Page 75 of Oblivion

I chuckled. “Try to. My body is, after all, a temple.”

“Uh, huh.” Despite giving me sass, her eyes openly roved over the expanse of my chest and shoulders.

“Oh—” I clicked my fingers. “Mayo and ketchup. Want some?” I retrieved both from the fridge.

Her laughter echoed around the kitchen and filled my entire loft with life. Even the blue sky outside seemed to get a little brighter.

“You make a healthy wrap, then add those!”

I half-grinned. “Yeah. So?”

“Soooo,” she emphasized, and plucked the mayo from my hand. “You’d better share them.”

Penny being here felt good… for the moment. I couldn’t help smiling as I watched her squeeze a good amount of mayo onto her wrap, then tuck in the end and sides with precision.

“You didn’t dream in Vegas,” she murmured, out of nowhere.

I hummed. “I was pretty fucking drunk, babe. And that night, the only worry on my mind was making the most of my time with you,” I added wryly.

A pink sheen rose up her cheeks. To deflect, I asked something that bothered me. “Are you comfortable staying here after what I told you? I can hand your case to one of the other guys if you’d prefer?”

It was an offer I hoped she declined.

“Aren’t the guys all vets?”

I nodded. “Former Navy SEALs. I’m the only Green Beret.”

Penny swallowed her mouthful. “So, wouldn’t they have similar PTSD?”

I tilted my head from side to side, weighing the answer. “I can’t speakforthem, but one would assume the majority would suffer in some way, shape, or form. The guys on my team sure did. Not that we ever really talked about it.”

She flicked her gaze back and forth between mine, then murmured, “I’m happy here.”

With that, she took her lunch and headed to the sliding glass door that led onto the small outdoor balcony.

Fuck me. If that spring in her step was anything to go by, then she and I were going to make this arrangement work just fine.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

Penny

Violent shaking ripped me from a dreamless sleep that night. Frantic hands gripped my hip and shoulder, jolting and shoving me where I lay on my side.

Panic tore through me. Every nerve ending electrified in a way that had my entire body tingling and sparking with fright. My lungs squeezed off terrified cries as I fought against the relentless touch. The darkened room wasn’t familiar, and it thrust me back into the real-life nightmare of being held captive.

The more I slapped and kicked, the more I became tangled in the bedding. Hands smoothed over my body as if searching for something.

They finally captured my hand and held it with a tight grip that put ever-loving fear into me. A scream snagged and tripped over my tongue, then a rushed voice left me panting with confusion.

“Babe! Will you marry me?”

Dante.

I paused and fought for breath.“What?”

“Marry me. Quick, say yes! We don’t have much time!”

“Uh.” I hesitated, unsure of what to do.

---