“We are only going to sleep, sweetheart. I would never push you for more right now. It’s too soon.” Warren whispers in her ear softly. “Come now, let’s get you in bed.” Warren pushes her toward the bed. Elise reaches out and pulls down the covers and climbs into the bed moving toward the far side as Warren slides in behind her. Once they are both in and under the covers, he reaches out for her.
“Let me hold you, sweetheart.” Elise immediately snuggles against him. She slides her left arm across his waist and her left leg up on to his left thigh. Warren has his left arm around her shoulders and places his right hand on her hand at his waist. Elise sighs contentedly. Deadeye can’t keep the smile off his face. This is Heaven right here, having Elise snuggled against his body, so trusting. He was a very patient man. He would wait for years if need be until she was ready to give him her body. As long as he could hold her while she slept, he would be content.
Sleep overcomes them within minutes. Deadeye is awakened sometime later to Elise’s whimpers and frantic jerking. Years of training kicks in and he is instantly fully awake. Elise is having a nightmare. She cries out loudly, “No! Don’t hurt her, please.” Deadeye shakes her shoulders gently.
“Wake up sweetheart. It’s a dream.” Deadeye calls to her. “Elise.” He says louder. “Wake up. You are dreaming.” Her eyes flutter open, wide and frightened. She blinks a couple of times, before recognition sets in. She relaxes into his side as the tears flow down her cheeks. “You’re safe, sweetheart. I’m here.”
Edward bursts into the room. The bright light from the hall light is temporarily blinding. Deadeye motions to Edward to close the door.
“She had a bad dream.” Deadeye informs her frightened brother. “She’ll be alright now. She’s awake.” Edward nods and gives Elise another long look. When she nods in agreement that she is okay, Edward leaves the room and closes the door behind him.
“I was dreaming.” Elise’s voice cracks. “He killed her.” Elise cries softly for a long while. Deadeye just held her close. After a while, he whispers. “Tell me about her.”
“Lakia was a little girl from the camp. She would follow me around when I was delivering supplies. She was only about 9 years old and I had gotten to like her. She had some younger siblings, too. The interpreter told me they were being raised by relatives because their father had been forced to join the Syrian Army and their mother died in child birth last year. Lakia was the oldest of the 3 children. The day they took me, I had a doll I was going to give her, but I never made it there.” Elise shudders as she remembers looking into Mike’s vacant stare of death. “Somehow they knew I cared for her. They took her too. Hussan, he used her to control me. When he wanted me to…to do things to him, he would bring her in the room as motivation. She was so scared. I tried to spare her as much as I could, but it didn’t stop him from hurting and abusing her.” Elise can’t speak for several moments as she relives the worst day of her life. “They raped her right in front of me, Warren.” Elise sobbes. Deadeye tightened his hold on her. He desperately wanted to erase all those bad memories, but he knew there was no way for that to happen. All he could do was listen and be a shoulder to cry on.
“It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. He made me watch. He said if I didn’t, he would let everyone of his men have a turn until I watched the whole thing. I couldn’t let her endure it more than once. How can someone be so cruel? She was only a child.” Elise cries harder for a long while. Warren just tries to comfort her as best he can, rubbing his hand up and down her back as she sobs.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. The world is full of evil. I’m so sorry you had to see that.” Warren whispers to her. “I wish I had gotten too you sooner, that I could have saved her for you.” After a while, Elise’s tears have slowed. She raises her head to look into his eyes.
“Thank you, Warren. I know it was your job, but you will never know how grateful I am that you saved me.” Elise tells him passionately. She wants to kiss him, have him make her forget all about the evil she was forced to witness, but she isn’t sure he would want to kiss her. She was so damaged and broken. How could he ever want to be with her? She shouldn’t even be thinking about a future with him.
“You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart. Yes, it was my job, but it was different this time.” Warren pauses. “I felt differently about finding you. You were more than a target, an assignment. I felt you were my destiny. I needed to find you and bring you home.” He was looking at her so intensely Elise thought her heart would explode. Forcing herself to be brave and go against her better judgement, she closed the distance between their lips.
