Chapter 13

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Chad

"So I think this is the part where I tell you if you hurt my sister, I'll kill you."

I snort, my eyes completely focused on my wife across the table as she visits with Shayne and Cassie.

My wife .

I wasn't sure I'd ever hear those words when referring to Faith, but I'm damn glad I do.

"This is a little surprising, Chad, even for you." When I look his way, he continues, "Not that I'm knocking it, really. I'm just surprised. The last time we talked about Faith, you kept insisting you two were only friends. You didn't want to drag a relationship around with you while you did your job, wherever that would take you."

"I know what I said," I counter with a little extra irritation. "But I don't know, man. I just… love her." I tell her regularly, but I don't think she understands the true extent of it.

"And I get that too. It's funny how much your life changes when you find love."

I glance his way, even though I know his line of sight is exactly where mine was moments ago. Well, not exactly. He's looking at Shayne, the softest smile playing on his lips. "Have you two set a date?"

He nods. "We actually just decided on the plane ride over here. You've got seven months to complete your deployment and get your ass back home. I'm not doing this without you by my side."

A lump forms in my throat. "I'd be honored."

He looks my way and holds my gaze for a few seconds before replying, "It wouldn't be right without you, so get your time off request in now."

Chuckling, I reply, "Yes, sir."

"Sir. I like that," he retorts. We held the same rank until I relocated to California, and I've never called him sir.

"Don't get used to it. I technically outrank you now," I tease with a grin.

"Semantics," he says with a casual wave of his hand.

Before I can reply, I watch as the two moms—mine and Faith's—approach her. She stands up and listens to whatever they're saying before looking my way. There's a hint of uncertainty in her gorgeous green eyes, and I don't like it. Quickly, I stand and head their way.

"What's up?" I ask, my hand wrapping around her waist and drawing her against my side.

"We were just telling Faith it's time for you two to retreat to your hotel room," my mom announces, a mischievous look on her face.

"And I told them it wasn't necessary," Faith quickly adds. "You're leaving tomorrow. This is the last night with your family before you go." There's no missing the sadness in her voice. It reaches into my soul and squeezes.

"It's very necessary. You two are just starting your lives together, and it should be celebrated," her mom, Beth, states with a slight blush.

My cock jumps eagerly in my pants at the thought of celebrating .

Just as I open my mouth, my mom says, "We're going sightseeing. We'd love to check out this beautiful small town where you'll both be making your home for a while." She turns to Faith, takes her hand in hers, and adds, "We want you two to have one night together before my son leaves. You both deserve that much. We'll be ready in the morning to accompany you to the base for the family farewell." My mom's eyes fill with tears, which she blinks away. "Until then, we don't want to see either of you."

"That's right," Beth chimes in. "Go. Enjoy your night together. Who knows, maybe we'll get a grandbaby out of it."

That seems to perk my mom up right away. "Oh! Wouldn't that be something?" she gushes, making Faith blush even more.

"All right, that's enough. I'm going to take my wife up to our hotel room and spend the evening with her," I state, taking her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. "Let's all meet down in the lobby at 0500. That'll give us time to get you all checked in on the base and to the gathering point."

"Sounds good," my dad states.

It takes us a few minutes to say our goodbyes to everyone, but as soon as we do, I'm ushering my wife toward the elevator. I allow her to push the Call button, mostly because my hands are occupied. I have one wrapped around her right one and the other on her waist. My fingers dance across the material of her dress, needing to feel connected to her.

Anchored to her.

The moment we step inside the car, and she presses the button for our floor, the air turns thick with desire. A heavy hum races through my veins as I turn to face her. Slowly, I back her against the wall, pinning her in place. Her eyes darken with need, her breath quickening. She licks her lips, a simple action that causes my cock to harden fully.

Just as I move to kiss her, the elevator chimes with the arrival to our floor. As much as I'd love to take her in my arms and kiss the hell out of her, the elevator probably isn't the best place for that. With a little extra bounce in my step, I guide her from the car and down the hall to the room. I have the key card out and slide it over the handle as soon as we arrive, waiting impatiently for that damn light to turn green. It only takes a moment to change, but it feels like a lifetime. Especially because I know it's the only thing holding me back from being alone with Faith.

My wife.

We slip inside the hotel room, and the electricity crackles around us. I drop her hand and throw the key card onto the dresser before turning and staring. She's so fucking beautiful, she takes my breath away.

Faith clears her throat and fidgets with her hands. I can feel uncertainty rolling off her in waves. Reaching out, I take her hands in mine and bring them to my lips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she quickly blurts before clearing her throat once again. "I'm just… I guess I'm a little nervous."

