She watched me with big eyes while I urged her to lay back on the bed with the press of a hand against her shoulder. With the tips of my fingers I followed the lines of her jaw, down her throat and dipped inside the silk of the lingerie to cup her full breast. Her back arched off of the bed to fill my hand more completely.

God, she was perfect.

I circled her puckered nipple with my finger, teasing it to a point. Her feet grasped for purchase on the slippery sheets of the luxurious bed when I pinched the nipple between two fingers and rolled. She cried out in surprise and I sat beside her to take her into my mouth. She clasped her hands behind my head to hold me to her chest.

I didn't know how much longer I would have with her, if we would make it. I didn't know if I could get her through this shit with her parents or if I'd even survive my next deployment. Both thoughts shot twin sparks of fear through my chest. As I held her in my arms and brought her to the peak of pleasure, I vowed that I would do what I can to keep her safe.

No matter the cost.

With a single-minded determination, I stripped her of the sexy little nightie and discarded my clothes on the floor. She wrapped herself around me as I climbed in and situated her so that her back was pressed to my front. I slid a hand underneath her and between her legs so that I could tease her with little flicks over her clit. She pressed her head back against my neck and her arched her ass into my crotch.

I positioned my cock at her entrance and teased her with an inch at a time. Dipping in slowly and pulling out until she didn't know whether to slam herself onto me or tip her hips forward for more pleasure from my fingers. I surrounded her on all sides. With my cock, my arms, pressed tightly against her back and my mouth whispering erotic suggestions into her ear.

When her chest began to heave and her legs started to shake, I began thrusting with increased speed. She placed a hand where our bodies were connected and the feeling of her fingers wrapping around me as I slammed into her almost pushed me over the edge.

With my other hand I trailed the taunt skin of her stomach and her bouncing breasts to her neck. I wrapped my fingers there, not to hurt her or scare her, but to claim her, take her even more completely. She responded wildly, hips jerking, moaning with each thrust until she stiffened against me. I followed behind her with a shout into her hair.

I didn't pull out, instead I laved kisses along her hairline and down the length of her shoulder, steadily working my cock in and out of her as our orgasms subsided.

"Okay, so I wasn't expecting that." She laughed.

I chuckled into her ear. "Then you're really about to be surprised."

"You have to be kidding me. Again?"

I dragged my hardening length out slowly and her breath caught, then slowly worked it back inside as her entire body tensed.

"Ohmygod. Yes. I like surprises."

I didn't and I was growing increasingly worried about what would happen when I wasn't there for her. I pushed it to the back of my mind and instead focused on bringing her to the brink again.

25.

Even though I loved to ski and snowboard, I preferred summer to winter in Tahoe. The water was so blue and clear. We planned to hike on the Horsetail Falls Trail. It was a fairly easy hike, not too crowded that our view would be spoiled.

While I slept in, Annie had woken up early and ran to the store. She bought groceries for the week and made sandwiches for the hike.

We hiked along Pyramid Creek. I peeked through the trees until I found a great swimming hole. No one was around, so we stripped down and went skinny-dipping. We made love under a beautiful small cascade.

I climbed out, got dressed, and found a large, flat boulder for our picnic. I set all the food out, poured two glasses of wine. Annie was still wading in the swimming hole. She looked so blissful. I could stare at her forever.

She finally emerged, looking like one of those water nymphs. She gathered her clothes and I checked out her perky ass.

The sky was didn’t have a cloud in sight, and the crisp air was almost like a drug to me. There were snow-capped mountains in the distance. After nine months at see, I couldn’t image a more beautiful sight. After five years of captivity, I’m sure the view even meant more to Annie.

She took a sip of her wine. “So, when you deploy next month, where are you going?”

“Middle east.”

She nodded. “How will I communicate with you? Do you even have a phone?”

“Well when we are on ship or one of the bases, I can check email. Maybe even use the phone. But if I’m on operation, it might be a month or so with no word.”

Her lip trembled. I knew it would suck for her to get this close to me and then be left without even a way to contact me.

“Can I call someone? I mean to see if you are okay?”

