One E-mail: (BBW Romance) (One Soldier Series) by Christin Lovell

be there. And if anything happened to her- “I want you to learn how to shoot one of these.” I didn’t want to think about the alternative, what could happen if-
    She sat up on the bed. Her hair fell in beautiful disarray around her. Her lips were still swollen and red from my kiss. I’d branded her every way I could for now, but it wasn’t enough, and the thought of not having the chance for more shook my usually sturdy confidence.
    Understanding lit her gaze. “Okay. You can teach me tomorrow if you want.”
    I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until the air expelled in a fast whoosh from my lungs following her acceptance.
    I walked over to the nightstand and deposited the gun back in the second drawer after removing the clip. I wasn’t as tense for one moment, but I knew when we parted ways again, my gut would be a mess of knots. I don’t know when I fell for her, but somewhere between her first e-mail and seeing her luscious curves in person, I fell hard.
    I lifted the covers on my side and pulled her beneath them with me as I settled on the bed. I rolled her beneath me, catching my weight on my elbows, careful not to crush her.
    The way she looked at me cut straight to my heart.
    Her gaze was unwavering. She trusted me completely. She didn’t hold any part of herself back; she didn’t hide any part of herself from me. She unveiled it all, as if she knew I needed to see it every time. Her gape was steady, but without demand. She never asked anything of me, of anyone from what I could tell. She gave freely. She had wanted to pay for her ticket to come here, but I put my foot down.
    She was so different from the others. She confounded me, even now. She deserved so much, yet never asked. She would never ask. Which meant my military skills would be needed with her. She needed a man to assess what she needed and ensure she always had it.
    I swallowed hard. Emotion congested my chest, making it harder to breathe as I ga zed down at her. I wanted to be that man.
    Her features turned down slightly. With furrowed brows and pursed lips, she lifted a single hand to my face. She brushed her fingertips along the grain of my stubble, curling her palm along my jaw. She blinked several times, squinting her eyes enough to tell me I was at least partially blurred to her. “What’s wrong?” Her voice squeezed my heart.
    The words left my lips before I could think, but once spoken, I knew I meant them. I knew I wanted it; I wanted her. Forever.

    Chapter Twenty-Six
    Madelyn
    “Marry me.”
    My heart took off, sprinting rampantly. “What?” The single word question was a croaked whisper.
    I needed to be pinched. Certainly this was a dream. Perhaps I was lost in a fictional world and Taylor really was just another book boyfriend.
    He leaned away for a moment. When he returned, he slid my glasses on me.
    I blinked as my eyes adjusted to peering through the lenses. His features became crisp, clear, as did his desire; the truth was in the depths of his eyes.
    A smile split his face. His eyes seemed to glitter even as they darkened. God, he’s gorgeous.
    He took in every detail of my face, his grin softening as he did so, turning pensive. He met my gaze, searching me. “Say you’ll marry me, Maddie.”
    My core seemed to vibrate with elation. My heart seemed to soar, leaping into the stratosphere with joy, expanding with a depth of love that could never be properly verbalized. My flesh tingled, prickled with awareness, with the need to hold him and touch him, the need to express my love for him, my acceptance of him in a way I never could from behind a computer.
    This is what I’ve been trying to envision, to evoke, to feel, every time I read about a heroine finally getting her hero. This is what every romance author describes, yet it’s so much more, more intense, more powerful, than their words ever convey, than they ever tell you it is.
    But I didn’t have to imagine anymore.
    It started with one e-mail and