The mid-March sunlight was strong as Dan hobbled along on a set of crutches. He hated having to rely on them, though it was better than being imprisoned in a damned wheelchair. He moved around Cait’s kitchen, feeling happiness threading through his chest. That green lounge chair of hers had been given a hell of a workout. His body was sated and he could hardly wait until Cait got home tonight from work. He’d had the day off because last week, he’d made a breakthrough with his wounded leg and Cait wanted him to take some time off to rest.
He grinned to himself as he carefully took the bright red ceramic plates to the small, round kitchen table. Tonight he was fixing her dinner. And then...God...then they could actually go to her bed, make love and sleep together for the first time. His heart was more than ready for that milestone. Up to now, he’d slept out in the lounge chair each night where Cait tucked him in with a sheet and light blanket. They’d made light of their situation because every day Dan was getting stronger, his leg responding to the brutal physical regime. He had the best reason in the world to get that knee and leg of his healed. He had Cait and he wanted to love her without constraint.
Tonight, he could lie with Cait in her bed. He’d missed holding her against him. That was so important to Dan his arms literally ached to hold Cait after loving her all night long.
He frowned as he placed the plates on the bright gold bamboo placemats. Her parents had been less than thrilled that he was living with Cait. They were still grieving deeply over Ben’s death, and they hadn’t been ready for him to move in with their daughter so soon afterward. They didn’t understand that they’d waited eleven years for this moment. It wasn’t overnight. It was over a decade of waiting.
Cait had cautioned him to back off from her parents, give them the room they needed. Someday, she counseled, they would sit down with her parents and explain it all to them. Cait felt that, once her parents were past their initial grief, they would understand. Right now, they weren’t ready and Dan agreed it was best to wait before discussing the sensitive issue.
Standing straighter, he placed the crutch aside and tried to stand with even weight on both feet. Even though he felt tightness in his right thigh, there was no pain. Just a discomfort that was easy for Dan to ignore. He shifted his weight back and forth. And then he slowly bent his right knee, which had once been all but immobilized. Now it wasn’t—it was a game changer. It would allow him to kneel beside Cait, open her, enter her. She wouldn’t have to use that one position on the lounger every time. He smiled, his whole body humming with anticipation.
He heard the front door open and close. Turning, he saw Cait in her blue scrubs and white nursing shoes, her red hair in a top knot, walk into the kitchen. Her green eyes danced with devilry as she saw him and smiled a hello. She looked at the table as she walked over to him and slid her arms around his shoulders.
“You’ve been a busy guy, huh?” Cait smiled at him, pushing up on her toes as he leaned down to capture her lips. It felt so good for him to haul her up against him, squeezing the air out of her lungs as his mouth hungrily took hers. He slid a hand suggestively down her spine, cupping her derriere and pressing her belly wantonly against his thick erection.
A soft, pleasurable moan vibrated in her throat and she thrust her belly against him, moving slowly, letting him know just how much she wanted him, too.
Dan eased his mouth from hers and loosened her hair, pulling the two gold combs out of the strands and allowing it to become a crimson cascade around her shoulders. “I love you,” he rasped, drowning in her aroused green eyes. His heart swelled fiercely as he saw her eyes grow soft with love for him alone, her fingers drifting through his long hair. He’d decided to let it grow out again. For him, it was a symbol every day that he was going to get better and start surfing again. He’d always worn shoulder-length hair before he’d joined the Army.
Cait leaned upward, kissing him once more, whispering against his mouth. “I love you with my heart and soul, Dan Taylor...”
He studied her in the silence that wrapped around them. “Do you know how good it feels to be able to stand here with you leaning against me? And me taking your full weight?”
“You’ll never take the small things in life for granted ever again,” Cait agreed gently, brushing his sun-streaked brown hair away from his jaw. “Something smells good. What did you make us tonight?”
He tucked her beneath his arm and brought her toward the stove. “Chicken with pineapple. Threw in some lemon, garlic, honey and mustard.” He gestured toward the pan on the top of the stove. “White rice.”
“Dessert?”
He gave her a wicked look. “You.”
Cait grinned. “Do I smell a cake baking?”
“Actually, pineapple pound cake.” Dan looked at his watch. “It should be coming out in about ten minutes.”
