“Gavin … come here,” she called out in the same voice he had used with her. “Now.”
He turned back to face her.
“Come. Here.”
She was giving him her ultimatum. If he expected her to obey him when it was important to him, then he had to give as much as he took.
“Fuck,” he swore under his breath, swimming back to her.
“Wild man, I didn’t say that to hurt you or to get you say something you don’t want to. I said it to tell you that I don’t need you to take the wheel when I could be hurt.” Ginny lifted her hand out the water to show the palm of her hand. “Fire can be the most destructive force on Earth. It can burn down homes, forests, and civilizations. Nevertheless, we use fire to heat homes, create firebreaks, and build civilizations.”
Ginny bore her eyes into his. “You joined the Navy to be a warrior, Gavin. Your service to your country forged a strength in you that was hammered down, then tempered during your kidnapping, over and over again. All this time, you think it destroyed the man you were. It didn’t. You’re still the same man, except stronger. A steel so powerful that it can no longer be wielded in someone else’s hand. A steel so indestructible that it can be used as a sword or a shield against your enemies, or to protect those you love.” Ginny raised her hand higher to tap a finger on his brow. “You still believe you returned to The Last Riders as a prodigal son.” She dropped her hand to his heart to tap on his chest. “You didn’t. You came home a gladiator.”
She let her hand fall back to the water. “I can tell you don’t believe me, and that’s fine. Just know one freakin’ thing in that hard head of yours. You … will … never … ever … fight … alone again, and you can take that to the freaking bank.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I knew there was a reason I married you.”
“We’re not,” Ginny fervently denied.
“Are, too.”
“Not.”
“Are.”
Ginny wiggled the fingers of her left hand in his face. “You see a ring here? You don’t. There’s nothing here. Zip, zilch, nada.”
“I have something more important—a legal paper.”
“Until Pastor Dean says the words, I now pronounce you man and wife, you may be married in what corner of the universe you live in, but in mine, I’m still single and fancy-free.”
“You live in the same universe as I do, and we’re married.”
“I never believed there could be a man more stubborn than Greer Porter, but I was wrong. You beat Greer.”
“I take that as a compliment.”
“You would,” she scoffed.
“People in town just misunderstand him.”
“Since when did you two become BFFs?”
“We’re not BFFs; we’re kindred spirits.” Reaper nearly swallowed his own tongue on that whopper.
Ginny went under the water. He didn’t get worried until she didn’t pop right back up. A few seconds later, he turned in the water to see her getting out, wringing her ponytail out.
“Playtimes over?” He laughed, getting out too.
Ginny shrugged. “You only said that to irritate me. I decided to not let it get to me.”
“How magnanimous of you,” he quipped, shaking the excess water from his hair.
“Gavin James, you’re being a dick, and I know exactly what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?” he asked with mock innocence.
“Putting the cart in front of the horse. That way, when we go back to Treepoint, you don’t have to decide a future for us. It’s all written down on paper if you decide to continue this relationship. Yet, if you decide to break up with me, you can use the same piece of paper to say it wasn’t legal. No, thanks. You can ride on your high horse all you want, it’s not going to change the facts, which”—Ginny wiggled her fourth finger at him—“plainly states I’m the one who is right.”
“Quit wiggling that finger at me. If you want a ring, I’ll buy you one when we get home.”
“Buy one if you want to … just don’t expect me to wear it.”
“You’ll wear it.” The laughter left his voice.
“Nope, I won’t.” Ginny raised her chin obstinately in the air.
“You will.” His voice became even firmer.
“Won’t.” Hers became softer.
“Will,” he promised.
“I guess we’ll see who’s right and who’s wrong.” Reaching for her clothes, she turned her back to him as she got dressed.
“Yes, we will.” Turning his back to her, Reaper got dressed, silently vowing to stop at the jewelry store in Treepoint as soon as the plane landed … until he remember he killed the owners of that store.
“Fuck.”
“You say something?” Ginny looked up from putting her shoes on.
“Does Jamestown have an airport?”
Ginny stared at him as if he had a concussion. “I believe anyone flying in and out uses the same one on the outskirts of Treepoint. At least, that’s the one that Dalton used when he flew in to see Trudy. Why?”