Beautiful Dreams (The Beautiful Series) (10 page)

“Oh, you know, a little of this and a little of that,” I replied nonchalantly, not wanting to give away any hints.

His eyes looked around as we strode through the kitchen and the living room. He inhaled deeply with a perplexed expression on his face. “You’ve been cleaning?” he asked. “I thought you were working today.”

“I did, but I finished my epilogue early,” I said. I noticed Kyle’s confused looked, so I elaborated. “It’s the very end of the book. I had some free time after that, so I cleaned.”

“I see that.” He laughed and paused at the door frame leading to his bedroom. “But you know, Lily, I don’t expect you to do any of that. I have Diane to help with all the household chores,” he said softly.

“Yes, I know.” I shrugged. “But I wanted to because I like to clean. It helps me unwind.”

“Okay, if you want to.” His voice was full of understanding.

The corner of his mouth lifted in an adorable way, drawing my eyes to it.

“Damn. I bet I missed you rockin’ out and shaking that perfect ass of yours while you danced, too, huh?” His eyes got that sexy look in them, and his hands pulled me closer.

“Yep.” I winked, laughing.

He always had such an interesting perspective and choice of words.

“But no distracting me!” I said as I wiggled out of his hold. I took his arms and led him farther into the room.

Kyle trailed along as I guided him into the bathroom. Once he caught sight of the candles, I heard his sharp intake of breath. I let him walk past me to take in the full effect of the scenery before him.

With the dimmed lights, the candles reflected off the acrylic tub, water, and surrounding tiles. A light haze of steam filled the air from the hot water. I could smell his favorite shampoo as I inhaled. I quietly came up behind him and placed my arms in between each of his, putting my palms flat on his chest and hugging him, while rising up on my tiptoes.

He put his hands on top of mine while tilting his head to the side. “You did all of this for me?” he breathed.

“Of course,” I said reassuringly. My hands trailed across his firm chest to the center of his dress shirt. I started with the top button and leisurely made my way down to the last one. My hands glided between the edges of his shirt and his upper chest.

“I wanted to do something special for you after your first day back to work.” I slipped off his shirt, unbuckled his belt, and then lowered the zipper of his slacks. I could feel his labored breathing with the rise and fall of his chest pushing against my forearms.

“I was sorta pressed for time.” After I slid his pants to the floor, his black briefs were the only clothing that remained. “But I remembered bathing with you in this Jacuzzi of yours during my first visit, and I thought of how much I would love to do it again.”

Kyle spun around to gaze at me. My heart warmed at the tender look in his eyes.

“Coming home to you every single day, Lily, is more than enough for me.” He softly kissed me once. “The rest of this”—he gestured around the room—“is just an added bonus. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I responded against his lips.

Seconds later, with his gentle touch, his hands started to remove each article of clothing from my body. I rid him of his briefs before we each stepped into the tub. My cool skin came into contact with the warm water and powerful jets. I sighed deeply in pure satisfaction.

Kyle sat down and pulled me up and over his lap with my back to his chest. I closed my eyes, absorbing the feel of his bare skin against mine. We had only been apart for eight hours, but for some reason, it felt like eight long days. His hands traveled up the length of my arms and then rubbed my shoulders. I moaned at the heavenly sensation.

“How was your day?” he asked.

I wrapped my hands around his outer thighs for balance. “It was productive and quiet.”

“You mean to tell me that Harley let you work in peace?” he asked with humor.

“Yep. He followed me around here and there, but other than that, he was a bum all day.” I laughed. “Except when I was running around, trying to get this bathroom ready. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m borderline crazy.”

Kyle chuckled. “I bet. He’s not used to that much excitement. Did you use the loft again today?”

“Yep,” I said with a smile. “I’m definitely adopting that room as my official writing cave.”

“I’m glad it’s being put to use. I’ve only been up there a few times since I built the house,” he murmured. His hands skimmed down my abdomen and across to either of my sides, holding me in place.

We fell into a comfortable silence, relishing each other and the warmth of the water. I closed my eyes, thinking that this, right here, was one of the many parts of our relationship I cherished. Being in one another’s arms was all that we seemed to need. The rest of the world had a way of fading into the background every time we were together.

My eyes flickered open at the sound of Kyle’s low voice.

“You once asked me where I got the scars on my upper arm,” he said and then hesitated.

His body was coiled with tension, and his tone was so different than I had ever heard before. It felt distant. My lips parted, but I held my breath
.

He is finally going to let me in
.

“On May 3, 2010, at seven fifteen, I was in Afghanistan in the Paktika Province. A Pakistani shot a 107-millimeter rocket from mountain range to my base. Twenty-two seconds after it was launched from an improvised rail system, it impacted three and a half feet from where I was standing in the gym.”

My pulse hammered in my veins. I was overwhelmed with sadness from what he’d experienced.

“I blacked out and then regained consciousness as the medics were carrying me to the treatment medical clinic, Oregon East. While two Black Hawks were en route to take me to a larger hospital, we began taking more direct fire from our enemy combatants. By the defense of my men, I was able to get medevac priority to another forward operating base in Bagram. It was a bigger base with better medical equipment.”

Tears were flowing freely down my face.

He continued, “My injuries were assessed. Blood was running down my face from shrapnel that had penetrated just above my right eye. I sustained shrapnel to both arms, and a piece even went all the way through my leg. That was excruciatingly painful as the doctors began to suture me up. I also had L1 to L3 nerve damage.

“Two days later, my oxygen levels were decreasing at an extremely fast rate, so they priority medevaced me to a larger hospital. I stayed for a total of one week before flying home for physical therapy, so I could learn to walk again.”

He let out a deep breath, and I couldn’t take not seeing his face anymore. I spun around to lie on my stomach with his arms now wrapped around my back.

