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“I don’t know, are we?” Laryn teased. She freaking loved this.

Banter had always been a part of her and Tate’s relationship, but if asked, she never would’ve guessed it would end up being one of the things she loved best about him.

Along with his loyalty, work ethic, morals, sense of humor… she could go on and on.

“We’re done,” Tate confirmed. “I’m going to be the best partner you’ve ever had.”

“You already are,” Laryn admitted.

Tate’s head dropped, and Laryn met him halfway, more than ready to feel him inside her.

What followed was one of the most intimate moments she’d ever had with another human being.

It wasn’t just that they were naked and making love, it was the way Tate looked at her as he slowly slid in and out of her soaking-wet body.

How he licked his lips sensually, the sounds he made as he watched himself take her .

The pride she saw in his eyes.

He was proud to be with her. Her . The tomboy with calluses on her palms and grease under her nails. The girl who’d been made fun of for not wanting to get her hair done instead of going to the track and spending hours in the heat and dust.

Tate made slow, sweet love to her, showing her with his actions that every word out of his mouth earlier had come from his heart. And after she begged him to speed up, to let her come, he reached between them and massaged her clit hard enough to make her immediately explode in pleasure.

Then and only then did he begin to fuck her.

As far as Laryn was concerned, that was still making love.

Tate never stopped staring at her with his heart in his eyes.

Was still very careful not to hurt her in any way as he was taking his own pleasure.

Knowing she could give this man, a man who in her eyes had everything—an amazing brother, a group of best friends who would literally go through hell to make sure he was safe, a great job, and the admiration of just about everyone he met—something no one else could…

the kind of love he needed…was overwhelming.

He groaned as he came. He held himself still as deep inside her as he could get, then suddenly fell on top of her.

Laryn grunted, then giggled.

He mumbled an apology but didn’t move off her, though at least he shifted his weight so he wasn’t crushing her anymore.

“That was…I have no words.”

“What? The great Night Stalker has no words?” Laryn teased as she ran her fingernails lightly up and down his sweaty back. She felt a little turned inside out herself, but also energized.

“You want words? I love you. Being inside you feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before. When your pussy flutters?—”

“Okay, that’s enough words,” Laryn said, interrupting him. She had a feeling she was blushing a bright pink .

He chuckled, and she could feel his belly contract against hers.

Then Tate brought a hand up to her forehead and smoothed her hair back. “Thank you. For trusting me to come for you. For not giving up. For being strong. For enduring. For simply being you. You’re my everything, Laryn Hardy. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

The feelings inside her were so big, she felt as if she would shatter into a million pieces. Thinking about what she’d endured sucked, but honestly, she’d go through it all again if it meant she ended up right here. In Tate’s apartment, his bed, his arms.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he returned. Then he pushed up, making sure to keep his hips locked against hers, his cock deep inside her body. “And you look amazing on my sheets.”

Laryn rolled her eyes. “You know that’s ridiculous, right?”

Tate shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But I can’t deny that things feel more solid now that I’ve claimed you in my bed.”

Laryn’s pussy spasmed around his semi-hard cock.

He grinned. “You like that I’m a caveman,” he crowed.

“Whatever,” she said, trying and failing to keep the grin off her lips.

“Like I said, you’re perfect for me. But I’m not as young as I used to be. How about we get up and get some breakfast, then you can have your way with me again?”

Laryn had never been super sexual, but suddenly she felt as if she couldn’t get enough of her man. She nodded, feeling shy again.

Tate stared down at her for a beat, then said, “I’m going to keep bringing up the idea of kids.

Don’t feel pressured. I just want to make sure to touch base with you about it now and then.

Make sure we’re both on the same page. When we decide we’re ready, you can go off the pill. We’ll see what happens. Okay?”

Laryn couldn’t keep the happy smile off her face. She liked that Tate wasn’t assuming she wanted to have babies immediately. She wasn’t ready yet, wasn’t sure when she would be. But she nodded. Then warned, “Even when we decide to have kids, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen right away.”

Tate grinned. “I’m good at everything I do. I have no doubt my sperm is up to the job. And reminder…twins run in my family.”

The thought of having babies with this man, twins at that, made Laryn’s ovaries go into overdrive.

All of a sudden, she was tempted to tell him she was ready now.

But that was lust talking. The reality was that their lives would change drastically once they decided to have kids.

“I’d love a set of twins,” she said softly. “Boys just like you and Nate.”

