Bodie by Nyssa Kathryn

Chapter 25

“Isn’t it supposed to be my job to surprise you?”

Maya didn’t let go of Bodie’s hand. She just kept tugging him down the street.

Later tonight, they were working their final shift at the bar. It was also their final night in Keystone. So she wanted today to be special. She didn’t want it to be about Sinclair or her heart. She just wanted it to be about her and Bodie.

Oliver, Wyatt, and Quinn were remaining close—like, restaurant-across-the-street close—so that she and Bodie could have a final date before they left.

“Why? Because you’re a man? Bodie, we live in a modern society. Those gender roles have no place here.” Not that she would complain if he organized the next romantic date for her…or the next fifty.

As they drew closer to the bar, Bodie gave her a skeptical look. “You taking me to work, woman? When I said let’s not be late for our final shift, I didn’t mean let’s arrive three hours early.”

Maya chuckled. She didn’t need reminding of how long they had before their shift. She’d planned this date to sit perfectly between lunch and dinner. Trish usually remained open in between, but every so often she closed the bar for a few hours. Luckily, that’s exactly what she’d done today.

It might have had something to do with Maya’s begging.

When they stopped in front of the bar, she took the key from her pocket and unlocked the door.

Bodie was looking more suspicious by the second. “Did you rob Trish for her key? Am I going to have to protect you from her too?”

“I did,” Maya said, pushing the door open. “I tackled the woman to the ground, wrenched the key from her fingers and told her if she disturbed our midafternoon date, she’d be in trouble.”

And if the guy believed that, he didn’t know either woman at all. Trish was tough. Maya was sure if she even attempted to steal anything from her boss, she’d end up seriously injured.

Bodie chuckled as they stepped inside. The bowls of pasta and glasses of wine were sitting exactly where she’d asked Trish to leave them. Maya had organized for them to be delivered from a local Italian restaurant fifteen minutes ago, coinciding with when Trish was leaving. Trish had also set the table for them, bless her soul.

Maya looked up to see one side of Bodie’s mouth lift. It made the dimple in his cheek stand out. Sigh. She’d never tire of seeing his dimples.

“You organized this?”

She lifted a shoulder. “This place is special because it’s where we first met. I actually asked Trish to put the food on that table specifically, because it’s the closest to where you helped me clean up the broken glasses.” Pink tinged her cheeks. It sounded silly when she said it out loud. Maybe she should have kept that tidbit to herself.

Bodie swept his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. “God, I love you.”

Heat rushed through her chest at his words.

I love you, too.

She wanted to say it back to him. The words were right there on the tip of her tongue, but when her mouth opened, nothing came out.

Bodie dipped his head and kissed her. A long, sweet kiss that had her chest humming.

When he finally drew away, she was short on breath, but her heart was full.

Bodie moved to the table and pulled out her chair. Anyone watching would think that he was the one taking her on a date. He took a look at his bowl as he sat across from her. “Is this pesto pasta?”

“Maybe. Do you like pesto pasta?”

“It’s only the greatest combination of foods on earth. So yeah, I like it, sweetheart. Thank you.”

Maya couldn’t take all the credit. Oliver may have mentioned that Bodie liked pesto. Combine that with Bodie saying his favorite food was pasta, and there it was.

“I just put the request in. The guys at the Italian place down the street did all the work.”

“You’re amazing. Thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve this, to deserve you, but I’m a lucky man.”

Her cheeks flushed at his words. The man was so easy to like. It was a wonder no woman had snapped him off the market before her. She took a bite of her food but was more focused on the sheer pleasure that crossed Bodie’s face. He looked happy. And peaceful. It made her feel happy and peaceful.

“God, I love pasta,” he said, probably not realizing she could tell just by watching him. “When we were on active duty, I would go weeks without the stuff. It was hell. I kid you not, I would dream about it.”

Maya laughed. She didn’t think she’d ever dreamed about pasta, but then, she obviously didn’t have the same level of appreciation as Bodie. “Was it just pesto pasta you dreamed about?”

“Nope. I mean, yes, I dreamed about pesto pasta. But also lasagna. Carbonara. Oh, and my mom makes a killer chicken fettuccini. I don’t even know what she puts in the thing to make it so good, I just know that I would do many, many terrible things to get my hands on the stuff.”

She wasn’t sure she believed that for a second. “From everything I’ve learned about you, you don’t seem capable of doing terrible things.”