“That gives me time to change. Need any help out here?”
“Nope, I’ve got it under control. I have some news to share with you when you come back out.”
* * *
Cait brought the steaming food to the table for Dan as he took his time sitting down in the wooden chair. “That knee is doing well,” she praised, picking up the bowl of rice from the counter. She’d changed into a white tank top, no bra and a pair of blue denim shorts that kept Dan’s undivided interest. She’d deliberately dressed provocatively tonight, knowing they would finally be together in a real bed. Cait was more than ready to say goodbye to that lounge chair, too.
Dan leaned over, pulling the chair back for her. “I’ve been exercising the hell out of it today, keeping it warm and limbered up.”
She sat down. “Ah, for tonight?” She saw his eyes turn predator-like and she felt her lower body simmer with heat and anticipation.
“I’m not so sure we’ll last until tonight.” Dan waved his fork toward the east-facing window. It would be another two hours before dark settled over the island this time of year.
She handed him the rice. “Whatever feels right for us,” she agreed. The food smelled wonderful and she took a spoonful, ladling it across the rice on the plate. “What news do you have? Did you hear from your Sidewinder buddies yet?” Cait knew he’d been calling his good friends, but sometimes they were out on an op somewhere in the world and he couldn’t touch base with all of them. She was glad Dan had these male friends he’d grown up with because sometimes, she saw the sadness and loss of Ben in his eyes. He never said anything, but he didn’t have to. She knew how to read Dan so well.
“I got a call from Josh Patterson, one of my Sidewinder brothers, about two hours ago. He’s a Marine Force Recon. He’s getting hitched. Surprised the hell out of me. I always thought he’d be the last of us to go down.”
She grinned. “All bachelors by nature?”
Shaking his head, he said, “It started out that way. Now I’m going down. Jack Halliday is married, and so is Travis. Josh asked if we could come to their wedding. I’d like you to come along if you can. It’s going to be held April 4 in Texas.”
Cait frowned. “That’s the week I’m taking credit courses in new PT instruction here at Tripler. I won’t be able to go, Dan. I’m sorry.” She saw his disappointment. She knew he was happy for Josh. “And I don’t think the Army is going to look kindly on your leaving, either. You’re right in middle of rehab.”
Shrugging, he hungrily dug into the tasty rice and pineapple chicken. “Can you rig it up for me to be gone with four days leave? Now that I can bend this knee, I can fly in an airplane. I don’t want to miss his wedding.”
Cait knew how much this meant to Dan. She blew out a breath and said, “Okay, but I’m going to have to do some fancy footwork to get your orders cut to go out there, Dan.”
“I knew you could do that,” he said smugly, giving her a teasing look. “Thank you.”
The thickening of his voice washed over her and Cait smiled a little. “Who is he marrying?”
“A gal by the name of Allison Landon. She’s an RN. Her father is a Marine Corps general and Josh just happened to know him. Aly was working for a charity down in Brazil when she got kidnapped by drug dealers.”
Eyes widening, Cait whispered, “Oh, my God. Is she okay?”
“She is now,” Dan said with a pleased look. “The general asked Josh to go down there to find and rescue her. He did. Along the way, he told me on the phone earlier, they fell in love. Then he got hauled out on another black op just days after bringing her stateside from Brazil. He got back three months later, bought a ring and proposed to Aly.” His smile widened. “She said yes. So, he’s the fourth Sidewinder to bite the dust.”
“Are the others happily married?”
Nodding, Dan said, “Yeah, they all picked good, strong women.”
“Is that a Texas thing? You guys go looking for a woman to complement you?”
“As a football team, we were all strong in various ways. There wasn’t a weak one among us,” Dan said. “And I think the women they fell in love with are all equally strong in an emotional and mental sense.”
“Do you see me as strong?” Cait asked, falling into his warm gray gaze. She could literally feel the invisible embrace from Dan surrounding her. They ate at one another’s elbow, but she could still feel that warmth wrapping around her shoulders. It was an incredible feeling. A sense of protection woven with fierce love coming from Dan.
