Epilogue #6
Breakneck looked down at her, one brow lifting in mock surprise, his lips twitching. “Is there a Marine drill sergeant in your future, young lady?”
She lifted her chin, proud and sure, her eyes sparkling with the kind of confidence only a child who’s been told she can do anything can possess. “Maybe. Blair says I can be anything I want to be.”
Then, critically, her voice dropping to a serious, almost conspiratorial tone, “But you will never be a dancer with that kind of stance.”
Blair, leaning against the barre nearby, burst out laughing, the sound rich and full, her head thrown back, her eyes crinkling at the corners. It was a laugh that filled the room, warm and alive, a sound Breakneck had come to crave more than air.
He looked at her, his gaze softening, the corners of his own eyes crinkling in response. God, he loved that laugh. It was the sound of home, of peace, of a future he’d never dared to imagine.
Then, back down at Katie, who gave him a gap-toothed grin, a flash of white against her rosy cheeks, and bolted back to her mom, who was waiting by the door with a smile and a towel.
Together, they left the studio, the door clicking shut behind them, leaving Breakneck and Blair alone in the quiet, sun-drenched space.
He crossed to her, his steps slow, deliberate, the weight of the day, the weight of their life, settling comfortably on his shoulders.
His gaze softened, warmed, the usual intensity in his eyes replaced by a quiet, deep affection.
He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray curl from her forehead, his touch gentle, reverent.
“When can we get one of those?” he murmured, his voice low, rough with emotion.
She gasped, her eyes widening, then a slow, radiant smile spread across her face. Her arms looped around his waist, pulling him close, her head resting against his chest, the steady beat of his heart a comforting rhythm against her ear.
“We’ve got some stuff to do before that happens,” she whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt. “I don’t want to share you just yet.”
He leaned in, his lips brushing hers in a slow, lingering kiss, tasting of salt and sunshine and the faintest hint of mint. Then he pulled back, a grin spreading across his face, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Fair enough. So…you got some positions you want to show me?”
She tugged his hair, a playful, possessive gesture, then drew his mouth down to hers, her kiss deep and sweet, a promise and a challenge all at once. She pulled back, her eyes gleaming with wicked delight, her breath warm against his lips. “Depends…how flexible are you?”
Love was still scary. The thought of losing her, of failing her, of not being enough still clawed at the edges of his mind, a familiar, unwelcome shadow.
But with Blair? He’d take that risk all day long.
He’d face down a thousand enemies, endure a thousand wounds, if it meant he got to wake up to her laugh, to her touch, to the quiet, fierce love that had rewired his very soul.
Life wasn’t a place to hold on to the things that hurt him anymore.
It wasn’t a place of survival, of duty, of running from the ghosts of his past. It was a place to build something new.
To chase joy. To choose love, every single day, with every single breath.
To claim the future they both deserved, a future built on trust, on laughter, on the quiet, unshakable certainty that they were exactly where they were meant to be.
“You know how flexible I am,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, rough murmur, his eyes locking onto hers with a heat that made her breath catch.
“This time, I’m raring to go. No tired muscles.
No overworked body. Just all of this—” He gestured to himself, a slow, deliberate sweep of his hand from his chest down to his hips, his grin sharp and knowing. “—for you.”
She smiled, slow and wicked, her fingers tightening around his. “Well,” she said, her voice a velvet purr, “we’d better get someplace more comfortable while I put you through all the positions.”
His laugh was deep, rich, vibrating through his chest where she pressed against him. “All of them, huh?” He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. “Hmm. I might need a protein bar.”
She giggled, the sound light and bright, a perfect counterpoint to the low thrum of his voice. She tugged his hand, turning him toward the door, her steps already quickening. “Then you’d better move, sailor. I’m not waiting.”
He followed, his hand warm and solid in hers, his smile wide and unguarded. “Lead the way, boss.”
As they walked away from the studio, the golden light catching the dust motes swirling in their wake, the future stretched out before them a place of joy, of choice, of love, and it was theirs. Together.
Thank you for reading Breakneck, the last book in my SEAL Team Tier 1 series.