Sexy SEAL Box Set: A SEAL's Seduction\A SEAL's Surrender\A SEAL's Salvation\A SEAL's Kiss (48 page)

“Then why’d you say you did?”

“I was afraid you were going to throw your career away. That you’d make this huge decision and regret it later. I figured if you didn’t have me as an excuse, you’d stick with the SEALs until you really knew if you wanted to leave or not.”

Cade’s mind reeled. But one clear fact stood out in the spinning confusion.

“You were trying to rescue me?”

Her smile was half-grimace, half-wince.

“I was afraid you’d give up something you loved for the wrong reason.”

“You think leaving the SEALs for you is the wrong reason?”

“I think leaving the SEALs because you can’t get over the loss of your friend is the wrong reason,” she said gently, lifting his grandmother’s framed photo of him, Blake and Phil graduating bootcamp.

Cade stared at the picture.

It was like he was at war with himself.

A part of him was tired. Just so damned tired. A year would give him time to decide if he wanted to stick with the SEALs or shift focus. It would give him time to get past the loss of Phil, to process his feelings about command. To heal.

Damned if he’d even known he was wounded until Eden made him face the truth. Just like he wouldn’t have realized he was in love with her until she’d walked out on him.

The real question wasn’t what he was going to do about his job. The question on the table right now was what was he going to do about his life.

“You were right,” he finally said.

“I was...?”

“Right,” he repeated. Cade shoved both hands through his hair, then shrugged. “I wanted to use you to avoid making a choice. To avoid admitting that I might want to do something other than be a SEAL.”

“And now?” Her words were whisper soft, but so loaded with understanding that Cade felt as if she’d come over and wrapped him in a big hug.

“And now I know what I’m going to do. Just like I know I need to quit hiding and face the loss of my buddy.” It hurt to say the words. To admit that he was ready to take that first step toward healing. It’d be like saying goodbye to Phil all over again. But he couldn’t have a future if he was stuck in the past.

He looked at Eden, and knew.

He wanted to make her his future.

* * *

E
DEN
WAS
SO
GLAD
she hadn’t stayed at the country club long enough to actually eat anything, because her stomach was doing all sorts of crazy backflips.

All her life, she’d wished for more. She’d blown out candles and watched for falling stars. She’d dreamed of what it’d be like to have her perfect life.

But today, she’d finally realized that all the wishing in the world didn’t matter. It was the doing that made the difference.

And she really, really loved doing Cade.

She took a deep breath, knowing she needed to confess everything before she lost her nerve. Or jumped his body. Her eyes ran over the sleek silken glow of his muscles again and her mouth started to water. The odds of both things happening were running pretty even at that moment.

“What you said the other night made me realize that I’ve spent years sitting idly by, waiting. Hoping that if I was good enough, nice enough, that everyone, someone,
anyone
would see that I was worthy.”

He looked like he wanted to argue as if the idea of her thinking that she was less than perfect simply pissed him off. Eden loved that about him. Loved how strongly he wanted to defend her.

“But you always saw me as worthy. Even when you hauled me out of trees or kept me from falling on my face, you made me feel like I was special. Even when all there was between us was a mutual street sign and a lot of rescues, you accepted me. So, now I’m through waiting,” she said, her heart pounding so loud she wouldn’t have been surprised if he could hear it. But it was beating with excitement, rather than fear. Because even if he turned her down, she’d have tried. She’d have given them her best shot.

“What’re you through waiting for?” he asked slowly. Clearly his training had clued him in that he might be in danger.

“I’m through waiting for all of my wishes to come true.” Eden took a deep breath, then walked over until she stood in front of him. Her fingers ached to touch, but she kept them at her sides.

“I realized today that I do make things happen. I made the right choices that led to opportunities, or the lack thereof. I might need to be rescued once in a while because I’m chasing the dream. But that’s okay, because I’m the one choosing to run after it,” she whispered.

His eyes gleamed, the smile starting to play at the corners of his mouth giving her a little encouragement.

“So what’re you planning to make happen next?”

“This,” she told him, launching herself into his waiting arms. Both hands cupping his cheeks, she ravaged his mouth. Cade, gentleman that he was, ravaged her right back.

“I love you,” she breathed against his mouth. For a split second, she wanted to grab the words back. To wait and see if he said them first. Then she lifted her chin and met his eyes. Nope. No waiting. Not any longer.

“I love you,” she repeated, her words strong and sure this time. “I want to give us a chance. I’ll spend time in San Diego, whether it’s once a year when you’re on leave or a few times a month if you’re doing training. Whatever you decide, for whatever reasons you see fit, I want to be there for you.”

For just a second, he looked shocked. Then a smile like she’d never seen—one filled with little-boy joy, delight and hope—split his face.

“I’d say we have one hell of a chance,” he decided, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to the couch where he settled with her tight in his arms. “Because I love you, too.”

Eden was pretty sure her heart stopped.

She stared, wide-eyed, for two breaths until it started again. Elation surged as she met his lips, their kiss as raw and honest as their declarations of love.

“Looks like my birthday wish came true,” she said when they came up for air.

“Yeah? The one about us having a lot of sex?” He pulled her more firmly onto his lap, the hard length of his erection pressing against her thigh, letting her know he couldn’t wait to start.

“I do like that part,” she agreed with a laugh, wriggling just a little to tease him. “But the part I’ve always wished for, even before sex with you, was to have my very own hero.”

Cade’s smile softened, his eyes warming hers as he pressed a kiss of promise against her lips.

