early dark days.
“You and I both know life is always worth living, dude.”Dylan softly smiled.
“We do.So, come on, let’s make it exhausting, too.”