He reached over, his thumb grazing her cheek. “I’d call you Texas strong in a heartbeat, Cait. You’ve been there for me when I needed someone. When I was coming out of anesthesia, hearing your voice near my ear and feeling your hand on mine gave me hope. You’ve helped me fight back to get well.” His voice lowered with feeling. “I couldn’t have done this without you, sweetheart...”
“We’ve waited so long for one another,” Cait whispered unsteadily, blinking back tears. “Over a decade.”
Mouth quirking, Dan held her gaze, lost in the shades of green in her eyes, from dark to light. She was a complex woman, a woman who always challenged him in the best of ways. Cait didn’t see herself at all, he realized. She saw only the nature of her patients’ personality, saw what was weak and strong with them and then worked to help them recover. She honestly didn’t see how incredibly strong she really was. Tonight, Dan would show her. Tonight was theirs.
* * *
To be able to lie beside Cait, to feel her velvet-soft, curved body against his, was a dream come true for Dan. As they languished in one another’s arms after making love to one another, he held her close. “Even just feeling your breath on my chest is incredible,” he growled, moving his head to the right, kissing her hair.
Cait stirred, satiated and feeling lazy for the moment, her body radiating and glowing from the orgasms he’d given her. “Better than that lounger, huh?” There was amusement in her husky tone. “That lounger is going to hold a special place in our lives. We’ll never forget it.”
Laughter rumbled through his chest. “Better believe it.” Dan threaded his fingers through her loose, silky hair, watching the weak moonlight catch the strands. Skating his hand down the curves of her back and hip before coming to rest on her thigh, he added, “The lounger was a lifesaver for both of us.”
“Well,” Cait whispered, nuzzling his jaw, stretching her arm across his narrow waist, “this is so much better. We’ll actually be able to sleep together tonight. That is what I’m looking forward to.”
Dan guided Cait onto her back, propped himself up on his elbow and drank in her shadowed face, those luminous dark green eyes filled with love for him. “Who said we’re getting any sleep tonight?”
Cait’s lips lifted and she ran her hand slowly down his chest, his gold-brown hair tangling between her exploring fingers. “Touché.”
“Lucky for us, it’s Saturday tomorrow.”
“Do you think we’ll even leave this bed over the next few days?”
Dan basked in her smile, his heart swelling with so many emotions for Cait. “Probably not. Just to get up every once in a while, shower, grab some food to give us renewed strength and then get back in here.”
“You have a plan. You always do, Dan Taylor.”
Eyeing her wryly, he leaned over, his mouth hovering over hers. “I’m black ops, sweetheart. What else did you expect?”
He captured her smiling mouth beneath his, feeling her woman’s warmth, a musical sound caught in her throat as he stroked her firm breast, feeling her nipple tighten beneath his teasing. He couldn’t get enough of Cait. He never would. They’d waited so long for one another. Dan found it nearly impossible to realize how strong they’d been in denying themselves one another. And now they were making up for it in the best of ways.
“Hey,” he whispered against her wet lips, “there are some things we actually need to discuss.”
Cait laughed and opened her eyes. “Like what? I thought everything we needed was right here. Right now.”
“That’s true.” Dan leaned across her, opening the bedside table drawer, fumbling around to find something in it. He glanced down at Cait. “Found it.”
“What?”
He pulled his arm from beneath her neck and with some effort, sat up and leaned against the bamboo headboard. “Come here.” He took her hand, coaxing her up beside him. Cait’s hair was nearly to her breasts and as she moved, he watched the gleaming strands slide gracefully around her. She snuggled beneath his proffered left arm, pressing herself fully against his left side.
“You’ve got a crafty look on your face,” she accused. “What are you up to?”
“Can’t fool you, can I?” Dan showed her a small dark blue velvet box. “Here, this is for you. Open it.” He searched her widening eyes as Cait realized what it was. A small gasp tore from her. She looked at the ring box and then stared in disbelief up at him.
“Dan!”
“Open it. Please?” He nudged the box near her hand, which was still resting on his chest.
She shook her head. Dan slid his arm behind her back, curving it around her waist, keeping her close as she cupped the box into her hands. “I—I never expected this, Dan.”
“I did.” He watched with trepidation as she opened it. Never had he wanted anything more than this moment with Cait. “Do you like them?” His voice was a little strained.
