Page 114 of Beast

Dammit. She didn’t understand me at all. I didn’t want her to feel rejected. I wanted her completely. Next time I was stuck in a dirt hole in the middle of Afghanistan, I wanted to dream of her. Or freezing my balls off in the frigid water in a swift boat, waiting to kill some pirates, I wanted the thought of coming home to her to keep me going. I wanted to make sure I was the only man to ever make her come, touch her, protect her, and take care of her.

“No, babe. Not at all. I want you so bad it hurts. I can’t wait to make love to you. Just not tonight. Soon, I promise.”

“Okay.”

I wrapped my arms around her.

A sense of clarity washed over me. No more doubts. I wanted to make her mine, forever. She and Gabriel. They would never have to apologize or lie about who they were. I loved and accepted them completely.

Now there was only one question—would Annie say yes?

36

Patrick

EVEN THOUGH I LOVED TO ski and snowboard, I preferred summer to winter in Tahoe. The water was so blue and clear. We planned a hike on the Horsetail Falls Trail. It was a fairly easy hike which Gabriel could do, and not too crowded that our view would be spoiled.

We ambled along Pyramid Creek. I peeked through the trees until I found a great swimming hole. No one was around, so we changed into our swimsuits and dipped into our private pool. Gabriel was having a blast splashing around.

I climbed out, got dressed, and found a large, flat boulder for our picnic. I set all the food out, and poured three glasses of water. Annie and Gabriel were still wading in the swimming hole. She looked so blissful. I could stare at her forever.

I helped Gabriel out of the water and fed him lunch. Annie finally emerged, looking like one of those water nymphs. She gathered her clothes and I checked out her perky ass.

The sky didn’t have a cloud in sight, and the crisp air was almost like a drug to me. There were snow-capped mountains in the distance. After forever at sea, I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight. After five years of captivity, I’m sure the view meant even more to Annie.

She took a sip of her water. “So, when you deploy next month, where are you going?”

“Middle East.”

She nodded. “How will I communicate with you? Do you even have a phone?”

“Well, when we’re on ship or one of the bases, I can check email. Maybe even use the phone. But if I’m out on an operation, it might be a month or so with no word.”

Her lip trembled. I knew it would suck for her to get this close to me and then be left without a way to even contact me.

“Can I call someone? I mean, to see if you are okay?”

I took a bite of my sandwich. This was a talk we needed to have sooner or later. “Well, the wives have a number to call, and groups to meet at. But there isn’t really something set up for girlfriends.”

She shrugged her shoulders, then turned around to get more water out of the backpack. “I get it. I’ll just call Vic’s mom or Tori.”

“Or you could just marry me.”

“Ha. Ha.”

When she turned back around, I had a surprise for her. I dropped to one knee.

“Pat, what are you doing?” her voice quaked.

“Will you marry me?” I held a small, princess cut diamond ring I’d purchased the other day.

“Are you serious?”

“I love you, Annie. And I love Gabriel. I want to adopt him. You’re not damaged, you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. You’d make a great Team wife. Plus, I’ve gone months on end without sex. I’m patient, I can wait for you. I’ll help you heal. I don’t want another man ever touching you again. You’re mine. All mine. I’ll be able to take care of you, always and forever. I’ll do anything for you. Just say yes.”

Her bottom lip quivered. She loved me, I knew that, but I also knew she didn’t see this coming from a mile away. The thing she didn’t understand was she was it for me. And the only way this would ever work out, with my job and her father, was if she became completely mine.

“You really love me?” she whispered.