Backblast by Candace Irving (brene brown rising strong .TXT) 📗

in equal parts with both, there was no way she'd admit to it. The man's arrogance was inflated enough as it was.

"Did I dream it?"

She shook her head, not willing to tease him about something that was so close to his heart either. Arrogant or not, he deserved the truth.

"Would you tell me again, now that I'm completely awake?"

She reached up, just as she had earlier when she'd given in to temptation and the relief of finally having him in the room, warm and breathing. She traced her fingertips along his brow and through the cultivated thicket beneath, before she settled them into that mesmerizing fold. Only then did she lean closer, this time looking directly into his eyes as she said it again. "I don't hate you."

Like him, she'd tried, but failed…spectacularly.

His soft, slow sigh eased out, filling the air between them, and then that fold deepened.

"Although—" She glanced down at the rings he'd surreptitiously tucked into her palm when he'd assisted her from the car at the Serena. "—I should also tell you that, for a man who supposedly detests lies, you set up a whopper. And don't bother telling me it was merely a lie of omission. Because it still counts. And what the devil happened to taking it slow this time, and patience?"

"Ah."

"Don't ah me."

If anything, the crease that cut down into that thicket deepened that much more. "You're an outstanding detective. I knew you'd figure it all out."

Oh, good Lord. "You are such—"

"An ass. Yeah, I know." That irritating twinkle entered the gray. "But I'm your ass. And, apparently, your gorilla. As for taking it slow and patience—what do you call sixteen months? I think I've been damned patient." He reached down to wrap his fingers around hers. He lifted her hand from his chest, tilting it so that the diamond gleamed as brightly as that warm, steady stare of his. "And I'd like to point out that you haven't taken these off. So, I should probably warn you…there's a ceremony that goes with these rings. One that'll involve both of us."

"I've heard that."

He let her fingers go and captured her chin, lifting it up so that she couldn't evade that now very serious gray, even if she'd wanted to. "Then, what do you say? I have my company chaplain on speed dial. There's no wait in Kentucky…I checked. We could head over to the post chapel when our flight lands. Grab two passing soldiers as witnesses and give Chaplain Ross an uplifting duty for a change. We've both even got a couple weeks of downtime coming so we can recuperate. We can call it a honeymoon. Unless you want a big thing with all the trimmings. I can wait for that if I have to."

She'd never wanted a big thing.

Heck, she'd never even thought she'd have this. Him. But now that she did, she did not want to lose him—ever. That bullet had made it excruciatingly clear to her. All she could do was pray that she didn't screw this up. Again.

"Rae?"

"Okay."

His brow hiked. "Okay?" His thumb scraped along her bottom lip. "Just to be clear—okay, you'll marry me? Or, okay we see the chaplain when we land?"

"Both."

This time, that mesmerizing fold cratered in as he pulled her even closer so he could slant his mouth down to capture hers in a brief, searing kiss. "Okay."

And that was that.

Her gaze drifted to the rolling hospital tray table on his right as he allowed her to settle back against his chest. Her phone lay on top. It had been in her back pocket when she'd fallen asleep. It must have rung, waking him.

"How much do you know?"

Her cheek lifted along with his chest as he shrugged. "Pretty much everything. You've been asleep for at least five hours."

She checked her watch.

Closer to seven.

Yikes. She could only imagine what the nurses had thought. "Why didn't anyone wake me and kick me down to the couch?"

"I wouldn't let them." He reached out to tap her phone briefly. "I should probably also confess that I've been fielding your calls all afternoon. Tulle and General Palisade filled me in on most of it."

If that was the case, he probably knew more than she did now. "Does Riyad know about Scott? And that he was working with Webber?"

"I don't know. Palisade hadn't heard back from Kettering when we spoke. But I also fielded a call from Fourche. He says the chimeral cure is already in the boy. Now it's wait and see over the next few days, but it's looking good so far."

Thank God.

"Also, Palisade had some interesting news. Jeffers has been removed from his post. Evidently when the ambassador found out why Jeffers was in Crier's office before he ate his gun, she had him fired on the spot. Seems Jeffers had placed the sole blame for yesterday on Crier's shoulders, screamed at him for not being able to prevent the leak of those photos and the cave info that led to the mobs around the country."

Jeffers had been fired? "Frankly, it couldn't have happened to a crappier guy." After all, if there were signs to miss, Jeffers had missed them too.

Even worse, she suspected that Jeffers had known all along that Crier had fathered the Sadats' son. Yet, he'd pounced anyway. His tantrum might not have caused Crier to commit suicide, but the stress had probably helped the decision along.

At least the boy had a chance at recovery now. That was something.

She reached up to trace her fingers along John's jaw, just because she could.

To her surprise, his smile turned sheepish as he scrubbed the opposite side of his face. "Yeah, I should probably shave this off when we get home."

She shook her head.

It was a mistake.

His brow rose as that fold, and that ego, slipped back in. "You like it."

Hell, yes.

"Maybe."

He laughed. "Oh, you definitely like it." His arm tightened briefly. "All right, I'll keep it. Though you're lucky I'm SF. Kind of a perk given some of