Nodding, he rasped, “I hope you’re right, Shay.” He leaned down, taking her mouth gently, kissing her for a long time, savoring her taste, her scent. Lifting from her warm lips, he met her worried look. “I would do anything for you, Shay. But I’m not in control of myself when I’m sleeping. That’s why I tried to avoid you for so long. I’ve wanted to kiss you senseless from the moment I saw you. I’ve wanted you like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything in my life. I kept forcing myself from wanting you because I live in fear of harming you.”
Giving him a stubborn look, Shay knew she was fighting for both of them, for the dream she knew they could reach together. “And I live in fear of hitting you in my sleep, too, but I’m not going to let fear rule me, Reese.”
“Well, the last couple of weeks, you sure wore down my resistance,” he said wryly, giving her a crooked smile. “Every time you got near me, I could barely keep my hands off you.”
“You needed a gentle push,” Shay said.
“You’re a pretty gutsy lady.”
“You were worth me becoming that way to get you to move toward me, Reese.”
“I was digging in,” he admitted somberly. “I didn’t want to . . .”
“I knew that better than anyone,” she whispered, sliding her hand across his shoulder, delighting in his tightening skin, the play of muscles leaping wherever she grazed his flesh. “Diana gave me the courage I needed to do it. I was at my wit’s end trying to persuade you to let go and come to me.”
Reese gave her a grateful look. “Okay,” he said quietly, “we’ll give this sleeping together a try. And we’ll try out Diana and Chuck’s method of dealing with it. Fair enough?”
Hope rose strong and fierce within Shay. “Thank you,” she quavered, throwing her arms around his shoulders, hugging and kissing him for all he was worth.
*
Two weeks later, Shay called the vets together just before dinner. Garret was in his bright red-and-white checked apron at the kitchen counter when Noah and Harper ambled in. There was some curiosity on all their faces as Shay asked them to sit down, Reese beside her. Garret came over and sat down, giving them both a guarded look.
“Something’s up,” Garret drawled.
Shay grinned, unable to keep her happiness to herself any longer. She glanced to her left at Reese, who smiled, too. “Yes, and I’ll bet this isn’t going to be a surprise to any of you,” she said.
Reese claimed Shay’s hand and said, “We’re in a relationship,” he told the men.
Garret gave the other vets a wolfish I-told-you-so grin.
Harper smiled.
Noah laughed.
“None of us missed the signs,” Garret informed them archly.
“Wouldn’t expect otherwise,” Reese told the men. “But Shay and I wanted to share the good news with you.”
“That’s what you get for letting this cowboy sleep in your house,” Noah said, teasing Shay unmercifully.
Shay colored. “It just happened. I mean, I wasn’t looking for anyone, Noah.”
Garret raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Lord, let that happen to me. Please? I need a good woman to warm my bed at night instead of hearing these two hombres snoring.” He gave Noah and Harper a black look.
Snickering, Harper said, “Hey, in another week, those four houses will be done. We’ll each get one. You won’t have to have your beauty sleep interrupted anymore, Garret.”
The whole table laughed.
“Seriously,” Noah said, holding out his hand toward Reese, “congratulations. We were all betting that it would happen.”
Shay gawked at them. “You can’t be serious?”
“Oh, honey,” Garret soothed, “we’re black ops. We see little teeny, tiny signs civilians never pick up on. Harper, Noah, and I made a bet that by this time, you two would be hitched.”
Coloring, Shay gave Reese a nonplussed look. “Did you know about this?”
“Me? No. I lived under this roof, not with them.”
Garret chuckled. “Have you proposed to her yet, Reese?”
Now it was Reese’s turn to blush. “No . . . not yet. But . . . soon.”
“What are you waiting on?” Noah asked, smiling.
“Figured we’d give it some time,” Reese told them.
“Time?” Harper said. “Listen, we all know you no longer live your life in the future. And it’s clear you two love one another, so why not make it official?”
Shay looked over at Reese. “I’m open to the possibility.”
Reese nodded. “I’ll get right on it.”
The vets grinned widely, as if congratulating one another for pushing Reese into it sooner, not later.
Shay dug into her pocket. “Guys, I’ve got something for you.” She smiled and handed each of them a key. “The key to your new home.” Her voice grew watery with feelings. “Thanks to Maud and her crew coming in last weekend, plus you guys working your tails off with them, the houses are going to be ready to move in to next week. You each picked the color scheme of your home and you only have to paint the rooms.”
Garret looked at Shay, the key in his large palm. “Thanks, Shay. This means a lot to all of us. You know that.”
Wiping tears from her eyes, she sniffed and said, “I love it when there’s good news for everyone.” She gave Reese a fond look. “I get this wrangler and you all get a new house to live in.”