Some of the joy slipped from Bodie’s face. Maya immediately wanted to take her words back.

“As a SEAL, I’ve needed to do some terrible things. Always to bad people—scum-of-the-Earth type people—but still, terrible things.”

On instinct, Maya reached across the table and touched his hand. He immediately threaded his fingers through hers.

“I’m sure by doing those ‘terrible things,’ you saved others. Probably many.” Bodie’s silence confirmed her suspicions. “You’re a hero, Bodie. The world needs more people like you in it.” Some of the tension dropped from his features. Maya almost breathed a sigh of relief.

“More sexy men with pasta addictions?”

She laughed, the final bit of tension easing from her body. “Yes. That is exactly what the world needs. Lots and lots of you.”

“Sorry, ma’am. I’m a one of a kind. An original. Luckily for you though, I’m yours.”

She felt the tightening of his fingers around her hand. “Guess that does make me one lucky woman.”

She wasn’t even joking. Not one bit. His gaze heated before she gently pulled away.

Bodie went on to tell her stories about his other friends back home. He told her about a man the team called Hunter, who stood at six feet six. Hunter had pulled the short straw on a mission and had to crawl through ceiling air vents.

Another guy called Cage, a ladies’ man, once got robbed by a woman he’d taken back to his hotel room. His phone, wallet, and plane ticket were stolen, almost resulting in him not getting home.

Some of the stories were funny. Some were downright scary. Like when his team had to fight a group of terrorists on a cliff edge, and both he and Oliver almost fell thirty feet.

“I can’t even begin to imagine some of the moments that you’ve lived through.” That you’ve survived.

Bodie lifted a shoulder like it was no big deal. “We were well-trained for that stuff. Things didn’t always go to plan, but we always had each other to watch our backs.”

“I’m excited to meet the rest of your team.”

Also nervous. Very nervous. She could tell the men meant a lot to Bodie. He’d referred to them as brothers on numerous occasions. That meant it would be important to him that they liked her.

As if reading her thoughts, Bodie leaned forward. “I can’t wait either. They’re going to love you.”

When the music changed to “Your Song”by Elton John, Maya closed her eyes. “Oh, I love this song. It was when I heard it sung on Moulin Rouge that I really fell in love with it. I’ve been hopelessly obsessed ever since.”

Bodie stood and held out his hand. “Dance with me.”

Dance with the man she loved to her favorite song? Um…yes.

Placing her hand in his, she let him pull her to the open space between the bar and the tables. His arms snaked around her waist and she moved so her body was pressed to his. He held her so closely, they were almost one.

Sighing, Maya placed her hands on his shoulders and her head to his chest.

This was it. The feeling that people chased. The one that some spent their whole lives searching for…perfection. Peace. Love. She’d found it.

If there was ever a time to tell a man she loved him, it was now.

Be fearless, Maya.

Bodie pressed a kiss to her head. “I need to tell you something. I know we agreed that you’d get your surgery in Marble Falls, but we never discussed when. Usually new doctors mean new pre-surgery appointments and wait periods. But Sage, our team doctor, has managed to work some magic and get you scheduled in for the surgery next week.”

Maya lifted her head in surprise. She felt unbelievably grateful that Bodie’s friend had gone to all that effort, but she didn’t have the money yet.

“I know you don’t want me to pay for it,” he continued. “I know things are dangerous and complicated right now. But your health and safety are my priority. I can’t lose you. I won’t. So, I hope you’re okay with—”

“I love you.”

The last bit of fear eased from her chest. This man, with his sweet words and actions, was everything to her. He needed to know that.

When Bodie remained quiet, Maya took advantage and hurried to continue. “For a while, I thought maybe I wasn’t capable of feeling love or being loved. I think I even feared it a little bit. You’ve taught me not to fear love, but to embrace it. That I’m deserving of both giving and receiving.” She took a breath. “You’re the first man I’ve ever loved. The only man I likely will ever love. I can’t picture my life, my future, without you in it.”

She’d been doing just fine surviving without him. But he made her want more than survival; he made her want to live.

The smile on Bodie’s lips grew slowly. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. You’re everything to me, Maya. You have my whole heart. Every little part of it.”

Then he kissed her. And the danger, the uncertainty, a lifetime of hurt and loneliness, it all faded. Bodie took up all the space in her head and heart, leaving room for nothing else.