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  Silently, I backed away and watched as she collected herself. She was breathing heavily but damn, she looked gorgeous with her flushed cheeks. When Cami’s eyes caught mine, she smiled shyly, which I returned easily. I stood and held out my hand to her. Cami’s trembling hand slipped into mine, and I drew her into my embrace.

  “There’s a problem here,” she murmured.

  “What’s that?” I asked as my fingers traced light paths up and down her back. I grinned inwardly every time she shivered against me because of my touch. “Did you not come?”

  Cami laughed. “No. That is definitely not the problem.” She stepped back, and her eyes roamed my body. “You’re still dressed.”

  Tentatively, she reached out and grasped the waistband of my jeans in her fingers. She deftly undid the fly and pushed her hand inside to cup me lightly.

  “That’s one way to get me undressed,” I said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I covered her wrist with my hand, stopping her. “We have plenty of time.”

  “No, we don’t,” she said with breathless urgency. She wiggled her wrist from my grip and grasped my cock firmly. “And I want you now.”

  Who was I to argue with that kind of demand? I pushed my jeans down and quickly pulled my T-shirt over my head. Her eyes skimmed my body, landing on the tattoos that covered my chest. She reached up and traced the memorials that I etched on my skin to honor the brothers I lost.

  Cami breathed out. “Oh, wow.” The traditional infantry tattoos mesmerized her. I reached up and covered her hand with my own and held it against my heart.

  “Cami,” I whispered. I didn’t want to talk about the ink on my skin and what each one meant. I didn’t want to think about the men who were practically boys when they died. All I wanted was to think about was sliding my cock into her slick heat and forgetting every single thing except for the way she felt around me. She looked up, and her expression told me she understood. Her normally bright blue eyes were practically black with desire.

  I slid my hands down Cami’s back until I gripped her ass in my hands. She instinctively wrapped her legs around my waist when I lifted her, then I walked the few small steps to her bed and placed her gently on her back. I dotted kisses across her cheeks then down her neck and along her collarbone. She still wore her bra, so my fingers searched for and fumbled with the clasp until it came free. The straps loosened, and I tugged them down her arms before tossing the bra aside. I sat back and admired the naked woman spread out before me. Cami’s body was beautiful. Her breasts were perfect handfuls with dusky pink nipples. Her curves were slight, and her belly sloped inward.

  Cami’s fingers twitched at her sides, and she smiled seductively at me. She wanted to finish undressing me. I stood momentarily and stripped off my black boxer briefs, exposing myself to her. She sucked in a sharp breath and rolled her lower lip between her teeth before her tongue darted out and swiped across her lips. I gripped myself firmly and stroked my length. With the thumb of my free hand, I stroked her clit; she was still soaked.

  We made quite the erotic sight with me fisting my cock while gently fingering her pussy. I pressed two fingers inside her, and she released a strangled moan. A hiss escaped my lips as I thrust my fingers into her deeper. I abandoned my cock and placed my knee on the bed between her spread legs. I pulled my fingers back slightly and traced a path of her juices up toward her clit. My dampened fingers rubbed against the sensitive bud, and she squirmed on the bed.

  “Are you ready for me?” From the way she moved on the bed and the slickness of her core, I knew she was, but I wanted her to say it. Or at least, acknowledge it. She nodded slowly before running a hand through her hair.

  I spread her legs just a little more and then aligned the head of my cock against her entrance. She was already so close that just the faintest contact had her trembling. I remained still while she relaxed.

  “Cami, look at me,” I demanded. Her hooded gaze landed on me, and once our eyes connected, I surged forward, driving my cock deep inside her. I stilled once I was fully sheathed to let her adjust to my size. Her chest was already covered with a thin layer of sweat, and I placed light kisses along the swells of her breast before drawing one of her nipples into my mouth. She writhed beneath me, and her responsiveness drove me crazy. Everything I did sent her soaring, and I loved it.

