Wed to a SEAL (Hot SEALs) (Volume 8) (15 page)

It made him want to comfort her. Reaching out, he slipped his hands palm up beneath hers. Darci jumped into action, stepping forward to take the roses so Izzy could lay her trembling hands in his.

Behind Darci, Lola babbled softly in Ali’s arms as the small group of men Rocky had come to call friends surrounded her.

It twisted his heart that she didn’t have friends of her own there. The only representative from her side was her daughter who was too young to remember this day.

That was all right. His friends would be her friends. They’d be there for her when he couldn’t be, he was certain of that.

Just as his family would—

Crap! His parents.

He’d have to tell them something eventually. That was more than he could deal with before tomorrow’s early morning meeting that could lead to him grabbing his kit and heading out.

His internal turmoil came to a halt as the chaplain, who’d been delivering words this whole time that Rocky couldn’t absorb, looked directly at him and said, “Do you, Sylvester Anthony Mangiano take Isabel Celeste Alvarez to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

As the vow he was about to make stole the breath from his lungs, Rocky heard what sounded like Chris say, “Sylvester? That’s his name?”

At that shocked comment, someone else Rocky couldn’t see because they were behind him snorted out a laugh.

The interaction added some much needed comic relief to the situation whose seriousness was threatening to make Rocky have to puke behind a pew . . . until he looked into her eyes.

There he saw the emotions roiling through her. Fear. Hope. Some of the same things he felt.

They’d face it all together.

Holding her trembling hands in his, Rocky squeezed her fingers and said, without a shade of doubt, “I do.”

He watched her face as she kept her eyes on him through the chaplain’s question to her and her response. “I do.”

The chaplain’s words continued in a blur until one sentence stood out from among the rest, “You may kiss the bride.”

It was the easiest order he’d ever followed.

Rocky watched her eyes widen as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He wanted to taste her mouth thoroughly and in private, but instead he had to deliver a kiss chaste enough to not offend the clergyman standing just a couple of feet away.

The applause of the small but enthusiastic crowd of onlookers was an additional reminder of the time, the place, the audience present for their first kiss.

Rocky did notice that at some point he’d ended up with his hands gripping her around the middle, as her hands ran up the front of his chest, stopping just below the rows of the ribbons he’d earned in service.

After one last squeeze of his fingers around her waist, he forced himself to break the kiss, saddened that it might have been the first and the last time for any sort of physical intimacy between them.

Pulling back he held his breath and sought to gauge her reaction from the expression on her face. There was surprise, which he didn’t blame her for one bit. He was shocked as shit himself at how easily they’d fallen into the kiss.

But there was something else in her expression too. Something that gave him hope that maybe tonight, their first night alone together, wasn’t going to be so awkward after all.

CHAPTER 15

“So this is it. Our humble abode.”

Isabel followed Rocky through the door and glanced around. She hadn’t known what to expect from the room he had rented on the base.

What she got was a space twice the size of what she’d expected, since it was two rooms actually.

She moved into the living room, decorated with a small sofa and chair, coffee table and lamp. It was outfitted with a kitchen area that included a fridge, sink and microwave, and even a small dining table with two chairs.

Just past the built-in wall shelves was a doorway to the bedroom. Through the open door she could see the one big bed.

Yes, she’d had a child, but she’d only been with one man in her life. Tito. The result was asleep in the car seat carrier that Rocky stood holding now.

He looked around the room and finally stepped toward the low, wide cocktail table. After setting the carrier down, he turned to face Isabel.

“When I checked in I requested a crib for her.” He glanced at the bedroom door. “If it’s not here yet, I can run down to the front desk and check on it.”

Once she could drag her attention off the single large bed, she spotted the crib up against the wall next. “It’s in there.”

“Oh, good. Then we’re set.” He looked as unsure of what to do next as she did. “I guess we should put her to bed in it?”

Isabel smiled. “Or we could leave her there until she wakes up. Then after I feed her I’ll put her down in the crib.”

“Let sleeping babies lie. Got it.” He gazed at Lola, looking like an angel in sleep, then he turned to Isabel. “I’ll learn. I promise.”

It struck her exactly how much Rocky was taking on to help her. A wife. A child. The whole mess with Tito.

She raised her eyes to meet his gaze. “Thank you.”

He lifted a brow. “For what?”

She shook her head. “For everything.”

It had been a long and event-filled day, which she’d navigated on the heels of a night where she didn’t get nearly enough sleep. It all combined to make her super emotional now.

Her lip was trembling, so she bit down on it and tried not to cry.

He was in front of her in two long strides, the weight of his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t. You’re safe here. Tomorrow I’ll apply for family housing on base. Now that we’re married you’ll be a priority for temporary lodging until they assign us something permanent.”

She couldn’t keep track of all the details, of all the plans he was laying out for her. All she could absorb was the feeling that he was handling everything to insure her and Lola’s safety.

The tears overflowed her eyes.

“Come here.” He pulled her to him, enveloping her in the warmth of his arms.

She was pressed against a man she didn’t even know a few days ago, but it didn’t feel odd.

