Chapter 26
Margie brought their food a few minutes later, setting down steaming bowls of chowder and plates piled high with perfectly fried fish and a lobster roll that made Lina’s mouth water.
The older woman winked at them again before disappearing back inside, leaving them alone with the sound of the waves and the cry of gulls overhead.
For a few minutes, they ate in companionable silence, both of them hungrier than they’d realized. The food was every bit as good as Liam had promised, and Lina found herself relaxing into the moment, letting the stress of the past days drain away with each bite.
Finally, Liam set down his fork and met her gaze across the table. “So. Our jobs.”
Lina swallowed a bite of her lobster roll and nodded. “Our jobs,” she echoed, her stomach tightening slightly. This was the practical part, the logistics that could make or break what they’d found together.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Liam said, his tone careful. “About what Uncle Nate said, and what my options might be. And here’s the thing. I’m willing to leave the Navy if that’s what it takes for us to be together.”
Lina’s heart squeezed. “Liam—”
“I mean it,” he continued, reaching across the table to take her hand. “You have an amazing career with the FBI. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and I’m not going to ask you to give that up for me. If it means I need to transition out and find something else, I’ll do it. Happily.”
The sincerity in his voice made her chest ache. She turned her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. “That’s incredibly sweet, and I love you for offering. But I’ve been thinking too, and I already decided I would quit the FBI if that’s what it takes.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Lina—”
“I mean it too,” she said firmly. “You’re a Navy SEAL, Liam. You’re part of an elite unit that does incredibly important work. I’m not going to ask you to walk away from that. If one of us needs to make a career change, it should be me.”
For a moment, they just stared at each other across the table. Then, almost simultaneously, they both started to laugh. It was soft at first, then louder, the sound carrying out over the water.
“We’re ridiculous,” Lina managed between chuckles.
“Completely ridiculous,” Liam agreed, his eyes sparkling with warmth and affection. “We’re both so ready to throw away our careers for each other that we can’t even have a rational conversation about it.”
“It’s actually kind of romantic,” she pointed out, grinning.
“It’s very romantic,” he corrected, bringing her hand to his lips for a tender kiss. “And it tells me everything I need to know about us. We’d do anything for each other, wouldn’t we?”
“Anything,” she confirmed softly, her heart full to bursting.
He held her gaze for a long moment, then took a deep breath. “Okay, so here’s what I’m thinking. What if we meet somewhere in the middle, instead of either of us making huge sacrifices right away?”
“I’m listening,” she said, intrigued.
“I think you once mentioned that you’ve got a ton of vacation and personal time stacked up, right? Time you haven’t taken in years because you’ve been so focused on work?”
She nodded. “I’ve got at least six weeks, maybe more. My boss has been on me to use some of it for a while now.”
“Perfect.” Liam’s smile grew. “So here’s my proposal.
Take that time now. Come back to Texas with me to meet my family and let them throw us the mating celebration they’re already planning.
Give yourself permission to just be idle for a little while.
To be my mate, to get to know the Clan, to not think about work for a bit.
I think we’ve both earned a little vacation after what we just accomplished. ”
The idea was so tempting it made her dizzy. “Just take a break from everything?”
“Just a small break,” he confirmed. “And while you’re doing that, I’ll figure out my situation with the Navy.
Because here’s the thing. My assignment to Plum Island is over.
The base has been fatally compromised and is known to our enemies.
Everyone stationed there has already been dispersed to different locations around the country until my father can set up our next secret base of operations.
Everything’s up in the air right now. I was tasked to finalize the cleanup of the site with a skeleton crew to erase our presence completely.
That’ll be completed shortly, and Uncle Nate and Uncle Gunnar are going to be using the site off and on for the foreseeable future, but my part is done. ”
Lina processed that, her mind working through the implications. “So you don’t actually have a new assignment yet?”
“Not yet. Dad’s working on it, but it could be weeks or even months before everything’s sorted out.
All the shifter soldiers under his command need a new home base, and new cover identities in some cases.
It’s a bit of a logistical nightmare.” He squeezed her hand.
“Which actually works in our favor, timing-wise. While all that’s getting figured out, I can take some leave and spend time with you.
We can use these next couple of weeks as our honeymoon period—just us, figuring out what being mates means without the pressure of immediate decisions hanging over our heads. ”
The knot in Lina’s chest loosened further. “That actually sounds perfect.”
“And then, once we’ve had time to breathe and my father’s got all his troops back under his command again, we can make real decisions about the future.
Maybe the new base will be somewhere that works better for your career.
Maybe we’ll decide one of us wants to make a change.
But we’ll decide together, with all the information in hand.
Not in a panic while we’re still coming down from combat and new mate endorphins. ”
Lina laughed at that. “New mate endorphins are a real thing.”
“They absolutely are,” he said with a grin. “And I’m currently very high on them and not thinking entirely clearly. Which is why giving ourselves a few weeks to just be together, without making life-altering decisions, seems like the smart play.”
She studied him across the table, this man who’d become the center of her world in such a short time.
He was right. They were both still processing everything that had happened.
They were still finding their way with each other, getting over the battle with Mrs. E, and getting used to the intensity of their bond.
Making huge career decisions in the middle of all that emotional chaos didn’t make a lot of sense.
