He threaded a hand into my wet hair as he asked, “How much longer?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’ve never planned a wedding before, but I’d think even finding and reserving a venue might take a while. Unless you want to run away to Vegas.”

  I was perfectly okay with that idea. Torie’s wedding had been beautiful.

  He shot me a cheeky grin as he replied, “Not necessary. I know plenty of people.”

  I rolled my eyes playfully. “I’m sure you do.”

  “Do you doubt my ability to give you whatever fairytale wedding you want within a short amount of time, woman?” he asked in a lighthearted voice. “Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen.”

  I sighed. I was happy to get my slightly cocky, confident man back. Chase really didn’t do anxious and remorseful all that well, and it had killed me to see him that way.

  I had no doubt that he could make just about anything happen. He was stubborn that way. Chase Durand would always make sure I was spoiled rotten and loving every minute of it.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “All I really want is you. I’m not exactly picky about exactly how that gets accomplished.”

  “You’ve had me for a long time, sweetheart.”

  He lowered his head and gave me a heart stopping kiss, an embrace that told me just how much he loved and cherished me.

  My nipples hardened and heat engulfed my body as Chase did a thorough exploration of my mouth with his tongue.

  I was straining for breath by the time he released my lips. “I need you, Chase,” I told him honestly. “I think we can wait and discuss the wedding later.”

  “Later,” he agreed succinctly as he slammed his hand against the controls to turn off the water. “I’ll probably never understand why you want this scarred up body of mine, but I’m fucking glad you do.”

  He pulled me gently from the shower and started to towel us both dry.

  I’d probably never be able to convince him that he was and always would be the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.

  So I’d just have to keep showing him instead.

  I squealed with laughter as he picked me up and tossed me in the air to get a more solid hold.

  “I could walk,” I told him as I gripped the back of his neck. “The bed isn’t very far away.”

  “I’m a very willing transporter right now, baby,” he said huskily. “And I’m too close to getting exactly what I want to let you get away.”

  I let out another happy sigh as he carried me to the bedroom.

  My body was clamoring for his, and I wanted to crawl inside him right now and never come out again.

  Chase Durand was my everything, and I didn’t care if he knew that, because I had no doubt that I was his everything, too.

  “I think what you want is precisely what I want,” I whispered into his ear.

  There was only the muted light from the small lamp on the bedside table as he dropped me carefully onto the comforter and came down on top of me.

  “Then I’d say it’s my lucky day, sweetheart.” He twined our fingers together and lowered his head.

  Savannah

  It felt so good just to kiss him like this again that I moaned into his embrace.

  He devoured my mouth like it had been a lifetime since our lips had met rather than just two weeks.

  “I love you, Vanna,” Chase said in a graveled voice as he lifted his head and met my eyes. “No matter how much of an idiot I may be in the future, I never want you to doubt the way I feel about you for a single second.”

  I fell into those beautiful gray eyes as he stared at me.

  The sincerity…

  The longing…

  The naked vulnerability…

  It was all there in his gaze.

  If I would have forced him to talk to me sooner, I knew I would have seen the very same things.

  I never would have questioned his feelings from that moment on, either.

  Maybe deep inside, I’d always known, even when he wasn’t talking. I’d just been so afraid of losing him that I’d let that insecurity get to me.

  I swallowed hard. “I love you, too, Chase.”

  “Were you really going to leave me?” he asked.

  I nodded slowly. “If that’s what you wanted.”

  No matter how much I loved him, I wouldn’t want him beside me unless he wanted to be there, too.

  “I would have found you,” he replied. “I’ve decided that you’re better off with me since there isn’t another idiot on the planet who will love you as much as I do. Or one who wants you to be happy more than me.”

  I beamed up at him as I teased, “There’s no idiot I want to be with more than I want to be with you.”

  “Then I think you’re stuck with me for life, sweetheart,” he growled as he lowered his head to the tender skin at my neck.

  I whimpered and leaned my head back, giving him better access.

  That was a life sentence I’d blissfully accept.

  “Chase,” I breathed out, molten heat flooding between my legs. “I need you.”

  He rolled me on top of him. “Take what you want, Vanna.”

  I scrambled to get into a sitting position on top of him while I watched the blatant arousal on his face.

  He wanted me.

  He could have satisfied both of us any way he wanted to, yet he was letting me decide what I wanted this time.

  I licked my lips. “I want to lick every inch of this amazing body,” I said as I ran my hands down his chest.

  “Jesus Christ!” he cursed. “I said take what you want. I didn’t say you could kill me off while you were doing it. It’s been two weeks, Vanna.”

  I laughed as I kissed my way down his neck and then ran my tongue over his chest. “You didn’t specify,” I murmured.

  I moved lower, tracing every muscle in his abdomen, relishing the way touching Chase like this made me feel.

  I finally wrapped my fingers around his cock.

  “Don’t, baby!” he said harshly. “I’ll be completely screwed.”

  I moved back up his body and placed the tip of his cock against my heat. “You’d rather be screwed this way?” I asked in a sultry voice.