  One of Cami’s legs caressed my side, and I held it firmly in place while I started to move in and out slowly. Her hands cupped my cheeks, and her moans encouraged me to keep going, pounding deeper and deeper until I felt her tense under me.

  “Garrett,” she hissed.

  I bent forward and claimed her lips with a searing kiss. I snaked a hand between our sweat slickened bodies and rubbed her clit with light strokes. She reached down and covered my hand with hers, trying to stop me.

  “Oh no, sweetheart,” I warned her. “I want you to combust.”

  Our fingers shifted until I was directing hers, commanding them to stroke the sensitive coil of nerves. I encouraged her with whispered words against her skin until she was trembling with need. My thrusts became quicker and shallower until she abandoned her own pleasure to grip the bedsheets firmly in both fists. I buried myself deep inside her, over and over, punishing her with each drive of my cock. Her pussy pulsed around me, shoving me into total freefall. I remained firmly rooted inside her, not letting one drop go to waste.

  This was what I wanted to remember for the next twelve months. The way she felt under me, the saltiness of her skin, the blush of her skin, and the way her wild curls fanned out around her head like a halo.

  “Garrett,” she said softly.

  I’d barely heard her; I was so lost in thought, hoping to enjoy more of these moments before my leave was over.

  “Garrett,” she said more firmly.

  “What? Am I crushing you?” The heady fog of lust slowly dissolved, and I felt the wetness of my orgasm start to seep out between our still-joined bodies. “Oh! Shit!”

  I slid out of her and realized the same thing she must have; we hadn’t used protection.

  Cami must have sensed my imminent panic because she placed one hand on my chest and the other on my cheek, directing my gaze to hers. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m on birth control.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have known better,” I told her. I glanced around the room and took note of the two doors on the other side. One must be a bathroom. “Do you want to get cleaned up?”

  Cami nodded and wiggled off the bed. I followed her over to the first door, which led to a modest-size master bathroom. I turned the water on in the shower and stepped inside, letting the ice cold stream hit me. Cami waited against the vanity before she stuck her hand inside to test the water. I laughed and grabbed her hand to pull her inside.

  “You like cold showers?” she asked, eyeing me skeptically.

  “Nope. But I’m used to them,” I replied with a wink.

  I bent forward and kissed her hard, nipping her bottom lip with my teeth. We were nose to nose, our eyes locked, and I found myself grinning like an idiot. I reached up and tugged on one of her locks playfully. When I released it, it sprang back into its loose coil. A shy smile spread across her lips as I played with her hair and placed light, playful kisses on her cheeks and nose.

  I twirled my finger, motioning for her to turn. Grabbing the bottle of body wash from the ledge, I squirted some of it into my palm and slathered it across her back. Slowly, I massaged it into her skin, careful not to apply too much pressure. Touching her as much as possible gave me the opportunity to memorize every inch of her body. I worked my way down to her ass, softly kneading the flesh before I turned her to face me again.

  Cami’s eyes flicked back to the tattoos on my chest and then down to the much larger one that covered my stomach. It was a depiction of Lady Liberty in a circle of laurel leaves with American flags on either side. It was done in a traditional style, and the colors were more vibrant than most of my other tattoos. She lifted my arm and brushed her finger
s along the script emblazoned along my ribs. She flicked her eyes up, questions swirling in them.

  “It’s the Warrior Ethos.” I mentally recited the words I knew she read: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I turned my head away, embarrassment and guilt creeping up. I was about to embark on my last deployment. I was quitting, a direct contradiction to the words etched onto my skin.

  Her eyes traveled up the length of my arm to the eagle done in the traditional style on the inside my bicep. It clutched a banner in its talons that read U.S. ARMY and was my very first tattoo. She turned me to inspect the rest of my body, and when I faced her again, she looked confused.

  “Why aren’t there any on your arms,” she asked. “With the exception of that one.” Cami pointed at the eagle and then looked at me expectantly.

