CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When it was time for bed, Wil led Mandy to his room. They weren’t obvious about it, but she could tell he wasn’t going to let her sleep in that lonely room to which she’d been assigned. So much the better. She liked the idea of keeping that room as her own space, but after last night, she’d much rather sleep with Wil than all by lonely herself.

When the door to his quarters closed behind them, Mandy looked around with interest. He had a few framed photographs over the desk. One of his dad and himself when they’d both been much younger took prominence, but there were others. Members of his unit in dusty combat gear, posing around some sort of armored vehicle. Another in front of a black helicopter. Yet another aboard a ship. The boys definitely had gotten around.

“This is a bit homier than I expected,” she said aloud as she walked into the large room. It was almost the size of a small studio apartment in the city.

“Since coming here, we’ve been given a lot more leeway as far as personal space goes,” Wil told her. “I think it’s because they know we’re not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. This is home, now.” He sighed heavily. “At least until we can figure out exactly who’s after us and neutralize the threat. As it is, the Army had someone pack up my off-base apartment and move everything to storage here on the island. All my stuff is in the basement of this building, in fact. It’s the same for most of the other guys, too.”

“That’s rough,” Mandy replied, turning toward him. “I put some of my things in storage when I moved to Montana. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, so I hesitated before bringing everything out. Plus, I only had the trailer, so I didn’t need any furniture, really.” She shrugged. “I threw out a lot of stuff before I moved, too, so there wasn’t that much left to store. Just the things I really wanted to keep.”

“I didn’t get a chance to purge before they boxed it all up, so one of the things on my list for my downtime is to sort through the boxes in the basement and clear out the junk. I can also bring a few items up here to make it more like an apartment. Hal not only gave us permission to customize, he encouraged it. Casey thought it was important that we feel at home here, since we won’t be leaving anytime soon. She thinks it’s good for morale.” He gave her a lopsided smile as if such thoughts were foreign to him.

“I can help with the sorting, if you like,” she said, bypassing the morale comment. “I got a lot of practice when I was preparing to move.”

He came over to her and put one arm around her waist, tugging her close. “I’d appreciate the expert help. Maybe tomorrow we can make a start after work.”

“Sounds good,” she agreed, moving into his embrace. “I have to earn my keep, you know.”

“Ah, about that…” He drew back slightly to meet her gaze. “I had a quick chat with Hal about you. He wants you to meet with him tomorrow morning after breakfast. He has a task in mind for you, if you really want a job.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “It’s not a make-work thing, right? I don’t want or need charity.”

“I promise you it’s something you are uniquely suited for and that will help us a lot.”

“You sound like you know what he’s going to propose,” she said, squinting up at him. “Spill.”

“Oh, Officer, you got me. I can’t withstand your brutal interrogation techniques,” he quipped, and she tickled his midsection in retaliation. They tussled for a bit, but he captured her hands in his and met her gaze once more. “Okay, it actually has to do with your former position in the police. We’ve had occasion to interact with local law enforcement on Long Island a few times. The last outing we encountered a shifter detective whose help has been invaluable, but we need a real liaison between our unit and the local LEOs. You speak their language. You’d be ideal for that kind of thing. Hal also mentioned that you had a special interest and strong background in research and investigation. We could use some civilian help on that score, as well, to try to track the paper trail—because there has to be one—of the people that keep coming after us.”

Mandy was intrigued. “I always did like the investigative work more than the beat cop stuff,” she allowed.

“Well, think about it. Hal will have the particulars of the offer, but I know the Army pays well for civilian consultants. And you could stay here, with me.”

She smiled up at him. “And be your girlfriend?”

He nodded, smiling back at her. “I really do like the sound of that.”

Wil lowered his head and kissed her. Neither spoke for a long, long time.

After a while, Wil moved them over to the bed. He took off her clothes with painstaking attention to detail, which she appreciated to the fullest. He caressed every inch of skin as he uncovered it and made her writhe in passion before divesting himself of his own clothing with speed and efficiency that left her breathless.

He rejoined her on the bed, coming down over her in a way that made her feel protected and even…cherished. It was a novel feeling in her experience, and the emotion that filled her every time she was near Wil swelled in her breast, filling her heart. The more she was around him, the deeper and fuller the emotion became until it enveloped her being, her very soul.