It felt good. Safe. Right.

Isabel wrapped her arms around his waist and held tight. He responded by leaning his head against the top of hers and rubbing his hands up and down her back.

The touch spread the warmth of his embrace. It penetrated the cold chill of fear, replacing it with a feeling of comfort.

Being in Rocky’s arms cut through her fear as it also sliced through her defenses.

She thought she’d never trust a man again after Tito . . . until Rocky.

Unlike Tito, Rocky didn’t just tell her to blindly trust him. Rocky showed her she could count on him by his actions. Proved it with his quiet support. With a dozen little things he did, from bringing her food to opening her door, to remembering to ask for a crib for Lola.

And now they were married—his biggest sacrifice of all and he dove head first into the decision, seemingly without any doubt or second thought.

She was his wife in the eyes of God and the law. And now she realized she wanted to be his wife in practice as well as name.

Isabel leaned back and tipped her head back to be able to see his face above hers. She leaned closer and lifted up on her tiptoes.

His eyes widened with surprise for the briefest of moments before they narrowed again. He drew in a breath that had his chest rising beneath her splayed palms.

She couldn’t quite reach his mouth. He was taller than she was, even in the heels Darci had insisted she wear for the ceremony with the dress she’d loaned her. But it was obvious he understood what she was aiming for.

He dipped his head lower and held there, letting her close the final distance.

His beard was so much softer than she’d imagined it would be. A small part of her brain had registered that during the ceremony, but that kiss had been so overwhelming she hadn’t thought too much about it.

Here, alone with him on their wedding night with her lips pressed to his she absorbed the sensation. The feel of his beard against her skin.

Soft. Smooth. Pliable.

Nothing like the closely cropped facial hair, more like long razor stubble, that Tito wore. His rough hair had scraped her raw, leaving the skin around her mouth red and chafed.

Then again, Tito’s kisses were rough too. He was nothing like Rocky gently working her mouth with his now.

She shouldn’t be comparing the two men. Especially not now on their wedding night, but she couldn’t help it. The differences were so glaring.

It was a good kiss. The best she’d ever had, and she wanted more. She ran the tip of her tongue against his lips, just for a second.

Rocky groaned deep and low in his throat. He angled his head and plunged his tongue against hers, kissing her with more enthusiasm but still just as gently.

His hands roamed her body while his mouth was on hers. It all caused a deep need that twisted inside her.

The uniform he wore was a barrier between her and his body, but pressed this closely to him she could feel that he had the same need.

They made out right there, standing in the middle of the living area of the hotel room he’d rented to keep her safe, just as how he’d married her for the same reason.

It had been so long since she’d felt even the tiniest bit secure that feeling it now was like a drug.

Her problems weren’t solved. The Tito situation wasn’t over. But for right now, she was safe.

Cloistered away on a Navy base where men in uniform manned the gate with automatic weapons Tito couldn’t get to her. And even if he did get on the base somehow, she was with Rocky. He would do anything to protect her. He’d already proven that today when he’d said
I do
.

It was dizzying. Euphoric. She wanted to live, feel, embrace life . . . and him.

That desire translated into her attacking Rocky like she was a starving woman. Maybe she was. Starved for love. Affection. Physical pleasure that she hadn’t even thought about for the year she’d been in hiding.

She kissed him harder. Deeper. With a desire she didn’t know she could feel. She was gasping, her heart pounding, her blood racing through her veins by the time she broke the kiss so she could breathe.

He leaned his forehead against hers and sucked in a lungful of air, blowing it out between his lips.

Bringing his hands up to cup her cheeks, he pulled back to gaze down at her and waited. Waited for her to make the next move . . . or not. She knew without him saying it that the choice was hers.

For the first time, she felt in control of the situation. Something she’d never felt with Tito.

Though that presented a problem in itself. If she wanted to be with Rocky, she’d have to tell him. That was a nerve-wracking concept.

“Do you want to go to the bedroom?” She forced herself to meet his gaze.

He didn’t answer. Instead Rocky reached down and scooped her up. He’d taken a single step toward the bedroom when he stopped. Turning with her in his arms, he looked back at Lola, still sound asleep in the car seat. “Can we leave her there?”

“Yes. If the door’s open I’ll hear her.”

Her affirmation was all it took for Rocky to spring into action, striding across the room toward the bedroom. He only slowed down long enough to turn sideways so they could fit through the doorway, then he resumed the fast pace to the bed.

Braced on one knee, he laid her on top of the bedspread and then stood to gaze down at her. “You’re sure about this?”

Maybe it was crazy, but no more so than the fact they were married. It could all be temporary, dissolved the moment her problems were solved, but for right now she was completely certain. She wanted this.

“Yes.” She nodded.

He let out a burst of air, as if he’d been holding his breath waiting for her answer. Then he reached for the buttons of his uniform.

Piece by piece the uniform came off, exposing another part of her husband to view.
 

Her
husband.
The word felt strange to even think. She had yet to say it aloud.

She watched as he slowly stripped off the formal vestiges of his career until just the man stood before her.
 
He was as glorious unclothed as she imagined he would be.