  “My dad hates tattoos. He’s very conservative, and these,” I said, running my hand across my stomach and chest, “are private tributes. I don’t need him to see them and criticize me. It would ruin what they symbolize.”

  She nodded like she understood, and I saw sadness start to creep over her. Her hand rested on my heart, over the words “They died for me, so I live for them.”

  “What’s it going to be like when you come back?” she asked quietly.

  I shrugged. “It depends. If it’s pretty quiet, then it’ll be easier for me to adjust back to civilian life.” The thought of what returning to civilian life after enduring combat was one that I did not want to entertain.

  While the steam billowed around us, I told her what a life with me was going to be like. My quirks, my habits. Up at dawn. Sometimes, I was more comfortable sleeping on the floor. The doors always locked. A constant stream of nightmares that one day might vanish long enough to allow me more than a few hours of sleep.

  “And lots of sex,” I said, joking. When she looked up at me, her eyes as wide as saucers, I burst out laughing. “I’m kidding, Cami. I’m not some kind of sex fiend.”

  She lifted her shoulder and looked away. “Well, maybe I am.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cami

  For the rest of the night, the word magical kept popping into my brain. Everything with Garrett was magical, perhaps because it was new and because it was temporary. We had a deadline, which gave us a sense of urgency. After our shower, we went back to bed and wrapped ourselves in a cocoon of blankets and limbs. There was more kissing, which led to round two and then round three.

  Every time Garrett buried himself inside me, our connection to each other seemed to intensify. Somehow, it felt stronger. He filled me physically, but the emptiness inside me that I never acknowledged and always avoided felt full again. This is insane, I thought to myself as Garrett slept next to me. Love at first sight didn’t exist, and it was impossible for love to grow in such a short amount of time. Isn’t it? I rolled over onto my side, facing away from Garrett. This is just infatuation, I told myself.

  When I woke the next morning, I wasn’t surprised to find myself alone. Garrett had told me that he was always up at dawn. Subconsciously, I must have realized he wasn’t in bed, and I found myself awake just after sunrise.

  Garrett cast a formidable shape against the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city and Elliot Bay. He was shirtless, and he seemed relaxed, maybe even peaceful. The tattoos that paid tribute to his fallen brothers didn’t carry over onto his perfectly muscled back. I didn’t want to disturb him, but my body started to hum with desire.

  “I know you’re there,” he said quietly. “I can smell jasmine.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you,” I confessed.

  “Did I wake you up?” He turned and extended a hand, a signal that it was okay for me to join him. I padded barefoot over to him, and my hand slipped perfectly into his. We were made for each other. I brushed aside the thought because this wasn’t love; it was infatuation. Love takes time, doesn’t it?

  “No, you didn’t.” Garrett pulled me to stand in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around me. Together, we watched the city come alive. “Are you hungry? I have a few stops to make at Pike Market before we go back to Gig Harbor.”

  “I could eat,” Garrett replied easily. He bent his head and brushed his lips along my shoulders. “You need to get dressed, though. Otherwise, we’re never going to leave this place.”

  Garrett wore only his black boxer briefs, and I had managed to scrounge up a tiny camisole and a spare pair of panties. Over the past two years, I’d returned to the city a few times between temporary guests and left a few items in the event I needed them. Reluctantly, I slipped out of his arms and returned to the bedroom where I traded this morning’s camisole for yesterday’s T-shirt.

  It didn’t take me long to clean up the condo and make sure that everything was turned off before we left. As I locked up, I decided it was time to either rent the condo long-term or sell it. Garrett and I headed back to Pike Place Market where we stopped for coffee and French pastries at Le Panier. I made sure to pick up a dozen of the delicate pastries that my dad and Valerie adored. Then we headed into the market to the flower vendors where I bought a huge armful of colorful, fragrant bouquets—Valerie’s favorites.