“Oh, Dan...” Cait pressed her hand against her lips, giving him a teary look.
“Are they okay?”
She looked down at the set of rings. “They’re beautiful.” She held the box up so that the moonlight washed over it. “Is that a green diamond, Dan?”
“It is.” He gave her a concerned look. “I know it’s not the exact color of your eyes, but when I saw it, I wanted it for you.”
Cait gently touched the small diamond glittering fiercely in the gold setting. “I love it.” She looked at him, whispering, “I love you...” She leaned forward, her hand against his jaw, giving him a long, slow kiss.
Dan caressed her nape as they eased apart. “Marry me, Cait? We’ve waited a hell of a long time for one another. I don’t want to spend another day apart from you if I can help it.” He lost his smile, seeing distress come into her large, readable eyes.
“I’ll marry you, Dan,” she whispered unsteadily. “But...not right now. My parents are in deep mourning for Ben. Could we wait a bit? Give them the time they need to get over his loss?”
Dan tucked her beneath his arm, drawing her against him. “Of course. We don’t even have to say anything about this to them until you think the timing is right. This is just between you and me, Cait.” He pulled back enough to meet her darkened eyes, wanting to reassure her. “Okay?”
Cait nodded, pressed her cheek against his chest, giving him a squeeze. “Yes, thank you for understanding.”
“Your parents are hurting,” Dan said gruffly, kissing her hair. “I get that. But, Cait, I love you. I’m not going to let any more time slip by before I tell you what I want to share with you. I want to wake up every morning in this bed with you in my arms.” He caressed her warm, soft shoulder, watching hope and love come to her eyes as she studied him. “And if that means waiting a year before we marry, I’m fine with that. What I need is you. And now I have you.” His voice deepened with emotion. “I’m not ever letting you go.”
Sighing, Cait whispered, “I feel the same way. And it may take a year before my parents emerge from that tunnel of grief. I mean...I still cry suddenly, out of the blue, and when I do, I know it’s grief working its way through me.”
“I know,” Dan rasped, sliding his hand against her hair, holding her tighter for a moment.
“You, too?”
“Yes. He was like a brother to me, Cait. Ben will be in our hearts and our memories from now on. I’ll never forget him, but your parents have a different path to take to mourn the loss of their only son.” Dan knew Cait’s grief would last a long time, as well. She and Ben had been so damned close.
“Thank you for understanding,” she wobbled, sniffing.
“I want you to be happy, Cait,” he growled. “I’ll do everything I can to always see that smile in your eyes.”
“You do, believe me, you do,” Cait whispered, kissing his chest.
Dan knew that Cait had choices to make. She could opt to wear the green diamond engagement ring. Or not. Her mother would spot it immediately, and that could turn into an upsetting situation for Cait and her. And them. Dan didn’t want to put Cait in that kind of a position. He gently eased the box from her hand. “Tell you what. We’ll just put the rings in the bedside table for now until you feel it’s the right time to tell your parents. Then, when it’s right, you can let me slip that engagement ring on your finger.” Because Dan could feel Cait being torn over this very issue. And he didn’t want her to feel guilty. She still had a lot of grieving to do first.
It wasn’t his intent to pressure her, rather, to let her know unequivocally that he loved her and he wanted her as his wife. They’d waited so long for one another. The fact that they were living together and would continue to do so, sent a very clear, nonverbal signal to her parents, anyway. They knew what was coming sooner or later, but to push it too soon on the three of them would be a bad move. Dan could feel the tension in Cait dissolve beneath his words. “That an okay plan, sweetheart?”
“Yes, wonderful. Thank you...”
Dan slid her hair aside, nibbling on her nape, feeling the goose bumps rise in the wake of his tender kisses and gentle nips. She moved her breasts against him. She was so sensual. So sexual. And so in love with him. He gave her flesh a nip and then soothed the area with his tongue.
“We have one more thing to talk about,” he told her.
Cait lifted her chin, melting beneath his dark, burning look. “What else could there possibly be to talk about?”
“I’ve been busy since I started living here with you,” Dan said, his thumb sliding across the warm slope of her cheek. Looking deeply into her aroused eyes, her lashes framing their deep green color, he said, “I’m not going to stay in the Army, Cait.”