  “Oh, fuck, yeah,” he agreed wholeheartedly as he gripped my hips. “Ride me, beautiful.”

  I slowly lowered myself onto his enormous cock one inch at a time until I’d taken him to the hilt.

  I was still for a moment when he was finally buried completely inside me, reveling in the sense of being this connected with Chase.

  I craved him, and that urgency eventually made me start to move.

  “You feel so fucking good, Vanna,” he said in a harsh, aroused voice as he gripped my hips harder.

  I knew he was trying not to lead, which was probably difficult for a guy like Chase because he definitely liked to be fully involved in the bedroom.

  I lifted my hands to my breasts and pinched my nipples as I gyrated slowly on top of him.

  I could feel him watching me, which made my pleasure so acute that I could feel it down to my toes.

  My body now on fire, I tossed my head back and released a throaty moan.

  I felt possessed.

  Ensnared.

  Consumed.

  Yet so incredibly free that I could barely contain the elation that bubbled up inside me.

  “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, Vanna,” he said in a voice that told me he was barely retaining his control.

  I moved faster, but couldn’t get quite what I wanted.

  Frustrated, I cried out, “Chase, I need…”

  He gripped my hips hard and started surging upward. “I know what you need, gorgeous. Come here.”

  Chase reached his hand up and pulled my head down.

  My whole body started thrumming with a ravenous yearning that was nearly impossible to bear as our mouths crashed together in a hungry embrace.

  I gave up all illusions of having control as Chase hammered into me deep and hard.

  This was exactly what I’d needed, this fierce possession that satisfied my desire to be connected with Chase.

  I panted as I came up for air, riding the sharp need that coursed through my body.

  I speared my hands into his hair. “Fuck me harder,” I pleaded, lost in our frenzied need for each other.

  He complied, and I felt my climax approaching.

  “You’re mine, Vanna. Say it!” Chase demanded in an out-of-control tone.

  “I am yours, Chase, just like you’re mine,” I answered.

  Joy and love for this amazing man inundated my soul until tears were pouring down my face because I was overwhelmed with emotion.

  Waves of pleasure rolled over me, and my heart practically beat out of my chest as I reached the top of my release.

  “Chase! I love you so much!” I cried out, the happiness of saying those words out loud almost unbearable.

  He buried himself inside me with one more powerful thrust as the spasms of my release milked him of his own. “I love you, too, baby,” he groaned as he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

  My body continued to shake as I buried my face in his neck, feeling completely spent.

  Chase stroked a hand down my back, and it landed on my ass in a deliciously possessive manner as I tried to recover my breath.

  I relaxed completely, wallowing in my ecstasy as I cuddled into Chase’s warm body.

  He moved a hand down my hair and along my cheek in a soothing touch. “Hey, sweetheart. Are you crying?” he questioned, obviously puzzled.

  “Yes,” I confessed. “I’ve never had that happen before. I guess I was just too happy.”

  I shivered a little as I started to cool down, but I wasn’t chilly enough to move from my comfortable resting spot.

  “No such thing as you being too happy,” he said in a relieved voice as he swiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

  He reached to the other side of the bed, pulled the covers down, and then rolled both of us between the sheets.

  I sighed as he reached for me again after he’d pulled up the sheet and comforter around our naked bodies.

  I burrowed into his side as he put his arm around me and pulled my head onto his shoulder.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I replied, surprised by how quickly he’d reacted to such a small body movement. “I think I’d really like to have a child someday, Chase.”

  I wasn’t quite sure why I’d brought that up.

  Maybe because we were getting married and it was probably an important subject to discuss.

  Honestly, I’d never given a lot of thought to having kids or whether or not I wanted them.

  Not until Chase.

  Since I was approaching my mid-thirties, it was a decision we probably shouldn’t wait forever to decide on.

  His entire body froze. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked.

  I sat up a little so I could see his face.

  He didn’t exactly look repulsed at the idea of us having a child. His expression was more terrified than unwilling.

  I frowned. “What? You don’t want kids? It’s not something I’ve really thought about until now. It’s not a deal breaker for me if you don’t.”

  Chase was always going to be my priority. I’d actually never had an aching desire to be a mother, so it wouldn’t be the end of my world if he was opposed to the idea.

  He shook his head. “No, baby. Don’t get me wrong. I like kids and I’d love to have a child with you, but you know it’s painful, right?”

  I snorted. “Maybe I haven’t had one, but I’m pretty well aware of the process. I think I could handle it.”

  “It’s not just the pain of having the kid. What about morning sickness and the hormones?” he asked, his expression a little less tense.

  I let out an exasperated breath. “It’s all part of the final product. A child. Our child.”

  “It’s going to kill me to see you miserable, but I’d do everything possible to make it bearable. I’m also not about to promise that I won’t be a concerned pain in your ass throughout the entire pregnancy,” he said earnestly. “Otherwise, I’d love nothing more than to have our child.”

  I smiled because he didn’t seem the least bit reluctant to have a baby. He just didn’t appear to like some of the uncomfortable symptoms I’d have to endure in the process.