It was Heaven when she touched her lips to his. He was warm, soft, and inviting. He parted his lips and she took the invitation to invade his mouth with her tongue. He responded immediately, caressing her tongue with his. He was gentle and tender, not forcing too much on her. She moaned into him and nibbled on his lower lip. That seemed to flip some kind of switch in him. Before she knew what was happening, he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue.
Elise ran her hands up his chest and wound them in his hair, holding him to her. He growled then causing her to chuckle at his frustration. His hands began wandering over her body. When he skimmed her left breast with his hand, another moan escaped her lips. He squeezed her gently through the fabric of her clothing. She could feel his erection pressing into her groin and she couldn’t stop herself from grinding against him, building a sweet friction just where she needed it.
How long they spent making out, she wasn’t sure, but all too soon he was pulling back. She tried to pull him back to her, but he was insistent they stop.
“God, sweetheart. We have to stop.” Warren is breathing hard. He rests his forehead against hers. “I can only take so much. I don’t want to push this too far. Now, let’s try to get back to sleep, ok?”
Elise knows he is right, but God, she didn’t want him to stop. She settles down against his chest again as she tries to slow her own breathing and get her libido under control. It is several long minutes before she feels calm enough to speak again. Desire is still burning between her legs. Her panties are soaked, and she is hoping that he can’t smell her arousal. How embarrassing would that be? She needs to apologize for jumping him like some feral beast, but how to do that when she isn’t really sorry for it.
“Warren?” Elise begins tentatively.
“Yeah, sweetheart.” Warren’s deep voice vibrates through her again setting off all her sensitive parts, again.
“I shouldn’t have started that. I know we were just supposed to sleep, but…I couldn’t help myself.”
Warren chuckles and she tenses. “Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me, sweetheart. Believe me, I wanted it just as badly as you did. I wasn’t going to push you. I planned to be patient, take my time until I was sure you were ready and wanted it as much as I did. I guess I’m not as good at reading you as I thought.” It’s Elise’s turn to chuckle, but then a thought hits her that makes her immediately serious.
“Warren, what will happen to us? When we get back to the States, I mean? Where are you stationed?” Elise asks all the questions that had been burning in her mind since they had landed in Germany.
“I don’t know, sweetheart.” Warren answers her honestly. “I know your parents will be there at Camp Lejeune when we arrive. They were beside themselves with worry when we left. That is where I am stationed, North Carolina. You are from Maryland, right?”
Elise nods in response. “Yes, and my parents will insist on taking me home, but Warren, I don’t want to be away from you.” Elise tells him, then adds quickly before he can respond. “If you don’t mind. You help me feel safe and bring me back to reality when the nightmares come.”
“I don’t want you to be away from me either, sweetheart.” Warren says softly. “You could stay with me. I have an extra room, or we can do just like we are right now. You can sleep in my bed until you are ready for more, because Elise, I want more, when you are ready. Like I said before, my commander, Hawk has a large house. I know his wife Charlotte, would be happy for you to stay with them until you are ready to move in with me.”
Elise raises up then to look at him. “You would let me move in with you?” Elise’s eyes are wide with wonder at the possibility. Warren looks at her so closely she feels like he is boring into her soul.
“Yes, sweetheart. You are more than welcome to share my home, my bed. Whatever you need. I know this is fast and may sound crazy, but I want you in my life. I have never thought about having a woman in my home, but I want you there.” Warren cups her face with his right hand. “It won’t be easy. I’ve been alone a long time, but I want to give us a chance. Can you do that for me?”
“Warren” Elise says breathlessly. “I can definitely do that for you.” Elise melts into his touch on her face. “I’ve never had a relationship before Warren. My parents have been so protective of me. I haven’t had time or opportunity to date or anything. I just thought you should know. I don’t know how to do any of this.” Elise is praying her confession doesn’t run him off. Some men don’t want to be with inexperienced women, afraid they will be too clingy. She isn’t sure she won’t be where Warren is concerned, but she will do anything she can to make a relationship with him work.
Deadeye is surprised by her confession as he contemplates the meaning behind her declaration, something hits him like a ton of bricks. He needs clarification.
“What are you trying to tell me, sweetheart?” Warren demands. When Elise just gives him a look like a deer in the headlights, he knows the answer, but still he wants to hear her say it. “You’re a virgin?”
