“You’re in luck then,” I reply.

“Why’s that?”

“It turns out that I’m former military.”

“Is that so?” I nod. “Well, you might just have some potential then.” She picks up her wineglass and takes a sip. Her response to me has been a relief, but I didn’t come down here so we could dance around the topic.

“Can we talk?” I ask.

She sighs and says, “Yeah. Just let me make sure my mom gets home and we can go somewhere quiet.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, honey,” Mrs. Montgomery says. “I drove, so you go ahead with Bryce and I’ll head home by myself.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go.” She waves her hands at her in a shooing motion. Elizabeth hugs her and I hear her say, “I know you’re behind this.” I throw some cash on the bar and guide Elizabeth to the exit. As we’re walking out the door, I turn over my shoulder and mouth a thank you to her mom. I owe her big for this.

Once we’re in my car, I turn to her. “Where to? I’ve got a hotel room not far away. Or we can go to your house, or a coffee shop, I don’t care.” And now I’m rambling. Shut up, Daniels.

“Let’s go to your hotel room. Hank probably won’t be too thrilled with you coming over.” Hank? Who the hell is Hank? My face must say it all because she continues. “I got a dog about a week ago. He doesn’t like strangers.”

“Good to know.” I try for casual, but I know she’s not buying it.

The twenty-minute car ride is quiet. It’s a little awkward, but I’m thankful that she’s willing to talk to me. I walk her to my room, unlock it, and hold the door open for her. “This is nicer than the rooms we’d been staying in,” I joke.

“Yeah,” she says with a small laugh. “Much better.” She comes in and has a look around, stopping at the sofa against the far wall.

The silence stretches out between us and I can’t take it anymore. It’s either now or never. I’m just going to lay out all my cards and hope she picks them up.

I walk over to the couch until I’m standing in front of her. “God, Elizabeth, I don’t even know where to begin. I’m so sorry that I lied to you. I regret that every day, but you have to understand that when I was sent in to do that job, I never imagined that I would meet the woman of my dreams. A woman that would occupy every waking thought and appear in all my dreams. I fell for you hard, and there was no way to put my feelings for you on hold while all the shit was sorted out. I miss you so goddamn much it hurts. I need you, sweetheart.”

A lone tear rolls down her face. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss you too. I’ve been completely miserable. It’s just so hard. Every time I think about you I want to call you Alex. Then all the feelings of hurt and betrayal resurface.”

“I know, and I’m so god damn sorry.”

“I was constantly lied to by Cal, and I refuse to be in that situation again. Then I didn’t even hear the truth from you. I heard it from someone else right after I had just killed my husband. It was a lot to take in.”

“I get it, trust me, I do. But can you honestly say that I’m anything like that monster you were married to?” She shakes her head. “You’re my better half, the one that makes me a good man. I wouldn’t hide things from you unless it was necessary. And when I’m undercover, it’s necessary. Everything else is all yours. I’m all yours.” Cupping her face in my hands, my thumb wipes away her tear. I rest my forehead against hers. “Say you’ll forgive me. Give us another chance, Elizabeth. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I don’t know. I’m having a hard time getting over the fact that you used me.” She shuts her eyes.

“Please, look at me,” I say softly. When she does, I continue. “Think about it. If I was using you, would I still be chasing you?” She doesn’t answer me, just looks me over some more. “Please believe what I’m saying to you. Let me back in.” I pull away from her slightly and hold my breath waiting for her answer.

She nods and chokes out, “Okay.” I can’t hold back another second. My lips crash against hers in a demanding kiss. As soon as our mouths connect, I feel at home again. I savor the sweet taste of her lips having gone too long without it. Our tongues dance together, eliciting a moan from me. Soon, our hands are all over one another, each just as frantic as the other. There’s no time for foreplay, we’ll do that later. I need to be inside her right now.

Stripping off all of our clothes, I take a step back to admire her body. She moans in protest when our lips disconnect, but I have to look at her. Her chest rises and falls with her quickening breath as I map out every inch of her with my eyes. I run a finger over her collarbone, down her right breast, causing her nipple to harden, then down her flat stomach toward her center. Her heat hits me the closer I get and I can’t wait to feel her wrapped around me again. “Damn, sweetheart, every inch of you is perfection.” She bites her lip and that’s my undoing. I back her up until she’s up against the wall.

Without missing a beat, I lift her up and her long legs wrap securely around my waist. “Hang on tight. This is going to be hard and fast.” Her arms wrap tighter around my neck as I position the head of my erection at her entrance. Entering her slowly, her eyes close and her head tilts back. I take advantage and place kisses up and down her neck. Once I’m buried deep inside her, I move a couple times in and out slowly. “You good?” I ask against her neck. It’s been a while and I don’t want to hurt her, but I’m hanging by a thread here.

“Yes, harder,” she pants out. I quicken the pace, slamming into her over and over. The only sounds are of our breathing, moaning, and skin slapping together. “Oh, God, Bryce. I’m going to come!” she yells out. Hearing her use my name for the first time almost has me coming on the spot. It’s the hottest damn thing I’ve ever heard.

“Do it. Come for me.” I push into her harder, sending her over the edge. Her nails dig into my shoulders as she screams out with her release. I slow down to allow her to ride out the final waves of her orgasm before I’m falling over the cliff with her. I push inside of her as deep as I can go before letting go. My head rests on her shoulder as I attempt to steady my accelerated breathing.

“I love you, Bryce.” She says it so quietly, so vulnerably. Almost like it’s a confession. Either way, hearing those four words makes me feel like the luckiest bastard in the world.

Pulling back, I look into her eyes. “I love you too, Elizabeth. Forever.”

6 MONTHS LATER . . .

LIFE DOESN’T GET much better than this. After reuniting with Elizabeth that first night, things moved pretty quickly between us. We got a place together close to my work in Virginia Beach. She started teaching and loves it, which makes me happy seeing her do something she’s passionate about. I will say that if my ninth grade English teacher looked like her, I’d have never missed a day of class. I’m sure she’s every horny teenager’s fantasy.

And now I’m here. Standing at the end of a long aisle waiting for my bride to join me where we’ll say our vows and be united as one forever. Six months might not seem like a long time, but when you know, you know. I’d waited my whole life for her, and I couldn’t wait to make her Mrs. Daniels.

We’re getting married in a small church in her home town. It’s a very small ceremony with only our immediate family present. There are no bridesmaids or groomsmen, just the two of us. I remember picking up a bunch of wedding magazines on my way home from work one day for her, thinking she’d want to start using them to plan.

“I don’t need any of this,” she says as she pushes them away.

“What do you mean?” My heart starts to accelerate afraid she’s getting cold feet.

“I don’t want a grand wedding. I want something small and intimate. My entire life has been built on elaborate lies. I want this to be minimal, stripped down to the truth. Just you and me up there promising ourselves to each other in this life and the next.”