  “You’d be an incredible father, Chase Durand. But we don’t have to make a solid decision right now. We aren’t even married yet,” I murmured before I laid a soft kiss on his lips.

  “A problem I’d really like to remedy as soon as possible,” he reminded me.

  Truthfully, I really wanted to be his wife, too, so I didn’t mind speeding things up. Especially when I knew how important that was to him. “Give me a little time. I’ll check out how soon we can arrange it without going to Vegas. How many people?”

  “I know a lot of people, but not many that have to be at my wedding,” he considered. “I can whittle the list down to a hundred or so. What about you?”

  “Chase!” I exclaimed as I whacked him on the shoulder. “That’s not exactly a small list. You know I don’t have immediate family anymore, but I have a few from out of state I’d love to invite. And a few friends at the news station. My guest list won’t be nearly as long.”

  My husband-to-be was a people person, so the size of his list didn’t really surprise me.

  “I can easily cut it down a lot more if it will speed things up,” he said with an irresistible grin. “And most of that list will be family, close friends, and a few of the guys from Last Hope.”

  “It boggles my mind a little that you have that many friends,” I said with a laugh. “And I’d definitely never want to cut out anyone from Last Hope.”

  He shook his head. “There’s no way I can invite everyone, but I’m close to a few of the teams. Especially Wyatt’s old crew. They live in Michigan.”

  “They all came to volunteer for Last Hope?” I asked curiously.

  He nodded. “Many of them—as soon as they got out of the Army. Wyatt might be an asshole sometimes in the civilian world, but every guy who was part of his Delta Force team respected him.”

  “I’d love to meet them,” I said honestly. “And Wyatt is not an asshole to people he knows or cares about.”

  Granted, he was surly sometimes to other people, but I’d never personally been on the receiving end of his sarcasm.

  Chase let out a bark of laughter. “Believe me, he can be a major asshole.”

  He rolled me over to my back and covered my body with his. “Now that we’ve settled the fact that the wedding will happen soon, let’s talk about this baby business. I don’t want you to think I’m disinterested. I was just taken a little off-guard. The more I think about it, the more enthusiastic I am. I’ve never really thought about having a child, Vanna. Hell, I never imagined I’d fall in love like this. Maybe we don’t have to make a firm decision right now, and I’d like some time alone with you before we start a family, but I’m always available to practice the getting you pregnant part in case we do.”

  A slow grin started to form on his face, and my heart tripped as I looked into his eyes.

  “I don’t think you really need any practice,” I teased. “I think you’re already a pro.”

  “Then maybe I need to keep my skills up,” he said hopefully.

  My heart completely melted.

  What woman wouldn’t want to be madly in love with a man like mine?

  “I love you,” I told him as I wound my arms around his neck.

  “I’ll love you until I take my last breath, Vanna,” he vowed. “Sometimes I have to wonder if all of the debates we’ve ever had in the past were just bullshit. I always looked forward to seeing you. Maybe I just never believed you could really be mine.”

  “I had to keep you at a distance,” I explained. “It was either that, or I’d be thinking about getting you naked.”

  His eyes lit up. “So you admit you had sexual fantasies about me?” he asked in a husky baritone that sent ripples of pleasure through my body.

  “I’d never deny that,” I said playfully.

  He lifted a brow. “Would you like to tell me about them?”

  God, I loved this man.

  I pulled his head down until I could feel his heated breath on my lips. “I think I’d much rather show you,” I whispered.

  “I’m not about to argue with that,” he said in a wicked tone right before he kissed me and made every one of my fantasies a reality.

  Wyatt

  It was the middle of the damn night before my waterfront home in Del Mar was finally quiet.

  I walked around my patio, breathing a sigh of relief that all of the guests for Chase and Savannah’s reception were finally gone.

  The two had gotten married in a nearby oceanfront venue earlier in the day.

  Unfortunately, those wedding guests had all ended up here after the nuptials.

  I hadn’t been thrilled when Chase had talked me into hosting the reception at my place because I supposedly had exceptional indoor and outdoor space.

  Number one…I wasn’t exactly a people person.

  Number two…I definitely wasn’t a wedding person.

  And number three…it had completely disrupted my fucking privacy, which was something I valued.

  Nevertheless, I was glad Chase had managed to plan and execute this wedding and reception in less than two months after his proposal to Savannah.

  Maybe now I’d finally get some peace.

  I’d probably never understand why anyone actually wanted to get married, much less share space with another person for the rest of their lives.

  I’d also never get the supposed happiness of falling in love.

  At all.

  Ever.

  It seemed like a huge waste of energy to me.

  Not that I didn’t want my two siblings to wallow in wedded bliss if that’s what it took to make them happy, but that particular way of living wasn’t for me.

  I hadn’t and never would lose my mind over a female.

  I was too damn rational to act like an idiot over a woman.

  I’d thought that my younger brother was the same way until he’d suddenly decided that a woman he’d known and liked for most of his life was the only woman for him.