Chapter Ten
The weekend flew by, and before he knew it, night had fallen on Sunday. His brother and Emma would be coming in the door at any moment.
Although he was sad to see their private time end, he wanted his brother to meet the love of his life.
He also told himself a few times that he’d push hard to get his condo in the building done so they could have their own space. He’d worry about getting them a house later because he wanted her close to him at all times.
He held Aisha in his arms as they watched a movie. She was so enthralled with the TV he got a kick out of it.
The last few days, he’d shown her a few of the appliances. It was cool looking at them through her eyes. Everything was new to her and enthralled her. He got a kick out of the things that startled her, like the ice dispenser in the refrigerator door or the jets of water in their bathtub.
Over the last few days, they’d spent a great deal of time in the bath. One, because it was something she craved because she was unable to have them back in Afghanistan. They always had to ration water, so a bath was a luxury few had, and he wanted to give her everything that made her happy.
The second reason was because she was wet, plastered against him. They were able to talk for a while before desire took them again.
They’d made love so many times in the last few days, both his cock and her cunt felt raw and sore. So, when they went to bed that night, he was just going to hold her because the last thing he wanted was to hurt her.
He heard the elevator. “Babe, my brother is back.” He turned off the television, stood, and pulled her to his side when he felt her stiffen.
“Don’t be nervous. These are good people, and you and Emma are going to be good friends.” He smiled down at her.
The elevator door opened, and he grinned at the anticipation on his brother’s face.
“Hey, how was your mini-vacation?” Drake asked them.
Devon walked over to them with Emma plastered against his side. “Good. Although, she made me go antiquing and to a farmer’s market.”
Drake laughed when Emma giggled. “Guys, I want you to meet Aisha.” He looked down at Aisha. “Babe, this is my brother Devon and his woman Emma.”
The men watched the women stare at each other without talking for a moment, but they practically vibrated with excitement.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Aisha said.
Emma clapped and bounced on her toes. “It’s so great to meet you. I want to help you with everything.”
Aisha smiled. “Good, because I think I’m going to need it.”
“Emma, why don’t you take Aisha back to your playroom and get to know each other?” Devon asked.
Emma looked up at Drake, waiting for his nod before she held out a hand to his woman.
Drake watched Aisha take Emma’s hand and walk away. Even though he knew she was only a few steps away, it was hard for him to hold back the urge to follow her so he could keep her in his sight.
Devon slapped his shoulder, gaining his attention. “Tell me,” he said. “Nolan told me some of it.”
Drake nodded, walked over to the sofa, and sat. “I met Aisha when I was in Afghanistan. My team and I were on patrol in the area, and we ran into her and her brother. She helped translate and got paid for it. Right away, I knew she was mine. It was like being hit in the chest.”
Devon smiled. “I know the feeling. I felt the same way about Emma.”
Drake nodded. “So, I made sure I was in the area as much as possible but not be obvious about it. We got to talking, and it grew into love. We made plans to be together when I went back to the US. Until then, I snuck into her house at night to be with her. We’d spend a few hours together, and then I’d be gone before sunrise.”
He wiped a hand down his face. “One day, we had run into each other and talked. It was always when a group of people was around, so she didn’t get in trouble. We were always cautious to hide our relationship, or so I thought. That day, I watched her walk into her home, and not a minute later, it exploded.”
“Oh, fuck,” Devon said.
Drake nodded. “I lost it and tried to get to her, but my team pulled me away. It took all of them to hold me back, and by the time we made it back to the base, we all looked beat up because I couldn’t stop fighting to get to her. My commander had me sedated and ordered me to my tent I shared with the guys while he sent someone out for information.”
“A few hours later, the person came back with the information that a body had been found, and it was burnt beyond recognition.”
Fuck, even though he knew it hadn’t been her in the home, he’d never forget the emotions at the time. The total despair he’d felt. It was a pain he never wanted to experience again, and he knew if she ever died first, he’d lay down with her and die alongside her because he wouldn’t be able to go through his life without her now.