Page 99 of Silver Secrets

“I’m not putting you down again until we’re in the bathroom. Undressed. Under the water.”

Sloane laughed as they finally made it into the bedroom. “How are you going to get me undressed while holding me on your shoulder?”

“Semantics. If a SEAL is determined enough, he can make anything work. Anything, Sloane.”

She couldn’t hold back her laughter as he slid her down off his shoulder when they finally made it into the bathroom.

“Wait.”

His fingers rested just under her shirt, tickling her skin with the lightest amount of pressure.

“You okay?”

“Of course. You don’t always have to check in like that.”

“Yes, I do. And I will. Because I’ll never take for granted the gift you are giving me, Sloane. Trusting me to touch you.” His fingers gripped the edge of her shirt. “Arms up, Baby.”

“Okay,” the raspy pant of her response ignited fire in his eyes.

In an instant, her shirt was off her body, floating down to her feet. His hand slid up her belly and over her breast, reaching for the zipper of her sports bra and slowly pulling it down until he had access to her. Gage moved the loose fabric away, circling her nipple with the pad of his thumb. Her breath hitched and for a moment her mind went blissfully numb. Lost to the incredible sensations his touch was giving her. “Trusting me to touch you like this, Red.”

“I do trust you.” She reached for him. “But I need you to be paying attention to me completely when I say this, so you know I really mean it.”

“Shit.” His hands slid under her arms and he lifted, setting her to sit on the edge of the sink. “This sounds serious. Should I be worried?”

Sloane nibbled on the edge of her lip, letting Gage push her legs apart so he could fit his body between them.

“No. Gunner just?—”

Gage growled and his hand squeezed possessively against her thigh. “I knew he upset you. What did he say?”

“He didn’t upset me. What he told me was actually beautiful and reassuring. But it’s not about Gunner. It’s about us.”

“Okay…”

“I love you,” she blurted out. Shit. She’d meant to do it with more softness than that. “I mean, I’ve been wanting to say it for a while now. You make me feel so safe and loved and needed. You make me want to explore a side of myself I thought was lost a long time ago. I trust you completely, Gage. With my mind. With my body. With my heart.”

His hands came up to frame her face, and before she could blink, his lips were against hers, devouring her. The kiss was something she’d never experienced before. A deepening of a connection already so strong that it took her breath away.

“I love you too, Sloane. Every inch of your mind.” He reached up and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Every inch of your body.” His lips pressed against her jaw, her collarbone, down her arm, to each one of her fingers. “Every bit of your incredible heart.” Her head tipped back as he pressed a kiss over her heart. Her hand came up, tangling in his hair as his mouth moved lower, covering her exposed nipple in the incredible heat of his mouth. “Now, we’re going to get in the shower and I’m going to show you how a man in love worships his woman.”

Twenty-Five

“Can you pull the chicken dip out of the oven? It should be done, even if the timer hasn’t gone off yet! I don’t want to be late to Mae’s!” Sloane finished swiping her mascara across her lashes and stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. For all the fear, the anxiety, the dread that had been swirling through her since Kimi came to town, she looked so much better than she was anticipating.

There were dark circles under her eyes, sure. And training so much over the last few weeks had her face slimming down, the angles of her jaw and cheekbones becoming sharper, more pronounced. But Sloane also looked strong. There was a sparkle in her eyes, even if they were hidden behind the protection of her brown contact lenses. She could see the determination pouring out of her in her reflection. She truly believed Gage and the guys were going to have a breakthrough with Kimi and her team, and they’d keep her safe.

And that felt so good.

“Yeah, I’ve got it!” Gage called back from the kitchen. Sloane wasn’t particularly excited to watch a hockey game, but she was excited to spend time with her friends.

A whistle from the hallway had her turning around as she smoothed her hands over her vintage shirt and jeans.

“Wow, baby. You look incredible.” Lust flared in Gage’s eyes and she didn’t even bother to hide her reaction. She smiled with her whole heart back at the man who made her feel so loved, and so safe. Her eyes raked up and down his body. Grey sweatpants, a black shirt that formed to every muscle on his torso and still showed off the tattoos on his arm, and… holy shit. He was wearing his glasses with a baseball cap flipped around backwards.

She was about to wipe the drool from her chin and tell him to forget the dip, they were going back into the bedroom!

“You okay, Red?”

---