Page 95 of Operation K-9 Brothers

“Jack,” she said again, her voice quieter this time.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.“I love you so damn much.”She was the half that made him whole, the balm that soothed his soul.

It still scared him that he’d almost lost her.Maybe they were meant to be, though.They’d only met because of a twist of fate, because she’d drunk dialed a wrong number.Yeah, meant to be.He liked that.

“Pardon?”he said, his gaze on Nichole.

She was on the floor, playing with the puppy, wearing nothing but one of his T-shirts, and he was having trouble paying attention.The hem of his shirt was bunched up around her thighs, leaving her long legs on display, and all he could think about was those legs wrapped around him while he was deep inside her.

“Where’s your mind, Jack?”

“Huh?”He jerked his gaze up to hers.

She rolled her eyes as she laughed.“I asked if you think we can find a good home for Maggie May?”

Maggie May had the end of one of Dakota’s tug ropes in her mouth, growling as she tried to steal it away from Nichole.Dakota sat close by, her attention focused on the puppy, reminding him of a mother keeping an eye on her rambunctious child.

“We already have,” he said, coming to a decision.At Nichole’s raised brows, he shrugged.“I’m keeping her, at least for now.She might make a good therapy dog, and if that doesn’t prove true, Dakota can have her.”

“Oh, Jack.That’s great.”She let go of the tug rope, and Maggie May tumbled backward, landing on her butt.Nichole laughed as she leaned over and kissed the puppy’s nose.“Silly girl.”

“I’m not sure Dakota would let me give her away even if I wanted to.”

Nichole pushed up, and then moved to sit on the sofa next to him.She shifted to face him, tucking her legs under her.“So you’re going to train therapy dogs?That’s just awesome.”

“I am.”He rested his hand on her knee.“I acted like a jerk when I got the news from the doctor, and I’ll say it again, I’m sorry for that.From the time I woke up in the hospital, my one and only goal was to get back to my team.When the doctor told me my arm and shoulder would never get back to normal, I couldn’t see my future, and I felt useless.What did I have to offer you?Nothing.”

“That’s not true.”

He smiled.“I know that now.At the time, though, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and I got it in my head that you deserved better.I thought I was doing you a favor by driving you away.”

“Don’t ever do that again.”She straddled him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stared hard at him.“Don’t ever shut me out again.If you do, I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive you a second time.You get something stupid in your head like that again, you talk to me.”

“I promise.”It was a promise he would never break since he never wanted to go through life without her by his side.Also, was it too soon to ask her to marry him?“So, what happens now?”

“With what?”

He pointed at her, and then at himself.“You and me.I want to wake up with you every morning.”

“I’d like that, too.The problem is that my house is too small for you, me, Rambo, Dakota, and Maggie May, but that’s where my studio is, and I work late at night sometimes.”

“Did you know SEALs are masters at solving problems?”And this was one he was going to solve fast.

“Are they now?”

He nodded, liking the way she was looking at him, as if she was about to get naughty.

“So, if I told you I had a problem with a little itch I needed scratched, you could—”

“On it!”He carried his laughing girl to his bedroom, the one that would soon betheirs.