He joined their bodies with one smooth thrust that brought everything into sharp focus. Passion and desire blossomed and burst into the sky like fireworks on the fourth of July. They strained and strove together, beat matching beat, pulses pounding as they reached for the sky, then exploded together in a fireball of ecstasy that went on and on.

Wil held her for long moments after, spooning her into his warm body and placing them both under the covers on his large bed. She was basking. No other word for it. She felt replete and safe in the arms of a man who was quickly becoming the center of her universe.

“I like this.” Wil’s sleepy voice came from just behind her as his arm squeezed her waist gently.

“Mm,” she agreed. “I do, too.” Her eyes had been closed, but they opened at his next words.

“I want this. Forever,” he whispered. She rolled to look at him, wanting to be certain she’d heard him correctly. “I really hadn’t planned to move this fast. I mean, it was only a few hours ago that I asked you to be my official girlfriend.” The smile on his face gave her hope that she hadn’t been imagining. “Thing is, even though it’s Jeeves who has the far sight, when I think of my future, I can’t even imagine it without you. How’s that for intense?” He shook his head. “I don’t want to scare you off, but at least let me know what you think about that and put me out of my misery, huh?”

She met his gaze, feeling the moisture gathering behind her own eyes. Is this what it felt like to have a dream come true?

“I think that’s a really great vision of the future,” she told him, laying her heart on the line. “To be honest, I didn’t expect I’d ever feel this way about anyone, but you took me by storm.” She chuckled a bit at the pun.

Hope grew in his expression. He paused significantly then touched her cheek. “I’m falling in love with you, Mandy.” Her heart leapt in joy. “No, scratch that. I’m in love with you. Have been since almost the moment we met, though I didn’t recognize it at first. Your kindness, your bravery, your intelligence… You drew me to you without even trying.”

“I could say the same about you, you know,” she replied in a soft voice, her heart filling with the enormity of the love she felt.

“You could?” He looked so hopeful, she took that final, daring step.

She nodded. “I love you, too, Wil. I didn’t know I could feel this way or that it could happen so fast, but I feel it, and it feels real.”

“Feels pretty damn real to me, too,” he agreed, holding her gaze.

“So, what do we do about it?” Mandy asked, breathless.

“Well, right now, the Army is just about bending over backwards to keep my unit safe and happy. And, since you’re key to my happiness, I don’t think anyone will object to our relationship. But, just to be sure, I think we should get engaged.” His nervous smile belied his casual tone.

“Oh, you think so?” She felt confident enough in his love to tease.

“Yeah, I really do. I want you to be my wife, but I think we need to be at least a little traditional and have an engagement first. Not too long, but maybe long enough to have a party and break it to our friends before we tie the knot. What do you think?”

She felt a little dizzy at the idea of marrying Wil, but nothing had ever sounded so right to her in her life, even if his proposal was a bit non-traditional.

“I think that’s one of the best ideas you’ve ever had,” she told him, reaching up to kiss him.

They stayed like that for a very long time, only breaking apart when thunder sounded in the distance. She looked at him warily.

“Did you do that?” she asked, glancing slyly toward the window where they could hear rain was starting to pour down outside.

Wil shook his head. “Sometimes, a storm is just a storm,” he protested, but she wasn’t buying it. “Of course, the downpour means I won’t have to report to the beach at oh-dark-hundred for PT in the morning.”

She pushed at his shoulder. “You wouldn’t.”

He grinned at her. “Au contraire. For a few more minutes with you in my arms, I’d do just about anything.” A massive crack of lightning sounded nearby. “It isn’t safe for us to run on the beach in a lightning storm.” His innocent tone made her giggle.

“Don’t you think your captain will get wise to your game?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “But Hal is a happily married man. I think he’ll appreciate a morning, every now and again, when he can sleep-in as much as we will.”

The rain pounded down outside with frequent lightning and thunder, but Mandy wasn’t afraid. The love of her life was controlling the tempest, and she knew he would never let anything bad happen to her, or his friends on the island. She had never felt safer…or more loved.

*

Thanks for reading Lightning Strikes (Gift of the Ancients #4). If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. The doctor will be getting his own book later this year, so stay tuned to my website or social media to find out when!

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