Page 60 of Guarded from Sabotage

And then.

“Dante.” Sarah starts crying, but she’s smiling at the same time. “I love you, too. I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I kept chickening out. I kept worrying it was too soon. But it’s not. I’ve never felt like this, either. Like you’re my other half. My soulmate.”

I brush away a tear trickling down her cheek. “I wanted to make it more romantic instead of fumbling around for the right words. But I love you so much.”

“Thisisromantic.” She gestures out at the water. “You brought me here. We’re sitting on the deck of this incredible house, where we’re going to spend the entire weekend together. I don’t need poems or flowery words. Knowing you love me is all that matters.”

“I do.” Cupping her damp cheek, I press my lips to hers. “With all my heart.”

Sarah gives me a watery smile. “And you really want me to move in with you?”

“Yes. If you want to. But if you’re not ready, I understand. If you want to go back to your old place, it’s all fixed. Or I can help you find a new apartment. Whatever makes you happy.”

“Youmake me happy.” Her gaze is steady on mine. “And I would love to move in with you.”

Oh.

I didn’t know it was possible to feel this much joy.

“I love you, Sarah.” Peppering kisses across her face, I repeat, “I love you. And I can’t wait for you to move in with me.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SARAH

Serendipity.

I always liked the word, ever since I was a kid. When I was young, it seemed magical, evoking images of unicorns and fairy tales and rainbows with pots of gold at the end. And as I grew older, it was a reminder that even when things looked bad, there was always the possibility of something good coming out of it.

But now I really know what serendipity is.

It’s Dante.

Two months ago, when everything fell apart, I never, ever expected to find the love of my life. The most I hoped for was to find a way out of the chaos. A way to set my life back on track.

But I found so much more than that.

Now I have a man I love with all my heart. And he loves me back. I have a new home, with a group of new friends who are becoming like family. I have security. Living at Blade and Arrow, I always feel safe. Protected. If not by Dante, by one of his trusted teammates.

I have a man who will do anything to make me happy.

In the two weeks since we’ve been officially living together, Dante’s gone above and beyond to make me feel at home. Heturned the spare bedroom into a library slash office for me, complete with plenty of bookshelves and a huge, squashy chair to read in. He stocked the kitchen with every ingredient I could possibly want to make all my recipes, plus a Kitchen-aid in my favorite color, which made me actually shriek with excitement when I saw it.

Knowing how much I love being by the water, he’s clearing a new path to the pond on the property and building a dock so we can paddle around in a canoe or just lounge there whenever we want. And we have plans to head to the Adirondacks this summer so we can visit all the gorgeous lakes—Blue Mountain Lake and Mirror Lake and my favorite, Lake George.

Waking up beside Dante, snuggled into his big body, his muscular arm wrapped protectively around me, I can’t feel anythingbutlucky.

I feel lucky each morning when he gets up for his pre-dawn workout and kisses me softly on the forehead, whispering, “Go back to sleep, beautiful. I’ll be back soon. I love you.”

And when he returns to bed after his workout, freshly showered and gloriously naked, waking me gently with his kisses, I can’t believe how lucky I am.

Once I’m awake? Then the fun really starts.

Like this morning, as he trails kisses down the length of my body, paying extra attention to my breasts and belly and the little tattoo of a golden eagle on my hip that I got in college. He loves that little tattoo, especially knowing that it represents my heritage, just like I love the blade and twin arrows inked on his biceps, the insignia of the Green Berets.

Once he’s kissed me all over, I return the favor. I flick my tongue over his flat nipples and kiss my way down his stomach and then, lower, taking his velvety heat into my mouth and using my tongue to do that special move that brings him right to the edge.

When we’re both balanced on the precipice, ecstasyso close, we come together.

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