leather and brass knuckles set fire to his body in a completely different way. Raeve meant what she said, and his body yearned to see just that. “Sure, sweetheart.”
Watching her clutch the silver necklace to her heart, he almost wished he could keep a piece of her tucked away in his footlocker, just as his reminder. “And there's this.” He slipped his dog tag into her other hand, Raeve knew what he was handing her before she even looked at it. Biting her lip, her eyes refused to look down at the small piece of metal.
“I thought you gave this to Jake,” she said curtly.
“Won't you need your tags?”
“No. Nothing that can be linked to who we are, that means no jewelry, no mementos, nothing.” His voice was eerily calm, even to himself, but he needed her to grasp the severity of this mission. He considered his next tour as his possible last, given the fact he had only a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Her beautiful natural blush disappeared. Realizing that the odds were stacked against him coming back alive, the sickening twist in his gut grew. Watching her with a careful eye as Raeve slumped back, , he could feel she was off. Within moments a clammy sheen covered her paled out skin, as his words sank in. Regret smothered him like a wet blanket as he cursed himself for ever agreeing to take this mission.
“I want to you hold on to this. Keep it safe.” Curling his hand over hers, it took every ounce of his will to stop himself from going AWOL.
***
Raeve felt another wave of tears stinging the back of her eyes as she thumbed the punched sheet metal. Clutching it to her heart, words failed to come to her. She wanted to scream, to beg him not to go. The cold hard reality slapped her in the face when she finally gazed upon his tags. “I―I can't…take these. They mean too much, you should give them to your sister.”
“I did, she has the other. This one is for you to hold on to.”
“I thought you gave these to Jake, that's what you told me.” Her eyes stared at his with an accusation that had to sting, as her heart raced and her hands shook. He closed the gap between them, pulling her into his arms. Softly he brushed his knuckles over her trembling cheek, as he pressed a kiss into her hair
“Jake and I exchanged our first set of tags when we came back from Kuwait. I had these made up before I went back. They've been with me for a long time, Raeve. Now they're yours. I'll always be with you. Always, just remember that.” Aidan smoothed a kiss over her lips.
Raeve longed to kiss him back, but the sadness crept back in and nestled deep in her heart.
With some effort she shook her head clear. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. “I don't need tokens like this, dammit! What I need is you, by my side, every freaking day until we die!” She felt the hysteria welling up, trying to tamp it down would end up being a losing battle, and she knew it. She closed her eyes against the truth Looking at him, so calm and deadly serious, was just too much to handle. She wasn't prepared for him to say his goodbyes, not when there was so much more life to live…together.
He tried to sooth her and calm her worried mind, but there was no changing the reality of the situation. Thumbing her tears away angrily, Raeve pushed herself off the counter and stalked off to her bedroom.
“Sweetheart, please. Don't walk away.” He begged, reaching for her as she went past.
“Aidan, I need to be alone right now. Please, just let me be,” she cried. “I just can't do this right now.” Closing the door behind her and shutting him out was the hardest thing she had ever done. She refused to let him watch as she broke into a withering mess. There was no eloquence in her fall to the bed. Burying her head in her arms, the ripples of sadness shuddered throughout her body.
She didn’t hear the door open, or anything he may have said, but the needed warmth of his body as
Watching her clutch the silver necklace to her heart, he almost wished he could keep a piece of her tucked away in his footlocker, just as his reminder. “And there's this.” He slipped his dog tag into her other hand, Raeve knew what he was handing her before she even looked at it. Biting her lip, her eyes refused to look down at the small piece of metal.
“I thought you gave this to Jake,” she said curtly.
“Won't you need your tags?”
“No. Nothing that can be linked to who we are, that means no jewelry, no mementos, nothing.” His voice was eerily calm, even to himself, but he needed her to grasp the severity of this mission. He considered his next tour as his possible last, given the fact he had only a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Her beautiful natural blush disappeared. Realizing that the odds were stacked against him coming back alive, the sickening twist in his gut grew. Watching her with a careful eye as Raeve slumped back, , he could feel she was off. Within moments a clammy sheen covered her paled out skin, as his words sank in. Regret smothered him like a wet blanket as he cursed himself for ever agreeing to take this mission.
“I want to you hold on to this. Keep it safe.” Curling his hand over hers, it took every ounce of his will to stop himself from going AWOL.
***
Raeve felt another wave of tears stinging the back of her eyes as she thumbed the punched sheet metal. Clutching it to her heart, words failed to come to her. She wanted to scream, to beg him not to go. The cold hard reality slapped her in the face when she finally gazed upon his tags. “I―I can't…take these. They mean too much, you should give them to your sister.”
“I did, she has the other. This one is for you to hold on to.”
“I thought you gave these to Jake, that's what you told me.” Her eyes stared at his with an accusation that had to sting, as her heart raced and her hands shook. He closed the gap between them, pulling her into his arms. Softly he brushed his knuckles over her trembling cheek, as he pressed a kiss into her hair
“Jake and I exchanged our first set of tags when we came back from Kuwait. I had these made up before I went back. They've been with me for a long time, Raeve. Now they're yours. I'll always be with you. Always, just remember that.” Aidan smoothed a kiss over her lips.
Raeve longed to kiss him back, but the sadness crept back in and nestled deep in her heart.
With some effort she shook her head clear. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. “I don't need tokens like this, dammit! What I need is you, by my side, every freaking day until we die!” She felt the hysteria welling up, trying to tamp it down would end up being a losing battle, and she knew it. She closed her eyes against the truth Looking at him, so calm and deadly serious, was just too much to handle. She wasn't prepared for him to say his goodbyes, not when there was so much more life to live…together.
He tried to sooth her and calm her worried mind, but there was no changing the reality of the situation. Thumbing her tears away angrily, Raeve pushed herself off the counter and stalked off to her bedroom.
“Sweetheart, please. Don't walk away.” He begged, reaching for her as she went past.
“Aidan, I need to be alone right now. Please, just let me be,” she cried. “I just can't do this right now.” Closing the door behind her and shutting him out was the hardest thing she had ever done. She refused to let him watch as she broke into a withering mess. There was no eloquence in her fall to the bed. Burying her head in her arms, the ripples of sadness shuddered throughout her body.
She didn’t hear the door open, or anything he may have said, but the needed warmth of his body as
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