Deadly Descent (33 page)

His hand stroked up the length of her spine, warm and protective.
“I knew you’d feel this good.”

“Did you?”

“Yep.” Her eyes fluttered closed.
“Know what else?”

“Hmm.” She was half asleep, drowsy and satisfied.

“I love that you’re not shy with me anymore.”

She giggled, a high-pitched burst that came out before she could stop it.
He laughed, too, a deep purring sound in his chest and gathered her closer, tucking another pillow beneath her sore knee.
She fell asleep to the feel of his reverent hands stroking over her hip and thigh.

Cam sighed and stared up at the ceiling in the darkness, enjoying the feel of Devon’s naked skin against his.
Being apart from her while she’d gone through surgery and the first part of her rehab had weighed heavy on him.
Holding her went a long way toward assuaging the guilt he carried around from not being there for her, but he kept thinking about how she’d come apart beneath him earlier.
The look on her face as she’d come was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
He shifted as his erection came to life.
She stirred, nuzzling her cheek against his chest.
His pec flexed in reaction and he felt the smile spreading over her face.
“Thought you were sleeping,” he whispered.
“Didn’t I tire you out enough?”

“No.”

He laughed.
“Guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”

“Please do.” She pushed up on one arm to grin at him.

When she kept staring, he brushed her hair away from her cheek.
“What?”

“Guess we don’t have to worry about the fraternization problem now, huh.
At least not until I can get back to Bagram.”

“Guess not.” Her hair was silky and cool beneath his searching fingertips.
“But there is a way to solve that issue for good.”

She looked up at him with a shocked expression, and he held his breath.
It wasn’t an outright proposal, but he wanted her to know he was ready to make that commitment to her.
A loving smile spread across her lips and his heart turned over in his chest.
“There is, isn’t there?”

“Yes.” He curved a hand around her nape and tugged her down for a kiss.

She met his lips for a moment, but pulled back.
Her eyes held a devilish gleam as she changed the subject.
“By the way, I never got to see your tattoo.”

He stilled in surprise.
“My tattoo?”

“Yeah, don’t all you PJs have green feet back there somewhere?” She patted his butt.

Of course she’d know about them.
She’d have seen Ty’s.
He pushed the thought from his mind.
“Maybe.
What’s it worth to you?”

“I’ll show you after you show me.”

Chuckling, he rolled onto his stomach and let her look at the four-toed green feet permanently inked on his right ass cheek.
His whole graduating class had gone together to get them and carry on the PJ tradition started during Vietnam.

“Very cute,” she remarked.
Her slender fingers trailed over the design and slid lower, brushing between his thighs.

“Glad you like it,” he managed.
The light touch made his swelling dick push into the mattress.

A sharp knock at the door ruined any chance of getting to use it.
Cam lifted his head and half-turned over to check the clock.
Devon pushed up onto one elbow.
“You expecting someone?” he asked.

“No.
What time is it?”

He sat up, grabbed his discarded clothes and tugged them on.
“Almost nine.
Want me to answer it?” He pulled his shirt over his head, covering himself.

“Sure, but I have no idea who it was.
Could just be my neighbor.” Pushing up higher on her elbow, she ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

Another knock.
Less patient.
“Devon?”

She froze at the male voice.
“Oh God.” She scrambled into a sitting position, wincing as she moved her injured leg.

“What?
Who is it?”

“It’s my brother.” She grabbed for her shirt.

“Is that a bad thing?” She’d said they were close.

“It is if I don’t get to the door in the next five seconds.”

More pounding on the door.
“Devon?
I know you’re in there.
Christ, have you fallen or something?
Answer me or I’ll—
One
.”

“Oh shit, he’s counting.” She threw the covers back.

Cam smothered a grin.
“I’ll get it.
Take your time.”

“No, I should—”

“
Two
.”

“Hang on!” she called, scrambling from the bed and grabbing her robe from the bench at the end of the bed as he left the room.

“
Thr
—”

Jogging to the door, Cam unlocked it and pulled it open.
A clean cut black-haired man a few inches shorter than him stood in the hallway.
The family resemblance was strong.
His eyes were an identical smoke gray to Devon’s.
His worried expression transformed into shock, and then hardened in anger as he stared at Cam.
“Where’s my sister?” he growled.

“She’s—”

Dev’s brother wasn’t listening.
His stare moved right past Cam as Devon hobbled out of the bedroom on her crutches.
Her face was flushed, but she put on a bright smile.
“Hi, Kev.”

“Hi.” His eyes moved back and forth between her and Cam.
They narrowed on him in distrust, and Cam didn’t blame him.
“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Cam.” He offered a hand, but the other man ignored it.
Devon gasped and took a halting step forward, but Cam stopped her with an upraised hand.
“It’s okay, honey.”

“No it’s not,” she said, aiming a glare at her brother.
“Kevin—”

“Stay out of this.” Kevin folded his arms across his chest, never looking away from him.
“Cam who?”