“I’ll always be your hero.”

Epilogue

C
ADE
LAY
ON
THE
BED
, his hands crossed behind his head while he contemplated just how damned great his life was. It had been nine months since the infamous Spring Fling and he and Eden were as strong as ever together.

So strong, he actually believed in taking chances now instead of following the tried and true. In his jacket pocket was his mother’s engagement ring. His father had suggested he use it when he’d told Robert and Catherine that he was asking Eden to marry him.

Nerves danced for a second while he tried to decide how to ask. She’d say yes, wouldn’t she? Thanks to her partnership with Mia, she’d changed her veterinary schedule to spend a week or two each month with him in San Diego. He spent all of his breaks between training sessions here in Ocean Point with her. She’d even started working with pet-placement groups in Southern California. Those were good signs, right?

The nerves in his belly got a little more active.

“Blake and Alexia should be back from their honeymoon next week,” he said, grateful for the distraction when Eden stepped out of the bathroom, steam from her shower billowing around her. “You up for a week or two in San Diego? We’ll take them out to celebrate married life.”

“Maybe.”

He frowned in surprise at her response. Eden and Alexia had become pretty good friends. In fact, within a week of meeting her, Alexia had adjusted her wedding plans to include Eden as a bridesmaid.

So what was up?

Eden stopped at the foot of the bed, her worried frown driving everything from his mind.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, jackknifing into a sitting position. He knew her face, her every expression. She was scared. Anxious and happy all at the same time.

What the hell?

“Um, well, I think I— We broke something.”

Cade looked around. No damage.

He shifted to take in her body, from the top of her silky brown hair, over the tiny red nightie and down to the tips of her pale pink toes.

“What?”

Eden bit her lip, then, with the soft flesh still tight between her teeth, she held out a stick.

Cade looked at it, frowned and gave a shrug.

“What’s that?”

“It’s, um, a pregnancy test.”

What?
Cade’s gaze flew from the stick to her face and back again. Then it landed on her stomach, flat as ever under her silky nightgown.

“A condom broke?” he confirmed in an awed tone.

Wincing, she gave a little shrug, then nodded.

He threw back his head and laughed.

God, could life get any better?

Loving it, loving her, he leaped from the bed and swept Eden into his arms to spin her in a wide circle. On his second time around, he grabbed his jacket in one hand then dropped to the bed with Eden in his lap.

“Talk about accident prone,” she muttered.

“Babe, this isn’t an accident. This is a blessing, pure and simple.”

To prove it to her, he scooped the little velvet box out of the pocket, letting the jacket fall to the floor as he flipped the lid and held out the diamond.

Eden’s eyes widened, then went soft with so much love that Cade had to blink.

“Will you marry me?”

“Did you already know I was pregnant?” she asked in shock, reaching out to touch the ring with one unsteady finger before pulling her hand back.

“Nope. I knew I loved you. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.” Cade caught her hand in his, brought it to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles before twining his fingers with hers. “You being pregnant only adds to the perfection we’ve got together. It’s like a sign that I’m making all the right choices, that I’m living my life for my own dreams instead of trying to prove something to my father. Something to myself.”

Eden’s smile was a little shaky at the corners.

“I don’t expect you to give up being a SEAL. I know the BUDs training was just a temporary thing. I don’t want you to think you have to give up going back into Special Ops.”

Cade had to close his eyes for a second, he was so overcome by emotions. She was incredible.

“Babe, I love training. It’s like I was made for it. I love being stationary, able to come home to you every night. I love the idea of building a life together, of bringing a new life into the world with you.” He watched the worry fade from her dark gaze, then slid the ring on her finger before kissing her with all the love and passion he had in his heart. When she was breathless and limp, he pulled back to give her his most charming smile. “Bottom line, I love you.”

Eden’s laugh was so soft, it was more a puff of breath over his face than a sound. She cupped his face in both hands and kissed him again.

“My hero.”

* * * * *

A SEAL’s Salvation

Tawny Weber

1

Ten Years Before

“G
ENNA
,
YOU
’
RE
CRAZY
. You don’t have to do this.”

“Of course I do. You dared me.” Genna Reilly gave her best friend a wide-eyed look. The one she used whenever she wanted to appear extra sweet and innocent.

The sweet part was usually an act. The innocent part was pure truth, though. But fingers crossed, tonight was going to change that.

“I didn’t dare you. Dina did. You could just take the truth instead. C’mon, I’ll even ask a different question,” Macy said, her desperate tone matching the intense worry in her eyes. She grabbed both of Genna’s hands, hanging on tight as if her body weight could anchor her to this spot. Since Genna was a lean, mean five-ten and Macy topped out at five-two, as anchors went, the girl wasn’t very effective.

“That’s not how the game is played,” Genna said, carefully extricating her hands, not wanting to hurt Macy but desperately wanting to be gone already.

She’d had no idea tonight’s slumber party would turn wild. Oh, sure, the potential was there. That’s why they always had sleepovers at Dina’s, because her mom fell asleep by ten and didn’t do spot breathalyzer inspections like Genna’s dad. It was easy to sneak out and do fun things. Like play truth or dare.

She’d figured on a fun weekend with three of her best friends, one of the last leading up to graduation. But she’d had no idea it would be this fun.

She needed to do this. Now, while the anticipation was still zinging through her system, making her feel brave enough to take on the world. Or, in this case, to take down the sexiest bad boy of Bedford, California.

She wanted Brody Lane.

But he had practically made a career of ignoring her existence.