I took a bite of my sandwich. This was a talk we needed to have sooner or later. “Well, the wives have a number to call, and groups to meet at. But there isn’t really something set up for girlfriends.”

She shrugged her shoulders, and turned around to get water out of the backpack. “I get it. I’ll just call Kyle’s mom.”

Dammit. I couldn’t do this to her. She needed support to be with me. Especially since her family completely sucked. There was one way I could make this easier for her. Something I vowed never to do. I tore off some tin foil from the sandwich.

When she turned back around, I had a surprise for her.

“What are you doing?”

I dropped to one knee. “Will you marry me?” I coiled the foil into a ring.

She didn’t respond, just started shaking her head. ““Why are you asking me? So I can get wife updates while you are deployed? That’s ridiculous. No. I don’t want to get married for the wrong reasons.”

“That’s part of it. I want to take care of you. But I have thought about marrying you. And you’re it for me. Say yes.”

“Are you insane? We just got together. A week ago you weren’t even sure if you wanted to ever see me again. You can't be serious."

I didn’t give up—I always got what I wanted. I couldn't stand the thought of her not being safe, not being protected. “Dead serious. Yes or no—I won’t ask again.”

Her top lip contorted. I knew she had feelings for me, but didn’t see this coming a mile away. But she was it for me, in the ways that mattered. And the only way this would ever work out, the only way she would be safe, with my job and her father, is if she became completely mine. “You haven’t even said you love me yet. Do you love me?”

Of course I did. But I couldn’t say it. “You know how I feel about you.”

She closed her eyes. I wished I could climb inside her head. Crush out her bad memories and replace them with good ones. But I couldn’t do that. The only thing I could do was take care of her for the rest of her life, and make sure that no one ever harmed her again.

Her eyes opened—those gorgeous hazel eyes that I’d seen the first night in the brothel. I knew her answer, she didn’t have to speak a word.

Her eyes darted from me to the crappy foil ring.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you a nicer ring. This was all I could come up with.”

“Yes, Pat. Oh my God! I never thought you’d propose. Not ever. I didn’t even think you wanted a girlfriend. You’re crazy, but I love you. Yes.” She climbed in my lap and pushed me over.

“I can’t wait to start planning. When do you get back from your next deployment? It will take at least a year to organize. Don’t worry, my dad will pay for everything.”

Here we go. Of course, I knew that all women wanted to plan their dream wedding. And Annie had enough of her dreams taken away; I didn’t want to burst another. But over my dead body would I let her father pay for one penny.

“That’s the catch. I won’t be back for nine months, maybe ten if we extend. And we have to get married before I go or you won’t get any benefits. I need you taken care of and you're nothing to the military if there isn't a marriage license to back it up. The SEAL wives will welcome you, and the BUD/S instructor SEALs will be there if you need anything. I leave soon. I want to spend as much time with you as my wife as possible. Let’s go now.”

“Now. Here? Today? Without my family? They’ve been through enough without me and now you want to elope?”

I wanted to tell her that I knew for a fact that her dad didn’t give a shit about her and left her to die. But I’d take that secret to my grave. Maybe one day she would learn the truth—but it wouldn’t be from me. No way in hell.

“Yes. Let’s go to Harrah’s. Now. I can’t wait Annie. I don’t think you understand the SEAL community. We will have a ton of paperwork to fill out, have to get your ID card, all your benefits, my life insurance. Get on the housing list, since I’d rather you live on base where they can keep you safe. This is the only way it will work. I can’t be deployed and have you back home without a safety net. There’s an eighty percent divorce rate and I won’t let us be a statistic. I’ll never cheat on you. You don’t have to worry about that. But it won’t be easy. Though compared to what you’ve been through it should be a piece of cake.”

“But my parents—”

I stopped her with a kiss. I didn’t want to hear about her parents. I needed to protect her from them. “Now or never.”

She paused, her lip caught in her teeth, then smiled. “Now. Let’s do it.”

This was the only way I could protect her. Seeing her happy face replace the image in my head of the sad girl in the brothel brought me peace. I rarely had peace or even desired it. My fucking bumper sticker read, “Give War a Chance.”