Still…his palms were freaking Niagara Falls.
He’d laugh if his stomach weren’t tossing like a teenager after his first beer binge.
Neil took the stairs a couple at a time and stood outside their room. He drew in a deep breath and rapped on the door.
“Come in.”
He wiped his hands on his jeans and stepped inside. She sat on the edge of the bed as if she’d been resting. Her smile radiated when she realized it was him.
Might not be that bad.
“You came back.”
He paused. “You thought I’d left?” He closed the door behind him and moved into the room.
“Charles said you’d return…but I-I…oh never mind. Where were you?”
“I had to get something.”
She sighed. “Not going to tell me?”
“I might.”
Her grin made him smile. With his smile, her worried expression softened. “I see you and Ruth went shopping.” He changed the subject.
Gwen glanced at her new outfit and lifted an eyebrow. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to get out of those clothes. I know I’m higher maintenance than others in the clothes department, but I dare any woman to wear three outfits for a week and not want to burn them.”
She’d been a good sport throughout. “You’re talking to a guy who lived in desert camo for weeks on end.”
“Remind me never to join the military.”
“I’ll do that.”
Their conversation paused and his palms dampened.
Gwen reached over and ran her fingertips over his brow. “What’s going on, Neil?”
Her blue eyes met his. “W-what do you mean?”
She shook her head. “You’re smiling, but your eyes aren’t showing it. And you look like you’re ready to pounce. What happened?”
He swallowed. “Nothing…nothing happened.”
“But you need to say something.”
Was he so obvious? “I-I need to leave you here tomorrow.”
Her smile fell. “I know.”
“But I can’t.” The lie soured his spirit, but he tried not to let it show.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re on a military base. The only place I know where you’ll be safe. Chuck can protect you…hell, the entire base can protect you…”
Gwen tilted her head. He noticed for the first time that the brown dye in her hair was starting to fade. He pushed a curl away from her eyes and attempted that smile again.
She frowned. “But?”
“You’re British.”
She laughed. “Last I looked my country and yours are allies.”
“True. But protecting you without your country’s involvement is tricky. Now if you were an American…”
“My brother has dual citizenship.”
Perfect! “And he’s married to an American. Blake could stay here, no questions asked.”
Her brow creased.
“I need to protect you.”
She shook her head. “Because of my brother?”
“W-what? No. Because I need to.”
“Need to?”
Oh, damn…she was frowning. “Want to.”
She smiled.
He smoothed down the stubble of the goatee with his fingers and tried again. “I want you safe, Gwendolyn. If I’m going to find the guy behind the dead birds and neighbors, I have to know you’re safe. I only know one way to do that.” Neil reached into his pocket and removed the small box with her ring. All she had to do was take it.
Her jaw dropped. Her eyes widened.
He opened the box and waited until her gaze moved to the square pink diamond that sat inside the black velvet box.
She sucked in a quick breath. “Neil.”
“I need you to marry me, Gwen. As my wife you’ll have the entire US Army, Air Force, and Marines at your side.”
Her gaze moved from the ring to his. Moisture sat behind her lids. “You don’t have to do this,” she said.
Oh, yes he did. For more reasons than her safety. “We do. If you want out…after…” He shuddered. “I’ll walk away.”
A single tear fell from her eye and she looked away. “This isn’t fair.”
“What isn’t?”
“We…we just found each other. I can be honest and say I’ve wanted us to be together for some time. But this…marriage? And for reasons of safety?”
Reminding her what she did for a living wouldn’t bode well, so he kept his mouth quiet about Alliance.
“If something happened to me with Raven, the people here can protect you.”
Her gaze snapped back to his. “Nothing will happen to you.”
“There are no guarantees.” He didn’t even know who he was dealing with.
She stood and walked to the window in the room.
“There’s always the possibility of you being pregnant.” He set the ring aside and waited for her to respond.
She huffed out a breath. “We’ve been careful.”
“Ask your brother about the success rate of condoms.” He wasn’t playing fair. Blake and Samantha conceived Eddie while using condoms. Neil knew damn well those condoms had been tampered with practically guaranteeing Eddie’s conception. Neil moved behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
She moved out of his reach and turned to him. “Not the same thing, Neil, and you know it.”