Free The Last Kiss by M. R. Murphy

needed him just to feel whole again.
    Aidan was the half of her that had been missing since birth. Often she found herself questioning how he knew things, but the truth was she knew those same things when it came to him. It was something she couldn't explain, even when she tried to rationalize it. Raeve blamed it on a funky intuition, but the connection she felt with him ran much deeper than that.
    The heavy sigh that escaped her felt as if the weight of their impending goodbye was sitting on her chest. Images of him running for cover and ducking from the onslaught of gunfire, peppered her worried mind. Hot salty tears pricked at her eyes as she fought back the urge to slump down into a weeping pile on the floor. This is what he does, she thought tersely. Raeve hated the idea of him going back over to the living Hell of the world, his life in constant danger as threats of gunfire and grenades riddled the air daily. It was more than she could bear to think about. Slamming the dial off, Raeve slipped from the steamy comforts of the shower. She tried scrubbing her face to fight back the crystal traitors that threatened her composure, but it was no use. She bit down on her lip, refusing to let him hear her little break down. As if he didn't have enough to worry about, she couldn't handle the idea of him seeing her lose it right now.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
    ~Chapter Seven~
     
     
    The sizzling of eggs frying in the pan was a small comfort Aidan knew he wouldn't have time to get used to. Her sweet scent wafted from his skin, as he leaned into to flip the bacon. Listening carefully to the subtle whimpers that emulated from the bathroom Raeve occupied, felt like a thunderstorm hitting his heart. The heavy weight of her cries settled over him like a sand-filled blanket of the desert he was about to head back to. He longed to walk back there and scoop her up into his arms and kiss her tears away, but it wouldn't soothe away the pain he knew she would have to endure during his long absence. The pain in her heart radiated through him in droves as he settled his weight against the counter.
    “What the fuck was I thinking? Two years without her?”
    He ached for her, for her pain, and wished to hell he could change things, deny the missions he'd been selected for. Things just didn't work that way, and she understood that better than anyone. His body could soothe hers, hold her close and work away the demons hidden beneath the surface of her cool composure. Yet it was her heart he couldn't soothe, no matter the amount of time he spent holding her close and whispering his heart's truth in her ear. With just a few days left before he would leave, his heart ached knowing who he was leaving behind and hoping it wasn't a permanent ending.
    Shaking at the idea of losing her forever, his sigh left a heavy cloud of sadness lingering in the air. He longed to pull her into his arms, kiss her tears away, and promise her forever. He'd promise her the world if it could take away the pain she was trying to hide. But he knew her too well, she wouldn't welcome the intrusion he offered. She was still too proud to cry in front of anyone, even him, and dammit if he didn’t admire her all the more for her bravery. He knew she was just a thread away from breaking. He sensed the hurt and anger pouring off her, as the silence broke, Aidan listened to the sounds of her muffled cries and sizzling food. Moments turned to minutes as he waited for her to come out.
    The swishing sound of the door opening was followed by the scent of her jasmine body wash drifting down the hallway, intoxicating him before she even entered the room.
    “Hey.” She smiled, and the sadness she tried to hide touched her eyes. “Smells good, babe.”
    “Hungry?” He returned her smile, staring softly into her darkening green eyes. If he hadn’t heard the muffled sobs the change of her hazel green eyes into the