Stunned, she sat up, staring openmouthed at him. “What? I mean, why? You love the Army, Dan! And your leg is healing wonderfully. There’s every chance that you could meet all the physical qualifications to remain in Special Forces.”
He heard the stunned quality in her voice and saw it in her eyes. He smiled gently at her. “Would it bother you if I left the Army? Start a real life here with you instead?” Cait’s face crumpled with emotions and tears leaped to her eyes. Yeah, he had his answer all right. And Dan had known all along that Cait was trying to steel herself against his leaving once he was well enough to go back into Special Forces. She would wait and worry. He’d be gone on deployments for six months to a year at a time. She’d be alone. Again. Like always. They’d be separated. Like always.
“A-are you serious, Dan?” Cait wiped the tears from her eyes, her heart beating with hope over the possibility.
He caressed her cheek and leaned over, giving her a quick kiss on the mouth. “I’ve already got a job lined up for when my enlistment is up. That’s eight months from now, Cait. I’ll be the head of security for a shipping company here in Honolulu. It’ll be a nine-to-five job, five days a week.” He smiled a little, emotion thick in his voice. “It means I’ll be coming home to you every night. We can have a life, Cait. A real life.”
“Oh, God.” Her voice trembled and more tears fell. “I—I never expected this, Dan.”
“I know you didn’t,” he soothed, kissing her wrinkled brow, her cheek, and tasting her salty tears as they fell. “Are you okay with it?”
“More than okay with it.”
Dan searched her radiant expression, saw relief shining in her eyes. “I’ve lost so many years away from you, Cait. I don’t want any more separations. I don’t want you worrying about whether I’m going to get killed or not. You’ve lost Ben. That’s enough...”
With a moan of joy, Cait threw herself into his arms, clinging to him, holding him as tight as she could. “Oh, Dan! I love you so much! So much!” She sobbed, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder.
Closing his eyes, Dan relaxed against the headboard, the woman he loved more than life itself in his arms. She’d been so brave, so strong, for so long by herself. He swept his fingers through her hair, caressing her graceful back, holding her close while she cried out her relief. And he fully understood her tears this time. Dan knew Cait had been dreading his going back and being deployed once more. He would catch her at odd moments when they were together when he could almost hear her thoughts. Cait would have worried herself endlessly if he’d gone back into Special Forces.
He loved her, and this was about more than what he wanted out of life from now on. It was what they needed in order to make a go at their relationship. And he knew, in order for them to have a fair chance at success, it meant giving up something he loved because he loved Cait more. It was that simple. Dan had no regrets about the decision.
Her sobs lessened and he could feel her warm tears running down his chest. Cait’s sense of relief was palpable. Dan knew she’d never have asked him to leave the Army. She, of all people, understood it—what he did and how much he loved what he did. Now, as he kissed her hair, caressed her small shoulder, she knew that he loved her more than anything. They would have to wait to break the news of their engagement to her parents. In the meantime, they would have a chance to really live together. Loving one another. Making the compromises he knew would have to be made so they could work as the good team that they were. They were already, automatically, doing that precisely because they did love one another. Nuzzling into her hair, kissing the top of her ear and angling her head, he captured her soft, willing mouth. Just the simple act of kissing Cait was enough to make Dan happy to turn his life inside out for her. He’d found love a long time ago, nursed it, nurtured it and finally been brave enough to act upon it.
Cait deserved a man like him, who was loyal and true. Dan knew he could be all that and so much more to this healer who’d mended so many people’s lives. She had a world of patience, of kindness and compassion for those who were suffering. She brought out the goodness in him, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life returning all that she had selflessly given to him. Knowing how much Cait loved children, Dan knew that once they were officially married with her parents’ blessing, it probably wouldn’t be too long before she became pregnant.
Heat rolled through him as he splayed his large hand out across her soft belly. Someday, she would carry his son or daughter within her. It only made Dan love Cait more fiercely than before. She would be such a good mother, and he would be sure not to emulate the broken, dysfunctional home life of his childhood with her or their children. Life was too short and Dan knew every day counted. And he would relish each one with this woman who loved him against all odds. Forever.
* * * * *