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“That’s no fair. I wasn’t done yet,” Jenny protested.

“I wanted to watch what I was doing,” he whispered into the night.

He watched her green eyes give him a considering look, then she smiled. “Only for a little bit, then I want to go back to what I was doing.”

“I’m sure you can find something to do from this position,” he teased.

Brax lowered his gaze from her face, downward to her breasts. God, she was gorgeous. He’d been wondering ever since the wakey-wakey song what color her nipples were, and now he knew. They were a rosy pink and meant to be pleasured. By him. Only by him.

20

The heat of Brax’s gaze made Jenny squirm.

“Touch me,” she begged.

“Patience. I’m getting there.”

“Well, get there faster.”

He looked back up into her eyes. “We’re still taking this slow. I want to make sure we do this right, Jenny. You’re too important to me to get this wrong.”

“The only way you can get this wrong is by not touching me. I’m dying here.” And she was. She’d never been so turned on in her life. Hell, she didn’t know it was possible to be this turned on. Yeah, she’d watched sexy movies, and some of the books she’d read were romantic and hot, but this was a whole other universe.

“Jenny, I’ve lost you. Where’d you go?”

“Brax, being with you is like being in a world where only sensation exists. The heat of your gaze, the feel of your hands on my hips, the rasp of your beard on my cheeks, every little thing has me turned inside out. I was made for this moment with you.”

Jenny watched as his eyes dilated.

“I don’t know what to say.” His voice was the wash of sand over velvet, raspy and heartfelt.

“Don’t say anything. Just know that there isn’t anything that we could do tonight that wouldn’t be beautiful and divine. I have never known anyone like you. Your honor shines through everything you do. I love how every word and touch you give me makes me feel adored.”

Brax rested his forehead on hers. “I’m glad,” he whispered. “It’s true. I do adore you, Jenny.”

“Please know, I want to be here for you, just like you’ve been here for me. I want to be your equal in this and in all things. I want you to know you’re adored. Do you?” Jenny couldn’t help the quiver in her voice.

He looked at her. Really looked at her, and she knew that he saw just how big of a leap she was taking.

“I love you, Jenny,” he said, then he kissed her forehead.

“Then please make love to me.”

“Gladly.”

Her words unlocked feelings that had been trapped deep inside him for decades. Feelings Brax hadn’t even known were a missing part of him. It was as if Jenny had found the way to the center of his heart and enclosed it with love and light. No longer did he feel like someone would leave him on a whim. Instead he found someone who would stay and fight the good fight with him. He knew this woman. He knew she had her demons that she still hadn’t told him about, but Jenny was still willing to unite with him going forward. He knew her strength. She would keep her promise, and for the first time in decades, Brax felt whole.

He stood up and gazed down at Jenny as the soft lamplight painted her skin in gold. She smiled up at him. Soon he was carrying her to his bed. He pushed back the covers and laid her down.

He had to ask one more time. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Jenny’s arms beckoned him, but he ignored them. Instead, he pulled her sleep shorts off her body and grinned.

“We might even get to fifth gear tonight,” he teased.

“Well, you are a SEAL.”

“I’m glad you understand.”