“Girls. So you can teach them to wield a wrench and they can get out and change our tires if need be.”

Laryn giggled.

“And…for the record…I hope you’ll someday make an honest man of me.

I don’t care if you change your last name to Davis, and I understand it might take some time for us to get to the point where we’re ready to get married, but that’s the end goal for me.

I’m not just talking about knocking you up without making things official between us.

Not that I care too much about that, but the benefits for you and our kids would be better if we were married. ”

Warmth spread throughout Laryn at hearing him declare his intentions. If it was up to her, she’d marry Tate today.

In response, she pressed on his shoulder and he dutifully rolled, keeping their hips locked together. It was an impressive move, but she shouldn’t have been surprised the cocky pilot could do it without any effort whatsoever.

She sat up, bracing her hands on his chest as she looked down at him. “When you’re ready, say the word. I’m yours.”

“Damn, I love hearing that from your lips,” he said with a satisfied smile .

“How about we forget breakfast,” Laryn suggested as she began to undulate her hips, stimulating his cock.

Tate inhaled sharply and his hands tightened on her hips, moving her the way he wanted.

“Who’s hungry anyway?” he asked, the last word ending on a groan when Laryn tightened her Kegel muscles around him. “Do that again,” he ordered.

She did, and just like that, the mushy man who’d declared his love and talked about babies was gone. He lifted her slightly and began to thrust up inside her from below. “Stay. Just. Like. That,” he grunted as he fucked her.

Laryn moaned and threw her head back as the man she loved stimulated nerve endings she didn’t even know she had.

The noises their bodies made as they came together were loud, and in any other case, with anyone else, would have probably embarrassed her.

But with Tate, nothing felt uncomfortable.

Besides, those noises were a direct result of the pleasure he was giving her, and that he was receiving in return. She couldn’t be embarrassed by that.

By the time they both came again, Laryn’s thighs were trembling and she felt like a wet noodle.

Tate pulled out, eased her onto her back, then scooted off the bed.

“Stay. Doze. I’ll get breakfast started.

When you feel like it, come on out.” He kissed her gently on the lips, then headed for his closet.

While in there, he casually mentioned that he was going to make room for her stuff later that afternoon.

Laryn turned onto her side and smiled at the thought of her clothes mixed with Tate’s.

He came out, still completely naked, and smirked at her.

“Put some clothes on, naked boy,” she teased.

“Why? I like when my woman checks me out.”

“I’m not checking you out,” she lied.

He lifted one of his brows, giving her a “sure you aren’t” look. Then he stood in the doorway of his closet for a long moment, not moving toward the bathroom or doing anything other than simply staring at her.

“What?” she asked, wondering what he was thinking.

“Just enjoying the sight of you in my bed. Even if we’re together for another seventy years, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.” Finally, he headed for the door, leaving Laryn almost breathless behind him.

She closed her eyes and thanked her lucky stars that she was right where she was.

That Altan hadn’t gotten his way. That Tate and his friends had been able to find her.

That, even though there was some mental stuff she was still dealing with because of what happened, not feeling safe wasn’t one of her triggers.

Because with Tate, she had no doubt whatsoever that she was as safe as she could get.

Turning onto her back, she stared at the ceiling.

She was sore between her legs—Tate wasn’t a small man, after all—and she was still tired, which was a feeling she knew wouldn’t go anywhere anytime soon, with all the work she had in front of her getting another MH-60 up to snuff for Tate. But she was content.

Many people wouldn’t understand. They’d think because she’d been kidnapped and mentally and physically tortured, that she’d be jumpy. On edge. But she wasn’t. Off-kilter a little, sure, but knowing she was loved went a long way toward healing her heart and her head.

Her belly suddenly growled, reminding Laryn that it was past the time she usually ate.

Smiling, eager to see what Tate was making them for breakfast, she made herself get out of bed.

She grabbed one of Tate’s ARMY T-shirts and pulled it over her head.

Maybe after they ate, they could try out the shower…

together. It would be a tight fit, it wasn’t really meant for two. But that was all right with her.

Making a mental note that any house they ended up in needed a ginormous shower they could share, Laryn headed out of the bedroom toward the bathroom.

Life was good. Even if it didn’t always go the way you wanted, when you wanted it to, it was still what you made of it…

how you dealt with the blows you were given and how you treated others.

Her dad had taught her that. And while Laryn had questioned his advice many times in her life, she realized her old man had always known exactly what he was talking about.