“Technical Sergeant Cam Munro, U.S.
Air Force.” When that didn’t earn him any leeway, he stole a quick glance at Devon before facing her scowling brother.
Maybe she hadn’t told her family about him.
Well, he was going to set the record straight right now.
He faced the brother and met the hostile stare squarely.
“I’m the guy who’s going to marry your sister.”

Devon gasped but he didn’t look at her to see her reaction.
In the sudden silence, Kevin’s eyebrows shot up.
“Is that right.”

Cam met Devon’s startled expression for a moment and smiled.
Raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” she said, “that’s right.” His heart swelled when she smiled back at him.

“Well.” Kevin grinned and held out his hand.
Cam gripped it hard, and her brother laughed.
“In that case, it’s damn nice to meet you, Cam.”

“Damn nice to meet you too.”

Devon went over to hug her brother.
“Hey, you.”

“Hi munchkin.
Congrats, kid.”

“Thanks.” She looked over her shoulder at Cam.
Her eyes glowed with love.
“I’m a very lucky girl.”

Arlington National Cemetery

The light December wind blew fat snowflakes into her face as she walked once again between the rows of white headstones toward Ty’s grave.
She held the grips of her crutches tightly.
Someone had visited it recently, because a bouquet of frostbitten red roses lay against the stone.
Bending as best she could, she wiped the snow from the curved top and brushed it off the flowers.
Her fingers shook.

Stop stalling.
Say what you came here to say.

“Hey, Ty,” she said softly.
“I brought you something.”

She placed the completed framed cross-stitch at the base of his headstone.
As though the wind had breathed life through the glass, the angel seemed to glow behind it.
The golden thread in her wings sparkled in the wintry light, almost like she was alive.

“I finished it in Germany, but I wanted to bring it here myself.
And this as well.”

Reaching behind her neck, she undid the repaired clasp of her necklace and removed it.
The silver quarter gleamed in her palm, the metal warmed by her body heat.
She slid it off the chain and set it carefully on top of his headstone.
“It came in real handy over there.” Leaving it with him felt right this time.

Raising her head, she looked out at the unending sea of white headstones.
There were more in this section than there had been the day of his funeral.
She traced her gloved fingers over Ty’s name.
“Had a close call over there, but Cam came and got me out.
He saved me.
Just like you saved
your
wounded.” Her throat tightened at the thought of how he’d died.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come for you when I got the call.
Cam says you’d tell me I did the right thing, and I hope that’s true.”

The chill from the marble seeped through the lining of her glove, but she didn’t withdraw her fingers.
She needed the tactile connection, as though it could link her to him.
“I wanted you to hear it from me before someone else said anything, but…” She swallowed.
“We’re getting married.
Sometime next year.
I love him and he’s really good to me, Ty.
I guess we have you to thank for introducing us in the first place.”

Footsteps crunched in the snow behind her.
She swiveled around.
Cam walked over, his eyes solemn as he approached his best friend’s grave.
The sight of their footprints in the snow made her smile.
Two sets plus the circular marks of her crutches, his feet so big compared to hers.
They mirrored her path through the snow.
Someone to watch over her and walk beside her through the rest of her life.

“You tell him yet?” he asked.

“Yes.” She rose, and Cam instantly put an arm around her waist to steady her.
Having said what she’d come to tell Ty, she stepped back to let Cam have his turn.

“Well now you know our news,” he said quietly, the snow catching in his short hair.
“I’m gonna take good care of her, buddy, just like I said I would.
I promise.”

Devon smiled and squeezed his shoulder in a silent thank you.
She only had one more day left with him before he went back to Afghanistan.
Loving a hero like him wouldn’t always be easy, especially when he deployed, but he would always take care of her.
Whatever hardships lay in store, he was more than worth it.
She intended to love him to pieces and support him as best she could.

“We’ll come and see you when we can.
You might be gone, but you’re not forgotten,” Cam said, rising.
He turned to her with an outstretched arm and a gentle smile.
She slid her arm around his waist and laid her head against his chest as they stared down at Ty’s grave.

“You were a wonderful man, Tyler Bradshaw.”

“Yeah you were,” Cam agreed.
“Miss you, buddy.”

She was silent a moment.
“I think he’d be happy for us.”

Cam kissed the top of her head.
“I know he is.”

Staring at his headstone, she could almost hear Ty’s voice speaking to her.
My death wasn’t your fault, Dev.
And it’s way past time you let me go.
Be happy, and take care of him for me.
The words were so clear they made her eyes sting.

Devon hugged Cam close and let the remaining tightness in her chest go.
She sighed when his arms came around her, surrounding her with his strength, his warmth.

I will take care of him
, she silently vowed to Ty.
I’ll love him with everything in me.

Cam was her future.
She’d come here to make peace with her past.
To let go of it so she could move forward and get on with living her life.
Tilting her head back, she smiled up at Cam.

Mission accomplished.