  “Why don’t you move back to Seattle?” Garrett asked as we headed back toward the parking garage of my building. “You love it here. I can tell by the rosy glow of your cheeks.”

  “I do love Seattle, but I have to be in Gig Harbor with my family right now.”

  “I meant …” His voice trailed off, and I understood him perfectly. After my father died, he thought I should move back to Seattle.

  I shook my head firmly. “No. I don’t know what I’ll do with myself when he’s gone, but I don’t think moving back to Seattle is the answer.”

  There was a lot unsaid as we drove away from Seattle and back to Gig Harbor, and it weighed heavy between us. Promises and plans that we were too afraid to make because the future was so uncertain. In a few days, Garrett would be leaving for a year. I wanted him to say my place was with him, but I kept reminding myself this wasn’t love; this was just infatuation. Love would grow. But deep in my gut, it had already started.

  The moment Garrett pulled into my driveway, Valerie flew out of the house and waited on the porch with a scowl on her face. As soon as I got out of the car, she started yelling. “Where have you been?” she demanded. “Why didn’t you call? We have plans to make. You can’t just run away from this, Cami.”

  “I know,” I said softly. “I’m sorry. I’m here now.”

  “We needed you yesterday.”

  I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I couldn’t lose my cool. “I’m sorry, Val. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

  “She just needed time to clear her head,” Garrett interjected. I looked back to see him leaning against the driver’s side door. He made no attempt to get the box of pastries or the flowers. His hands were firmly across his chest, and his expression mirrored Valerie’s. He was being protective and wasn’t going to budge an inch until Valerie calmed down.

  “Well, I needed time too, but I don’t have some knight in shining armor on call to whisk me away and then fuck away the pain,” Valerie hissed.

  “VALERIE! What the fuck?” I yelled just as Garrett started forward. I put out a hand to stop him, but it was no use. He was already between us, shielding me.

  “You better watch your mouth,” Garrett growled.

  “Or what? You can’t do anything to me. You don’t even know me, or her, or what we’re going through right now. You’re just looking for a warm place to stick your dick. Palmer told me all about you last night.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “What did Palmer say about Garrett?”

  “He finds a new chick to fuck every time they’re home on leave. It only takes him a few days for him to find someone willing to spread her legs for him. Gee, Cami, how long did it take this time?”

  “Shut your mouth,” Garrett m
anaged through clenched teeth.

  “Why? You don’t want her to hear the truth?”

  “No, because all you’re doing is hurting your sister more than she already is.”

  I hadn’t realized it, but tears were streaming down my face, and my knees were shaking. Garrett spun just in time to catch me as I fell to the ground. “Hey,” he whispered. He gripped me tightly under the elbows and held me. “It’s okay, Cami. She’s hurting too. I can take it because you’re both hurting.”

  I leaned forward and pressed my tear-stained face against his chest. “I thought I could do this,” I cried. “I thought I could be strong.”

  “You are strong,” Garrett soothed. “You’ll make it through this.”

  I nodded and gave myself an extra minute before I slowly stood. Garrett told me he was going to get the flowers and pastries out of the car, which left me staring straight into the angry eyes of my sister.

  “If you want to be mad at me, fine,” I said firmly, “but don’t talk shit about Garrett. If you want to have late-night heart-to-hearts with Palmer, that’s your business. But I needed time to think through what I heard yesterday morning. If you have a problem with it, too bad.”

  I brushed past her into the house and headed straight to the kitchen. I braced myself against the counter and focused all my attention on the calm waters of the bay. There were so many plans that had to be made now, and I didn’t need Valerie angry with me. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of Garrett coming into the house. I turned and helped him with the armful that he was carrying. I took the flowers from him and went to work cutting the ends and then searched the kitchen cupboards for a vase large enough to hold all of them.

  “Dominic’s home,” Valerie said plainly. Garrett and I looked up to see her standing in the doorway, her face now stained with tears. “He’s been home for almost three months.”