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Carys’s hands grip my shoulders, and her piercing green eyes steal a piece of my soul. “Don’t do that to me again, Cooper. Don’t fuck me first and then rip my heart to shreds afterward. If we’re going to work, you’ve got to make sure I know exactly what’s going on. No hiding. No secrets. I need to know.”
Her hands slide up my neck as her thumbs skim my jaw. “I’m not a naïve little girl. I don’t need to be protected. I need to be loved. I need to be respected. And hiding something that big from me... letting me find out from Linc or Emerson, and in front of our friends instead of in the privacy of my room, wasn’t okay.”
“I won’t always be able to tell you everything.” I tilt my head back against the seat and run a hand over her soft hair, tucking it behind her ear. “But I’ll tell you everything I can. I promise you, it’s you and me. You’re my endgame, Carys.”
“You and me, Coop. That’s all I need.” She leans her head down and brushes her lips over mine.
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
I rollover the next morning and reach out for Carys, wanting to feel her body against mine, but the other side of the bed is cold and empty. I look around the room, but it’s empty too. Her clothes are in the same messy pile on my floor where we left them last night.
So where is she and what the hell is she wearing?
I jump out of bed and throw on a pair of shorts, then make the bed, because... well, it’s an OCD habit that’s been beaten into me by the Navy. When I open the door, the smell of bacon and coffee lingers in the air, and my mouth waters. I make my way down the stairs, toward the kitchen, and stop when I see my girl sitting on a kitchen chair.
One of my gray Navy tees is hanging off her shoulder. She has one leg bent, with that foot planted flat on the seat in front of her and the other dangling down, and Wanda’s head is lying on her bare thigh as she scratches behind her ear.
“You’re gonna make my dog a pussy, Carys,” Trick warns.
Wanda whines when Carys pulls her hand away and whispers, “Sorry,” to her.
Then Wanda nudges Carys’s hand with her nose until she starts rubbing again.
Yeah, girl. I don’t blame you. I love her hands on me too.
I walk into the room and drop a kiss on her head. “Mornin, baby.”
She tilts her head up and puckers until my lips meet hers. “Good morning.”
“Mornin, baby,” Trick mocks me. He turns and places a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Carys, then scratches Wanda’s butt. “Don’t give her any more bacon,” He takes two fingers and points them toward his own eyes, then at Carys.
As soon as he turns back to the stove, she sneaks a piece of bacon to Wanda and places a finger against my lips to keep me from laughing. When I lick it instead, she’s the one who laughs. And goddammit, what I wouldn’t do to bottle that sound.
Trick turns back around and puts two more plates down on the table before he sits. “You heading to base today?”
“Nah.” I glance over at Carys, waiting for a reaction that never comes. “I’m free today. I’ve gotta be there at zero-six-hundred tomorrow for my flight out.”
She forces a fake-as-hell smile onto her lips. “What should we do today, then?”
“I can think of a few things.” I raise my brows, and she kicks me under the table.
“Cooper...” she warns me.
Trick doesn’t even bother to hide his laugh. “Guys are coming over tonight for a BBQ. Ford said you need a proper send-off.”
Carys forces a smile. “Okay.” Having a twin sister means I learned how to speakgirlyears ago, and that “okay” does not actually mean she’s good. “What can I bring?”
“Nothing, baby. Just spend the day with me.” I drag her from her seat onto my lap.
Trick gags. “Aren’t you two just so cute?” he asks with enough sarcasm to almost drown a SEAL.
“Fuck off, man.” I give him the finger behind Carys’s back.
Trick shovels in the rest of his food, then drops his plate in the sink before he leaves us to get dressed.
Carys turns in my arms and circles hers around my neck. “Are you sure you don’t need to go with him? I might not like it, but I’d understand.” Her soft eyes hold me hostage, and I wish I didn’t have to leave her tomorrow.
“Not today.” I capture her lips with mine and lick into her mouth.