"Why?" I ask, sliding my mouth across the softness of her knuckles.

"Uhh, things are… different now," she all but whispers.

"The only difference is we're married now. We've been here before."

She nods, her eyes dilate as she watches me kiss her skin. As I turn her hands over, I hear her gasp as my tongue slips out and glides across the pulse-point on her right wrist.

"What do you want to do?" I ask, feeling her shudder as I slide my fingers up her palm and link them with hers.

"I don't… What do you want to do?" A nervous Faith is quite something. I've only ever known her to be direct and blunt, taking what she wants.

I stop what I'm doing and meet her gaze. "Honesty?"

"Always."

"I want to make love to my wife."

The softest whimper slips from her lips as I pull her toward me, wrapping my arms around her body and feeling her pressing against me.

"What do you want, Faith?" I whisper, my lips dancing close to the shell of her ear.

"I want that too."

My body simultaneously tightens with need and relaxes in relief. Leaning forward, I brush my mouth against hers, reveling in the moment. I release her hands and gently cup her cheeks, slowly sliding them up and into her hair. The long, dark brown locks slip through my fingers as I deepen the kiss. Our tongues glide together, and I can feel her gripping my dress shirt.

"Faith?" I murmur, refusing to pull my lips from hers.

"Yes?"

"You look absolutely stunning in this dress," I tell her, my thumb trailing down the slender column of her neck and leaving goose bumps in its wake. "But I can't wait to see it off you."

She giggles the sweetest sound. "Likewise. I've never seen you look better than you do in your dress blues," she informs me, reaching down and tugging the bottom of my shirt from my pants as I shrug out of my coat.

My cock jumps with the eagerness of a virgin.

When she reaches for the buttons on my shirt, I grasp her hands gently and bring them to my mouth for a kiss. "Let me savor this moment. If I'm not going to get to see you like this for up to six months, I'm going to need to create a lot of memories tonight, beautiful. I want to memorize everything."

She pulls back and stands there in her dress. "Do you want to do the honors, or shall I?"

My brain practically short-circuits. On one hand, I most definitely want to do the honors, but on the other, the thought of watching her take off her wedding dress—just for me—has me so hard, I can barely breathe.

Moving to the chair in the corner of the room, I take a seat and try to adjust the discomfort in my groin. I kick my feet up on the footrest, raise my eyebrows suggestively, and wave my hand. "Proceed." When she reaches for the zipper running along her side, I add, "Slowly, beautiful. Make it hurt."

As if understanding my request and knowing how difficult it's going to be for me to just sit and watch her undress, she grins widely and nods.

The release of the zipper is somehow louder than the drum pounding in my chest and the blood swooshing in my ears. My eyes are riveted to her side where she painstakingly slowly drops the zipper, revealing a sliver of her soft flesh. My dick jumps. It actually kicks, trying to get closer to her.

She slips the straps of her dress off her shoulders. Holding her chest, she slides her arms out of the straps and lets them hang. Then, she starts to shimmy out of the bodice, taking her sweet-ass time, just like I requested. Between the pounding in my chest and the pain in my groin, she's definitely achieving what I requested. Sitting here, not touching her, watching her undress, fucking hurts.

The dress slips past her magnificent tits, and thanks to the fact she's not wearing a bra, I get an eyeful instantly. A groan slips from my mouth, and I have to force myself to remain seated. Faith grins, a knowing, naughty little smirk, as she continues to push the dress past her hips and onto the floor.

"Fucking hell," I mutter, taking in the exquisite sight before me, as I run my hand down my face.

My wife is wearing nothing but a tiny white scrap of lace, one which barely covers her pussy.

She reaches down and steps out of her dress, giving me more than I bargained for. But it's like that every time. She's so much more than I anticipated, every step of the way. As she collects the white dress, she turns, giving me the perfect view of her bare ass. The image of her bent over, wearing nothing but a white thong, is one of the many recollections I'll carry with me in deployment.

One of the many I'll think about as I do my job in hopes of rushing back home to her.

"What do you think, Mr. Anthony?" she croons, her sultry voice dripping over my heated body like honey.

"Fucking beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the world," I tell her, feasting on the sight of her. "Come 'ere."

With a sexy little grin, she takes three steps my way.

"Leave the heels on," I insist, reaching for her hand.

She straddles my lap, her knees barely fitting between me and the sides of the chair. "Anxious to get to the good stuff, I see," she replies, grinding her pussy against my rock-hard cock.

