Ignoring his machismo, she yanked a thick comforter and extra pillow from her closet. Back in the hallway, she busied herself spreading the blanket and situating the pillow. Creed watched her movements in silence, taking in her grace and beauty with his blue eyes.
For a moment, they stood in the corridor staring at each other.
“Wow, I missed you,” Creed blurted.
Meg’s cheeks flushed instantly as she flashed a wide grin that made her dark eyes sparkle even more than they always did.
Self-consciously she tucked her dark curls behind one ear and nodded softly. “I missed you, too.”
“Okay,” Farrow called from the room at Meg’s back. “Bathroom’s all yours.”
Meg whipped around to see a scrubbed-clean version of Farrow making her way to the full-sized bed. “I don’t care which side of the bed you’re used to, kiddo. Just shove me over if you must.” She crawled into the bed and pulled the covers up over her still wet head.
Meg shyly turned back to look at Creed. “I think I’ll go clean up, but I’d like to sit out here and talk with you for a while afterward...that is, if you’re not too tired.”
“Not too tired, at all,” Creed said a little too fast and blushed deeply, though the darkness of the space hid it well. “I’ll go get showered, too.” He motioned behind him. “I think the guys are already asleep so I don’t guess it would bother them for me to use the bathroom.”
Just at that moment, the sound of soft snores echoed from down the hall. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” Meg bit her lip, trying to hold back nervous laughter. Creed couldn’t stop smiling as he watched her angelic face.
“Meet you back here in a few?” Creed asked as he slowly walked backward.
“Definitely,” Meg waved and slipped into her room, closing the door behind her.
A few minutes later, Creed was hurriedly dressing in a clean pair of Alik’s cargo pants and a black T-shirt.
Back in the corridor, he sat on top of Meg’s comforter and leaned against the wall. He had to pull his knees up so his long legs would fit.
He had just closed his eyes for a moment when he heard the rumble of Meg’s shower come to an abrupt stop. Nervously, he rubbed his damp palms on his thighs as the minutes ticked by. He heard her pad across the room and imagined she was looking in her closet for clothes. The sound of cloth rustling confirmed his guess. Moments later, the door to her room opened quietly and out stepped the girl of his dreams.
She had gathered her long hair over one shoulder and was using a white towel to dry her dark, curls. His eyes were transfixed.
“Hi,” she whispered softly and smiled.
“Hey.” His voice was low and breathy. Creed grinned and leaped to his feet. A wave of shyness slipped over him as he watched her movements. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, trying not to stare, but unable to look away. He desperately wanted to memorize every curve of her face, the way her dark eyes captured light and glistened, the soft smile lines framing the corners of her beautiful mouth—everything.
Meg watched him, watching her.
She bit back a giggle at the way he nervously ran his fingers through his dark, still-wet hair making it stand on end and felt herself blush when she felt his nervous excitement. That’s when she saw a glimmer of a silver chain peeking out above his collar. She slowly followed its line to where the outline of a circular pendant shifted beneath his black T-shirt.
Without a word, she closed the distance between them, reached out and traced the circular shape softly with the tip of her finger.
“Thank you for all you’ve done to help my family while I was—away,” she started, feeling a pang of her own bashfulness creep up her cheeks.
The muscles in Creed’s jaw worked as he clenched his teeth at her achingly familiar scent of strawberries and lilies. He felt out of control and dazed before realizing he’d been holding his breath.
“I dreamed of you,” Meg’s eyes churning with raw emotion. “Even when I had no waking memories, my heart remembered you when I slept. I saw these blue eyes,” she reached up with one hand and cupped his masculine cheekbone.
Creed reflexively leaned into her palm and closed his eyes against the flood of emotions swelling in his heart.
Meg was smiling through happy tears when he opened his eyes. “I hurried back to you as fast as I could.”
The usually stone-faced soldier melted—his sweet, crooked smile widened. The light in his blue eyes sparkled with emotion. “It has always been you.” He gathered her hands in his own and brushed reverent kisses across her knuckles. “You hold both halves of my heart in your hands.”
His now red-rimmed eyes looked in wonder at the girl who had changed his life with the touch of her hand.
He fell to his knees at her feet. “I didn’t even know what love was until you,” he whispered his proclamation reverently as he gazed up at his dark-eyed angel.