“You never know when it’s your time, but I plan to live my life to the fullest every day. And by the grace of God, I am still here today, alive and healthy and in love,” he said with such conviction in his voice.

My chest constricted unbearably. I ran my hand across his collarbone, trying to soothe him. “I’m glad you are okay now. I can only imagine how long of a journey to recovery that was for you and how hard you must have worked to regain your health,” I said quietly.

He lifted his hand and stroked it down my hair. “Some days, I wanted to give up, to hide away, and let misery consume me, but I fought back, battling my own body to get stronger again. It was a long road, but I proved to myself that anything is possible.”

“Yes, you did. I admire your bravery for serving our country and for overcoming such physical injuries,” I said sincerely. “You’re a good man, Kyle.”

“Thank you,” he replied. An affectionate small smile spread from the corners of his lips. “I’m glad I fought through it all because I truly believe my past led me straight to you.”

I wondered if that had been the last of his military days. I wasn’t exactly sure what he’d meant by his past leading him to me. “Was that your final tour overseas?” I asked, only to immediately regret my question.

His body tensed beneath mine, and his hand stilled at my nape. “No,” he replied carefully. “I went back for six more months of service after I recovered.”

“Oh,” I whispered, pondering over his renewed apprehensiveness. I was unsure if I should ask my next question, but I couldn’t seem to hold back. I was curious on the time gaps from him going back into the Army until he’d come home. I wanted to understand. “What made you finally retire from the Army then?”

His sigh and quietness told me all I needed to know. There was more. The reserved look in his eyes confirmed my suspicions not to pry any further.

“You don’t have to tell me any more if you feel uncomfortable.” I leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Thank you for sharing your story with me.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Lily. You deserve to know my past.” Kyle put his hands on my shoulders with his eyes locked on mine. “And I will share the rest with you, but that is all I can bear for one day.”

“Okay,” I replied. I kissed him gently, pouring my thanks from my lips to his. “I can live with that.”

After our bath and drying off, we each found clean clothes in our dresser.

“What do you want for dinner?” Kyle asked.

I turned to face him while pulling his Army T-shirt that he’d given me a few weeks ago over my head. I loved to sleep in the soft cotton material, especially knowing that it was his. There was just something sexy about wearing my man’s clothes.

“Whatever we can find in the kitchen works for me,” I answered. Then, it occurred to me that I should have made him dinner. “I guess I should have cooked something.” I walked over to him and stopped at his side.

He embraced me, drawing me close into his body, and he nuzzled my neck. “You don’t have to cook for us, Lily.” He chuckled teasingly. “I can help out when I get home, too.”

“Well then, let’s go find something to eat before you starve.”

I leaned forward on my toes, and he came closer to kiss me. As we parted, I grinned.

Kyle drew back his hand and tapped me on my rear end. “Yes. Food, woman, before I starve,” he demanded playfully.

I rolled my eyes while stifling my laughter. “Yes, dear.” I winked and then strode off to find something quick to make for us to eat.

Once in the kitchen, I looked in the fridge and found a thawed package of ground Italian sausage. Since I figured biscuits and gravy would not take long, I found a large skillet to heat the sausage. Then, I started to make some fresh biscuits from scratch. As I mixed the ingredients in a large bowl with a spoon, Kyle walked in and leaned over my shoulder to see what I was cooking.

“Biscuits and gravy?” he asked with interest. “Is it from the same recipe you made me once before?”

“Yes, it was one of my mother’s favorite recipes,” I answered.

“Mmm, I can’t wait to have it again.”

“Me, too.” I smiled.

He lifted his hand to sweep the hair off my neck, and he kissed my bare skin. “I definitely can’t trade you. I’d miss your cooking skills way too much,” he said teasingly. “You’re stuck with me for life.”

I laughed. “You were already stuck with me since you moved me all the way across the United States,” I said jokingly.

“True.” He chuckled while still nuzzling my nape. “Now, all I have left to do is make you my wife.”

Marriage?
My body felt paralyzed with nerves. I was pretty sure my heart stopped. My hand loosened its hold on the spoon. It hit the side of the glass bowl with a loud thunk.

Kyle’s hands came to my arms, and he spun me around to look at him. His eyes instantly landed on my face, gauging my response.

Marriage?
I could not seem to make my brain process that loaded word.

“You’re not going to faint on me, are you?” he asked with a serious tone, his worried eyes never breaking contact with mine. “Lily?”

I shook my head, unable to make any words leave my mouth.

“I’m not asking you now…” He paused, hesitating. “But by your reaction, I am damn curious to know now. You do foresee us getting married someday, don’t you?”

“I…” I started, stalling.
Do I want to get married? No. I mean, yes. Someday. Shit. This is all still so new to me. We have only been living together for a few days.
“Yes…I think so. Honestly, marriage is only one of those faraway thoughts,” I said, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

But it was too late. My heart swelled painfully in my chest at his wounded expression.

“Think so?” he asked, his tone slightly lower, as he took a small step backward.

Shit, he looks pissed.
“Kyle, before meeting you only a short time ago, no, I didn’t plan on ever getting married,” I said, hoping like hell I was voicing my feelings correctly. “Now, things have changed, but that doesn’t mean I want to get married next week.”

Kyle nodded his head in anything but agreement. After what seemed like hours, he took a slow, deliberate step toward me. He reached his hand up to gently grasp the tip of my chin. He tilted my head up to meet his intense gaze, and I was struck all over again by the ache and hurt in his eyes.

“You need to think long and hard, Lily.” His voice was edged with conflicting emotions. “Because I’m not in this for the short-term. I don’t think I could bear to see you walk away from me when you feel the pressure of commitment.”