Free The Navy Seal's Promise by Soraya Lane Page B

leave
for the airport. The only thing she couldn’t promise was that she wouldn’t be
thinking about Luke. A lot.

EPILOGUE
    Saskia gripped the handle of her bag so tight her knuckles went white. She’d
never been this nervous in her life. Not when she’d first enlisted in the army,
not on her first deployment, not when she’d been pregnant and about to pop.
    This was like nothing else she’d ever experienced, and her stomach was
flipping like she’d eaten a bad curry the night before.
    And there he was . Luke Gray – tall, strong and hot as hell, was
walking in her direction, and the smile on his face made all her anxiety she’d
been storing up for this moment slip away.
    “Hey beautiful.”
    Saskia dropped her bag to the ground and held up her arms as Luke ran the
last few yards to her, scooping her up low and holding her tight, feet off the
ground, mouth pressed to hers like he was never, ever going to stop kissing
her. She kissed him back, one hand fisting in his hair, the other holding him
tight around the shoulders, legs wrapped around him.
    Luke pulled back first, broke their kiss and stared straight into her
eyes. “Do you have any idea how good it is to finally see you again?”
    She laughed, slowly relinquishing the grip she had on him with her thighs
and sinking back to the ground, arms slung around his waist now.
    “I had this really bad feeling you weren’t going to show,” she murmured
against the hollow of his shoulder.
    “You’re crazy,” he said, dropping a kiss to the top of her head then
pulling her in tight. “I’ve been counting down the days.”
    Saskia leaned back in his arms. “So we’re really doing this?” When they’d
promised to meet at the airport, she’d been full of hope and excitement. But
the reality of a man waiting for her, wanting her still after all this
time, when they’d barely spent two days together, had started to feel more like
a fantasy the longer she was away.
    But seeing him here now? Being cradled in his arms like he’d waited a
lifetime for her to return? This had been worth the wait and the worry.
    “How long are you back for?” she asked, watching as he reached down for
her bag, slung it over his shoulder, then pulled her back in against his hip,
arm around her shoulders. Saskia put her arm around his waist, fingers tucked
into his jeans pocket as they walked.
    “I’m back for… awhile,” he said.
    Saskia squeezed her eyes shut, just for a moment, needing not to think
about what could happen to him. Because she knew firsthand the reality of
deployment, only Luke would be in situations far dangerous than she’d ever
experienced.
    “So we just enjoy the now and see what happens?” she suggested.
    “No,” Luke said, stopping and forcing her to turn towards him. He dropped
her bag again and took her face into his hands, palms cradling her cheeks.
    She didn’t understand.
    “I’m staying put for now, Saskia. I’ve done my time, I’ve given years to
the SEALs, and now it’s time for me to work behind the scenes. At home.”
    Saskia gulped. “Are you doing this for me?” Because she didn’t want him
giving up something he loved for her, didn’t want to be the one responsible for
that, not when they’d barely spent 48 hours together.
    “No.” He shook his head and kissed her so gently, so carefully, that it
was as soft as a feather being trailed across her skin. “I’m doing it for me,
and I’m doing it for us.”
    Saskia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Whether this could even be
real… but she knew all his letters had been real, that the phone calls had been
for real. So why not this?
    “Come on, let’s go,” Luke announced, tugging her along by the hand. “I’ve
got a little boy to get you home to.”
    This time she did laugh. “Strangely enough that sounds very familiar.”
    “Yeah, only this time I’m driving you in a Chevy.”
    Saskia grabbed Luke around the waist and held on tight. Trouble was, she
didn’t ever