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"I’ is horrible, but I think it’s our only good option" He softly brushedand I think you should at least consider it" He gaveanother episode like we had tonight at the National"

I started to protest but he shushedkiss that was so very typical of hiinto ue I let hi et all feisty and worried, I want you to just think about it for now We could have a long engagement, but the announcement is ill ht and there’s a ton of shit to be sorted, but in the end, we’re together and that won’t be changing" He kissedin with me"

I just stared at him and took in his words

"That last part is not a request, Brynne What went down tonight was utterin two places"

"God, what a to do with you?" I stifled a yawn and realized the pill wasme sleepy I kneouldn’t be able to continue this conversation ht have used that fact to his advantage Ethan wasn’t good at poker for nothing

"You’re exhausted, and quite frankly I areed with him "I ambut I still don’t knohat to even say about what you’re suggesting," I told hi into his eyes, which were just inches froainst his body in preparation for sleep and buried his face in ht now, and think about itand trust meand move in with me officially"

"Just like that?" I asked

"Yeah, just like that" His lips s have to be" I felt his stubble graze o to sleep"

Ethan’s strong arnificent, despite the fact that I thought he was out of his ever-lovingso drastic for me just to keep me protected, that he loved me thatfabulous, to quote my soldier-mouthed lover

I did sleep then, safe in his ar shit De most people never really have the opportunity to appreciate I suppose that’s a lucky thing for ht for those who don’t even kno good they have it The thing that bothered me the most was the incredible waste of potential People suppressed and terrorized have very little potential--just the way third-world dictators like the on the streets of Kabul before, but never with the boy Servicehan woerous, and not just for the troops, but horny men are the o looking for puy and find trouble just about every tih not coht dead in one But so with their cocks Iwith a "fellow" enlisted when it could be h offers from women in the army Discretion was key for any sex on base Female troops had reason to be hen they were so vastly outnumbered by men

The woman’s name was Leyya and she died an inhumane death The Taliban executed her in the town square for her cri boy alerted us of the situation He was about three years old and sitting in his mother’s blood in the middle of the street I later wondered if anyone in the toould have ever picked hiht there with his mother’s desecrated body In the end the point washim there while the possibility of a suicide bo hours I was the one who set out to go get him off her corpse I went in quickly and scooped him up He didn’t want to leave her and clutched at her burka, dragging it away from her face as I lifted him up Her throat had been slit from ear to ear, her headto re alhstopped abruptly A whoosh of air passed my ear and thenblood So much blood for such a tiny little body A mo," a voice said gently inhard to find it The sound soothed like nothing else before I wanted that voice

And then again, "Ethan, baby, you’re drea in a breath as I saw her, and took in her words "I was?"

"Yeah, just so around" She reached a hand up behind my head and held my eyes to hers "I woke you because I didn’t want you to drea terrible"

"Fuck, I’m sorry I woke you up?" I still felt disoriented, but I was coht I wanted to wake you up before it gotbad" She sounded sad to et me to talk about this drea sha her with it

"You don’t have to be sorry for having a dream, Ethan," she said firmly "But I’d really love it if you told me what it was about"

"Oh, baby" I drew her close and smoothed over her head and hair with my hand I pressedin her scent helped ainst ht here, right now Safe with me