Her eyes widened, and her smile disappeared. “Oh.”
He rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand. How to soften this now? He should’ve broken the news gently. How did you gently break the news you were leaving the love of your life after promising you’d be together? “He said it would be less than forty-eight hours and I’ll be in Europe, so I’ll meet you in England after.”
The words were so empty. He wanted to put her first, and already he couldn’t do it.
“Do you have a choice?” she asked softly.
“I could go AWOL.” He shrugged and tried to smile as if it was no big deal. “Probably get court martialed. Lose my ranking and all my achievements.”
She drew in a breath and shook her head. “No.” Stepping closer, she patted his chest then spread her fingers wide on his muscle. It shouldn’t have surprised him how much he liked her touching him, but it did. She hadn’t touched his chest last night. It felt insanely incredible.
“It’s okay.” She jutted out her chin. So brave. “You’re Rambo. This is what you do. We knew it would be hard. We knew we’d have to figure it out.” She pressed in close and gave him a lingering kiss. “Go save the world, Cap. I’ll be waiting for you.” She blinked prettily up at him. “I’ll tie a yellow ribbon around the tree and all of that.”
He was head over heels for her. Could she truly be this perfect? This understanding? He’d planned on tears and maybe some angry words, for sure some hurt, or feelings of him neglecting her.
“You’re incredible,” he said softly. Then he kissed her.
Even Admiral Gusbane and the former dictator’s men would have to wait.
ChapterSixteen
Mia had gone from the highest highs of her life with Zeke last night and this morning, and soon she’d be facing a deep low. He’d said goodbye to everyone else, promising Holly they’d come back in time for Christmas and letting Mia’s adopted aunt hug him for probably longer than he was comfortable with. His hands had been clasped at Holly’s back.
It was interesting watching other people touch him and knowing she was the only person he enjoyed touching him. She smiled to herself. No, helovedMia touching him.
In a minute, he’d have to drive off in his rental car. He had a plane to catch to go rid the world of evil. He was tough, impressive, elite, incredible, and she would miss him. Forty-eight hours. That was all. She prayed it would go as fast as the last forty-eight hours had, but she knew it would feel like donkey’s years. The past forty-eight hours she’d been terrified of the stalker but more importantly and incredibly, she’d fallen in love with the most wonderful man alive.
He stepped in and held her close, sheltering her from the cold. Luckily, no one was watching. Well, Holly was probably watching from her house, but they had a semblance of privacy. Blaine and Charlie were cleaning Papa’s house, per her mum’s instructions, before they drove her to a private airport near Denver where a chartered jet would fly them home.
She blinked up at Zeke. He looked her over and then he surprised her when he released her, grasped both of her cold hands in his, drew them to his mouth, and blew warm air on them. More than her hands warmed up from that blinding ace of a move.
He stared at her over their joined hands with those smoky blue eyes. “Two nights ago when we walked to Papa’s with Joseph, your hands were cold and you blew on them. I wanted to do that.” He smiled and then blew more warm air. “I like it.”
“I like it too,” she got out. “And once again, you aren’t even wearing a coat.”
“I’m too tough for the cold.” He winked, all confident appeal.
“That you are.” She laughed.
“Did you design this coat and dress?” He looked over her cream-colored dress coat, and she remembered how he’d looked at her in her burgundy wrap dress earlier.
“Of course.”
“Gorgeous,” he said in a husky voice. “Blindingly gorgeous.”
She laughed at her tough guy saying the word gorgeous and stealing British slang. “Well, thank you. Someday I’ll design you a coat and some clothes that the Navy didn’t give to you.”
He grinned at that. “All right. Can I stand very still and be your model?”
“Of course.”
“Would that count for our touch session for the day?”
“Nope. I’d be poking you with needles. I don’t think you’d enjoy it very much.”
“I’d enjoy anything if you were near.”
She pulled her hands free of his and flung them around his neck. He cuddled her in close with his strong hands. “Who would’ve thought the tough, no-touch captain would be a sappy charmer?”