Page 26 of A Very Grumpy Green Beret

“No, I just… Won’t getting them arrested piss them off? I don’t want them all coming after me. Maybe they’ll forget about me after a bit?”

“I wouldn’t.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, yeah, but you’re you.”

I don’t know what that means, but I don’t bother asking. Perry thinks she’s not worth the effort, but she’s the type of woman who men start wars over. If anyone tried to take her from me, I would burn the whole damn world down to get her back.

“I can reach out to my friends,” I tell her. “Do some digging. We can build a case against them and take the whole damn family down. Then you’ll be safe.”

“Okay,” she says after a moment. “Let’s look into it.”

“You might have to testify,” I warn her. “I’m not sure what the FBI or anyone has on them yet, but I’ll check.”

She looks nervous at testifying, but then my brave girl takes a deep breath and nods. She looks so brave at this moment, and if I wasn’t already hopelessly in love with her, that look would have made me a goner.

“I’ll make a few calls and see about getting a meeting set up,” I tell her, pulling her back down to my chest.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“I’d do anything for you, Pumpkin.”

She smiles at the nickname, and I tug on her white-blonde hair until her mouth lands on mine. I cradle the back of her head and deepen the kiss instantly, needing to feel her safe and alive in my arms. She melts against me with a quiet sigh, her soft curves fitting perfectly against my body. Every part of her feels like it was made for me.

Her tongue brushes mine, tentative at first, and a growl rumbles out of my chest. Perry shivers at the sound, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she presses closer and kisses me with more confidence.

Fuck, this woman destroys me.

I roll us until she’s beneath me, careful to keep most of my weight off her. Her hair fans across my pillow, and I pull back just to look at her.

Her cheeks are flushed. Her lips are swollen from my kisses, and her light blue eyes stare up at me with so much trust that my chest tightens painfully.

“What?” she whispers.

“You’re beautiful.”

Her gaze drops away from mine. “Luca⁠—”

“No.” I catch her chin gently, bringing her eyes back to me. “You don’t get to argue with me about this. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

A shy smile curves her lips. “You might be biased.”

“I am. Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

She laughs softly, and the sound settles inside me. I want to hear it every day for the rest of my life. I want to wake up beside her, make her breakfast, and kiss that smile onto her face whenever the shadows from her past creep in.

I lower my mouth to hers again, kissing her slowly this time. I try to pour everything I feel into it. Every promise I haven’t figured out how to put into words. Every plan I’ve already made for our future. Every savage, possessive part of me that wants to lock every door and keep her tucked safely in my arms forever.

Perry’s hands slide over my shoulders before one of them moves into my hair. Her fingers tighten around the strands, and the small sting sends heat racing through me.

I drag my lips along her jaw and down the delicate curve of her throat. Her head falls back, giving me more room, and I press a kiss over the frantic beat of her pulse.

“You’re mine,” I growl against her skin.

“Only if you’re mine too,” she moans.

I lift my head and stare down at her. “Pumpkin, I’ve been yours since the first second I saw you.”

Her eyes soften as she pulls me back to her. Our mouths meet harder this time, all the tenderness giving way to hunger. Her nails scrape lightly over my scalp as I kiss her again and again, unable to get enough.