"You're every man's wildest fantasy," I tell her.

Especially mine.

She leans forward and presses her mouth to mine. "I don't need to be every man's. Just yours."

My eyes burn with the heat of a thousand suns as I gaze at the only woman I'll ever love. When words finally cross my lips, they're hoarse and raspy. "I'm yours. Always."

Her mouth sears me, branding me with her touch instantly as my hands move to the globes of her ass. The kiss immediately turns ravenous. Her hands dive between us, grappling for my belt and ripping open my trousers. I can feel the heat of her pussy hovering over me, and any speck of control I once held on to flies straight out the window.

Somehow, I lift my hips, completely ignoring the bite of her heels digging into my legs as she lowers my pants enough to free my cock. Before I can sit back down, her hands are wrapped around me, fisting my dick, stroking gently.

"This wasn't what I had in mind for making love to my wife," I say through gritted teeth.

Faith shrugs her delicate shoulders. "Next time," she insists, pulling her panties to the side and slowly lowering herself onto me.

"Wait. Condom," I grumble.

She pauses when the head of my cock is wrapped in her tight, wet heat. "I'm on the pill, Chad. And I've been tested before for, you know."

A loud groan pulls from my gut as I close my eyes, trying to just breathe through the pleasure. "I'm clean too, baby. I swear. I'd never risk you."

"Then make love to me without anything between us."

That's all it takes to snap the last thread of my control. I thrust upward gently, filling her completely in one stroke. Our combined moans of pleasure fill the room and spur me on. With my hands on her hips, I pump, letting my body set the pace. Faith meets me stroke for stroke, grinding down on me and chasing her own release. Her pussy tightens, and I know she's close already.

Releasing my lips, she sits up and bounces. Fucking takes me on the ride of my life, leading me straight toward the edge of the mountain. I follow willingly too, ready to dive off the cliff into the unknown.

I'll go anywhere with her.

With her hands on my chest, I watch as her orgasm grabs hold. Her back arches, her eyes flutter closed, and her body tightens as she convulses around me. Her release washes over her, taking me right along with it. I grip her hips tightly and pump into her. I come hard, waves of euphoria slamming into me like the surf on the shore.

"Holy shit," Faith mutters, collapsing against my chest, trying to catch her breath.

My brain can't even properly form a response. All I can do is grunt.

"That was an interesting version of making love," she quips, kissing the underside of my chin.

My arms tighten around her, holding her close. "Anytime we're intimate like this, it's making love, beautiful. And later, when I'm eating you out, watching you suck my cock, taking you from behind and seeing your ass turn red from my hand… everything, that's making love too."

She shivers against me, her pussy convulsing around my dick. "Sounds like a long night."

"I plan on using every minute I have with you, love. I can sleep on the plane," I state, only feeling slightly guilty about my plan to keep her up all night.

She doesn't complain, though, just cuddles against me more. My hand slides down her sweaty back and traces the edge of her thong. Her very stretched, distorted thong that'll definitely need to be ditched after tonight.

"Where did you get this?" I ask, kissing her shoulder and still trying to slow my racing heart.

"At a little boutique near where I got the dress."

"I was pleasantly surprised. Feel free to shop there again. Though, maybe wait until I'm returning," I state, realizing I'm not at all joking. The thought of anyone else seeing her in a white, lace thong has me ready to fight.

We sit together, her smaller frame tucked securely around me, and just breathe each other in. After a few minutes, she murmurs, "My legs are starting to fall asleep."

Smiling, I kiss the top of her head. "This is gonna be messy."

Her giggle vibrates through me. "I think you're right."

"We'll definitely need a shower," I state, wishing my pants weren't around my knees right now. Otherwise, I'd just stand and take us to the bathroom.

A wicked gleam fills her eyes. "And then we can get dirty all over again."

She has no idea how much tonight—today, really—has meant to me. When I said my vows, it was with only her and our future together in mind. All I have to do is make it through the next handful of months, and then I get to come back to her. It's going to be hell, don't get me wrong, but knowing she's here, waiting for me, is all the inspiration I need to do everything in my power to make sure I return safely.

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed, but it's what will keep me moving forward.

Every day that passes is one more closer to her.

Trying not to get too far ahead of myself and committing to staying in the moment, I push all thoughts of what happens tomorrow out of my mind. I have one night with my wife, and I plan to use every second.

All sorts of naughty ideas fill my mind, and my chuckle is low and gravelly. "I'm looking forward to it, beautiful. Tonight, you're all mine."