“Okay,” she said finally. “Let’s do it. I’ll put in for my vacation time as soon as we get back to the house. Six weeks should give us plenty of time for a mating celebration and a proper honeymoon.”
The smile that spread across Liam’s face was incandescent. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she confirmed, feeling lighter than she had in years. “I want to meet your family. I want to see where you grew up. And honestly? I could use a break from the FBI grind. It’s been nonstop for longer than I want to admit.”
“You deserve a break,” he said softly. “You deserve to be spoiled and celebrated and loved on by a whole Clan of lions and selkies who are going to be thrilled to welcome you.”
The image made her smile. “I’m a little nervous about meeting everyone.”
“Don’t be. They’re going to love you.” His thumb traced circles on the back of her hand. “My dad’s going to be happy. He already respects your record, and I think he was speculating about how to get you into the Clan because he covets your sniper skills.”
“You’re kidding.” Lina’s brows rose in surprise.
“Not at all. Papa Lester admires sharpshooters and wants them all under his command,” he teased with a grin. Then, more seriously, “But really, Lina. Thank you for being willing to take this leap with me. For trusting that we’ll figure it out together.”
“That’s what mates do, right?” She squeezed his hand. “We figure it out together.”
“Together,” he echoed, and the word felt like a promise.
They finished their meal in a much lighter mood, talking about everything and nothing.
He described his family in more detail. She couldn’t believe they were throwing a mating celebration in their honor, and she had to figure out the logistics of packing up her things—her custom sniper rifle included—for an extended trip.
By the time Margie brought the check, Lina felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
They had a plan. It wasn’t a perfect plan or a permanent plan, but it was a plan that gave them both what they needed most—time together without the pressure of impossible choices.
As they walked back to the SUV, Liam’s arm around her shoulders, Lina looked out at the water and felt something settle deep in her chest. It felt like peace. And hope. It was the bone-deep certainty that whatever came next, they would face it together.
“Ready to head back?” Liam asked, pressing a kiss to her temple.
She looked up at him, this man who’d become her whole world. “Yeah,” she said softly. “Let’s go home.”
*
The drive back to the house was quiet, but it was the comfortable kind of quiet that came from being with someone who understood you to your soul. Liam’s hand rested on her thigh as he drove, his thumb moving in slow, absent circles that made warmth pool low in her belly.
By the time they pulled into the driveway, the afternoon sun was slanting through the trees, painting everything in shades of gold.
Lina felt the shift in the air between them as they got out of the SUV.
The conversation at lunch had been necessary and good, but now that they’d sorted out their immediate future, there was nothing stopping them from enjoying the present.
Liam’s eyes met hers over the hood of the vehicle, molten gold and full of heat. “You okay?” he asked, but she could hear the edge in his voice, the barely restrained need.
“More than okay,” she said, her own voice coming out husky. “But I think we should probably get inside.”
His answering smile was pure predator. “Good idea.”
They made it through the front door and locked it behind them before Liam’s hands were on her, pulling her close and claiming her mouth in a kiss that made her knees weak.
She melted into him, her hands fisting in his shirt as she kissed him back with all the emotion that had been building since the debrief, and since lunch, and probably since the moment they’d woken up together that morning.
“Bedroom,” she managed against his mouth.
“Too far,” he murmured, but he was already moving them in that direction, walking her backward down the hall without breaking the kiss.
They left a trail of clothing behind them.
His shirt, her sweater, his shoes, and her jeans all got tossed aside without a care.
By the time they made it to the bedroom, they were both breathless and half-naked, hands roaming over each other’s skin with a desperation that had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with the need to affirm what they’d almost lost in battle with evil.
Their wounds had healed thanks to their superior shifter metabolisms, but the memories of the close calls remained.
Liam lowered her onto the bed with a gentleness that made her heart ache, his body covering hers as he kissed her slow and deep.
“I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “So damn much.”
“Love you too,” she breathed, arching into his touch as his hands mapped the curves of her body.
The emotions between them ran high and hot. There was relief that they’d survived, gratitude that they’d found each other, and the deep, unshakeable certainty of the mate bond. Every touch was a promise, every kiss a vow.
When Liam finally joined their bodies, Lina gasped at the rightness of it, the way they fit together like two pieces of the same puzzle. He moved inside her with long, deep strokes that made her see stars, his forehead pressed against hers as they moved together in perfect rhythm.
“Mine,” he growled, his lion’s voice rumbling through the word.
“Yours,” she agreed, her lynx purring in contentment. “Always yours.”
The pleasure built between them like a wave, cresting higher and higher until they both tumbled over the edge together, crying out each other’s names as the world shattered around them.
Afterward, they lay tangled together in the sheets, hearts pounding and skin slick with sweat. Liam pressed lazy kisses to her shoulder, her neck, her jaw, while she ran her fingers through his hair.
“That was...” she started, then trailed off with a soft laugh.
“Yeah,” he agreed, understanding perfectly. “It really was.”
They dozed for a while, bodies still intertwined, basking in the afterglow and the quiet certainty of what they’d found. The future was still uncertain in some ways, but in the ways that mattered most, it had never been clearer.
They had each other. They had time. And they had the promise of forever stretching out before them, full of possibility and hope.
For now, that was more than enough.